Celebrating

This year Matt deviated from his traditional Safeway cake with raspberry filling. I think it was because of my "half sheet" debacle from last year. (I ordered a half sheet when I should have ordered a 1/4 sheet. We had to freeze a lot of cake and we were eating the rest of the cake for months after his birthday!) When I asked if he wanted me to make him a cake, he said, "No, you'd make me anything I want if I asked any old day. My birthday is the only day I can justify buying something from a bakery."

So, he chose a coconut cream pie. Something I've tried but never yet got a handle on. It's his #2 pie. (Pecan is #1, but I make it every year for Thanksgiving...) We got it from The Pantry. Let me tell you, at $16.50 it was a rip off. The crust tasted/looked exactly like the disgusting pre-stamped pie crusts you can get in the freezer section of your local grocery store. I wouldn't be surprised if that's just what it was. I was anything but impressed. The filling was good, but I'm just not sure it was $16.50 good!

The birthday boy.

(Thanks Lady Steed and Th. The shirt is very cool.)

2000 words

This pretty much sums up the past week. These were from tonight.

Finally, a whole show worth watching (SYTYCD)

This was actually the first night that I thought the entire SYTYCD show was up to par with past seasons. All of the dances were stellar, and all of the dancers were hittin' it right. While I was quite angry that Mark made it through, he did much better than I thought he would. He should never be allowed to do a solo again (ack, leave your shirt on please!), though, so I truly hope he goes home tomorrow. I will be a little sick if he makes it to the finale.

I think that Joshua should win it all. He was the only one that REALLY impressed me in both his dances AND the solo. But if a girl wins, I hope it's Chelsie. I underestimated her in the beginning, but I've changed my tune. But really, at this point, it's anyone's game (except Mark...*shiver* who the heck is voting for him???).

Piano man? If I have anything to do with it...

Dean was fever free most of today and had an hour or so of happy time. This was part of that time. (He actually broke out into a rash all over his face and bum shortly after this.) We're starting lessons young. Hehe.

His only piano rule right now is "no eating the piano" (he is only 9 months!), but he often tries to push that one to the limit. We'll work on technique later (though his hand position is already better than some of my students. I mean, look at that first picture!). I especially loved his use of the fermata (I think he was watching the strings and hammers through the crack).

So you had a bad day...

I mentioned earlier that we thought Matt got food poisoning at the end of our trip. Well, we're thinking now it was the flu. Poor little Dean had a temp. ranging from 100-103 all day yesterday and this morning. He only threw up a little once and only had a little diarrhea, but he was so sad. The worst part was taking him to the Dr. this morning and having them do different tests (during nap time no less) that made him very angry and almost inconsolable. I think he had a milder version of what Matt had. He didn't want to play with anything, eat or drink anything (except nursing), and do anything but have me hold him. I didn't mind holding him, but that didn't make him happy either. The only little happy reprieve he had during all of this was his bath last night. He actually smiled...until I took him out and all heck broke loose.

His fever finally broke after his second nap today. He woke up soaked in sweat. Once I calmed him down (he was still a bit angry from the Dr.'s visit I think), he started acting more like himself. He was still a little tired since the sickness totally disrupted his naps and night sleeping yesterday and this morning, but he was much happier after the fever broke.

Svithe: Growing a garden is fun to do

I know during my life I've heard Prophets counsel us to grow a garden. We always had a large garden growing up. I hated having to weed, but we got a lot of good stuff from it.

The struggles
This is our second year of trying to grow a garden here. It's not easy going I tell you. The soil is practically pure clay so you have to add stuff in to make it reasonable. We actually have an abundance of rabbits in our neighborhood, so we had to build a fence around our garden to keep it from getting eaten. Last year we struggled with powdery mildew. And both years we were plagued with vine borers (that picture really was from our garden) that desecrated our zucchini plants. We only got 1 zucchini this year before the borers destroyed our vines and we had to pull them up. You have to prep a couple months before you actually want to plant. We failed to do that so we ended up planting a little late again and only being able to plant half of our seeds. We're hoping to do a fall planting of the root veggies and green beans since it's too hot for them now. You have to rent a tiller, pay for the seeds (the cheapest part), and plan the garden well so you can navigate through it to pick the goods. So far it has not been cost effective for us. After factoring in the tiller rental, the fencing (it was expensive!), soil additives (compost, peat moss, top soil, sand), lost crops, and water, it is not cost effective. We could go buy veggies cheaper than growing them ourselves right now.

