Quote of the Day

I was holding Jack on my lap and he said, "I just want you to hold me for all my life!" Just what I needed in the midst of a stressful parenting week.

2014 Memory Jar #10

-written by Nathan

Today we found out that JAG has a cashew allergy.  Not long ago, she picked up a measuring spoon with some pieces of crushed cashews on it.  They were part of a recipe MNG was making for dinner.  She put it up to her face (maybe into her mouth, we don't know), and almost immediately developed a rash around her mouth.  We scheduled the appointment to have her tested soon after that.

I called this morning to find out if the fact that she had been to the ER last night after falling down the stairs would have any effect on how well the testing would go.  I left a message because it was too early to get an answer at the office.  I started getting the little ones ready, assuming we wouldn't reschedule.  When the lady from the office called back, she sounded a little bit annoyed that I would suggest that there would be any reason that the appointment would need to wait.  She was nice enough, though, and she reassured me that nothing would be different on their end.

So, we went in and had her tested.  Sure enough, she had a cashew allergy.  The doctor said that we should strictly avoid pistachios, as well.  Apparently, the body usually responds in the same way to those two nuts.

When we were done, it was well past lunch time.  The whole drive home, we talked about allergies.  I had to explain more than once that having an allergy doesn't mean thinking something tastes yucky.  It just means a person can't eat certain foods.

When we finally made it home, everybody was hungry and it was nap time.  JLG went potty and then unrolled the entire roll of toilet paper.  I made him roll it all the way back up (which meant I had no choice but to help him at about the middle).  Then it was late lunch and nap!

January Brunch Bunch 2014

2014 Memory Jar #9

-written by Nathan

The Sand Creek Christmas party, postponed in December when the originally booked restaurant went out of business, finally happened.  It was held at Brunswick Zone at the north end of town.  There was pizza, soda, and appetizers, and everybody got a $5 card for the arcade.  We bowled with Sabrina & Kirk and Karla & Frank.  Frank played the skill crane and got one of the minions from Despicable Me.  He sent it home with us for the kids.

2014 Memory Jar #8

-written by Nathan

JLG got more train tracks and a few more cars to add to his train sets.  Recently, he decided to give the cars names.  His original classic Brio engine and two cars (black and red, yellow wheels) are now Thomas, Percy, and Sally.  The two new Chuggington Station engines, despite having their names printed on the bottom, have new names.  The steam engine (Old Puffer Pete) is now called Jackson.  The diesel engine (Brewster) is now called Juliana.  The crane car (from a new Brio set) is called Mommy.  That leaves the car that carries the big rock that "Mommy" lifts, which is named Daddy.

Quote of the Day

Jack: "Mommy, did you notice that noodles can turn into ABCs?!"

2014 Memory Jar #7

-written by Nathan

LGM had surgery in the morning.  MS was at her house to take care of her during the day, as she was not supposed to be alone during recovery.  The babies and I took a walk to her house to visit her.  Later, I took the meal that MNG had made for dinner.

2014 Memory Jar #6

-written by Nathan

'Ol Abrahams came to town last night, because he had today off for MLK day.  He got here right after the playoffs game that determined that the Broncos would be going to the Superbowl.  We recorded a few of his songs, and he asked that I overdub a few enhancements.  I've done a few, and I'm looking forward to more.  So awesome.

Cuddle Baby

Juliana loves her aunt Lauren!

2014 Memory Jar #5

-written by Nathan

I made a roast in the crock pot yesterday.  I decided to try something different than the coca cola roast that we usually do, so I made a more simple blend of vegetables and spices.  Just before dinner, MNG suggested I go out with Ryan for a little while as I had yet to give him his Christmas gift.  Ryan was able to go for a little while, but it had to be right then.  So I ate just a little bit of dinner and took off.  We went to Great Storm (Brewery).  We had a couple of drinks and hung out.  Before leaving, I talked to Devyn, our neighbor who works at Great Storm, about MNG's book club.

