Cause we have to watch it everyday anyway

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And the Oscar goes to....

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Classic

When we switched our cable (so Andy could get BYU football) we got 4 months of free movie channels. So I've been recording a bunch of stuff I want to have for later. I love old movies and came across one I've heard of, but never actually seen. Well that's not completely true, I remember seeing about 10 minutes of it when I was like, 11.
Anyway, I actually had the kids to bed early so I watched "Barefoot in the park." It has Jane Fonda and Robert Redford. It's actually a cute movie and I laughed quite a bit.
Got me to thinking that I have seen probably only a hand full of the top 100 American Movie Classics. Yes, they have an official list. I've never even seen "Casablanca." So I decided I'm going to start watching a few more of them. My husband is so excited I know. (NOT)
In fact, he and Payton have already started watching Christmas movies. They insist we are going to put up our tree and decorations next week but I said, "Not until after Thanksgiving!" Payton does watch "Santa Claus 3 a lot though and is now acting out Jack Frost. If you've seen our previous posts, you can only imagine how interesting that is...

Enough movies for a while though. The Twilight movie comes out soon and I promised my mom I'd read the dang book. Apparently I'm some freak for not doing so already. Don't want to be a wandering non-vampiric (yes I made up this word) blurb who doesn't know anything! Ya know what they say about those people...(I can feel the glares of my mom through the computer. Oh the shame she has felt) Hey sweet, 'Roman Holiday' is on, HD too. Guess I'll start the book tomorrow. :)

Privacy Please

Well, we're finally gonna do it. I've decided to go to a private blog. Personal reasons of course but hey, it's my blog. :)
For those of you friends from school who check, you are always welcome to keep looking, just send me your email and I'll add you to the list. I have a lot of your addresses but in case I miss someone, don't get all offended. Just let me know. I should have most of the family addresses.
I'll leave it open another week or so and then we're sealing the vault! (did you here the dramatic music? I was picturing Lord of the Rings.)
Anyway, I have a pile of laundry to iron. Ugh, I hate ironing. Luckily once I do it, it will be done for a while. Andy is back to wearing scrubs this week. Sweet! Never thought I'd miss those things.

Why, thankyou!

I haven't really been in a blogging mood lately but today I received a phone call that cheered me up a little. My dog had puppies about 4 years ago. Nine puppies actually and we sold them all to wonderful families. Anyway, I answered the phone and I had no clue who the person was and couldn't really understand him. He finally explained that he had bought a dog from us and wanted to call and tell us how happy he has been. At first I thought he was calling to say he wanted his money back or something but he told me how great of a dog it was and that it was the best thing they'd ever done. The dog is smart and very well behaved. He also said that he is going to breed the dog and wants to give us one of the puppies. Well, that's a ways away but it made me so happy to hear that. It was sad to give away those dogs and it makes me feel so good. We often wonder about them and hope they are doing ok. I only know of one other puppy and that's because we gave it to a doctor we knew. It was the most beautiful dog I'd ever seen and I was really sad to see him go. He is a white lab and that doctor takes him to work and everything. Makes me miss my dog even more now. I can't wait until we're done with school and she can come live with us again. The kids miss her too. Anyway, just one of those rainy day stories that make you go, "Awe!"

Eeeww!

This picture is actually taken at my moms, but in our house, sitting down is the signal for Halle to jump on your lap for a story. I have never seen a child so in love with reading books. Of course I only have two kids but still, she loves it! I literally cannot sit down without her jumping on me with a book. We've even had friends over who sat on the floor and then she jumps on their lap too. I have to admit I secretly love it though. Payton wasn't really into books until she came along. We now have a nightly routine of story time before bed. I have had to start earlier and earlier because like most kids, they say, one more book!
We've been reading the book, "Everyone Poops." I don't know how many of you have seen this book but it's pretty funny. It's a little more........graphic, maybe, then I'd probably do but hey, kids gotta learn I guess. It actually shows people and animals pooping, (illustrations of course). Halle is so funny. She opens the book and goes, "EEEWWW!" She turns the page again and I hear, "EEWW, POOP!" Turn page, "Eeeww! EEWW!"
It's so funny. She talking so much and it's fun to hear all the things going on in her little head. Especially when she jumps in our bed and tells dad, "MY bed. Stop it dad!" She then waves him bye bye and blows a kiss. She is definitely a sweet, feisty red and I love it!

texan kids

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Halloween Fun

Halloween night we joined our friends for a party at their "mansion" of ghouls and goblins. This is us with our friend Cindy.

We have finally recovered from our Halloween weekend. I say recover because we ate so many cupcakes and cookies that I still want Andy to check us for sugar shock. Don't think I'll look at the scale tomorrow when I hit the gym.
We had a fun week though. My mom came out last Sunday night and the kids have been so happy to have her. Heck, we all have enjoyed it!
I'm sad to say that we didn't get to do any sort of pumpkin search of hay rides because my kids are just getting over being very sick and with the cold weather we stuck to mostly indoor activities. I did let them pick a few pumpkins out at the market though, yahoo I know! How lame! They didn't care though. We carved them basically to say we did it because the kids had no interest in it until we put the candle inside. Then they thought it was very neat.


