Why I Have Boys

And you also find out interesting things when you have sons, like

1.) A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house 4 inches deep.

2.) If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.

3.) A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.

4.) If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room.

5.) You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on.

When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.

6.) The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.

7.) When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh," it's already too late.

8.) Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.

9.) A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old Man says they can only do it in the movies.

10.) Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year old Boy.

11.) Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.

12.) Super glue is forever.

13.) No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.

14.) Pool filters do not like Jell-O.

15.) VCR's do not eject "PB & J" sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.

16.) Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

17.) Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.

18.) You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.

19.) Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.

20.) The fire department in Austin , TX has a 5-minute response time.

21.) The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.

22.) It will, however, make cats dizzy.

23.) Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.

Ultrasound

I had my 33 week ultrasound today to check and see if our little girl is actually growing. The doctors both in Utah and in Ohio have been concerned about the amount of weight I have lost, and chose to do another ultrasound at this point in order to check on Brooklyn's growth. After checking all the measurements, she is measuring slightly small but not drastically so, so I'm not sure if my Obstetrician is going to choose to change my due date or not. I go back to the doctor on the 11th of September to evaluate the results of this scan. No matter the results, everything (other than her small size--which again isn't drastic) looks wonderful, all the body parts are right where they should be and functioning correctly, and she is still very much a girl. It was great to get another shot at our girl, and be able to 'see' one more time before she arrives.

33 Weeks

Here I am in all my enormous 33 week glory. I had Ammon capture this picture this morning, and although I don't think it's terribly flattering, I suppose I'm probably not going to be happy with any photos taken of my at this point. Although I am aware that I feel enormous and ungainly, it's unsettling to see proof of this in photos. At any rate, as this is planned to be our last pregnancy, I still want to immortalize it on film. Tomorrow I go in for another ultrasound to determine if Brooklyn is growing on schedule, as I have still been losing weight due to my severe morning sickness. With both the boys I had put on at least a few pounds by this point in my pregnancy, but this time I haven't managed to do even that, so the doctor is concerned about sufficient growth of our baby. I feel confident that everything is fine and that she is growing (it feels like she's growing!!) but I will post more information as soon as I have it. If nothing else, it's a great opportunity to get another look at our little one before her arrival in a few weeks!

Surprise!

I wasn't expecting much for my birthday this year. Knowing our finances, the time Ammon had available, and the resources that he had at his fingertips, I didn't expect a big celebration. In the weeks leading up to my birthday, I only made on request: a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. In the days leading up to my birthday I had lost most hope even for that, chalking it up to Ammon's 'male forgetfulness'. How wrong I was.
The Sunday of my birthday dawned bright and hot. The morning consisted of the normal scramble to get the children ready for church, the toy bag packed, and scriptures located. I managed to force down something small for breakfast, and then we attended church. After church Kadon and Mommy took a nap, after which we planned to go over to Angela's house for Sunday dinner. The invitation had been made on a whim a few days beforehand, and I was positive that nothing 'funny' was going on. How wrong I was.
When we arrived at Angela's house, Angela was standing out on the front porch, which I thought was a little odd. Secondly, when we walked into the house there were streamers and balloons festooning the living room. Again, I'm still not convinced that there is anything going on, but the living room, despite the festive decorations, is strangely empty and quiet. As I rounded the corner into the rest of the house, people began streaming out of the kitchen. Angela's entire family, along with the terHorst family from Cincinnati had all gathered together for a birthday meal. The menu consisted of my favorite cornell chicken, funeral potatoes, and a fabulous fruit salad (of which I ate mounds and mounds). After dinner? You guessed it. A very large carrot cake. Nothing like a surprise party and carrot cake to make a girl feel special, loved, and appreciated. Thanks guys!!

Ohio Rain

Some of you may have noticed in recent national news that parts of Ohio are struggling under the worst flood conditions in 100 years. Luckily, the parts of Ohio that are submersed are much farther north than where we are, and have the unfortunate luck to be experiencing the notorious lake affect. Lake Erie, which is located directly north of Ohio, causes massive snowfall in the winter, and torrential rains during the other times of year. In fact, one of the jobs that Ammon has applied for would move us to Cleveland, which is on the banks of Lake Erie. Even though this is a wonderful job with a great salary, I do not desire a position that would bring us closer to the lake. On that note, I am going to attempt to catch up on the photos that I have taken this summer and neglected to post on my blog. The next few days will probably be somewhat of a mish-mash of images and probably a few videos, but the selection for today is a rainstorm that I recorded the second weekend we were here. It was a Sunday afternoon, and Kadon was ill. We had left church early to come home and put both Kadon and myself down for a nap. I awoke to Ammon coming into our bedroom and opening the curtains to our window which overlook the street running in front of the house. Once this initial shock from the sheer amount of water I was witnessing, I ran down the stairs to capture it with my camera. I know the video doesn't quite do it justice, but know that this particular storm was the first of several of that severity that I have experienced since moving here. They say we're in a drought, but if this is the eastern version of drought, sign me up. I shudder to think what the spring rain season will bring.