When I got home, MNG and the babies were finishing up watching Cars (what else?).  We put them to bed, and then I ended up doing some recording for a few hours.  It was great.  The only bad thing to come of it was that I noticed, just before midnight, that the roast was still sitting in the crock pot.  Two hours is supposed to be the maximum amount of time that meat can sit in the crock pot after it's done cooking and turned off.  I figured it had been sitting there for several hours at that point, and it was too late to do anything about it.  I found out in the morning that MNG had only turned it off right before I came home.  I probably could have put it in the fridge and been fine.  Total waste.

2014 Memory Jar #4

-written by Marika

Juliana said "Broncos" for the first time at Ryan's house today.  She also said "Nanu" (what Jack calls Lauren)!

Go Broncos!

Quote of the Day

"You sure are smart about letters and sounds," I told Jack in the car on the way home from church.

 

"And numbers!" he added.

"Yes, that's true!" I agreed. "You're also smart about trains and books. Is there anything you're not smart about?!"

"I'm not smart about cars," Jack said.

"Well, you're smart about the movie, Cars."

"Yeah. But I'm not smart about cars that don't have eyes, noses, and mouths!".

2014 Memory Jar #3

-written by Marika

I took some blankets off Jack's bed because he kept getting up (and for some reason that works well as a consequence).  He cried from his bedroom, "Give them back, Mommy!  Give them back you meany Mommy! Mommy, you're mean to me!"

Playin' Around!

Don't worry, she didn't forget her lipstick!

2014 Memory Jar #2

-written by Nathan

Tonight, we came home after a week of sleeping at Harvella's house.  On New Year's Eve, Dan came and put the coat of stain onto the new floor boards he installed.  ATM and LGM came over for drinks and appetizers.  When MNG was preheating the oven, she noticed that the smell of the stain was strong inside the oven.  She looked it up online and read about people in similar situations.  Apparently, appliances can trap some of the fumes.  Not a real danger, but a stronger smell to deal with.  We decided to let it go and just use the oven to make appetizers.  We celebrated the new year, and then we went to bed.  Later, MNG woke up not feeling quite right.  Juliana also woke up, but it was hard to know if she was feeling well or not.  Another internet search turned up stories of people spending anywhere between three days and two weeks away from their homes while work was done on their floors.  We decided we would have to stay somewhere else while the few coats of polyurethane were applied.

GG was willing to let us stay in her basement suite.  So, on Monday, after MNG went to work, I got things cleaned up, got clothes packed up, and got the little ones loaded into the van.  We put Chloey in the master bathroom upstairs, with her food and water.  We kept her in there during the nights with the window cracked.  We left all the other windows open for as much circulation as we could get.  We started by going to 4385, where I worked for a while and they napped.  We went to GG's in the evening and had dinner when MNG arrived.  She had stopped at the house after work to take care of Chloey and get the last things she needed.

We stayed there all week, most days including MNG going to work, the babies and me spending the morning with GG and then making our way over to 4385.  Dan put the polyurethane on the floor, one coat per day on each of the first three days of the week.  During our stay, MNG and I ended up watching The Way We Were when GG had it on, and JLG watched Aladdin twice (GG's Disney library on VHS!)  It was good to give the grandparents and grandbabies lots of time together, and I got in some good hours of work.  But it was great to come home!

Quote of the Day

"Mommy, mommy, mommy!"  Jack came running into the bedroom from another room this morning.

"Did dinosaurs all go somewhere else?" he asked me, a bit breathlessly.

"Dinosaurs are extinct," I told him. "Which means they've all died so they aren't around anymore."

"Oh, okay!" he said. And ran back into the other room.

Bowling!

It was so much fun bowling with the kids for the first time!  Jack, especially, really seems to enjoy the sport.  As Lauren said (on facebook):  "Today was a happy day..."!

Buddies

Jack has found a special friend in Hannah. They play together very nicely and talk about each other all the time. It's pretty adorable!

Hannah & Jack

Happy New Year!

2014 Memory Jar #1

-written by Marika at 12:01 am on January 1, 2014

Adam says, "Ah, man.  I haven't peed since last year!"

(That's his favorite New Year's joke.)