I've Been Tagged!

I've been tagged by several friends now. Once you've been tagged you are supposed to write a note with 25 things, facts, habits, or goals about you. So here it goes!!

1. I wasn't given a middle name as a baby, so I use my maiden name (mostly just the initial) for my signature. When I was a little girl, my grandpa used to call me Heather Belle (which is my Grandma's middle name) because he thought it was terrible I didn't have one of my own.
2. I gave ALL my girls middle names! And Erica got to have Belle!
3. I had a lot of friends in high school, but not many that were really close. Right now I consider myself the luckiest person in the world for all the wonderful close friends I have now!!
4. I always wanted to be a writer.
5. I majored in journalism when I first started at Ricks College, then after a semester on the newspaper staff I changed my major to dental hygiene.
6. I graduated from Idaho State University in 1998 with a BS.
7. I have travelled to Hawaii, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
8. My favorite place in the world is Hawaii!!
9. Eric and I will celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary this summer.
10. Eric was the first and last returned missionary I ever dated!
11. Eric and I met at a church rollerskating party. He helped me go around the rink (I am a TERRIBLE skater!) So you could say we held hands the first time we met.
12. I am the oldest of five kids, the youngest just turned 18.
13. I love to read. I read several books every month, some better than others!
14. I have tried to start a book club in almost every place I've ever lived, but none of them ever took off until I moved to Everett. Now we have almost 20 members!!
15. I am addicted to the computer.
16. I force my kids to take piano lessons. They'll thank me later.
17. I have a problem with spending too much money.
18. I plan on losing at least 20 pounds this year (hopefully even more than that!)
19. I love working with the Beehive class at church, but I'm not sure if Heidi loves me in there with her!
20. I like to sing, but I don't feel like I have a solo voice. I always wished that I could sing better.
21. I took piano lessons for 13 years and loved the piano. I don't spend enough time playing anymore. I miss it.
22. I also played the violin in school, but was never that great at it. But I loved being part of an Orchestra.
23. My house is never clean enough. I spend too much time on the computer!
24. I love to throw parties at my house. The more elaborate the better!
25. I miss living close to my family.

The Guitar That Took the Cake!

On Tuesday night we participated in a Cub Scout Cake Auction for this year's fundraiser. The assignment was for the Cub and his father to design and create a cake that matched the theme "A-MAZE-ING Games." Eric and Ethan almost immediately decided they wanted to represent the Playstation game "Guitar Hero." I was skeptical at first that they could pull off a design so technical, but Eric was sure they could do it. And he was right, of course!

First off, Eric made four square chocolate cakes. We then froze them overnight so they would be easier to cut and assemble.

Here Eric is cutting the cake to match the template we made.

Eric really wanted the cake to have a nice finish, so he insisted we cover it with fondent, instead of just frosting. He rolled it out thin, covered the top, then rolled out strips to go around the sides.



Erica enjoyed some of the decoration-elements as we worked. Here she's going to town on a licorice stick!




After covering the cake with fondent, he trimmed the edges with licorice strips. We made the neck out of Rice Krispie treats, pressed into a mold Eric made from cardboard.




Ethan assembled the final details. He used gum drops for the buttons and knobs and licorice for other details.

Ethan is showing off their masterpiece at the auction. He named the cake "Rock and Roll!"

We were very excited to discover they saved our cake to go last at the auction. There were about twenty cakes auctioned off, with varying amounts of money they went for. Ours went for the highest amount of $75 to Bishop Barker! Ethan was completely ecstatic! He didn't even seem disappointed we didn't get our own cake back since to him it "won." (I had to tell him it wasn't a competition, there aren't any "winners.") We went home with a delicious marble cake that was decorated with bright red frosting and covered in sparklers and airplanes. (Ethan picked out which one he wanted to bid on.)

Overall the night was a huge success. The Cubs made almost $500! Rock on!