Happy Birthday

Tomorrow is my birthday, so we are celebrating today instead of trying to fit everything into a Sunday afternoon after church. Angela, the wonderful sister-in-law that she is, has offered to watch the kids for several hours today so that Ammon and I can go out on a 'day date'. Since the choice of activities is completely up to me, I chose to go the the Dayton Art Institute, go out for lunch, then browse the local mall for a couple hours before picking up the kids. I have really been looking forward to today all week, so I hope it turns out to be as fun as I'm anticipating. Ammon and I have spent a ton of time together in the last month, but very little of it has been one-on-one without either the children or Mary and Russ around, so this afternoon is a much needed treat.
Today, I'm also feeling really grateful for my family. The kids have been such angels for the last couple of days, playing nicely together, not whining, and being extra sweet and cuddly. It reminds me of the angelic spirits they truly are, just wandering through this life looking for guidance. I am so glad that we have been blessed to have them in our lives, because everything they do brings such joy and satisfaction. I need days like yesterday and today to remind me that it's all worthwhile when I'm stuck in the trenches and the diapers and messes are never ending. I'm so grateful for these beautiful spirits that have been entrusted to us, I just hope that we don't manage to screw them up too terribly before they move on from us.

Trudging On

Ammon had another interview for a job near here this week. It's odd, because the company that is actually looking for employees hired an entirely different firm to recruit for them, handling all the advertising, interviewing, and skills testing required. For the past several days Ammon has been taking online tests for this recruiter, attempting to showcase the skills that he has and further broaden his knowledge. He's been doing a lot of studying, and I had to dig out several of his textbooks, so it's eerily as though he's back in school again. Yesterday Ammon drove to Cincinnati for an interview with this recruiting company, and although he isn't terribly optimistic that he'll get the job he actually interviewed for, the recruited seemed very interesting in continuing to help Ammon search for employment with one of their other clients. We're very hopeful that this is possibly the connection we've been waiting on, as it seem promising that this recruiting company has ties to several different companies ranging all the way from Northern Kentucky to Central Ohio. The recruiter's eyes lit up when Ammon explained that we are highly motivated to find employment and are willing to relocate to any of these areas. For now, we are still in waiting mode, but it feels good to at least feel as though we have some promising leads.

Guilty?

A quick note today, as I'm feeling guilty that I haven't updated in a while. Ammon received some feedback on one of the jobs he applied for in Cincinnati, but so far it's only been nibbles and nothing substantial. We're still praying mightily that something will turn up soon, as it is getting more and more difficult for Ammon to continually be out of work and out of sorts around the house. The heat and humidity did finally let up some yesterday, and Ammon was able to get more yardwork done, and we even went to the local farmers market today, which was a lot of fun. The children have continued to improve in their behavior, becoming more recognizable as the children we know and love. This move has been really difficult on them, and they have manifested it (as most children do) in minor misbehavior and attitude problems. We're all grateful that the most difficult part seems to be over with, and the kids are adjusting well. In baby news, I finally got into a doctor this week, and although the doctor that I saw had terrible bedside manner and I have no intention of ever seeing him again, there are other doctors in the practice that have come highly recommended, and it feels good to have one more hurdle out of the way. I am going to be scheduling a tour of the hospital I will be delivering at sometime in the coming weeks so that we have an idea what we are getting ourselves into. All in all, despite the job situation, life has been good to us and we are grateful for the chance to be spending a lot of time together. I'm grateful for a savings account that hasn't yet run out, and for a husband that is diligent in finding things to do around the house rather than sit around and bemoan his unemployed status. There is very little in our lives to complain about at this point.

Unemployed--still

Well, Ammon is still in the ranks of the unemployed. He has filled out countless applications, pasted his resume over and over again, and still hasn't had a single interested contact. He vows that if he doesn't get something solid soon he's going to take a job trucking, but I'm really hoping it doesn't come down to that. Trucking is a hard profession, and even though it pays fairly well I'm not sure that the benefits outweigh the cost. The kids and I don't operate well when Ammon isn't around to make us all laugh, so even though that makes us really wimpy, I'm hoping that he finds a job soon so he doesn't have to go on the road for long stretches of time.
Other than that, things are going well today. It appears as though we will be taking it easy on the yardwork this week because there is a heat advisory in effect until at least tomorrow morning. As I was reading the newspaper this morning over breakfast, I warned Ammon that the yardwork he was planning on today should perhaps wait, but he scoffed at the heat advisory, and said he wasn't silly enough to go out and get dehydrated and overheated. Fast forward to an hour later--Ammon comes into the house, simply dripping in sweat and weak from exhaustion. It's not simply that it is hot outside today, the humidity is very high and makes the temperature 'feel' over 100 degrees. Not exactly optimal for exertion out of doors. Anyway, maybe later we'll try and take the kids back to the outdoor water park, and this time we'll ALL get in to help relieve the discomfort.

Nearly 30 Weeks

I'm doing a quick post tonight because it's getting late and my bedroom is calling-never enough rest for a pregnant woman. Anyway, this photo was taken yesterday, so I was exactly 29 weeks and 3 days along. I'm starting to get big enough to be uncomfortable, and every day I look down and the floor is farther and farther away. I'm grateful today for central air and a husband and children that are willing to help out, because I've definitely not been at my best for a while now. Only ten more weeks of this, right?

Water Park

On Monday night we took the kids and met Angela and her family at a local water park. This park is run and maintained by the city, and is free to the public. Dayton has such a wonderful park system, we have now been to several of the metro parks and they're all absolutely beautiful. This particular park has a large fenced in area that is full of different water activities, and is swarming with kids on any given day. We are planning to go back to this park this afternoon because it is forecasted to be beastly hot until about Saturday. I think it's great that in a city where so many people are struggling and there is a major job depression, the people in charge of parks and recreation still insure that there are nice places for everybody to frequent.