Turkey and Tree

So this will probably be my last post until after Hazel is born, but since it has been over a week and a holiday has occurred, I figured I should write before I have a lot less time to do so.

So for the most part, pre-holiday, we just got our house ready and cleaned (again!). Justin and I really pushed it out and crossed a lot off our to do list. The house really looked great and stayed looking great after we were done. We've been doing good to keep it clean since I think we both don't want to have to do another deep cleaning before Hazel comes (which we are really hoping for any day now). When I did the laundry this last Tuesday I really thought it would be the last I would do it before she came, and yet I have a feeling I am going to make it through another laundry day. Last night I thought she was coming, and in fact Justin got so excited he could hardly sleep (welcome to my world). I was having a lot of pressure like they were contractions, but I was not feeling a great deal of pain. They progressed steadily until they were 3 minutes apart. I called my mom and asked what I should do since they weren't painful and didn't remind me of the contractions I felt with Levi. Her answer was to call my OB, and we both thought that meant I would have to go in and be checked. However, upon calling, she told me not to worry and to just wait it all out. She said it sounded like my uterus wanted to contract but I was not dilating, so there was no pain. She didn't want me to come in, but call her back if they became painful. So I waited. No pain. In fact, they faded away like she said. I did have one contraction that was very painful, but nothing followed it up so I was left again waiting. Here I sit 24 hours later and still nothing. I think she will come within the next couple days, but we shall see.

As for our holiday it was wonderful. We spent Thanksgiving with Justin's family in a nice day at home. Justin played football with his brothers and their ward from church in the morning while his mom, sister, and I watched the Macy's Day Parade. Justin didn't know that, that was ever a tradition in my family, so he learned something new. I love watching the parade, and I hope our kids will learn to cherish that tradition too. I made orange rolls, green bean casserole, and a carmel pecan pumpkin pie to bring with us for dinner. The orange rolls didn't come out the best, but Justin said my other two dishes were the best I've ever made them. His family seemed to enjoy my traditional food dishes too. The dinner was excellent and everything I could have wanted for a great Thanksgiving meal. After pie and disappointing football games, we played a game as a family. Heading home that evening we let Levi see some Christmas lights and he has been raving for them ever since. I have a feeling we will be going out in the evening a lot this month to see the lights. Luckily we have a business in town that has a huge light display (we've been there once already).

The next day my mom and I went shopping. Usually we wake up early and hit the major sales and massive, yet horrific crowds. But yesterday we slept in and went out around 8:30 instead. We still found some good deals and just enjoyed being out. Justin and I decided we should get out decorations out and up since we didn't know when Hazel would come and we wanted to get it all up before she did. So yesterday we got all our decorations up. Levi loved it and really enjoys our Christmas lights. Today we went back to Wal-Mart and got a fake tree for $25. It is a 6.5' pre-lit tree. We enjoy it and are glad not to have to spend $30+ every year for a tree. We figure in about 7-10 years when we have the money we'll replace it with a really nice fake tree, like my parents. They bought their first fake tree this year, and it looks great! They spent 10 times what we did, but wow is it worth it! Their tree really is beautiful. They also bought a train that attaches to the middle support and circles the tree about halfway up the tree. Levi loves this and asks to have it played as many times as anyone will let him. But back to our tree, we like our tree a lot and it serves all our needs right now, so we shall stick with this one for a while. Although upon inspection you can tell it is fake, it still looks really nice. Once we got all the decorations on it, it looked even better! We tried to put up our typical Angel Moroni as our tree-topper, but it was too heavy. In fact any star with lights would have been too heavy, so we employed Levi to do some drawing and finger painting to create a star for this year. He did a good job, and it came out looking lovely! It makes the tree look even better (that's a mom talking isn't it!). Now all I can think of is how nice it will be not to have all the needles to clean and the messy water to fill every other day. I will miss picking out our tree every year, but Justin said we should come up with a new tradition to do. We thought of picking out one nice ornament each year as a family, going out for hot chocolate and sledding, or maybe both. But we'll see. So our tree and decorations are up and we really are all set for Hazel to come... in fact both of us are quite anxious.