I Only Have Eyes For You

Eric made this little card for me several years ago for Christmas when he gave me a gift of corrective LASIK eye surgery.

I've always been intrigued by eyes. Everyone has such a unique pattern with a kaleidescope of colors. I thought it would be fun to compare our eyes up close.

Erica, the long-awaited for blue-eyed child! I had quite a time getting her to cooperate for these shots! The flash was so bright and she kept trying to grab the camera. So this is the best there is!

Elise. She probably has the prettiest eyes I've ever seen. Look at all the colors, not to mention those lashes! Such a pretty girl.



Ethan. I never noticed before how much of an amber glow he has in his eyes! Is he a vegetarian vampire in disguise? Hmmm, that might explain some things....

Heidi. My clone eye. Even down to the eye-shape! She has a very pretty combination of green and brown.





I was appalled when I saw the pictures of my own eyes. I asked the kids if I always looked that tired and they both answered YES, very matter-of-factly. I guess it's the Mom Syndrome.





Eric, my blue-eyed knight in shining armour. Actually, now that I look at them they look almost green, or turquoise, or grey....I don't know. They're pretty cool, though!





My family knows this little story well, but I will tell it anyway. Ever since I was little I always imagined my Prince Charming to be tall, dark and handsome, but with shocking blue eyes. I have always been in love with the combination. The funny thing was, though, that every boy I ever dated was blond, until I met Eric. In walks Mr. Perfect. Tall, dark hair, tan (he used to work construction and was very dark), with gorgeous blue eyes that caught you off guard. How could I have ever resisted? I was his from Day One.

Mr. Bloody Gums

Let me relate with you a conversation I had recently with one of my patients. For the sake of patient's privacy rights, HIPPA, blah blah, we will refer to him as Mr. Bloody Gums.

"So, tell me how you've been doing with your homecare? Brushing, flossing?" This is my standard question I ask once I have assessed for myself what their actual toothbrush usage is.

Mr. Bloody Gums replies nonchalantly, "Not bad."

"You're brushing twice a day....?"

"Oh, I try to every week, but sometimes I forget."

Stunned silence.

"Once a week?" Hoping I had misunderstood.

"Yeah, but sometimes I forget," Mr. Bloody Gums answers with a shrug.

So this would explain the Niagra Falls of blood and gore we had just experienced for the last 45 minutes....Now I must evaluate how to educate this poor soul: with a strict lecture on proper homecare that only a true dental hygienist can do justice with, or a gentle nudge into the direction of more appropriate hygiene behavior. Assessing his motivation level, and noting that (gasp) there are no wives or girlfriends in the picture, I opt for the second.

"I would love to see you brushing everyday...." Thus begins my arduous journey of beating my head against a brick wall.

Sadly enough, Mr. B.G. is not my first patient to admit to such a serious lack of hygiene skills.

He's my second.

I have yet to decide if these two gentlemen (and yes, they were both men in their late 40's) are indeed clueless about a toothbrush, bacteria, and the reason no woman wants to approach them, or if they are just plain lazy.

Again, my bet is on the second.

I am nervously anticipating the day when a patient responds with, "That's your job, honey. These teeth haven't seen a brush since they were here last."


It will happen.

Ugh.

A Mother's Prayer

I have two sick babies at home.

It breaks my heart to see their sad little eyes and imploring expression at me. They seem to be saying, "Can't you make me better?"

No sweetie, I can't.

Erica and Elise are fighting a flu bug, one of the many lurking around this winter. Erica's nose is dripping like an endless fountain. I have no idea where all of the fluids are coming from. You'd think that eventually it would run out! Elise has been running a fever off and on. Unfortunately for her, fevers tend to induce seizure activity. She hasn't had any severe ones, but she keeps getting little jolts that scare her.

I realize that we have to go through bad times to appreciate the good, poverty to appreciate prosperity, sickness to appreciate health. But why does it have to apply to kids too? Can't we, as parents, just say, "Give me the burden! Let me carry the weight! Let me feel the pain!"