We took the kiddos to the primary Halloween party and they had a great time. Halle didn't really understand the trick-or-treat part but she loved knocking on the doors.
Payton is of course a NY Giant and Halle is Strawberry Shortcake.
I found out that the Natural History Museum and FAO had big Halloween parties but with the cold weather I didn't want to have them walk all over the city. I felt bad we had to miss it but we had a great time hanging with our good friends. If only we could get dressed up more often.
On a side note, Payton said," it's time to do Christmas tomorrow!"

More Adventures

Quick update, Andy's almost done with his 4th rotation, he's at a hispanic Pediatric Clinic rotation in Richmond Hills, Queens. It's not so much of a scary area, even during halloween. The kids were actually behaving for this picture!!With the weather finally turning cold, we had to bring the kids in to his clinic with colds and for antibiotics. Andy said it was like it was 'bring your kid to work day' earlier this week because all the staff had their kids there sick. Halle was the first red head many of these mom's had ever seen...it was hi-larious. Lots of asthma, newborns, ear infxns, etc, with a little bit of scabies and lice to keep him wanting to scratch and on his toes. He's enjoyed the nice hours though for once and feels a lot more comfortable of how to handle the teeny ones. His next rotation is a Pediatric trauma rotation in Brooklyn. I'll update y'all on Halloween later, we had a blast!!

Good nights

The last few days my kids have been quite a handful, mostly because they've been sick. Luckily for them they manage to be all cute when it's time to go to bed. Just trying to get that last minute awake. Or as my kids say, "two more minutes." After the crying and dragging I lay with them for a minute and that's when they pull it out. "Mom, I love you. Mom, you're the best." Hugs, cuddles, laughs, sweet talks. If they could just be like that all day we'd have so much more fun. They really crack us up. I can't imagine our boring our life would be without them.
Tonight, Payton had a cute prayer. He loves to pray but in his prayers he basically blesses everything we've already done for the day. Now normally we pick up Andy from work but today he had a dinner meeting with drug reps at some fancy place. Payton's prayer went like this. "Dear Heavenly Father, we're thankful for this day. Please help us to make a tent and be safe. Please help us color and be safe. Please help us pick up dad and be safe. MOM!! We forgot to pick up dad!!" I reminded him we aren't picking him up since he took the car. "Oh, Amen."

Does that come in 'covers me' size?

Yesterday I made a quick run to one of the Halloween stores. It was a big store and I was enthusiastic that I would find what I needed in the rows of ghouls and goblins. I was looking for a hat for Halle's costume. I pretty much have everything else here around the house. I could not find a little pink hat! I decided to look at all the other costumes just in case I could find something for Andy. OK, what is up with all the costumes these days. I love getting dressed up but not like a Playmate. Even the Snow White costume was barely there! I left disappointed and looked online. Still, most of the costumes are pathetic. When you can't even find a modest Disney character there is something wrong with the world.
We have our ward Halloween party on Saturday if the kids are feeling better. Andy and I have to hand out candy so we need a costume. I may end up just making a hat for Halle. She's hopefully going to be Strawberry Shortcake. Don't need a wig cause she's got the red hair. :) Payton will be a football player and he's very excited. He keeps telling everyone that Andy is going to be a witch but Andy doesn't know that so we'll have to negotiate that I'm afraid.

Hold your tacos!

I finally have a few minutes to write. Sweet! We've had some fun things happen lately. Not just all sickness going around thank goodness. The other week our neighbor from across the street had a garage sale. He's been pretty nice to us, visiting and such. We went over and got a little rocking horse for the kids. I kind of thought some of this stuff was a little high priced for a garage sale but oh well. The next day he still had a lot outside and came over to tell us just to take whatever we wanted. There were a ton of toys and so our friends helped us basically just take everything. He said he was just going to set it out for the garbage men so why not. We got a pretty good pile including a desk for Payton, a small TV with a VCR, ice-cream dishes, trains, a toy box, a book table, buses, and a car to drive. Sadly, I forgot to put it in the back yard the other night and someone stole it. I feel so bad for the kids cause they loved fighting over it. What kind of jerk steals a toy from a kids yard. Oh well. He's also given us several little tricycles we keep in the basement for cold days so I can't complain. Some of it I'm kicking to the curb but it was fun for the kids. Which reminds me. We always have to sit our garbage out in the morning because I've seen people going through it several times when I leave it out at night. If someone sits something out to the curb, it's generally gone within a few minutes. Maybe that's what happened to Payton's car, even though it was right by our front door. Glad we at least have a shredder for all our papers.
We also took the kids to see the movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua. They LOVED it! They are both going around saying, "cause you a Chihuahua Mi hija!" and "hold your tacos!" Of course HSM 3 comes out this week and Payton is really looking forward to that. Have to wait till the nose dripping subsides though.
We went to our old apt today to get some mail. Don't know why they had to google our relatives to find us when they had us on file and I had called back in May when we actually moved. oh well. We got another government check but I'll have to shred it since they had already sent the one we supposedly didn't get. Too bad. Don't think they'll let me keep them both. Anyway, the kids saw "our other house" as they call it and got so excited. They wanted to go "home" but I explained to them we don't live there anymore. I think we all miss our 'old house.'
Our newest thing lately has been to have family sleepovers on Friday night. Of course we've only had it one Friday......but we Plan to have them all the time now. We blew up the mattress in the living room and pulled out the popcorn, juice, and every pillow we could find. Last weeks showing was " Little Mermaid." It was so much fun for us all to cuddle together. The kids were so good. It was cute, after the movie Payton gave me a big hug and asked, "are we a family again?" He got that line from Angels in the Outfield I think. They never fail to entertain us. It's Andy's turn to pick out this weeks movie. He always has crazy ideas. Heaven help us. :)