So until she comes and we are home again as a new, bigger family, I bid you farewell!

News News News

Well we have had a week full of news, but not so much events.

Last week Justin's brother Neil found out he would be going to Mesa, Arizona to serve a mission for our church. He'll leave in mid-February. Justin served in the Phoenix mission, so he is really excited about Neil's call and has been talking to him about it a lot. He even tried to teach him some Navajo words.

Later in the week we found out that one of my mom's brothers was called by President Uchtdorf to be a mission president. So two mission calls in one week! He doesn't know where he is going yet, just that it'll be English-speaking. He finds out early next year, and will be in the mission in July of next year. Justin thinks it'll be funny if he is the Mesa, Arizona mission president. But I think that is a long shot.

In other news a week or so ago at my OB appointment the doctor told me Hazel felt small and wanted to do an ultrasound to make sure she was okay. I wasn't worried, it didn't sound serious at all. Its a good thing I didn't freak out either. Then at my appointment this week, the woman doing the ultrasound said that she looked five weeks too small and that they may have to induce me to make sure she is healthy. She opted to send me over to the hospital for a full ultrasound to make sure. Well, then I started to worry. I wanted Hazel to be born any time now, but mostly I wanted a healthy baby. So yesterday I had my ultrasound and they said she was measuring right on target for 38 weeks, and she looked very healthy. She was also measuring 7 pounds 3 ounces by the measurements that they took, which is very normal and sounds a lot like Levi. I did get some pictures out of the ordeal, which is nice. I've never had shots this late. However, they had to press hard in very sensitive areas to get all the shots they needed, leaving me feeling bruised and battered a little. But Hazel is fine, her head is down and she is ready to come at any point. I think it'll still be close to two weeks from now (I'm still hoping for 11-29), so we'll see! One picture is her profile, and the other is looking at her face-on.

That's our week, hope yours is great too!

Events

Well not much happened during this past week, but the weekend was eventful. On Thursday however I had yet another OB appointment (they are weekly now). The doctor told me that Hazel felt small. Which I found odd because she feels bigger to me than Levi did, and during the whole pregnancy she's measured larger than normal. One theory is that she's dropped, and that is why she "feels" small. I think this is the best option because when I walk it feels like someone is pushing a bowling ball between my legs. They are having me do an in-office ultrasound this upcoming Friday (my next appointment) to see if she's dropped or if she really is small. When I asked what it would mean if she was "too small", the doctor said it could mean she is under-developed or it could me nothing at all. So then I asked if she is under-developed won't she just develop by her due date. The answer was 'Most likely'. So then my next thought was, why do the ultrasound at all. But I didn't ask that. Anyway, so I am not worried at all, instead I'll just be excited to have another look at her before she comes!

On Friday we picked my mom up at the airport. She returned from a two week trip to Peru. She travelled with her siblings and mom. They did a bunch of touring and had a fairly busy schedule. She had lots of cool stories and fun pictures to share. She brought back trinkets and such for me and my siblings. All the girls got a sweater, and all the men got a leather belt. Justin and I both like our gifts very much! Levi was thrilled to see his Nana after the two weeks. When we were picking her up he ran after her as soon as he saw her. This made him run past the 'Do Not Enter' sign at the security check point. You should have seen the reaction from the two security guards. You would have thought a terrorist was running by. They both jerked in his direction and put their hand to their "weapon", I think a stun-gun. Now granted, at times, I want to use a stun-gun on my two-year-old, but really do we need to treat him like that? It was funny to watch though.

Saturday was just some garage-sales and shopping with my mom. Catching up on the three weekends we missed doing both. In the morning we took Levi to the local library where they were having a couple model train sets on display. Levi was in heaven! He didn't want to leave, naturally. Since then he keeps asking to go see the trains again. Maybe someday Levi. We had my niece's birthday in the evening, but otherwise uneventful.

