Thank you February

As a follow up to a previous post, dear February, here is a thank-you note including some of her accomplishments and musings.
Dear February, here we are, all but finished.  We had a great time.  The Olympics were quite astounding, amazing and awe inspiring.  It is good to feel the ache of wanting to do something so badly like when I watched those downhill skiers.  Man I miss skiing.  I also missed playing my violin, so I was fortunate enough to share my violin talent with my ward and stake (church) for 2 different conferences.  As nervous as it makes me, I would rather play my violin than open my mouth in front of a crowd ten times over.  I also am so appreciative of my job at my new office in Fountain Hills.  It is good to be appreciated, and I will share something my co-worker/office manager shared with me the other day, " Kellie, you're the best person I've ever hired!"  Needless to say, I really like working there and it must show.  I won't go as far to say I love the drive (45 min each way) because it takes me away from my family time, but I am making the most of it by listening to the Ensign and New Era on MP3 during the drive.  Those are magazines that really make me feel good and help me focus better on my family during the few short hours each evening I have with them.  As far as my family goes, Tim has been sprouting new vegetables in the living room, and now they are ready to go outside, as soon as it warms up a bit more.  The rain has been great for our garden prep, but terrible for the 2 British Convertibles parked on our side-yard, they have been more wet this month than they have for their whole lives.  Although, the'67 is moving on.  As part of our first eBay sales experience, the baby blue triumph spitfire was sold to a fellow just yesterday that plans to ship her to Paris, France where she will live happily ever after.  Emma has gotten ever more proficient on the piano with her "DO, RE, MI's" and Audrey loves to go with Kennedy and Dad to get a culture pass to have her weekly adventure.  Emma has been doing really well in school, we've found proper motivation for her to get 100% on her spelling and dictation each week.  If she does, she gets to choose her favorite meal for the night.  It has made a world of difference.  I never realized the true value in "taco Tuesday" until now.  Audrey is so sweet with Kennedy and looks forward to playgroup each Friday.  She keeps me and Tim rollin' with her the crazy-silly things she says. For example, we were home after Stake conference church today and I gave Tim a hug and kiss and we heard Audrey say to Emma, "Eew, yuck.  When we grow up, we're gonna have to do that, too."  She thinks it is so gross when we kiss.  She never fails to "yuck" at us when we do.  She'd better get used to it, it's not stopping anytime soon.  Kennedy is experimenting with using the potty.  Tim and I are not yet ready to give up the convenience of diapers, so we'll leave that adventure for March...or April.  Well, I'd better get back to my bread in the oven, we burn through 4 homemade loaves each week, sometimes more if I make it midweek.
Well February, it has been a great month, and so far 2010 is shaping up splendidly, and I thank you for all of your rich efforts in making moments out of minutes.  All the best when you come around again, may we all be healthy, happy, and wiser for the time passed.  Until then, Thanks again for listening to all of my random mumblings and helping me to remember and enjoy them as well.

Did I do that?

Our Valentines celebrations started on Friday when Tim asked me if I wanted my present.  I am the self-proclaimed WORST gift giver EVER.  So of course, I did better than that and didn't get him anything.  He said Valentines is for girls anyway.  So I said yes to his question, and he told me to close my eyes.  He then got a box and put it on my lap.  I opened to see a beautiful box (I didn't know boxes could be beautiful but this one was) and it said "Coach" on the corner.  WHAT!! He was so cute, and so excited to give it to me.  He said "You really deserve it."  He got me a beautiful new tote.  His favorite part was telling me the great deal he got it for on Craigslist. So, he hadn't spent a fortune, but I can wear it like one.  Yay!  I'm not usually ever like that, but when I look at it, I think of him and so it isn't just functional, but makes me happy.  Thanks again Honey.

Then, Saturday, my cell phone contract ended so we went and got new phones to carry out the process of minimizing our media cost/time.  We went to costco and got some cool phones and so we can text and we feel like we're on the cutting edge, okay, at least the edge for us.

Sunday was Me and Emma at church because Tim was home with sick Kennedy and Audrey.  We watched the Olympics and had a lazy day.

Then, on Monday I was off work and Emma was off school so we did some yard work and played around the house with the kids.  I took Kennedy to the pediatrician to find out she had 2 "humdinger" ear infections and a possible penicillin allergy so we paid many pretty pennies for meds and dr visit, but she is good now.  We then went to the park and tried working with Emma some more on riding her bike without training wheels. I am so glad when I am off work that I enjoy being with them and not worrying about finding more work.  It was so relaxing.