The rewards
So, if it's not cost effective, why are we still trying to forge ahead?

It's quite rewarding to eat something you've grown yourself. Last year our best crops were the pickling cucumbers (I still have a jar or two of pickles from last summer), the carrots (AWESOME!), and we got quite a few snap peas for a couple weeks. More than we could keep up with. This year we've gotten quite a few yellow crookneck. I am super excited about our cantaloupe this year. Last year it was a total failure because the vines had no where to go. This year Matt built a trellis so the vines weren't just on the ground. It really helped a lot. We don't have any powdery mildew yet this year. We have 6 or so cantaloupes close to ready to pick. They're even big like you get in the store! I hope they taste delicious.

Also, I think it's a good skill to have just in case. It's really a learning process, so if you wait until you need to supplement your food stores with a garden, you'll probably fail. In most locations it's a whole lot more than just pulling up some grass and throwing down seeds.

It's good for family unity. Between weeding, planting, harvesting, and eating, a lot of opportunities arise for quality family time.

Talk about fresh!!! You know exactly when it was picked, what chemicals (if any) you used, how it was stored, etc. You usually can't say that about grocery store produce.

If you do it well, it's also fairly convenient. You need a veggie for dinner and don't have any in the fridge? No need to drive to the store, just go out to your garden and pick it.

Now to plant some fruit trees...

Rolling the Ball

Here's a cute little vid. for those interested in his developing motor skillz. He's also pretty good at kicking, but I'll have to post that video later. He gets so excited it's so stinking cute. This was the day after we got home from Snowflake. We had no balls at our house and after seeing how good he was at my mom's with one, I immediately went out and bought one.

All together again: two versions

Since some of you won't want to read the minute details of my family reunion and trip home, here's a short summary of all that took place. (Thanks Cannon for taking pictures!)

The short version
The drive home took 15 1/2 hours.
I ran the 10K (6.2 mi.) in 58 min. and 24 sec. I got bronze in the 20-29 yr. old category.
All 7 Waterman kids, 17 grandkids, and 5 of 6 in-laws were there. We had lots of fun.
I got to have short visits with: Derick O., Natalie (E.) R., Steve and Sharla F., Lee Ellen (M.) G., Chantelle (C.) T., Marty and Dale C., Bro. and Sis. Gibson, and Mike T. There were more people there that I unfortunately didn't get to see. 8o(
Wii had a lot of fun with the rockband and other wii games.
We swam at Willow Springs where Matt got the tops of his feet burned.
My parents had a time share out at Bison Ranch so we got to play games and swim there.
Matt and I got to go to the temple for the first time since Dean was born.
The drive home took just about 14 hours. Dean slept more and cried less, so that was helpful.

The Looooong (unedited and not proofread) version
The drive to Snowflake took 15 1/2 looong hours. Poor Matt drove 14 1/2 of those! Dean shed quite a few tears on the way there. I can tell you that he did NOT want to get in his car seat one bit the next day or two. The Rav felt safe and roomy and the cruise control was divine, but we found that the seats weren't as cushy as we'd hoped. Another drawback was that the seats didn't fit Matt's frame comfortably enough for that long of a drive. Good thing we don't go on many road trips.

We left our house at 5 AM central time and got to my parents' house at 6:30 AZ time. When we got there all but Nate and Bry had arrived (so, 17 grandkids, 5 kids, and 5 in-laws). They were eating some homemade pizza, the little boys were digging holes in the yard, the rest of the kids were jumping on the trampolines, and the adults were all chatting. (Bry and Nate ended up getting into town around 3 AM.)

At dinner that night it sounded like everyone who had planned on running in the Pioneer Day Race was bowing out except my parents and brother Eric. I really wanted to run, but I didn't know how it would work out with Dean and the time change, etc. etc.

