Outside Temp: 75 F (it hasn't cooled off like it usually does. I think we're in for thunderstorms tonight... I can smell rain)
What I cooked today:
Burgers and Pasta: I was so tired, I almost made them go without dinner. Boy, is my family lucky that I worry about actually feeding them.
Update:
We went into Stanford today. I had to run some errands, so the kids (minus Ryan, I didn't want to risk it with his new line), jumped in the car with me, and we headed east.
We stopped at the Elevator in Geyser, to pick up some chicken feed. As luck would have it, the cat that lives there had her kitten. So stinking cute. I think the kitten is about 4 weeks old, still mewing and so small. Of course, Katie fell in love, and spent the entire time coo-ing over the kitten. I think we are going to have to break down soon, if only to get her to stop her begging for a cat.
After that, we headed over to the library in Stanford. The kids had some books to return, and wanted to get a few more. The librarian over there is amazing. I guess it helps that there are so few kids, but she knows everyone, what they like, what they've read, etc. She had asked her son about a book for Allen, and was looking for it. There was some confusion over whether her son had brought it back or if it was still at the house. So, since her son was at the pool, she told us to ask him and then come back.
So, after I finished my other errands, we went over to the pool. The kids are getting so much better at both swimming and diving. Allen is loving the diving board, and he's showing off his back and front flips (of course, the front flips usually end up in a flop of some kind, but he is getting better).
Connor was able to dive (head first) off the board for the first time. He has always been nervous about diving head first, ever since the last time, when he belly flopped. It made quite an impression. But, one of the nice ladies in Stanford offered to help him out, and show him how. I was able to stand back and watch. Amazingly, he listened to her, and (perhaps because it wasn't me) he managed to get into the water head first. After about 3-4 more tries, he was able to go off the board! Woo hoo!
Katie has been practicing her swimming. She hasn't had much practice before now, so she was very unsure of herself. We went back and forth a few times, with me giving her pointers (your head needs to be in the water, cup your hands, don't forget to kick, etc). After about 30 minutes, she decided she was ready to try going from side to side. She did great. So, we moved up to the deep end (10 feet) and she decided to swim side to side in the deep end. I think she was a little surprised when she reached the end with no problems. Slow and steady, don't freak out, don't forget to kick. You should have seen the smile on her face! She was so proud of herself! So, she had to swim back and forth a few more times, just to prove that she could. Amazing!
While we were at the pool, we met a very nice older gentleman, and we started talking. It turned out he was part of a group that were bicycling across the country. There were 2 older men, a middle aged man, a younger man (probably in his late 20's, early 30's) and a younger woman (in her mid 20's). They started out in Washington and were biking the whole way. One of the older men used a recombinant bicycle, where he could use his arms to peddle, instead of his legs. Both men were probably in their mid 70's. The whole group was inspiring, although I know that I'm too lazy to ride a bike across the country!
After the pool, we went back to the library. The librarian's son said that he book was there, but she still couldn't find it. So, being the awesome librarian that she was, she left us in charge of the library for a few minutes, while she went home to look for it! After about 10 minutes, she came back, very upset because she couldn't find it. Then, she happened to look at the bookshelf where she puts 'reserved' books, and there it was, with his name on it! We had a great laugh over the concept of putting things where they belong, and never finding them again!
Of course, with our busy day (which, of course, required a trip to the little grocery store for ice cream), I was pooped, and immediately fell into bed when we got home. I wonder if my sunburn had anything to do with that...
Monday, August 6, 2012
Sunday, August 5, 2012
August 5, 2012
Outside Temp: 58 F (we had a high of 94, which is a little hotter than I would prefer... But it did get down into the 40's last night... I love the 50 degree difference between day and night!)
What I cooked today:
Chicken and Fried Rice: I started cooking my normal chicken, when Patrick commented, "Wow, honey, that smells really good... Are you making something with bacon?". I had to inform him that he was smelling the neighbor's dinner. Oh well, it turned out fine, with no complaints. But, perhaps I should try something new, perhaps with bacon?