Sunday I was able to get out and take some more autumn pictures, so I hope you enjoy. If you want to see all of the shots, go here: http://picasaweb.google.com/JustDaCrooks/November2008

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

White Fleece - $4.50, An Adorable Ghost - Priceless

This past week was different for us as we usually, while Justin is at work, spend the evenings with my mom. Since she is in Peru until the end of this week with her siblings and mom, I was left to my own devices. We did just fine, but Levi did miss his Nana, and still does.

I took the extra time given and tried to get a lot of things put away and cleaned that have been piling up around the apartment. I was able to get all but one task completed with an immense help from Justin. I find I am out of breath and exhausted long before I would have ever been before. I also had to realize my limitations since my back and knee were still sore, which is aggravating since I don't like to let anything impede my tasks, even injury. Unfortunately I could not ignore any of these things and therefore had to rely a great deal on Justin.

Speaking of which he is doing well with his sciences. He constantly challenges me with questions regarding things he has learned. I almost always know the answer, which seems to only fuel his determination to ask me a question I don't know the answer to. He did get some joy in quizzing his 13-year-old brother yesterday and had fun explaining several "laws" he has learned in physics, which seems to be his favorite class. This term is different from the rest though, and he has found many struggles with certain areas. But I know him, and his determination, and I know he'll succeed.

This last week we had a great deal of sunshine before the typical Oregon fall began mid-week. I was able to take a few pictures of the sublime array of colors on the trees in the area before the rains came. I hope to get out soon and take more. Every time I pass a tree of wondrous color my heart leaps and I yearn for a camera worthy to take the picture. But alas I digress. Here are some shots I was able to get though.

Well as we all know, Friday was Halloween. The original plan was for Levi to be Old MacDonald, me a pig, and Justin a cow. However, although all costumes we already there and ready for us, I decided I didn't want to wear a costume at all. So I went and bought some white fleece and made a quick ghost costume for Levi, since he seems to be in love with ghosts. It turned out great, and in the end Levi enjoyed being a ghost. We took Levi downtown for some trick or treating after his nap. We showed up around 4 PM, when it began at 2 PM, big mistake. We found half the places were already out of candy. No worries though, so many people thought Levi was so adorable they gave him two or three pieces of candy. I've never gone downtown for this event before, so I didn't know what to expect. I was surprised by how many kids were there! Next year we will have to be a little more prepared with timing. Next we took him to our church's trunk-or-treat. Again, I was surprised, only this time by a lack of turn out. It seems over the past few years the idea has faded and people aren't as apt to join in. I remember a few years back when the whole parking lot would be full. Now, between two wards, there was maybe twenty cars there. Sad, but inevitable I guess. We then took Levi into the neighborhood above us. It is a very wealthy part of town and Justin was sure we would get "the good stuff". Levi actually did the best up there and we stayed longer than we had planned. He really got into it after the first few houses and was running from door to door. Then he would stand on the porch and say to his dad, "Wa-a-a-ait, then say Trick-or-Treat." Basically he was repeating what we had been telling him all evening. It was adorable though, and again he received extra candy from some people because he was so cute! I found it interesting that when some people saw my belly they offered me some candy as well, saying I probably needed it. I laughed and told them just some for Levi. We got some glow-lights for Levi and us to wear while trick-or-treating, and we had fun with them later that evening! All in all it was a good evening, Levi earned his keep this year!

Saturday Justin headed out in the morning to his brother's football game with Levi. This gave me most of the day to do as I wished. Unfortunately half of it was taken up by things I would have rather not done on my day off, but they needed to be done all the same. However, I did get about a third of my scrapbooking done that needed to be. I'm going to keep working the rest of this week to get all caught up if I can. I still have remnants from last year and all of this year to scrapbook. Normally it is a fun and enjoyable time for me, but when I am so far behind it only makes it daunting. Still, a profitable day. However, when Justin dropped me off at my parents that morning, I headed inside only to slip on my parents front porch (it was raining). I didn't fall on my back again, but I did twist and land on my bad knee. So now I am convinced it won't heal for a long time, if ever fully. I know I didn't tear or break anything, just strained it bad. I feel like such a clutz!

Well I suppose that is all from us here in rainy Oregon! Hope you all are enjoying whatever weather you are having!