Quick update

We've all been on the couch this whole week. Andy and the kids are sick and I had a very bad sore foot. Don't have any clue what I did but after a week of nothing and icing, I can finally walk without wanting to cry. Andy is feeling better but the kids are getting worse. We've had no sleep the last few nights, mostly trying to keep Halle ok. She has a very bad cold and keeps choking from her coughing. Long story short, I haven't had much time to write. The kids argue over who gets to be held the longest since they don't feel well. We've gone through most of our movies so I hope they get better soon. Course I guess I could just go rent some. Well, it's almost midnight and Halle just came in to have me rock her again. I figured if I'm up I might as well do something instead of try to sleep and wake up every few minutes to hold her. It's nice to cuddle with the kids though. Can't do it forever.

Buns not made of steel

We officially re-started our 'we're getting back into shape' yesterday. I hurt my foot a few days ago and after my first day I officially cannot walk. Not because I'm sore but because there is seriously something wrong with my foot. Still trying to give it an official name but it hurts pretty dang bad. Anyway, because of it we decided to do the spinning class. We as is me, Andy and our good friend, Cindy. Funny enough, our Bishop was also in the same class. I've never done a spinning class before and I actually really enjoyed it. My legs don't hurt but dang my butt does. Andy and I can both hardly sit down. We need to take pillows to the next class. It's an hour of cycling and I mean we'd give Lance Armstrong a run for his money. We'd lose all our money of course but ya feel like your working hard.

Mom, I love this car

Last week we made a trip to Costco. I miraculously talked Andy into coming with me. (he hates the crowds) He had actually planned to just sit in the car but decided to come in with the kids. Somehow the car keys fell out of his pocket while chasing kids. We thought maybe he'd just left them in the car but after two random nice guys helped me get the car window down, we soon realized our original thought of 'their somewhere in Costco' quickly returned. Thankfully after the 4th time of asking the front desk if someone had found them, they answered yes. Sweet. We later found out we had broke the tracking on the window. It also rained all week but oh well. I took it to the dealer this week and they said it would take two days to fix because they had to order a part. I currently drive Andy to and from work so I have to have a car. They were very helpful and gave me a free rental car. I heard the guy say, "Give her the Uplander." I first thought it was an SUV and thought that was so much sweeter than a little car. If you know me you could only imagine my excitement when they pulled up with a gold mini-van. If you don't and you're imagining jumping, singing, dancing then you are sadly mistaken. Nothing against them or any of you fabulous people who drive them. Andy and I just don't like them. Don't take it personal. It was easy with the kids though and I didn't know what to do with all the room. All kidding aside, I was really very grateful cause the Dealer was extremely nice and helpful to us. Andy about died laughing when I picked him up from work. Payton said, "Mom, just tell dad that we got a new car."
It had a lot of gadgets including a DVD so the kids were so happy. Sadly, I didn't get a picture of us in the van. Yep... So when we had to take it back Payton said, "Mom, I don't want to cause I love this car." I have to admit, it wasn't as bad as I first thought it would be but we still won't be getting a van. And even if it says Mercedes, it's still a van!
We now have our little Cavalier back. Toys, dried toast, dents and everything...including a new set of extra keys just for and emergency.

Current Fav's

So besides our recent candy addiction, we've had a few recipes that are our current fav's right now. Though my picture taking skills may not be the best, they are extra yummy. The first is TACO SOUP. I only recently tried this and we love it!
I looked through several recipes to and combined a few to get what I wanted so can't really give the credit to anyone in particular.
There are several different ways, so if you have a better one, then please share. :)

1 lb lean ground beef, cooked (whatever spices you generally use, I put onion in mine)
1-2 cans chicken broth
1 can tomato juice
1 can diced tomatoes (one time I tried it with the chili tomatoes, mild, and it was yummy too)
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 pkg taco seasoning mix, mild for the kiddos
1-2 cans whole corn drained
Brown beef with onion and drain all grease. Simmer all other ingredients about 15 minutes. I start it when I start the beef and then just add it.
Serve in bowls with cheese, sour cream and chips.

Ahh, we are so happy! Just a cute pic I had to throw in. They love the chips the most.

Ok, so this really isn't the best picture but I'm not a professional chef and it's dang good. These are two different recipes I got from our friends, Jeremy & Julie, and then the rice from Lourdes. They are generally made separate but last night they were a winning combo. So feel free to try them how you'd like. We've also combined the rice with the Taco Soup and it's dang good too.
For the CHEESE DIP, it's pretty easy. You can make whatever serving size you'd like. It's equal parts of Velveeta cheese, browned hamburger, and salsa. I'd still recommend mild for the kiddos. Unless you're serving a lot, don't make too much because I don't think the hamburger would be good in it reheated. It tends to get a more greasy taste that way.
Brown your hamburger as usual, good with garlic and onion. Cut Velveeta into cubes and slowly melt with salsa. Combine all and let heat thoroughly. Our friends brought this in a crock pot and it stayed warm all night. Well, not really cause we all scarfed it down quick, but ya get my drift.