Update:
So, my two middle children were doing the dishes today. And, perhaps prompted by a post I saw today on Facebook (Apocoloptomist: Someone who knows it's all going to shit, but will turn out fine in the end), they began discussing the options of a zombie Apocalypse.
Connor: "So, how likely, do you think, it would be that there could be a zombie Apocalypse?"
Kathryn: "Well, since zombie's don't exist, I would say none."
C: "But, that would depend on how you define 'zombie'."
K: "Well, a zombie would mean 'living dead', which is a contradiction, so therefore, can't exist."
C: "It depends. Perhaps it just means 'animated dead', and we could come up with some way to animate dead bodies."
K: "Even if we could come up with that technology, it would be a long time from now. Maybe even a million years."
C: "So it is possible! Maybe, say, a 0.0000000001 chance?"
K: "Yea, that sounds about right."
C: "Hmmm, so, how should we prepare?"
At this point, I was laughing so hard, I didn't hear the rest of the conversation, if there was any. By the time I recovered, they were on a different topic. I don't think they even knew I was listening, which made it that much funnier. I love my kids conversations.
Then, over dinner, we had another conversation:
Connor: "So, we're eating Fried Rice, which is Chinese, right?"
Me: "Yes."
C: "Are there other areas that use rice in their meals?"
Patrick: "Of course, a lot of areas use rice."
Allen: "Like Japanese?"
Patrick: "Yes, or Thai, or ..."
Katie: "What's Thai?"
Patrick and Me: "Thailand."
Allen: "Why do they call it Thailand?"
Connor: "Because everyone wears a tie?"
Patrick: "Or, because every competition ends in a tie?"
Allen: "Or because everyone is named Thai?"
Connor: "That would be so cool, so if you wanted to get someone's attention, you could just say, 'Hey Thai!', and everyone would answer."
Yes, we are all a little strange. But I like it that way!
What I cooked today:
Chicken and Fried Rice: I started cooking my normal chicken, when Patrick commented, "Wow, honey, that smells really good... Are you making something with bacon?". I had to inform him that he was smelling the neighbor's dinner. Oh well, it turned out fine, with no complaints. But, perhaps I should try something new, perhaps with bacon?
Update:
So, my two middle children were doing the dishes today. And, perhaps prompted by a post I saw today on Facebook (Apocoloptomist: Someone who knows it's all going to shit, but will turn out fine in the end), they began discussing the options of a zombie Apocalypse.
Connor: "So, how likely, do you think, it would be that there could be a zombie Apocalypse?"
Kathryn: "Well, since zombie's don't exist, I would say none."
C: "But, that would depend on how you define 'zombie'."
K: "Well, a zombie would mean 'living dead', which is a contradiction, so therefore, can't exist."
C: "It depends. Perhaps it just means 'animated dead', and we could come up with some way to animate dead bodies."
K: "Even if we could come up with that technology, it would be a long time from now. Maybe even a million years."
C: "So it is possible! Maybe, say, a 0.0000000001 chance?"
K: "Yea, that sounds about right."
C: "Hmmm, so, how should we prepare?"
At this point, I was laughing so hard, I didn't hear the rest of the conversation, if there was any. By the time I recovered, they were on a different topic. I don't think they even knew I was listening, which made it that much funnier. I love my kids conversations.
Then, over dinner, we had another conversation:
Connor: "So, we're eating Fried Rice, which is Chinese, right?"
Me: "Yes."
C: "Are there other areas that use rice in their meals?"
Patrick: "Of course, a lot of areas use rice."
Allen: "Like Japanese?"
Patrick: "Yes, or Thai, or ..."
Katie: "What's Thai?"
Patrick and Me: "Thailand."
Allen: "Why do they call it Thailand?"
Connor: "Because everyone wears a tie?"
Patrick: "Or, because every competition ends in a tie?"
Allen: "Or because everyone is named Thai?"
Connor: "That would be so cool, so if you wanted to get someone's attention, you could just say, 'Hey Thai!', and everyone would answer."
Yes, we are all a little strange. But I like it that way!
August 4, 2012
Outside Temp: 55 F (it was a little warmer today, into the mid 80's... Not too bad, especially since it cooled off as soon as the sun went down!)
