Friday, September 21, 2007

Ever have one of those days?

Ever have one of those days where no matter what you do, or how hard you try, things go wrong? That was today for us. Every time I would turn around today I would find something new to conquer. I was trying really hard today to get the house in order, it has been a mess lately. And today was going to be the day that I was going to have a completely successful day (more on that in an upcoming post), but it did not come to pass. Here are some examples:

Every time I tried to sweep the floor Taylor would do one of the following: throw more food on the floor, spit out the food in his mouth, spill water, walk in the pile, take the broom and sweep himself (aka spread it out all over again) or insist on being held. I wish I had three arms sometimes.

I was stirring the cottage cheese before I placed it in my dish---spilled it out all over the counter.

Tried to finally take the toys up to the playroom and out of the mountain building up in a hallway downstairs----Taylor throwing them out of the laundry basket that was to carry them all

Almost (but not really) got in a wreck, because I just couldn't remember to look right.

And last but not least, I made the kids eat the cookies outside because I did not want any more crumbs on the floor. And Taylor misjudged the step.

School

Schools in and its hard to get used to Blake being gone all day long. Our life has changed now. We can no longer go to the zoo in the middle of the week (not that we did before, but we could have). We also cannot go to his favorite place for breakfast, unless we go extra early. The other thing that has changed is now I have to find more things to do to entertain Kolby, without Blake around he gets bored quick. Of course he plays with Taylor, but its not the same. On one of his first long days at school I did nothing all day. I didn't know what to do with myself. I am sure I can get a lot of things done in that time, but I am used to squeezing things in between the trips to pick him up. For instance last year I would take him to school, come home put Taylor down to a nap and scramble to get things done like shower and do some laundry. Once Taylor was up off we would go to pick Blake up. But now I have the whole day to shower, pick up and do all those things Homemakers do. Which means I don't know what to do with myself. I am sure I will figure it out eventually, probably in time for summer. Oh well life is a journey, and its great!!



Written awhile ago, posted today.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Lucky Number Seven

Well we all woke up this morning fairly early. You see it was Blake's birthday. He is our early riser, he will wake up early in the morning ready to go. I have even gotten up for work at four in the morning just to find Blake watching tv or playing his video games. I eventually had to buy him an alarm clock, not to wake him up but to keep him in bed. I set his alarm for seven and he knows that he is not to leave his bed until then. Well since today is a special day I let him get up at Seven, ha you thought that I would cave but I didn't.
Kristen and I were ready this morning. At the stroke of seven we heard the pattering of feet as our two oldest came running to our room ready for the start of a party. We all went down stairs and into the family room. Blake's eyes scanned the room for his presents. He looked back at me in shock that there was not a present to be found. I quickly explained to him that presents stop at seven. A look of horror flashed across his face as he quickly looked to mom for aid. She quickly explained that there were still chores to be done even though it was his birthday. His room tidied and bed now made he came back down stairs to find his presents.

Seven wow he is getting old

Taylor can't believe that the presents are not for him

Focused on toys

Time to play (after school)

So Blake got to unwrap some presents and play for awhile before school. Then we sent him off with a backpack full of cookies to share with his class. We asked him what he wants for his B-day dinner, and he said Mac-n-cheese with hot dogs in it (yum).

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Disclaimer

So, I know that I asked Isaac to start this Blog because I really wanted to be a blogger. But I guess you can't be a blogger when you don't blog. A friend of mine who has a wonderful blog (Calamity Jane) told me she checked our blog but I don't post much. I responded by saying "I don't have a lot to say." So, why do I want to be a blogger if I don't have anything to say? Maybe it is so I can fit in, be a part of a group. I don't know. And in truth I write a blog or two in my head everyday, I just don't get it on the computer. "And why is that?" I ask myself. Probably because I think that my blogs would not fit into the "Group", they may be stupid, my grammar may be awful, my sentence structure non-existent, or I may portray a person totally different than my real self. Well I have decided to throw caution to the wind. I am going to start blogging more often.

And this is my disclaimer:

The content in the future blogs are purely the opinion of one very imperfect person on one particular day. These opinions and views may change at anytime. They are not meant in any way to harm, offend or criticize anyone. If they do, the author is extremely sorry and would love to kindly give an apology to any who deem it necessary. The blogs are written by a LDS person trying very hard to be a good person. If the said blogs portray something else please forgive the author, remember the author is not perfect. With this said, please enjoy the future writings and feel free to comment whenever you feel the need.


Good Bye, Caution. Here I come.