RICE WITH CORN< SPANISH STYLE
Now, these were her instructions, not mine so you kind of have to taste and use your judgment.
3 cups rice, (I use whole wheat, I think she used white)
3 1/2 c water
1-2 can corn drained
salt
fresh chopped garlic
olive oil
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp goya adobo (look in the specialty aisle in Spanish cooking)
1 pkg sazon goya (Same aisle)
1 can tomato sauce
A few bay leaves
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil and put the garlic and corn in pan for 1 min. Add tomato sauce and some salt, oregano, sazon goya and adobo for about 2 min. Then add water and bay leaves. Taste water to make sure it's slightly salty and add 2 more tbsp of olive oil. Stir and let sit 5 min. Once it boils, add rice and turn down heat. Cover about 20 min. uncover and stir. Take out bay leaves and make sure it's soft. Enjoy!

Say Chi

So our pesky old folk neighbors moved out last week. YAHOO!! I finally felt like I could breathe. Until our new neighbors moved in of course. They are very nice and so far we really like them. They just came from Korea and therefore they cook Kim chi all-day-long...........No kidding. It's like some cabbage thing they cook for a long time and has all sorts of yucky smells, mostly garlic?? I went down to do laundry and almost threw up. It's slowly creeping up our stairs and into the apartment. We are making a run to the store to buy them out of Fa breeze and Glade air fresheners. Hopefully it won't get worse than it already is. We were told by a friend who had a similar situation to try getting an air purifier to help. We'll see.
As I mentioned, though, they seem very nice. They have two teenagers, who seem like real good kids, and a three yr old boy. The little boy doesn't speak English other than a few lines to a Disney song. He is dang cute though and it will be fun for the kids to have a friend so close. They are noisy and I don't care a bit. Makes me not so paranoid if we make any noise. They are still in the process of getting everything in but we are excited to get to know them better. Just not ready to eat at their house yet.

Nope 'n NOpe 'n Nope

So...We've had a little back tracking in the whole, dropping the kids off at the pool, if ya know what I mean. Payton did so good for a almost two weeks and now REFUSES to go poop in the potty. He said, "take my toys back, I dont want a treat, Nope 'n Nope 'n Nope" UGHH I know he'll get there eventually, just doesn't seem like it right now.
On a side note. My dear husband is also complaining because I don't give him a treat or dance and clap when he poops in the potty. Guess I need to go buy some more stickers!

Check it out.

I was reading a friends blog and she had a link to a site that I just love. I wanted to pass it along and tell everyone to check it out. It is very helpful advice and easy step by step info for food storage ideas, etc. Some sites I've seen before can be pretty confusing but I really think this girl has a great blog. It's link is at the bottom of my blog called, Safely Gathered In. In the mean time, Happy Blogging.

F.A.Oh so fun!

Last weekend we had another one of those mornings where we wake up and dad says, "Lets go to the city." We're not going to say no to that! I've now learned to shop so that I always have snacks to grab since Andy tends to do this a lot. We gathered the umbrella's and the kids had a great laugh watching us run to catch the train just in time. It was very exciting for them to ride instead of our normal routine of looking at it from the car while waiting for dad.
The kids and I also had our first experience of riding the subway. Luckily, I always carry Purel! I was also fortunate as to not see any rats either. I thought that was a huge plus. We had a short walk to our destination-F.A.O Schwartz. We've been past it several times and decided it was time to quit putting it off. This place is certainly spectacular. We didn't know where to look first. As you walk in, you see enormous, almost life size, toys. Giraffes, elephants, dinosaurs, you name it. Huge stuffed animals to fill your play rooms galore. Our first stop was, of course, the giant piano (you know, the movie BIG) Tom Hanks has nothing on us! And yes, we all should have one of these in our homes. And I thought the organ was difficult.

I asked this man if he felt like a celebrity. He looked at me and sternly said, "I am the most photographed man in New York." Oops! Maybe I should have got his autograph I guess. :0 We see candy, we just gotta get some. Old school candy I haven't seen since I was a kid. (Cloves used to sell them for a penny when I was little. Ah, sweet memories. Grandpa gives ya a quarter and ya load up on candy.) We found a gummy snake that was over a foot long. Delicious!

Story/music time. This was so much fun. Can't remember the name of the book but when I turned around. I was standing right next to David and Victoria Beckham. (And their kids, helpers, and 6 bodyguards) Those of you who don't know, he is a huge famous soccer player and she used to be a Spice Girl who now is just famous for basically never smiling and being skinny in high heels. ???? Can't really figure out why she's so famous. Anyhoo, it was a big deal at the store and oddly enough we just kept running into them. We didn't take pictures because it's weird to walk up to someone and take their pic. Plus they had their kids and I thought it would be rude. And no, they don't look better in person. See, if we could all only be air brushed.