What I cooked today:
Burgers and Tater Tots: Quick, easy stand-by dinner. Didn't involve much thought or prep, and it was gobbled up.
Zucchini Bread: I was given a very large zucchini by one of our awesome neighbors, so I was required to make zucchini bread tonight. Yumm!
Update:
Very relaxing day! I can't think of anything special that happened today. We played on the computers, I read a little, we chatted about nothing in particular. We went to church, then I got to chat with some (really cool) neighbors for an hour or so.
My big deal for the day was making my zucchini bread with the zucchini that came out of my neighbor's garden... this evening! He just walked over, and picked it out of his garden! So good!
What I cooked today:
Burgers and Tater Tots: Quick, easy stand-by dinner. Didn't involve much thought or prep, and it was gobbled up.
Zucchini Bread: I was given a very large zucchini by one of our awesome neighbors, so I was required to make zucchini bread tonight. Yumm!
Update:
Very relaxing day! I can't think of anything special that happened today. We played on the computers, I read a little, we chatted about nothing in particular. We went to church, then I got to chat with some (really cool) neighbors for an hour or so.
My big deal for the day was making my zucchini bread with the zucchini that came out of my neighbor's garden... this evening! He just walked over, and picked it out of his garden! So good!
Friday, August 3, 2012
August 3, 2012
Outside Temp: 53 F (it was a PERFECT day to go to the fair! It was in the high 60's, low 70's, with a few droplets of rain... I couldn't have asked for better weather today!)
What I cooked today:
Nothing... we spent the day eating "fair food", so no cooking for me!
Update:
Montana State Fair! Woo hoo!
Ryan has never been to a fair before, so this was a great experience for us! We spent the money on the wrist bands, so the kids got to go on unlimited rides for 4 hours. Of course, we realized 2 minutes into the fair, that we actually needed a 5th wristband, for one of the adults to go on the rides with Ryan.
Patrick started out with the wristband, but after the 'Starship' (which is the ride that spins really fast, and you stand up, and the centrifugal force makes you rise up to the top), he realized that he couldn't ride the rides the way he did as a child. He suffers from motion sickness, and the rides were just not working out for him. So, we switched his wristband out, and I ended up with one. Which means that I got to go on the rides with the kids (which was actually really fun). I haven't been on the Zipper since the Napa County Fair, probably in 1990, although I do remember it being my favorite ride. Oh my goodness, it was so much fun! I went on with Allen (since he couldn't go alone), and I loved it!
I also got to go on a few more rides in the 'big kid' section, and then a few rides in the 'Kiddie' section with Ryan.
After that, we got some munchies (you can't go to the fair without eating lots of junk food), and then wandered around some exhibits. Katie got to see the mini-ponies and the bunnies, but we missed the chickens (which we really wanted to see).
We had a blast and Ryan was furious at 10:45, when we told him it was time to go home. We are already thinking about next year! What a fun day!
What I cooked today:
Nothing... we spent the day eating "fair food", so no cooking for me!
Update:
Montana State Fair! Woo hoo!
Ryan has never been to a fair before, so this was a great experience for us! We spent the money on the wrist bands, so the kids got to go on unlimited rides for 4 hours. Of course, we realized 2 minutes into the fair, that we actually needed a 5th wristband, for one of the adults to go on the rides with Ryan.
Patrick started out with the wristband, but after the 'Starship' (which is the ride that spins really fast, and you stand up, and the centrifugal force makes you rise up to the top), he realized that he couldn't ride the rides the way he did as a child. He suffers from motion sickness, and the rides were just not working out for him. So, we switched his wristband out, and I ended up with one. Which means that I got to go on the rides with the kids (which was actually really fun). I haven't been on the Zipper since the Napa County Fair, probably in 1990, although I do remember it being my favorite ride. Oh my goodness, it was so much fun! I went on with Allen (since he couldn't go alone), and I loved it!
I also got to go on a few more rides in the 'big kid' section, and then a few rides in the 'Kiddie' section with Ryan.