The race started at 6 AM Saturday and Eric said he was going to leave around 5:30 so he could register. Dean woke up around 4:30 their time (6:30 our time) and after feeding him and listening to him cry awhile, I decided it would be better to get up and run and just let him cry himself back to sleep and/or let Matt deal with it. I somehow coerced Julie into coming with us. (She REALLY didn't feel up to the 10K, but like a good sister, she was going to indulge me.) I was also surprised to find out that Bryan was going to run even since he really only had 1 hour of sleep. Crazy masochist. (His words, not mine.) We all piled in Eric's car and headed out to the race. My parents met us there (they were sleeping out in Heber since we kids took over the house). And to our surprise, my sister-in-law Stephanie showed up as well! We thought she'd decided not to run, so we left with out her. When she realized we were gone, she came on her own. It was a fortunate surprise and Julie ended up running the 2 mile with her. So of the Waterman clan we had 7 runners. Mom, Dad, Eric, Bryan and I ran the 10K. Julie and Steph ran the 2 mi. I am proud to announce that all of us running the 10K medaled in our divisions. Mom and Dad got first in theirs (not many people in their division, but they still were only a few min. behind me! They did a great job!). Eric got first and Bryan got third in theirs. I got 3rd in mine. I don't know how many were actually running in mine, but I do know there were people behind me, so it wasn't just by default.

(Pictured left is the newest Waterman grandbaby, Boston F., and his adorable big sister Chelsea. He's only 3 weeks old!) I have been running about 10-11 min. miles with Dean, and 4 miles is the most I've run since having him. So, I was quite pleased with my time of 58 min. 24 sec. for the 6.2 miles. That is an average of about 9 min. 35 sec. per mile. Not fast, but respectable for my place in life I think. I was really happy that I didn't walk once and I only got faster as the race progressed. I sprinted quite hard at the end. (So hard I remembered why I used an inhaler during high school cross country! I got over my wheezing soon enough though.) We ran out at the golf course and the early morning sprinklers left us a horribly wet and muddy run. I had a little stitch in my side the first half of the race, but it shifted to spinal discomfort the last few miles. In the beginning I kept telling myself "You're just running to run, not to win." When I started passing people after about 2 miles I thought, "Just don't let anyone you pass, pass you." At about mile 4 I could see the end and thought I was almost home. I picked up the pace and passed two guys I'd been trailing. When I realized I still had almost two miles left, I decided I might as well just keep my new faster pace. Around mile 5 I was singing in my head "I'm every woman" to keep me going. Then at the end I really picked it up and sprinted in. I was happy with myself.

I was slow getting ready after the race, so I only caught the last 10 min. of the parade. I didn't really care anyway since I wanted to see people and not the parade. I walked down the street a little to see if I could see any friends. While there I got to say hi to Sharla and Steve F. (I'm always so happy to see them. I just love those people.), said a quick hi to Natalie (E.) R., and got to visit a few min. with Lee Ellen.

That afternoon we headed to Heber since my parents had reserved a time share at Bison Ranch for the week. That place was pretty awesome. Unfortunately the afternoon storms rolled in and the pool was closed most of the afternoon, but we didn't mind too much. We hooked up the wii and let the kids play while some of the adults played pool and ping pong in the rec room. Suzie, Julie and I headed back early to get the Mexican feast prepared. It was a quick throw together meal since a group of us were supposed to go to the play that night. Suzie made enchiladas, Julie made fry bread for Navajo tacos, and I made seviche under Suzie's direction. I'd never had seviche, but it was good. Kind of like pico de gallo with tuna or salmon mixed in. You take a tostada shell, spread a thin layer of mayo, and put the seviche on top. Not something I'd think up on my own, that's for sure. Good for a summer day you don't want to turn the oven on.

After I quickly stuffed food down my face, we headed to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat. Cannon, Suzie, Mark, Julie, Nathan and I represented the adults and the girl grandkids represented the kids. The show was quite good! I was so happy I got to see it since my friend Mike was in it and his wife helped choreograph it. It amazed me how packed Snowflake is with great musical performers. I'd never seen it before and thought it was well done.