This place makes Toys 'R Us look like a little toy box. It was so much fun just looking around and playing with all the toys. Even I wanted to be a kid again and play. We ended up buying a stuffed animal for Andy. A lab dog that looked just like Sherlock. The kids were happy to just play and then head home. If every store would just let us do that. I can't wait to see the set up for their Christmas display.

So Big!

Every single day we hear the ice-cream truck driving around. He drives up and down EVERY street. We could all hum the song for you. One day we were feeling nice and decided to let them get an ice-cream. The kids are sitting outside, patiently waiting for the truck. Today was the day that he mysteriously never showed. The kids were so disappointed. Luckily we had ice-cream cones inside the house and all was forgiven. Notice how Halle has her little pink purse. She HAS to take it EVERYWHERE! I have never coaxed her to bring it. One day, as we were leaving she just ran and got it. She has been doing it ever since. And if she can't find it she throws a fit and claims she can't go without her purse. "whe my pur!" Probably because I always have mine.
We checked out a local farmer's market, that turned out to be lame so we just played at the park. I thought Halle looked so cute with her glasses.
I just can't believe my little red headed blob is now so big and hanging on gyms at the park. Payton is talking a lot! And time just keeps on flying by. We will only be here another 10 months and when we first got here it seemed like forever. Luckily we have made some great friends and are enjoying the time we have in crazy NY.
This is a typical picture. She is always climbing or hanging on something. And next week she will turn 21 months! Crazy!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

This Sunday is my Grandpa Huntsmans 99th birthday!!! Can you believe it! He doesn't look a day over 80, and still as sharp as they come. I am so sad that I won't be there to give him a big hug and a pile of 99 balloons. I wonder what I could send in the mail that I could send 99 of??? Hmm, I'll have to think about it. Anyhoo, I just love him so much. Besides the fact that he is gorgeous, he is one of the best people I know. He has the Huntsman trait of hissing when he laughes and you can count on him always saying, "yes sir" or "fiddlesticks". He can't remember but he taught me to play poker when I was just a little kid. I grew up with him as a father figure and I couldn't have had a better dad for real. Not because of the poker but because I can always talk to him. He used to take me everywhere when I was a kid. Rides in the truck with Grandma, eating mush for breakfast, watching Matlock, checking on the cows, or sharing stories and jokes. I love to hear his tales and trials of the 'olden days'. He has had a great life so far and we figure and can give us another 10 or so. He used to hold us down for spankings on our birthday. Do you think giving him 99 would be inappropriate? We'd probably get wacked with a cane. Guess we'll stick with kisses. We love you so much Grandpa!

Sherlocks Birthday

Today would be the 6th birthday of our dog Sherlock. Andy got him for Christmas the first year after we were married. It was a first dog for me and it took a while to get used to since I am allergic to dogs. He and Andy were best buds though. Sherlock was a hunting dog through and through. Andy took him to competitions and on every hunt he went. He was a good dog even though I yelled at him all the time for being so energetic. He could always find a way to get out of the yard no matter what we did. Sadly the day we moved to NY he got hit by a car. He had managed to get out the night before we left and didn't make it back. We were really sad but I was thankful that Andy didn't have to bury him. Since we were gone my uncle was kind enough to do it. We all miss Sherlock and I'm sure he's running around in dog heaven trying to find a way out. :)

Zoo pictures, yet again.

As I mentioned before we have a zoo pass to all the local zoos. The kids love it and we haven't been since we got back from Utah. They have made some fun new additions for a kids center. My friend Reagan came with us. Her little boy Jack is in the middle.
Aren't you glad our kids don't come out this way?

We were feeding the goats and the pigeons kept trying to steal the food. The kids got scared and were trying to hide from them. Thank goodness for sanitizer.

Excuse me Madam?

Oh, I can't forget to put in this pic of Payton and Halle pitching Derek Jeeter. This is an exact figure replica...Of course he struck him out. What were you thinking?

If I had my old hair cut we could be bro and sis. Ha ha
Dude, Jennifer Aniston is completely giving him the wax shoulder! Doh! Denied. Better luck later maybe? Andy tried all of his pick up lines--she was not impressed...

Star Struck

Maybe some wives would be a little offended if their husband said, "dang that girl is hot, she's gonna melt any second.." I got over this a long time ago. Since my hubby speaks Spanish and I've known of his Shakira crush forever. In fact, on his mission he taught her relatives a few discussions. The plot thickens!! JK
Yesterday was supposed to be a boring day of watching the BYU game on tv but Andy woke up and said he wanted to go to the city so we packed a bag, grabbed a necessity here in NY (Dunkin Donuts) and took off. We went to the Madam Tussauds Wax Museum. It was pretty cool.