I gave the lesson today in Beehives and it was about the Savior and how he made it possible for us to repent and return to live with our Father in Heaven through the Atonement. It is hard to think about what he suffered for us, but I think that our Father in Heaven probably suffered just as much watching His beloved Son go through it as well. I am sure He wished that He could just take it away, all the pain and grief. "Give me the burden! Let me carry the weight! Let me feel the pain!"

But He knew He couldn't. He knew it was the only way He could get us back again, safe in His arms, because we are His beloved children as well.

So, I am grateful....for a Heavenly Father who loves us enough to send us trials that will only make us stronger. And who loves us enough to always be there when we feel the weakest.

So no, sweetie, I can't make it better. But I will be here for you to help you through.

Do We Live in Seattle, or What?!

Like I wrote about before, we had a pretty good snow storm come through the area over the Christmas break. Here are some pictures to document:

December 26, 2008

Only a week later, the snow was almost gone. There were piles of dirty slush everywhere. Areas where the snow-plow had piled up were still left, melting in odd shapes. Eric and I were just thinking today after church that we needed to come back to the church parking lot with a camera to photograph some of the odd forms and shapes that are left there. Many are still quite tall, as tall as the car, although we didn't make it back there tonight.


January 3, 2009

We should have, because it is snowing again even as I am writing. I had to get a few more pictures. You can even see how huge the flakes are! I thought they were pretty cool.

January 4, 2009

So remind me again....we do live in Seattle, right?

Rock and Roll!

Erica is starting to crawl. I now find her in the funniest places all over the place, but her favorite places by far are under chairs. I'm not sure what is so appealing about them. The world must be a very fun place to explore and see from that angle. She frequently gets tangled up in the legs or wrapped up in the hanging electrical cords we have neglected to rescue. She is also a very efficient vaccuum cleaner, far better than the electrical version. She can find the tiniest piece of lint or pine needle carried in from outside. Then directly into the mouth it goes! I can't keep up with her!

I also love to watch her rockin out. Whoever came up with the expression "Rock and Roll" had to have been watching a baby learn to crawl! She rocks and rocks and rocks until it looks like she will launch, then she's off!

New Year's Day

As promised, to celebrate New Year's Day, we took a trek out to Mukilteo Beach. Most of the snow is now a pile of dirty slush, but it is still quite cold out, especially by the water.

Following the recent trend, Heidi and Ethan made a fuss over not wanting to go to the beach, since it's "boring." They then bickered and fought the entire time in the car, while I gritted my teeth.

"We are all going to the beach, and you are going to have fun, whether you like it or not!" was my scathing thought, unsaid of course.

When we arrived at the beach we were surprised to discover that the whole beach-front had been "remodeled," complete with covered patio tables, a restroom building, and two playground areas. The kids' tune immediately changed. They couldn't wait to try out the new equipment. I also noticed a sign which read "Welcome to Mukilteo Lighthouse Park." Has that always been there? Have they given it a new name to go along with the facelift? I may never know....


The wind was biting cold. Eric and the little girls only stayed out long enough for some pictures, then sought refuge in the car. There was, however, some brave enough to go sailing today. We admired the boat from the beach. It reminded me of the time my family and I went waterskiing on New Year's Day in Idaho. It was called Polar Bear Day. It was freezing! We wore dry-suits, to be a little warmer, but our heads, feet, and hands were exposed to the freezing water and wind.

Mind-numbingly cold. My ears hurt just thinking about it.

We each got a T-shirt that read "I waterskiied on New Year's Day." Yes, we were crazy. Many said it was fun. But I knew better. We were only out there so we could say that we did it.

And I'm glad that we did.

(As a side note, we had to practically drag the kids back to the car when we were ready to leave. Ethan still insists he wasn't even cold and his ears never hurt once. Hmmmm)