That night most of the adults and the two oldest grandkids (Anna and Molly) rocked out on Rockband. It was a lot of fun! Anna was insanely good at the guitar. Molly and Matt seemed to do best on the drums. Mark was the funnest vocalist to hear (Roooooxanne!), and Aaron was probably the best when you averaged all three together. I stunk it up on the guitar, was decent at the drums once I got a hang of it, and did best at the vocals. I was able to get in the 90% every song, even if I didn't know the song. I did not have the performance flare that Mark did, though, so I was not the funnest to hear.

Sunday morning we had a professional come and take a family picture. I was so happy not to be in charge of trying to arrange people! I somehow usually end up with that duty since I've had a little photography experience, but it's hard to take charge of a group that large. Grandma and Grandpa Hunt popped over for the picture as well. They were so cute. I managed to snap a photo of them just as Julie said something that cracked them up.

That afternoon all 30 of us (plus my uncle Doug and his family) went to Sacrament meeting. I was so happy to see my friends Brother and Sister Gibson greeting as we came in. I love seeing them when I go home. Only a handful of the clan stayed for the full 3 hour block. We ended up going home since Dean was already two hours over due for a nap. I took his immediate sleep and two hour nap as appreciation.

We had the Sunday dinner we ate every week growing up: Crockpot roast, potatoes, carrots, fruit salad, and biscuits. The only difference for me: I actually eat roast now. I was vegetarian most of my growing up. Dean loved the potatoes and carrots. He really learned how to eat soft table foods well this trip. Amanda and Cannon had to take off that night since Cannon had a business meeting he had to attend in St. George the next day. We were sad to see them go! That did, however, free up a room at my parents' and we gave Dean his own room. What a difference that made!! He slept so much better without us waking him up on accident by rolling over on the squeaky bed. He did perfectly well in his pack n' play.

That night we had more Rockband and Wii action while Bry had his reunion buddies in the back. Nate also brought a cool monome insturment you hook up to the computer. I'd never seen anything like it. That link shows you an example of what it is. He amazed me with how quickly he could come up with cool beat patterns and songs.

On Monday we headed to Willow Springs. The weather had cooled off into the 70's and it was overcast, but it was quite pleasant. (I'd forgotten how absolutely amazing AZ cloud formations are! They were so pronounced and distinct.) Dean wasn't real happy with me when I put him in his floaty in the water. He got used to it after a little bit, but I think he's more used to the hot TX sun contrasting with the cold water. Even after getting used to it, he wanted out after about 10 min. in the water. The other kids did really well and I think all of them (minus David, Dean, and Skyler) swam across the lake and back. Ali was especially fast since she's been training on a swim team. We put sunscreen on, but Matt forgot the tops of his feet. They were burned to a crisp! Poor guy. I didn't get good coverage on my back, so I got burned a bit, but it went away by the next day.

When we were done there, we headed back to Bison Ranch for awhile. Julie and Steph headed back early to take care of dinner that night with Stuffed Shells and a chicken Caesar salad. Lovely. Dean missed his afternoon nap because of bad timing with car rides, so he actually went down for the night at 5!! He slept until 6:30 the next morning, so I wasn't complaining.

Grandma came over for a little FHE (kind of, mostly just song singing and story telling while Suzie made some AWESOME homemade ice cream in the old hand crank machine). We also played some charades with pictionary cards. Molly was SO good at both guessing and acting. Dad gets so into it. He's good.

Bry, Steph, Anna, Molly and Nate left early Tuesday morning. Matt and I were able to go to the Temple the first time since we had Dean. I was a little worried, but Dean did really well with my sisters. We were gone from 9:30-11:45. He was asleep from 9-10:45, so he had about an hour of awake time without us. Julie said he didn't really cry at all. They gave him half a banana and some animal crackers (that he fed himself!) and he was happy as a clam just sitting there with some toys. I only wished I hadn't been so tired during the session!

That afternoon Dean and I were able to go see my friend Chantelle and her boys and parents. It was so much fun to visit with them. I think that Mama Call was the first person that whole trip to get a giggle out of Dean! Chan played a beautiful piece she was writing and gave me some much needed tips on how to help students compose their own short piece. I love that family so much.