Then I had to do something silly.  Now I can say that but I just said out loud to myself over and over again, "did I just do that?  I just did that!!"  While driving to work Wednesday morning, I dropped my brand new phone in my cup-o-milk. REALLY!  Did I just do that?  I just did that!  I reacted quick though, I quick popped off the battery, opened it up as much as possible, and shook the @#$& out of it. I hurt my wrist bad doing it too.  I cried the rest of the way to work.  When I got there I googled "what to do when cell phone drops in milk" and explained to Dr. Hansen what happened.  He's a computer guy, so he helped me doctor it.  He took it apart even more and asked if he could soak it in alcohol.  I saw that solution online so I said okay, and it looked so wrong to see my phone submerged in liquid.  He said he does that with computer components so I trusted him.  If it was gone anyway, oh well.  So, I called Tim and told him what happened and that I was so upset that this accident happened (when it now wasn't such a big deal) and thought he'd be upset with me but he said it didn't matter and don't worry about it.  Okay, now I had to get my patient back and try to hide my red cry eyes.  Three patients later I retrieved my phone from the alcohol and used compressed air to blow as much moisture out as possible.  Later that afternoon I dared put the battery in and fire it up.  It worked.  I called Tim and was so happy!  It continued to dry out over the next few days.  There is still some white stuff flaking out (dry milk) but so far as I can tell, it works 99%. If you get a text with extra letters that's because 'w' comes up with half of the letters and there are some other sticky features, but at least now I can call from it to insure it!

Then Thursday morning our good friends Rob and Tara finally had their baby.... GIRL!  After 32 hours of grueling labor she delivered 8lbs 11oz healthy girl.  Marley...Roussel.  She has got some lungs.  Aaaahh. Parenthood.  I remember when we had Emma.  We thought we were ready.  We so were not.  Three kids later we are starting to get a handle on it.  We went and visited them in the hospital on Saturday and got to hold the baby for a little bit.  She can fill the "babyfever" for us for a while until Tim is done with school then we'll court the idea of another one later.

Yesterday was fun, I was home with the girls until Tim came home with another British car.  An 1960 Austin Healy "bug eye."  It is cute, and the car actually smiles at you!  It is tiny, red and really cute.  He posted his first car on EBay yesterday, so that is a new adventure for us too.

And today, while getting ready for Church, I had done Emma and Audrey's hair pretty and was working on Kennedy when I decided to give her her first haircut.  She had a bunch of long wispy hair on her crown that just made any styling impossible.  So, I trimmed them off and she has the cutest curly bob cut.  Her hair is so much slower coming in that the other girls, and she is blonder too, but it really matches her personality.

Well that is the longest post in forever, but I'm glad February has listened and not escaped me.  The Olympics have been amazing and make me miss skiing like crazy, but I'll get back to it.  I'm planning on running Pat's run in April, and from there getting ready for a 10K and eventually (hopefully this year) a 1/2 marathon.  It's very ambitious for me, but I want to believe I can do it.

On the docket for this week is turn in our DVR and go cut out TV.  We will lose our home phone number, but I'll email everyone Tim's phone number, and mine will stay the same.  We'll let you know how it goes... till then, I'm surprised anyone stuck around this long!!!

Dear February,

Please don't slip away from me. I know you are the shortest month of the year but you are so important.  I understand being stuck between January and March can be tough, because January is so full of recovery business from the holidays and March holds spring break and the beginnings to plan out summer vacations.  Trust me though, I know you will be great.  We are only 3 days in, but I anticipate you will buy and sell a few cars for Tim, I'll be working most of the days and our girls will begin to get used to me working every day.  Our house may get a bit neglected, but we will use it well this month, watching movies, playing games and doing lots of puzzles and reading stories.  Audrey and Kennedy are planning to make lots of messes and I don't think they plan to clean them up, but I would be really worried if my 3 and 1 year olds spontaneously started being clean.  Emma will probably read about 25 books this month and memorize 2-3 poems, because she loves to rhyme.  There are some great things I hope happen this month of February, so please, don't let the opportunities for this month get away.  I'll do my best to keep up and report back.
Love, Me

The entire yield of our grapefruit tree. The size of Audrey's head.  It was delicious, but totally not worth watering for a year.

Tim and Jeff (Dad) in the latest project.