It's actually a little freaky when you first walk in because many of them look extremely real. Their eyes just stare at you and it takes a little time to get used to. Payton was scared at first but by the time we found all the athletes and singers, he thought it was neat, Michael Jackson is in the background...he looks better in wax I think...
So I just have to say that though I've never seen any of these people in person, they are supposed to be exact replicas and J.Lo is not fat!! Dang. Don't know what all the talk about her rear end is because she looks daaanng skinny to me.
The museum wasn't too big but it took up several floors. Andy laughed at me because there were so many people that sometimes it was hard to tell who was real and who wasn't. Everyone had camera's and I was looking at the Rachel Ray and walked in front of someone with a camera taking a picture. I apologized for stepping in front of them and noticed it too was wax! Embarrassing!
Surely I could beat a pile of wax!
We were just at the end of the museum when we saw it.... Miley Cyrus. Payton was shy and weirded out yet very intrigued and wanted to stare. "mom, Halle wants to go look at Hannah Montana again!" (and again, and again)
It was definitely better than I thought it would be. I wonder what it would be like to have a wax figure made of yourself. Don't think I'd really want to see it. Guess we'll just stick to life size cut out boards. They fit away quick in a closet if anyone comes over. Wouldn't want people thinking we're weird!

Quick Thanks!

Yesterday I noticed we had received a package on the front door while we were out. I was very curious since no one had said they had sent anything. The kids and I became very excited...who doesn't love to get mail? I opened it and Andy's cousin had sent me a gigantic stack of sheet music for the choir! It must have taken her a very long time to copy everything and I immediately went from nothing to a whole lotta. I can't wait to get to work! Thank you so much Sandra!!!! And everyone else who has offered advice for the organ. Thankyou, thankyou!!

Medical Minute...however long it takes you to read this...

I"m not sure how many medical people there are out there who reads these, but I've decided every now and then to write on this blog some of the "events" that happen in Manhatten, and maybe to illustrate the differences in care in the few places I have been. A "house" pt for those who don't know are pts that must be presented to your attending, the pt is not under anyone else's care and you will be doing all the following up, plan of care etc--know the case b/c you will get drilled on everything you can think of later--there will be questions like the tx for blastocystosis hominis is? You can guess, you can research it, but you won't get it, the answer is not scientifically proven. On the other hand, a "private" pt doesn"t have to be presented so you have time to put everything together and you can relax. Between the 3 of us we carry about 23 pts, all INfectious Dz/HIV. Yesterday started about like this from the night resident...

So Mr G, here's an 'undomiciled' (gotta love that word)37 yr old pmhx HIV (CD4 count of 8), Hep a/b/c, heroine addict, necrotizing fasciitis to L arm, alcoholic, 2 skin grafts w/ MRSA and abcess presents w/ fever, chills, SOB, CP, weight loss, night sweats, unproductive cough, and pain to the skin graft on the L upper arm. Oh, by the way, he's house, oh...and...we're rounding in an hour...oh, MR. G ---with the PCP px, he's got a bactrim allergy... And Mr G, the lab doesn't do too much on sat, so we'll need you to do another ABG, serum cxs, another 12 lead EKG, another set of labs, and see if you can get a sputum sample. Get his other records from his last 3 hospitalizations, order another xray if you get around to it...by the way, change that dressing...and try to get a second IV line...If you need anything, just give us a hollar.....Oh, run the plan and assessment by us before hand....oh, and don't forget to glove/gown up...Be careful, and above all have fun!!

The first thought that went through my mind was--I wish I was back in St George...not b/c the hospital there is a paradise with nurses who you don't get mixed up with your homeless pts, or because the nurses actually help with the care, or actually give the medications, or order procedures, smile at you with dentition intact--no bling----they tell you when your pt has a HR in the 30s seizing, not noticably intoxicated, actually might physically check a BP, can recognize their pt out of a line up of all the people in that pts room, will give the guy who has never had a shower in his life a good scrub, speaks understandable English, have less than 9 patients, and will actually check the labs for you!! No my medical amigos, I thought of St George mainly because I like the scenery of the mountains out the west window.......j/k. So, when those checks seem a little lower than your pal who is traveling all over--seeing the world in their RV talking of "great things"............ don't be jealous y'all..... you could have 100 of us interns, students, and young docs runnin' the show... ............and how many residents does it take to put in an IV?? Just one--to call the nurse.

So the day did go OK mainly because the attending was fashionably late, but the Doc got me on the appropriate methadone dose for a guy who uses 10 bags of heroine a day--although I guessed and got the price of a bag of heroine at $10...Interesting cases...Oh well, we'll see how tomorrow goes...

"House"

This is a picture of the fence located about 50 yards behind St. Vincents hospital where I am on rotation. I noticed all the tour buses stopping from the 16th floor and came down to take a look before the 9/11 anniversary. Because St Vincent's was the closest hospital to the Twin Towers, it got the majority of the survivors. Nurses said this was the fence where people put pictures of their lost loved ones for months after the towers came down. Today, it has ceramic tiles with uplifting quotes that were tied to the fence from all over the world that were sent to comfort those families who constantly came by the hospital to see if their family members had been admitted. It's a good place to go and read these uplifting tiles when you have one of those "days". The hospital that day in 2001 opened to its 900 bed capacity, but only treated 497, almost all first responders. It was a normal day for most of the staff on Thurs, they're used to the dramaby now. Our Infx dz attending took about an hour to talk about events before and after of what happened that day as far as treating so many people so fast...

PoTTy CeLEbrATioN!!

