Tuesday, July 22, 2008

ZZZZZZZZZZ......

We got ourselves into a mess. I say that taking full responsibility. Our kids have been on a late schedule, going to bed late and sleeping in late. This gave me time to either go to the gym in the morning or sleep in too. Eventually we were putting the kids to bed so late and it was taking sooooo long to get them both to sleep, we just started all falling asleep together in our bed. When we bought it, we thought it was a king. Some of you might recall a post where we were sleep training Quincy. Well.... we went out of town and had company, etc... and were once again derailed. Plus her crib was in our room and it didn't take long for her to find us. She would chew us out incessantly. So I caved. I decided to try to teach her to go through the night in our bed without nursing. That worked and provided some relief, but soon she was waking just to snuggle. About 8 times a night. Sweet. We were a domino game of waking each other up. One night we even shifted places 11 times. I counted. As in Michael and I both ended up at the foot of the bed like dogs after playing leaf frog all night. But I realize we did it to ourselves. Well, I broke. I snapped. I decided I didn't care about the tears anymore. Michael and I moved the crib to Avery's room and we put both kids in their room, kissed them and locked the door. There were tears. Avery told us in the morning he cried because he lost his Mommy and Daddy and the lion was scary. But both slept in their own beds. We don't even know what to do with ourselves. Quincy's sleeping through the night, Avery at least starts in his own bed (now with a flashlight), we have time to ourselves before our bedtime, and we don't spend an hour putting them so sleep. I'm pretty sure I could effectively rule the free world now!

Monday, July 21, 2008

100 Things (I stole the idea)

1. I used to love New Kids and even went to a concert. I'm not thrilled about their attempt at a comeback.
2. I love music, esp. loud, emotionally heavy music.
3. I cannot sing, but in heaven I plan on knocking my own socks off.
4. I played softball (first base) in high school. I still love it.
5. I used to be cold all the time. After having my second child, my thermostat is normal.
6. I have a lot of musical respect for Rob Thomas and Phil Collins. They seem to put it all out there in their work.
7. I took a bus of FLDS teens on a tour at the Liberty Jail while on my mission.
8. I would believe anything that came out of Alton Alexander's mouth. Anything. He was my Visitor Center Director.
9. While pregnant I heard the name Avery on an episode of Gilmore Girls. Then I found out that its root word means Alfred, my Dad's name.
10. I picked the name Quincy from a college class I took with a girl named Quincy.
11. Ears are the best thing in the world to touch, molest, fondle.
12. Michael has the softest ears a grown man can have. That's why I married him.
13. He did however pull a fast one by pretending to enjoy my ear play before we got married.
14. My children and parents are quite patient with my ear play. They might even like it.
15. I have a history degree from BYU and an English minor.
16. I wish I had a useful degree, but I went through college in my late teens and early twenties before I acquired common sense.
17. I taught a high school Special Ed class for a semester in Hawaii.
18. I make a killer baked broccoli, thanks to Ollie.
19. I have only a minimal verbal filter. I like to think its part of my charm :)
20. I used to think I'd marry a fat boy to make myself feel skinny.
21. I didn't.
22. I'm not into chick flicks or flowers.
23. I am the ultimate bargain shopper.
24. I don't have health insurance, although my family does. Denied.
25. I enjoy reality television more than I should.
26. I cannot and will not dance. Won't do it. I refuse to be the person others whisper about.
27. Laundry is the bane of my existence.
28. I love eating out at exotic restaurants. Don't usually enjoy American style.
29. If we own a pet ever, it will be a hypoallergenic dog or a hairless cat. Maybe a fish for the kid's sake.
30. I hardly ever cry. That emotion tends to disguise itself as anger.
31. I absolutely love thrill rides and water parks.
32. I'm very into make-up, but not so much into shoes, hair, jewelry, or fashion. I try to be. Something doesn't click.
33. I fake tan my legs for church.
34. I love Florida thunder storms. They might be what I miss most.
35. I used to be terribly organized and responsible. Now I seem to be much less so. I don't care.
36. I have very little idea of why I'm fat. It pisses me off.
37. I could never get plastic surgery after watching Dr. 90210. Gruesome.
38. I absolutely loved BYU, esp. my years at Chatsworth with Bishop Shippen.
39. I wouldn't trade my mission experience, but I'm not sure I'd go again. Pretty sure I wouldn't. That's not an apostate statement. Its part of my bluntness.
40. I can't stand the sound of vent fans in bathrooms or over stoves.
41. I enjoy deep, emotionally draining, thinker movies.
42. I know very little about politics. I trust my dad's obsession to lead me to the proper opinion.
43. My freckles and sun spots on my face drive me absolutely crazy.
44. I'm super fertile. So is Michael.
45. I like to think I have supernatural people reading skills.
46. I have more patience than I thought I could with my kids.
47. My mom wouldn't let me have Barbies.
48. We have one car and I am finally used to it.
49. Its a grandma car, and that too I'm finally used to.
50. I think drinking would be a vice if I wasn't LDS. It sounds fun.
51. I excelled in school, and at the same time hardly attended. Not worth my time.
52. I worry about autism with my kids. Just paranoia.
53. I think Michael has a fabulous physique.
54. I seem to acquire black clothes more than other colors.
55. I grew up with an extremely open door policy.
56. Not sure what I have in common with my 2 brothers but I love them.
57. I hope that my children will be best friends.
58. I nursed Avery until he was 2 and a half.
59. I plan on weaning Quincy close to her first birthday.
60. I seriously pray for my parents to move to Utah.
61. My Dad actually applied for jobs here. Now that's a great Dad.
62. I don't have a green thumb or a crafty bone in me.
63. I enjoy writing. Not much into reading. I get too distracted with life.
64. I used to relish listening to loud music alone in the dark. Alone never happens any more.
65. Shopping gives me a sense of accomplishment.
66. I only get ready for the day if I have somewhere to go. That's new. Not proud of it.
67. I give my son "gum kisses" when he wants the gum I'm chewing. Gross, I know.
68. I am not a germaphobe. ie: I like buffets.
69. Michael was my first serious boyfriend. Not my first kiss.
70. I'm grateful that the current style allows for maternity style shirts.
71. My 6th grade English teacher made me the official "class complainer." It took me ages to figure out that was a technique to keep me quiet until the end of class.
72. My parents both have brown hair.
73. It takes something special to get me to like a country song. There are a few.
74. The news is harder for me to watch now that I have kids.
75. I'm 30.
76. Neglectful and abusive parents make me furious.
77. I've been known to chew a few out.
78. I chased a woman down in a store for giving my mom the bird. I called her a special name.
79. I want to travel to see cultures completely foreign to what I know.
80. I'm still confused on why caffeine free diet soda is unhealthy.
81. I have a new goal of having family meals around the table.
82. I have constant goals of reading scriptures, saying prayers, losing weight, and exercising.
83. I am a pushover when it comes to children, including my own.
84. I have 2 blood clotting disorders. That's pretty rare.
85. I also have eosinophilic esophagitis. That makes it hard to swallow apparently from food allergies that I didn't know I had.
86. My son Avery was allergic to milk and eggs.
87. Quincy seems to be allergic to eggs and cashews.
88. I used to be a harsh movie critic. Now I pretty much like anything I get to watch uninterrupted.
89. I could only hope to be as close to perfection as my parents.
90. I'm fairly good at math when I take classes.
91. Science and foreign languages are foreign languages to me.
92. Poor (speaking) english is a major pet peeve of mine.
93. I begged my parents to get a dog when I was dating Michael but staying with them because I missed him. They did. I was only home a few weeks. I think they're glad they're glad to have her.
94. I've paid tithing my whole life.
95. My brother Brad called my Scummer growing up.
96. One of my special ed students (and later others) pronounced my name as "Hermer."
97. My mom called me Lady Bug and Sister Poo.
98. Today's Special was my favorite show for much of my early years.
99. I also watched Pinwheel, You Can't Do That on Television, Kids Incorporated, the standard TGIF shows, etc...
100. I was pretty good at Super Mario Brothers 1-3 and Tetris.