That night we just hung out and packed for our trip home on Wednesday. We did, of course, play more Wii and Rockband. I'm glad we got good use out of that difficult purchase!!

I was worried about the trip home since Dean had done so poorly on the trip there, but it was so much smoother! We left at 5 AM AZ time and got in at 8 PM Central time. Matt drove until Amarillo where I took over for a couple of hours. Since I'm practically narcoleptic in a moving car, I got myself a caffeinated energy drink. I know it's a bit questionable, but it helped me stay awake long enough to give Matt a much needed break and nap for a few hours. I think I will do that from now on when I need to drive. I can't tell you how scary it is when I'm driving long distances on my own energy reserves. Even if I have had good sleep, I struggle staying awake. Dean slept the majority of the first leg, so he was unfortunately awake when we switched drivers. Matt needed to sleep so he couldn't entertain Dean. I tried singing to him, but he pretty much just cried for 95 miles straight until Matt woke up and played with him!

We were very happy to make it back home, but were unhappy to come back to this hot and muggy weather. We'd turned our A/C off while we were gone and our house was 93* when we got home! Yowza.

Oh, and to top every thing off, Matt got food poisoning or the flu that kicked in about an hour after we got home. I'm so glad it wasn't during the long car trip!! At one point his temp. got up to 103*. He threw up 4 or 5 times throughout the night and the next day, poor guy. It's the Bras(s) Clan curse I tell you. Can't go on a trip without something bad happening.

Pioneer Children

Sang as they drove and drove and drove and drove...

Guess we'll see some of you in Snowflake! I'll try and post at my parents', but I can't guarantee anything.

The top 10 (SYTYCD)

It was interesting to see the dancers split up this week. A lot of them seemed extremely lost and vulnerable.

Least favorite dancers: Mark and Kherrington. They had two sucky dances though (are you kidding me??? the 2 step on this show???), so I feel for them. They had zero chemistry together too.

Favorite couples: Joshua and Courtney (I LOVED the first dance of the night and I thought Courtney did better than the judges gave her credit for) and Gev and Chelsea. I know that Will and Katee should be because they really did dance well, but for some reason I didn't want to vote for them in the end.

Favorite solos: Joshua and Gev. They both really nailed it in my opinion.

Least favorite solo: Mark. Creeped me out a bit.

As for Comfort and Twitch, I thought they did well, but they didn't stand out for me.

Wii finally found one

It's ridiculous how difficult it is to obtain a Nintendo Wii. I've been calling about 10 stores every day for the past week checking to see if any of them have it. Usually the answer is a plain "no and we don't know when we'll get any". Yesterday one guy said they got some in at 10 AM and were sold out by noon (I was calling at 12:30 pm). Today I finally found one! It was unfortunately bundled with Wii play and a nunchuck, so it ended up being about $90 more than the basic package, but we got it nonetheless. We'd probably have gotten the nunchuck eventually and the other controller, so we're okay with the unfortunate bundle package and are going to keep it. They didn't even set them out on the shelves. They just kept it behind the counter and waited for people to ask for it.

We've wanted one for awhile since I've heard such rave reviews from gamers and non-gamers alike, but we decided to bite the bullet so we could take it to our family reunion this weekend. Now we just have to find a rockband bundle and we'll be all set.

3 more months...

Well, I am very pro-breastfeeding till kids are 1 year when it's possible. I know it's not possible for everyone, but if it is, I think it's a great thing. 1. It's healthier 2. It's cheaper 3. It's cheaper (big thing in my book, obviously) 4. I feel it's convenient, though I know not everyone agrees with me. I never have to tote around formula or bottles etc.

HOWEVER, I really wish that Dean took some sort of bottle (or sippy) since nursing in the car is NOT convenient. He refuses to drink out of anything other than a regular cup (or my boob) for some reason, so it looks like we'll be stopping every 3-4 hours to nurse on our regularly 14 hour trip (I have a feeling it will be more like 15-16 hour trip with Dean) home to Snowflake.