Good, Bad, Ugly

So I haven't written much in the last week or more because my father was in India and me and my family were staying with my mom so she wasn't alone. Our days were mostly enjoying the fire and Levi chasing the cats. We didn't get out and do much because Justin had to take the car since we were at my parents and he was too far to take the bus anywhere. While there one night I twisted one of my knees and slept on it wrong. I woke up at 4 AM to excruciating pain and throbbing. It hurt like the dickens the whole next day. Unfortunately Tylenol and heat did nothing to help. It is still a little sore, and my mom and I don't think it will fully heal with the extra baby weight I have. I am somewhat used to sore knees, since both of my knees have had issues since high school... but nothing like this. Alas, somehow I'll manage. Levi did some cute things while there, but one that I'll mention is when we got too close the the fireplace (no fire going). He got soot and ash all over him, and he looked like our little Indian Warrior!

However, this week, when my dad returned from India (for those wondering, my brother was in India for two months on business, and my dad was visiting him and returned with him) we came back home. Unfortunately I had let our food run out before we left, and didn't take much time to pick up, so we came home to a messy house with an empty fridge. All has been remedied and we are getting back into our normal groove. Here is Levi loving being home again!

With Halloween drawing near Levi has taken a liking to ghosts. He is constantly talking about them and points one out whenever he can. He also loves pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns. I'm glad he is old enough to get into the spirit of things. Well on Friday, Justin didn't have work, so we went to a local pumpkin patch to get our pumpkins. Levi had a blast! They had duck races where you got a little duck and tried to race it down a trough with a hand pumped water spout. He loved every minute and did it several times. He also enjoyed the pumpkin patch and couldn't decide on just one, so we had to for him. I was taking a picture of him at one point and stepped backward, slipping on a pumpkin. I tried to regain my balance and stepped onto another pumpkin. Needless to say I fell flat on my back. Justin and my mom immediately came to see if I was okay and needed help. I assured them I was fine but wanted to lay there for a moment. Of course this meant it was okay for them to take a picture of my silliness. Justin did help me up, and I am suffering from the fall since. When we got back to the farm from the patch Levi played in a corn box, ran through a hay maze (which he went straight through without trouble... leaving my mom still trying to find her way out), and Justin and I shot a corn cannon and flung apples in a sling. We all had loads of fun, despite my fall.

Later that evening we gathered in our kitchen and carved pumpkins. Mine, as you will see, is a scene from the movie 'Nightmare Before Christmas', which is my favorite Halloween movie of all time. Justin went with a Batman logo, and Levi's is, of course, a ghost! My mom bought us some nice color-changing lights to go inside, which makes them all the more cool!

Saturday my mom and I were going to host a Fall Festival for family and friends. However, it had to be postponed for about a month (that is the next available time), due to me being in a lot of pain, and several people calling to say they couldn't make it that day. I am still excited for it, and I hope we do get the chance to throw it! For those wondering, we are looking at Saturday, November 22nd to do it. Instead I rested most of the day, and finished reading Eragon for the first time.

Our Sunday was spent at Stake Conference, relaxing, Justin going to work, and the rest of us saying good bye to my mom. She is leaving for a couple weeks to go to Peru with her mom and siblings. And so I embark on the next two weeks without her wonderful help... and an aching back and bum knee. Bring it on!

We hope this finds you all well and happy! And Happy Halloween!

Potty Training

So quite a few things going on... Justin getting adjusted to school and work-load, fun with Levi and potty time, and the joys of cell phone companies.

First off, Justin is settling in to school and realizing more and more how much is expected of him. Although it is a little more than what his first thoughts were, it isn't any more than I had anticipated. He is trying to find his balance with school and work, but that will come with time and it will probably be a week to week thing. Luckily, and unluckily, his schedule is so weird this term that he can find random days off here and there. Mostly he is trying to pick up extra shifts, but come midterms and finals he won't be able to do that. I suppose we should get used to this though, it will be this way all year long.