About Me

My photo
Logan, UT
So I used to think... I used to think it was my world. Maybe Michael thought it was his. But we have been re-educated. By a 4 year old and a 2 year old. It's their world. We live in it.

A peek into our window

Birth of Child #1

Birth of Child #1
He looked like a blue alien. Luckily it didn't stick. And thank goodness we didn't go with Michael's idea to name him based on what he looked like.

Birth of Child #2

Birth of Child #2
Much less eventful, thank goodness! She was born with red hair and 2 teeth... and skin colored skin!

Quincalicious!

  • Quincy says "Where's Avy? I dunno." She talks sooo much and she's so small (5th percentile) that is seems like she shouldn't be talking at all.
  • She roams wildly during church and has become quite the scavenger approaching anyone with food. Its embarrasingly adorable!
  • Quincy's vocab has exploded to include the words, "please, thank you, outside, sucker, candy, Avery, Grandpa, slide, ride, hold you, ni-night, water, bird, doggie, airplane, etc.....! She seems so little!
  • One of the most "wow" things she has done is climb one of those HUGE blow-up slides and slide down REPEATEDLY, ALL BY HERSELF!!!
  • Quincy (with great effort) threw the upper couch cushions on the floor and then proceeded to dive off couch, climb back up, repeat.
  • She says"I want: cookie, go, this, that, drink, wa-wa, play." She also says no, baby, hello, bye-bye, and peek-a-boo. And of course she says "Mom and Da."
  • Quincy talks a lot now. But first thing in the day and then 100 more times: "I want coo-kie." Very telling about her love affair with food.

AVERYISMS

  • A day after being educated, Avery pulled down his pants and touched his boyhood saying, "Hey Grandma, these are my private parts." HA-larious!
  • (After using the bathroom) "I made a waterfall. Then I made it stop."
  • "Hey Dad. This is my [invisible] friend Caillou. Will you be a monster and scare us?"
  • "Grandpa, what's in your belly?" says Avery. Mom says, "What do you think is in there?" "A baby?" guesses Avery. "Nope. Just lots of cherries," says Grandpa Schaefer. HAH!
  • Quincy was crying in the middle of the night and Avery said, "Take a deep breath, Quincy." It was sweet.
  • Quincy was screaming like a pterodactyl for Avery's food, so he snapped "Chill Out Quincy!"
  • In Avery's first attempt at being a smart-a, he was playing with his friend Jaden Knight and we were asking the boys their full names. Avery responded that his name was Avery James Day. Might have had to be there.
  • Avery still tries to stick his hand down my shirt. When I won't let him, he occasionally asks if he can stick his foot down my shirt instead.
  • I told Avery that Heavenly Father lived in heaven. He thought I said he lived 'with Kevin', so in alarm he asked, "With Kevin and Melissa?!!!"
  • Avery was out cold and we had to go. It was odd how I couldn't wake him, so I threw him over my shoulder and started heading out. All of the sudden with startling gusto, he yelled "I see Jesus." I thought he was a visionary, but turns out he woke up just as I walked past a picture of Christ.