I thought it was going to be hard for me to stop nursing him when the time came to wean (and maybe it will be), mainly because I'm so for it, but recently I have come to terms with it. His teeth make a big difference. He actually never bites me, but they are sharp and still cut me while he's sucking now that he has two teeth both on top and bottom and more on the way. He's actually very tuned into me. Today when I was wincing (I didn't say anything or really move, but just tensed up a bit), he stopped nursing and looked at me like, "are you all right?"

So, three months I will endure a little pain and then we will wean. Hopefully by then we can get him to use a sippy.

Trick caught on tape: on the move

Dean's crawling now. He doesn't lift his body off the ground, but he can get from "point a" to "point b" by himself if he's motivated enough. He still prefers to have help from me, but doesn't require it. He also sleeps on his stomach, which is a little funny to me since he was so anti-stomach for so long. (Still kind of is when he's awake.) I thought this crawling video was kind of funny. I set the camera away from me and was trying to get him to crawl toward me, but he had something else motivating his movement.

Some other funny things recently:He sucks his lips a lot. He has been babbling in a very growly voice. He is starting to understand cause and effect and likes turning on and off lights. He knows what part on his little leap frog creates the music and immediately rolls it when the music's stopped playing. Sometimes he moves his body like he's dancing to the music. Not sure if he really is, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Handedness Poll Results

Well, in my little survey of 24 people, it looks like I was right. People are generally same footed as handed. Not like it really matters or makes a difference though. Just satisfies my curiosity.

Like a chicken with its head cut off

I've been running around like crazy this past week. Well, not really running around. Most of the action has taken place in my kitchen. I hosted a stamping party for my friend Erin last night so I was baking up a storm in preparation for it.

(Her stamps are ready and waiting for you to purchase them! Click here if you're interested in purchasing or browsing the pure awesomeness of her acrylic stamps.)

I rarely host parties for various reasons. Two reasons are that I tend to over plan or under plan. Sometimes I will go all out for a party and end up with way too much stuff. Then I try and remedy that and the next party I end up with not enough and feeling like a bad hostess. This time I totally did WAY more than I needed to.

I had seen some fun things on a couple of food blogs recently that I wanted to try out. I ended up making Bakerella's Easy Cupcake Bites and The Daring Bakers' Challenge Cheesecake Pops. I also made some homemade turtles.

I started the cheesecake on Wednesday, made it into the "pops" on Thursday and dipped them. I made the cake for the cupcake bites that night as well. Amidst all of this, I somehow pulled myself together to make some focaccia bread and salad for one of my friends who's had a run of bad medical luck in her family. Around midnight I started making the little turtles. By the time I finished kitchen clean up on Thursday it was really 1 AM on Friday.

Friday I didn't have any piano students, so that left me a little more time to finish my cupcake bites. I didn't use the red velvet cake like Bakerella. I used a butter pecan cake and mixed it with an almond flavored frosting. I think this made the cupcakes a bit too sweet. Matt said they were good, but I felt like I was eating a straight spoonful of almond flavored sugar. (I am a little sensitive to sweet treats though. I get sugared out very quickly.) After dipping it in the melting chocolate they looked cute enough, but I wasn't sure if they were worth all the effort.

I wasn't sure how the cheesecake pops would hold up at the party. I displayed them standing up in a flower foam like a little bouquet. It looked cute, but once they got to room temperature, Some of the cheesecake ended sliding right down the stick. Ah well. Live and learn.

I almost think it would have been better to combine the two. Make a cheesecake bite rather than the cupcake.

I'll post recipes on my blog and some photos of the process. I also had a few issues with both the cheesecake and the cupcake bites, so I'll tell you how to remedy those on my recipe blog soon. Here are a few pictures of my end results.

Why I don't watch news anymore

I seriously never watch the news. I rarely read about news stories. The majority of my world news comes from two sources: Leno and Matt. A little pathetic, I know.

Here is why:

1. I don't want to hear about the mom murdering her babies. I just don't.
   
2. I don't care about what celebrity is doing something scandalous. Is this really news?
3. I'm a little sick about hearing global warming talked to death. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Be kind to the earth. I agree.
   