After that, we got some munchies (you can't go to the fair without eating lots of junk food), and then wandered around some exhibits. Katie got to see the mini-ponies and the bunnies, but we missed the chickens (which we really wanted to see).
We had a blast and Ryan was furious at 10:45, when we told him it was time to go home. We are already thinking about next year! What a fun day!
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Thursday, August 2, 2012
August 2, 2012
Outside Temp: 57 F (it was cooler today, in the 80's with an awesome breeze!)
What I cooked today:
Mexican Lasagna: I realized that I over-bought corn tortillas, which means I needed an excuse to use them up. This worked out well, although there was some complaints about the store-bought salsa I used. Spoiled kids.
Update:
So, there was a beta test of the game we like to play, which means that at 1pm until 5pm, the family had to fight over who got which computer to play. We came up with a schedule to decrease the fighting, which wasn't really fair, since the server crashed during Katie's time, and we used up some of Connor's time downloading the changes. Only Allen got to play with no delays, but, since they all picked their times, they had to deal with the consequences.
The only sad part is that Patrick had to work... the entire day! So, while the kids and I were playing the game, Patrick was 3 feet away, working hard. I felt bad, but not bad enough to deny myself the pleasure of playing. Does that make me a bad person?
Ryan was a little dehydrated yesterday, which was probably a result of going from 24 hour TPN while in-patient, and going back to his regular 10 hour TPN at home. His body needed to remember how to regulate his fluids. Today, he was much better, and spent a few hours playing outside in the back yard.
Of course, I sometimes forget that Ryan is as smart as he is. He wanted to play with the sprinklers. We have a pump, that gets water to the faucet in the middle of the yard. There is a hose attached to the faucet with a sprinkler attached. But, we had the pump unplugged, so we didn't get too much water.
So, since Ryan wanted the sprinkler on, he knew that he needed to plug in the pump. That was easy enough. Then, he realized he didn't want the sprinkler head that we had attached. So, he found the one he wanted, turned off the water, unscrewed the existing sprinkler head, attached the new one, then plugged the pump back in. Voila, he now had the sprinkler the way he wanted, without any help. I just sat back, kind of stunned, and watched.
Of course, the thoughts going through my head was, oh crap. He's smarter than I thought. What else is he getting into? The second thought was, how awesome, he's smarter than I thought.
What I cooked today:
Mexican Lasagna: I realized that I over-bought corn tortillas, which means I needed an excuse to use them up. This worked out well, although there was some complaints about the store-bought salsa I used. Spoiled kids.
Update:
So, there was a beta test of the game we like to play, which means that at 1pm until 5pm, the family had to fight over who got which computer to play. We came up with a schedule to decrease the fighting, which wasn't really fair, since the server crashed during Katie's time, and we used up some of Connor's time downloading the changes. Only Allen got to play with no delays, but, since they all picked their times, they had to deal with the consequences.
The only sad part is that Patrick had to work... the entire day! So, while the kids and I were playing the game, Patrick was 3 feet away, working hard. I felt bad, but not bad enough to deny myself the pleasure of playing. Does that make me a bad person?
Ryan was a little dehydrated yesterday, which was probably a result of going from 24 hour TPN while in-patient, and going back to his regular 10 hour TPN at home. His body needed to remember how to regulate his fluids. Today, he was much better, and spent a few hours playing outside in the back yard.
Of course, I sometimes forget that Ryan is as smart as he is. He wanted to play with the sprinklers. We have a pump, that gets water to the faucet in the middle of the yard. There is a hose attached to the faucet with a sprinkler attached. But, we had the pump unplugged, so we didn't get too much water.
So, since Ryan wanted the sprinkler on, he knew that he needed to plug in the pump. That was easy enough. Then, he realized he didn't want the sprinkler head that we had attached. So, he found the one he wanted, turned off the water, unscrewed the existing sprinkler head, attached the new one, then plugged the pump back in. Voila, he now had the sprinkler the way he wanted, without any help. I just sat back, kind of stunned, and watched.
Of course, the thoughts going through my head was, oh crap. He's smarter than I thought. What else is he getting into? The second thought was, how awesome, he's smarter than I thought.