Well a semi-miracle has happened in our home. Payton has been going Pee in the potty for a long time but not the other. He has refused, to say the least. We have tried stickers, goals, treats, etc. but nothing has led him to budge... until now. On a recent trip to Costco the other day we walked past the toy section. Besides the fact that his hands were full of yummy sample foods he managed to catch his eyes on a large stack of cars and trucks. I have to say that they were very nice. Fire engines, airplanes, garbage trucks, street cleaners, and helicopters. The make sounds, flash light, and talk. My children of course said, "mom, should you get that??" I said, we should when he goes poop in the potty. He whined and said no until the next time we went and I noticed that half of them were already gone. I decided that I would get one and take it home, still not letting him play with it until he went poop in the potty. No whining this time. He said, "I can play with it after I go pee in the potty." NO, poop dear.. "ok."
We walked in the door and the fire engine went right up onto the TV console. He walked into the bathroom and sat on the potty. WHAT!!! His poop was just a little one but the fact that he actually sat there and tried and did 'something' is a big deal for him. So.....he got his fire truck. I called Andy and we later went out to eat Pizza (Payton's Fav) with our friends to celebrate. They were good sports to come to a poop party. I wanted to make it a big deal so he'd keep trying. When we got home and he pooped again, and no arguing. ??? That is also another miracle! Of course he did finish it off in his diaper the next morning when he woke up but oh well. At least I can finally see a light at the end of all that streaking dark poop!!

Test 1, to be continued

Yesterday was a pretty fun day. We had a play group with some good friends in the ward and it's always so nice to let the kids just run around. I think we only had to get after them a few times so that's always a bonus.
I realized I still have yet more laundry to do since our bug stint. I had some things I had packed away when we first got here and they all have to be washed and re-packed again. Plus my kids both keep wetting their beds so I'm constantly doing sheets it seems. I still don't feel like we've officially moved in and got everything where I want. Oh well.
Yesterday I did go through a few things though cause our ward had a goods exchange. You donate anything you aren't using or don't really need such as clothing, toys, kitchen stuff, etc. We met at the church and organized it in piles and then we all get to take whatever we need. The rest is then put in boxes and then taken to our stake goods exchange to be held in two weeks where the same thing goes on but for the entire stake. Anything left over is then donated to the Good Will. I didn't go last year and I'm really glad I did this year. I actually can't wait to go to the stake one. I didn't find anything for Halle yet but I got some great clothes for Payton. Most of them are Gap and other name brands I don't know, including a very nice church suit. I'm so excited. Also the big exciting news is that I found a football helmet and pads! My son LOVES football. Everyday he asks what time dad will be home so they can go outside and play. He has wanted a football helmet since last years superbowl and we couldn't ever find a little cheap plastic one. I could NOT spend money on the nice ones cause they are several hundred dollars and he just wants to mess around. Andy couldn't believe it when I told him I got some last night. They will be a tiny bit big but he will love it. I just can't decide if I should give it now or wait until Christmas. I'm so excited for him. Oh the stress of my life! JK
I also attempted to play the organ last night. I actually didn't think it would be that hard just a little different but I was proven wrong. I wanted to keep pushing to sound pedals like the pedals on the paino and had to just put my feet under the bench to cure the temptation. Any mistake you make is doubled on the organ and I surely need to practice more before I will attempt it in sacrament. One of the missionaries there who is the only other person who can play in the ward said he's played it a few times. I asked him for critique and he said, "I'm just here to be a positive infuence." I cracked up laughing! Some songs were better than others though. :) I appreciate all of your comments and help some of you have given. Keep em comin!

First Day

We don't have a first day of school here, YET. But today was my first day playing for sacrament. I didn't play the organ since I haven't been able to get in to try it out yet but I have to say it was a great day. Andy had to work today and I was a little worried about getting there on time and in fact early to play prelude since we have to leave by 8:15 but we made it. Yahoo! And my husband says I'm never on time. hmm.
I sat the kids down on the bench with their cute little church reading books and the little angels just sat there quietly!! I was so proud and happy! In fact, they were good through all of church until the last few minutes when Halle dumped her crackers but hey, it was a good day.
It feels really good to be playing again. I didn't realize how much I missed it. Not that I have much of a choice since I am the only one in the ward who can play besides a missionary who thankfully didn't get transferred. I hope to get to practice the organ this week because I'm feeling up to the challenge. Also as music chairman I've been instructed to start a ward choir. Did you ever picture me playing the organ and leading the choir?? nope but so far I'm excited about it. Plus, if I'm being honest, it will be nice to let Andy worry about the kids for part of church. hee hee.
I haven't seen what our ward has in the library. Normally it's not much but if so it will be fun ordering music and such supplies. Luckily I have several of you family members who have experience, whom I can call I hope. :)
And I'm also happy to report that I now get the bench next to the organ! Yep, I'm just gonna take it! And I also now have the Power to say, "get your kids off the organ lady!" (Just gotta be there to understand)
So if any of you come out to visit. Just plan on singing in the choir. :)

Fun at the Beach

I wanted to post these pictures because it was Halle's first time swimming at the beach. Now she has of course been to the beach but only for walks and not playing in water. Come to think of it, I think it was Paytons also. Yahoo for them. They had such a great time.

Labor Day weekend was a lot of fun. Andy had the weekend off because he had just finished a rotation and would be starting a new one on Tuesday. So just just played, played, played.