4. I'm tired of hearing about all the shootings and robberies and child molestation.
5. I honestly don't have much faith in either Presidential candidate and I don't believe half of what either of them says. Even if they are sincere in their beliefs, it seems like a lot of lip service for stuff they don't really have control over as president anyway.
   

A mother's worst nightmare

I'll just tell you right now that this story turned out with a happy ending. But I have been on the verge of tears just thinking about it all day long!

My B.I.L.'s 3 year old nephew went missing last night. They had just finished family home evening and were eating their treat. The little boy went on the front porch to eat his. Less than 5 min. after he got his treat, they went out to check on him and tell him it was time to get ready for bed.

But he wasn't there.

So they looked all through the house and all around the house.

He wasn't there.

After looking everywhere they could possibly think of, they called the police and church members. They had neighbors out helping them look. They had infrared lights checking nearby ponds. Unfortunately he doesn't really talk much yet, so even if he heard people calling for him, he wouldn't be likely to call back.

12 hours later, once it was light again, they found him about 1 mile away in a corn field.

He was a little confused and disoriented, but otherwise ok. Thank the Lord for answered prayers.

*UPDATE: If you want to hear more about this story and tips for what to do if this happens to you, read Hollywood's account of the story.

Should have, would have, could have

Don't you hate that looming feeling of "I should have..."

Today I can't shake the feeling that I should have gotten a BA and/or MA of music or music teaching or piano.

But I didn't.

I always said, "I know enough to teach without a degree." But how much more effective I would be if I had learned more!! Sure I know enough to teach up to high intermediate, but I don't know how good or effective I really am. I often wonder if I'm doing my more advanced students much good.

And though it's not too late, it would be fairly impossible to do while living here. One day maybe. One day.

From us to you

A bit of this and that

Yesterday was a very whiny day for Dean. The only time he was remotely happy was the 1 hour at the pool. (Thank HEAVENS for the pool!) Those days are hard.

Today was much better though! I had a little smiley guy for most of the day. He even worked harder at crawling than ever! He usually gives up and begs me to rescue him really quickly. But he was trying so hard his little knees were rug burned!

We've been having to do a little more sleep training (i.e. let him cry it out for 1 1/2 hours until he's so exhausted he goes back to sleep). I tell you what! Sheesh it's so hard to listen to your baby cry. I just have to have Matt remind me that it will be better for him (and us!) in the long run.

These were from 2 Sundays ago. My boys are so cute!

...You Can Dance

Overall it was a hard night to pick. It's always like that when there are 2 dances, though. I don't know if there was 1 couple that I just loved both dances. I really liked one of the two dances for each couple. So, I actually voted 3 times.

Ok. Ok. I take it back! Chelsie H. is good enough for the finals. Even if she looks super young. She did dance really well, and Mark wasn't so bad himself.

I liked Thayne and Comfort better than I did with their old partners. I can't remember their first dance, though, so that's a bad sign...

I think Twitch is one of the best storytellers and Kherrington is right up there with him. They have a really, really good partnership. Of all of the dancers, their average for the two dances was the best for me. They were one of the couples I voted for.

I think Jessica's seriously holding their partnership back, but I did feel sorry for her when the judges said that for the billionth time and she was about to cry. She did better on their second dance than any other dance I've seen her do. What's up with the negligees and half dressed men though? I didn't like feeling like I was intruding on bedroom private moments...

I imagine that if Kourtney and Matt are in the bottom 3 they'll boot Matt. Not sure about Kourtney (depends on the other girls in the bottom...if Jessica's there, I'd boot her...), but I wouldn't be surprised. I did like their mambo a lot more than the judges gave them credit for, though.

I was a little shocked that Gev seemed so "soft" on the hip hop routine (that was hip hop, right?). He just didn't seem very confident in himself on that oddly enough. The whole time on that dance I thought she out danced him. HOWEVER, I thought that he was really great in the Broadway. I couldn't stop watching him.

I thought Katee and Joshua were both really good. I think they danced well. I did not like her hair in the first dance though.

I think the competition between the girls is really tight honestly. I'm still seeing Will, Twitch, and Joshua at the top for the boys though. I guess we'll see how good everyone is at adapting when they mix up the partnerships.