August 1, 2012
Outside Temp: 55 F (it was warm today, but not that hot... thank goodness!)
What I cooked today:
Nothing... Grandma got Papa Murphy's pizza while we were in town, so we had pizza... I promise I'll be cooking something, anything, tomorrow night.
Update:
Our first day home. I slept in until after 11am, which was only 9 hours of sleep, so I guess that's okay.
I had to return my rental car into Great Falls, so Grandma drove with me back to town. The rental car that we drove from Seattle was a black Chrysler 200 (something, I know nothing about cars). It was a great car and I really enjoyed driving it. Mostly, Ryan loved the color. He's in a black stage, where his favorite color is black. Needless to say, when we returned it back to Great Falls, it was no longer in the driveway. Ryan was very, very unhappy with me.
"Where is my black car?" was his first question when he looked in the drive way. Then, he proceeded to hit the front of my yellow car with his fist and exclaim, "I want my black car."
I see that we will have to end up with a black car soon.
While we were gone, Patrick and Grandpa had to get the new Greenhouse out of the semi-trailer.
That means that Patrick got to play with the forklift.
I wasn't there, so I didn't get any pictures, but Patrick said it was fun! I caught this picture while they were driving the forklift back down to the local service shop down by the highway.
What I cooked today:
Nothing... Grandma got Papa Murphy's pizza while we were in town, so we had pizza... I promise I'll be cooking something, anything, tomorrow night.
Update:
Our first day home. I slept in until after 11am, which was only 9 hours of sleep, so I guess that's okay.
I had to return my rental car into Great Falls, so Grandma drove with me back to town. The rental car that we drove from Seattle was a black Chrysler 200 (something, I know nothing about cars). It was a great car and I really enjoyed driving it. Mostly, Ryan loved the color. He's in a black stage, where his favorite color is black. Needless to say, when we returned it back to Great Falls, it was no longer in the driveway. Ryan was very, very unhappy with me.
"Where is my black car?" was his first question when he looked in the drive way. Then, he proceeded to hit the front of my yellow car with his fist and exclaim, "I want my black car."
I see that we will have to end up with a black car soon.
While we were gone, Patrick and Grandpa had to get the new Greenhouse out of the semi-trailer.
That means that Patrick got to play with the forklift.
I wasn't there, so I didn't get any pictures, but Patrick said it was fun! I caught this picture while they were driving the forklift back down to the local service shop down by the highway.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
July 31, 2012
Outside Temp: 57 F (woo hoo, I know the temp!)
What I cooked today:
Nothing, but I have a good excuse!
Update:
WE'RE HOME!!
I'm too tired right now to fully describe our day, so I'll summarize.
We were discharged.
There was some mis-communication (gasp!), and we were on our own to get home. We (might) be reimbursed sometime in the future.
I decided to drive, rather than fly, since driving would be less than 1/2 the cost.
The hospital got us to Seattle Airport, where I rented a car.
Then I drove, and drove, and drove. It takes about 10 solid hours of driving. I left Seattle at 2pm local time (3pm Montana time). I walked through my front door at 12:30 Seattle time, 1:30 Montana time, which means that either I drove really fast, or we didn't stop for bathroom breaks every 2 minutes. Perhaps both.
It was a good drive, nothing eventful. And I'm really looking forward to sleeping in my bed tonight!
What I cooked today:
Nothing, but I have a good excuse!
Update:
WE'RE HOME!!
I'm too tired right now to fully describe our day, so I'll summarize.
We were discharged.
There was some mis-communication (gasp!), and we were on our own to get home. We (might) be reimbursed sometime in the future.
I decided to drive, rather than fly, since driving would be less than 1/2 the cost.
The hospital got us to Seattle Airport, where I rented a car.
Then I drove, and drove, and drove. It takes about 10 solid hours of driving. I left Seattle at 2pm local time (3pm Montana time). I walked through my front door at 12:30 Seattle time, 1:30 Montana time, which means that either I drove really fast, or we didn't stop for bathroom breaks every 2 minutes. Perhaps both.
It was a good drive, nothing eventful. And I'm really looking forward to sleeping in my bed tonight!
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