Levi and I were able to enjoy some fun times on the bus again this week, and on Tuesday as we boarded the bus we noticed it was "free" day. We then realized it was "Transit Week" in Corvallis and the bus was free all week long. So we hitched a ride to bagels Thursday morning as well. Levi is becoming more accustomed to the bus and more prone to misbehaving, so I may have to keep it a special once in a while treat.

Justin decided to give taking the bus for school a try this week as well. He leaves about forty minutes earlier and heads out on his bike. He parks at the downtown station and takes a bus to Linn-Benton. The bus is free with his student ID, so it is saving us good money for him to do this. He would normally drive the car five days out of the week, to and from Albany (24 miles round trip), which adds up quickly. If he did this we would be filling up the car about every 8 - 9 days. However, if he rides his bike like this four of the five days (one day the bus doesn't work with his schedule), we would only be filling up once every two weeks (and we wouldn't be on complete empty when filling up). So I figure it is saving us roughly $50-60 a month in gas. Justin also discovered he is biking a lot more than he originally thought. It is 2.5 miles one way to work, and a little more than that to downtown. With him biking to work five days this week, and downtown three days, he went about 35 miles total! Next week I'm sure the total will be closer to 45 miles, which is great to do every week!

Well on Wednesday since we had the car in the morning, I decided to head out and get gas at the same time Justin would be getting in to the downtown station. I gave us a little too much time, so I had over half an hour to waste. I decided to take Levi to the Corvallis airport and let him watch the planes. He has taken to Jeremy the Jet plane on Thomas, so he was loving every minute! He saw helicopters of all sorts, and a few types of jet and prop planes. He also saw many take off, but no landings. As I said, he loved every minute of it, and sooner than he wanted we had to go pick up daddy. As we were leaving one of the jets was prepping for take off, and we had to hurry to the car because Levi thought it was too loud.

Thursday was my adventure with my cell phone company. I am with Verizon, and I qualified for my new phone discount (new every two thing). So I looked online but couldn't decide. I finally decided to go to the Verizon store in Albany and have them help me as well as transfer all my data. I shouldn't have gone without Justin, but for whatever reason I did. Poor choice on my part. I actually got an old co-worker of Justin's to assist me, but even that did not help my situation. I told him I wanted a free phone. First he showed me a phone that I loved and even went and got it and assured me it was free... well it wasn't... so then I picked a lesser model that I only so-so liked compared to the first. Again he assured me my phone was free. So he transferred all my data to the new phone, and had me sign my two year contract. Then he asked how I would be paying. I was stumped. Then he let me know that there was a $50 mail-in rebate that would make the phone free, but that I had to pay the $50 up front. Well, me not knowing I had a choice, and feeling somewhat trapped since I signed my contract and all my data was on the new phone... I gave him my debit card (knowing that once all my bills were paid I would not have the $50 in that account... leaving me in the red). I had a horrible feeling in my stomach the whole time and left feeling like I was cheated. I immediately called Justin who was horrified by how I was treated, especially by this old friend. He was upset and angry, yet he also knew that all of the above was more likely to happen than not. He knows the business very well and knows that most places expect this sort of behavior to make the sale. He gave me some advice and we had a few different game plans in mind of what to do next. So, following his advice, I called the manager of that branch I was at and told her what happened. I also explained that I wouldn't have the money in my account for a $50 phone. She was apologetic for how I was treated and the lack of communication on her employee's part. She then explained that all phones in their store have mail-in rebates and none are free up front. So I went back and returned my phone and had all my data restored to my old one. Then as soon as I got home I went back online and ordered the same exact phone they wanted to charge me the $50, for free and free shipping. So much less hassle... and actually free! Justin agrees I should have done that to begin with, and we both agree we will never again go to that or any Verizon store!