Good days bad days and fair days

Mondays are well known for being the worst days of the week, and this last Monday was proving that perception correct. Kristen had come down with a bad cold, and the boys were crabby. Blake is still trying to adjust to all day school. Kolby is board out of his mind because everyone else at home is feeling ill. Taylor has a cough and is whining like crazy. Even the weather was conspiring against us. It had rained all morning, and the sky was still gray and foreboding. Something had to be done, but what. Who has the power to turn this disastrous day into a great day? This sounds like a job for Mediocre Man (all the good super hero names were taken). Leaving Kristen and Taylor to fend for themselves, Mediocre man throws his two sidekicks into the Man Van, and heads off for adventure. We head south looking for anything that will change the course of this dreary day, and then it happens. The clouds part and the sun makes a triumphant appearance, shining over the city of Puyallup ( if your not from Washington good luck with the pronunciation). We quickly arrived at the fair grounds and found a small lot to park the Man Van. Before we even got within the gates the sights, sounds, and smells came crashing down on us. My two sidekicks were now full of energy, and ready to tackle anything that the fair had to offer. We soon found ourselves in Silly Ville a part of the fair for young kids. Our first Ride was the Super Slide. For this ride you have to climb about a mile of small kid sized stairs all the time carrying a burlap mat that you slide down on. By the time we got to the top I had all three of the mats and the boys were doubled over and panting. Blake was first to go and you could hear his screams of joy for miles around. Kolby and I were next. He didn't want to go alone so I carried him down with me. Unlike Blake's trip down, this one was not filled with joy and excitement, though the cries were heard for miles around. After the tears stopped we found a ride that Kolby was fine with.

The boys were actually excited for the ride. This one is like the teacups it goes around in a circle and you can spin it until you puke. I had to watch Kolby's eyes and stop when I thought that they would spin out of his head. I finally found out that if he focused on me he would be fine and we could spin at alarming speeds.



They love driving, and this car is just slightly larger than mine.



The boys on a boat


Kolby sat next to me on this one

Everyone loves fire trucks.

Blake went alone on the Roller Coaster


They both had fun on the airplane


Our last ride brought us to new heights. Kolby loved the Ferris Wheel, but blake found out that he doesn't like heights.

After all the rides were through it was time for dinner. We started to walk the park to see if there was anything that the kids wanted to eat. There was a lot of choices from cheese burgers for $11 to $8 hot dogs I was happy when the boys said the wanted Taco del Mar. We got back to the Man Van and rushed off to get burritos and chips. We finally got home and quickly got ready for bed. That is the story of turning a bad day into a Fair day.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Climbing Mountains

Hey all, yesterday we had a joint birthday celebration for Blake and Kolby. The family gathered in from the four corners of the greater Seattle area. We met at the Super Mall (in Auburn) and began our quest to be the first family to climb Mt. Hood and Mt Rainer. The problem is the real mountains are really big and we are all out of shape so we decided to cheat a little. We went to The Wall at the Mall.


Blake climbing like a pro.

Kolby reaches the peak of his nerve, and will go no further.

Me against my big brother, and the victory goes to ME.

Kristen is so good she climbed without shoes.



Zach, Garrett, and Katy all did a great job.


After our hard day of climbing we came home for dinner and presents. When everyone was full and presents were played with it was time for DDR. At the end of the evening I was crowned the Lind Family DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) Champion!!!

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Five is way older than Four

Our little Kolby is growing up fast. We had a quick unwrap your presents party before Blake went to school. The rest of the party will be held later tonight when I am at work. He is really excited because he really feels different this morning. Four is so young but five is way cooler. First of all when someone asks him his age he can hold up a whole hand full of fingers . He says he feels stronger and bigger today. It is amazing what one night will do for a person.

One week before his birthday!

Kolby's Birthday wow he looks older (or does he)

Kolby opening his presents.

Kolby was really excited about the presents and had fun with them until the next one was handed to him. He got a movie from Blake, a tooth brush that plays a song when you brush from Taylor, and a few other things from Kristen and I. Then when he thought that all was done we brought out the last present.

His New RAZOR

He has been on that thing for the last hour or so just riding around the house. Well that is the story for now. Tonight they will eat the ice cream cake and sing The Song. All the while I will be working.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Back home in the real Washington

Well I returned home from Washington D.C. on Thursday night. I was able to spend some time with my sister and her family. I arrived Sunday around 4:30 pm. and got a wonderful driving tour of D.C. Then we drove down to their house which is about an hour away from the airport. When the kids went to bed the party started. We watched one of the greatest movies ever made (next to dumb and dumber) BLADES OF GLORY. Jeremy spent the majority of the movie either crying or snorting. On Monday we left early and went to Six Flags were we rode all but one of the roller coasters. After a long day at the park we went home and watched the movie again. Tuesday I woke up extra early and drove for an hour to catch the train to D.C. After a 45 min. train ride I arrived at my hotel. I quickly checked in and ran up to my room. I put my stuff away and sat down in my living room and looked around. My room was really cool. I had a living room, a dining room, a dressing room, and a bedroom.
Now dressed for work I went down to the lobby and met up with my partner. We had several meetings that night. I was shocked to see the enormity of the Capital mall. Over the next few days we spoke with our Senators, and Congressmen. Our bill is looking good and we have floor time in the House on or around the 17 of Sept. On Thursday we made one last mad dash and finished our meetings by 3:00 pm. then ran to the airport to catch our 5:30 flight home. It was a short trip but a very active one. The days started at 8:00 and we returned to the hotel at 12:00 midnight.