Saturday our ward had a BBQ at a local park. We
had the same thing last year but this time proved a lot more fun. Halle was just a baby when we moved here and now she can run and play all over. We were able to participate in a volleyball game with our friends, the missionaries and even the Bishop. (He's always a great sport.)

After the picnic we had enough time to take a quick nap and then get ready for the first BYU game of the season. My hubby was so excited. We even switched cable companies a few weeks ago so he could watch the games.
I know BYU won but I didn't really watch the game. A bunch of our friends and their kids
came over. Basically the men all watched the game and us ladies chatted and solved all the worlds problems. (Of course)

After Sunday relaxation we were ready to hit the beach on Monday. It wasn't too bad considering it was a holiday. A recent storm had flooded a part of the beach leaving a great big puddle for the kids to play in. Actually I think they spent most of their time in that and not the ocean.

It was so fun to see them play and get excited. If I can just figure a way to get them not to throw sand.


The beaches are free after Labor Day and we really need to go back. Hint girls, lets go! :)

Even after playing all day we had yet another get together for dinner at a friends house. We played tennis and basketball while the kids ran around and tackled each other. Our friends are just so cool what can I say. We hate to be separated. JK.
Luckily the kids were so exhausted they went right to bed. If I could only exhaust them everyday!


We are so blessed to have wonderful friends here. Especially the kind who are fun and creative enough to always find something entertaining to do.

New York City Day Life

They call it New York City because they say nothing ever gets old, but I must say somethings definitely could----really fast. I was flipping through the radio stations on my mp3 player on my way into manhatten the other day when a man dedicated a song to his same sex partner and followed it by saying, "sorry I stabbed you." Interesting, I thought...how penitent...... Then I thought, I wonder if I'll meet that guy today at the hospital.
I just began my new rotation at the St Vincent Hospital at 7th ave and 12th st. Let's just say, it's an intersting commute. Because I leave at 5am before the buses run, I get picked up by a "carpool cab" that takes me and a neighbor from Melbourn, Australia to the Long island Rail Road where it takes 45 mins into the city to Penn St at 34th, then the #1 train down to 14th, then I walk the short block to the hospital. With a 900 bed capacity on 16 floors, it was quite intimidating at first. I was assigned to the Infectious Dz and HIV team that consists of 2 other interns and a resident and an attending that tries to mimic the show "house" for at least 4 hours a day...we follow him around like storm troopers behind darth vader...or like the president and his measly press staff...kind of funny watching us move down the hall, answering most of his questions with "interesting, I'll get back to you on that." He's got long hair pulled back into a pony tail and a beard...he knows his stuff, and makes sure we never look "too" impressive.
We are assigned mostly to complicated HIV cases with advanced infections, mostly homeless, from the ER, MICU, etc. We get all the pneumonias and rare infx dz cases. We start at 6:30am and usually finish around 6pm. Me being the new guy, I get to do all the ABGs, blod draws, cultures, etc that no one else wants to do...I catch the 3 train expres back to Penn, then the LIRr, then Kris picks me up fo a nice end of the day. But I must say it has been an incredible first week, lots of "interesting" characters. Except I didn't meet the guy with the stab wound.....yet. And I bet you were wondering the song he was dedicating....you guessed it--Abba--- "Dancing Queen--the remix."

Nice Try

Ever watch those "Behind the Music" things on TV. The other day I was cooking dinner and had a funny thought pop in my head. I pictured myself being interviewed by them because Payton was a famous singer. I'm explaining to them what a miracle it is since he could barely talk and how he just knew he wanted to be a singer since he was 3. No I don't really dream of him being famous but it's so funny how much he LOVES music. He would sing all day if I'd let him. My mom bought the Camp Rock cd and he knows all the songs by heart. I'm glad he's passionate about something and I actually really do think it's helped him with his speech. It's just so funny to see him acting out like he's so cool. I have to keep our windows shut so the whole neighborhood doesn't hear. At least he actually really does have a cute voice and can sing on key. Could always be worse I guess.
Sorry this picture is sideways. I wasn't paying attention and I'm too lazy to fix it right now. Payton got in trouble and had his garbage truck taken away. (He loves the garbage truck. He can tell you the days they come and he HAS to watch them.) Anyway, I put it up on the kitchen cupboard and we laughed as this is what he stacked to try and reach it.
The two containers I get but then he put a book and a few pieces of paper. Hello, paper! He even tried a bag! Needless to say, he didn't reach it and had to finish time out before he could get it back. Funny that he was screaming until I pulled out the camera.

Future Tennis Pro's

Since our new place has a sweet park across the street, we decided to make the most of it. There is a fun playground, tons of grass, a pool and several tennis and basketball courts. We've always liked tennis but never really had a place to play so now we can finally learn. Well, to the best of my ability anyhow.
I found a good deal on some kid racquets and they just love it. Payton is actually starting to get the hang of it. It's nice because they are fenced in and we can play without worrying about them running off. This particular court is at our friends place though.
Andy says I stink at tennis but oh well. I'm getting better. He's not pro either though so I don't feel too bad. In fact it was funny because our first time we went to play, we invited some friends to come. We knew he like to play but didn't know he was an actual tennis instructor! Doh! We got our butts kicked but it was fun.