Now on to Levi's potty time! I have decided to take a very laid back and casual approach to the matter. I had Levi sit on his potty for an hour or so for the first few days, but now he seems to be catching on by himself and I usually wait for him to ask. He isn't using it every time he needs to pee, but it is about twice a day he asks. For now, I am satisfied with that. I want him to learn at his pace, not mine. I'm hoping that this way he will have less accidents. We have had no luck training him to go #2 yet, and I know that is a daunting task ahead. But on the pee front he is really doing great! Yesterday he really showed he knew what to do because he kept asking to use the potty chair, he'd go a very little bit and then ask for his reward (a sucker)... and then repeat the process about every five minutes. I let him do this about four times before the fifth when I told him he couldn't have the sucker until he was all done peeing. I told him to keep going and try to push out all he could. So, he did, and he received his final sucker for the day. Then today he asked his daddy after church to use the potty, and he went a whole lot. So, as I said he is catching on okay for now. I figured in a couple weeks I would try to pick up the training a little more, and within a month or so move him into the bathroom and have him use the real toilet. Like I said, relaxed and casual. I just don't want to push the issue, make him do things he's not ready for, and have him relapse back to not using the potty chair at all. My ideal is to have him completely potty trained (except #2, since that IS going to take some time and energy) before Hazel is born. I know that will help me a great deal.

Justin and I also received new callings this week, we have been called to be Ward Missionaries. Justin is very excited about this as he loved his mission immensely. I on the other hand I am worried with all that we already have going on, if we will have the adequate time to offer to the call. Justin is busy almost non-stop with school and work, and I will soon have a newborn baby and a 3-year-old to handle while he is away. The Lord called us for a reason, so I know it'll all work out, but I am just worried right now.

(As for this picture... we got this hat at a garage sale on Saturday. Levi loved it and thought he was a dinosaur wearing it, he even roared for us!)

That is all from us for this week. Busy and full. Hope yours is wonderful!

Milestones

So last week we celebrated Justin's 26th birthday with a little football and a little conference (church). He got a lot of gifts, all of which he loved! He received some parts for his bike, which he was so excited he put them on right away. I gave him an Oregon Ducks shirt for him and Levi (he also put those on right away), and I gave him a BYU shirt too. He also received a nice new shirt to wear to work. Every gift has already been used. So he was thrilled. His birthday dinner of choice was chicken nuggets and tater tots, so at least that was easy for me to make. His cake didn't come out exactly how I wanted it to because I kept running out of frosting, but you can still tell what it is, and Justin liked it anyway.

Last week also started classes for Justin. Due to much prayer we were able to get Justin in all the classes he needed. We are so grateful that we did because if not it could have thrown a lot of things off. But he is still on track and good to go. He is taking Principles of Bio, General Chem, and General Physics. All 200-level courses, so nothing too familiar. He is excited, he has been waiting to start all his science classes, and this year will be those three classes the whole time. All his labs are on Tuesday, so he is gone on that day from 7:30 AM until 5:30 PM. Long day, but at least he doesn't have work on top of that. Speaking of work for him, he is cutting way back in hours now. He is only working part time (24+ hours a week). So we are actually going to really utilize the student loan and grant money. Also, when we were so excited about moving we forgot that Justin would not be making as much this next term, so in recalculating we realized we could not afford to move. We were a little disappointed, but moving will have to wait.

Also with Justin's classes started I am left without a car in the morning, and both Levi and I were used to having one. So now, when Levi wants an adventure I take him on the city bus up to my mom's work. He loves it! He is nothing but smiles and excitement the whole time. So its nice there is still something I can do with him that will keep us out of the rain and out of the house.

On another Levi note, we have begun potty training this week. Yesterday I sat with him twice on the potty chair (each time for almost an hour). He doesn't scream or complain like he used to, but just sits there and entertains himself. My mom got us an actual potty chair yesterday (we were just using the normal toilet), and I sat with Levi on it for an hour last night and an hour this morning. It is nice because he can be distracted by the TV while he is waiting to go pee-pee. Today it paid off as he actually went after the hour of sitting there. His reward is his ultimate joy, suckers! So I immediately gave him one and praised him, high fives and all! He seemed pretty pleased with himself too as he was bidding good-bye to his pee-pees. I have a feeling pooping might be far more challenging because he likes to be hidden in a corner when he is doing that. However, I do have bigger suckers for him doing that deed in the potty chair, so we'll see.

Well that's all from us. We've had a good week full of fun times and spiritual upliftment! Hope yours was wonderful too!