Buddies

Here we have a glimpse of Dex violating the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for TV watching.

Really, he just wants to hang out with his buddy.

After School Snack

Creativity in the kitchen is not my forte to say the least, but I am trying to do a little better. So when I saw this cute kid-friendly snack online at All Recipes, I had to try it.

Ladybug apples! Aren't they cute?

The girls really liked them (well, Natalie picked off the raisins, but that is to be expected). The only other creative thing I make is Robot French Toast (see comments for details), so if any of you have some ideas for creative snacks or meals, pass them on!

For the Ladybug Apples, you need:

1 Red apple
Raisins
Peanut Butter
Pretzel sticks
Lettuce (optional)

Core and cut the apple in half. Use the peanut butter to stick the raisins on the apple in a ladybug-like pattern. Use peanut butter to stick the raisins to the pretzel sticks to use as antennas. (I couldn't get my pretzels to go into the apple, so I just had them sticking out from underneath.) If you feel like wasting a piece of lettuce for effect's sake like I did, it makes a cute little leaf for the ladybug to sit on.

Week 15 - done!

I really love being able to say we're done with week 15! In just a few more weeks we will only have single-digits left. That is really exciting! Here's the rundown of the week:

Bad news: As I already posted, Jay pulled his quad muscle on Monday and was put on light duty. He had to put up with taunts and a grouchy EMS Staff all week. Also, he was supposed to have his first attempt at the High Speed Course on Friday at the same time as his follow-up doctor's appointment, but the EMS staff wouldn't change it despite the fact that the regular Academy staff said the driving was more important. It's actually a long story about what happened but I'll just say that they changed Jay's High Speed attempt to next SATURDAY at 10 a.m. Yeah, we're real happy about that. I'm trying to look on the bright side (like, he won't miss any classes), but I'm still a little disgruntled.

Good news: On Friday Jay went to the doctor and was cleared from light duty! His quad is much better and he is able to get back into his regular Academy schedule, which he's excited about. He hates having to wait on the sidelines.

Also, they received word that Jay's company won the Holiday Food Drive challenge! Jay was in charge of the food drive, so it was an especially sweet victory. His company collected over 1400lbs of food. For their efforts they received several things:

• They no longer have to polish brass on Tuesdays
• They no longer have to take any spelling tests
• They received not one, but TWO extra nights of liberty! One of those nights is tomorrow, and the other is Valentine's Day. Whoo hoo!

Overall there were more good things than bad things this week, and that is always something to be thankful for.

The weekend:

Jay took me out on a date for my birthday on Saturday. If you're wondering, these are the kind of things that old married couples with 3 kids do on their dates:

Dinner at Chipotle

Trip to the mall to spend our gift cards

Deposit checks at the bank

Decide to go bowling, change mind because we're too tired

Dessert at Flames

We had a lot of fun, actually. It doesn't matter to me what Jay and I do... it's just so nice to hang out with my best friend. Although I try to act tough, I really miss him during the week.

On Sunday Betsy was kind enough to watch the kids (again!) so that Jay and I could go to Stake Conference alone and actually pay attention to the speakers! It was so nice to not be constantly hushing our kids or standing in the back with Dex or cleaning spit-up off the pews. In general I like to have the kids at conference because they need to get used to it anyway, but every once in a while it's nice to have some grown-up spiritual time.

Sunday evening they surprised me with my favorite birthday treat of all: Mayonnaise cake! Mmmm! It was soooo good. Oh, and I got to take a nap, too!

Thanks to everyone who made my (early) birthday so special!

Here's to another great year!

What's wrong with this picture?

Instead of saying "make sure to put your school bag in your room," I now say, "make sure to put your school bag in your room and hang it on your hook." But still, every day, there it is on the floor, a foot away from the hook. I mean, come on! The hook is right there, it's even at her eye level! It's not like I take off my shoes and leave them right in front of my closet.... oh... wait... hmmm... Ok, nevermind.

We have a piper down...

So, I'm sitting at home Monday morning, watching Little Women folding laundry, when the phone rings. As always I checked the caller ID. Hmmm, that's funny, that's Jay's number. Wait... that's Jay's number! It's only 10 a.m.! Why is he calling me at 10 a.m.?!? I quickly grabbed the phone and answered in one breath, "Hello, what's wrong?"

"I'm at the doctor's. I pulled, maybe tore, my quad."

This is when I started to freak out. Internally, of course.

Then the questions started:
Are you OK?
What did the doctor say?
Who took you to the doctor?
Is it serious?
Are they giving you a hard time?

Jay answered me patiently just like he usually does. He was definitely in pain and also feeling pretty down. The staff gave him a hard time for being injured and wanting to see the doctor (although last time he was injured they kept asking him over and over again if he wanted to see a doctor even though he told them no. You just can't win.) Jay was allowed to call me because the staff member who brought him and two other cadets to the doctor told him, "Go ahead and call someone who cares, because I don't." Nice! Thank you sir!

Anyway, the injury came about when he was completing his final run for his PFT test. He actually finished the run in spite of the pain, and got a better score than the first time he tested weeks ago, injury free! Talk about motivation to finish!

So it turns out that the injury is most likely a pulled muscle and not a tear, thank the Lord. And I'm not being blasphemous, I really mean Thank the Lord! A serious injury gets you sent packing, and we certainly don't want that. Jay is on light duty until at least Friday, when he goes back to the doctor. He's feeling confident that he will be better by then. Thank goodness he's confident... it leaves me free to freak out. Internally, of course. (Wait, didn't I already say that?)

***P.S.*** If anyone can name the reference for this post title, I'll send you some sort of prize. Really, I will (although don't get too excited about it.). Be the first one to leave a comment with the correct answer!

Week 14 done + Monterey = a nice weekend

Well, for the first time in 14 weeks, I forgot to take a picture of Jay standing next to his signs. My mind must have been on something else... like trying to figure out a way to speed up time during the week but slow it down on the weekends. I'm sure there's a machine that can do all that. You guys know a lot about "cyberspace," right? Maybe you can help me out with this. Just don't suggest one of these...

...I've already learned my lesson.

Anyway. I feel like I start every Academy recap with "It was a busy week." It's not very original but it's true, and Week 14 was no exception. On Tuesday they had their PPP Test (physical performance... something), which they are required to pass to graduate. The test consists of various physical tests including a hill climb, obstacle course, 100 yd dash, and a 500 yd run in full gear. I can't imagine that it's much fun running in a bullet-proof vest with your holster jiggling around, but they have to get used to it. It's not like they can say, "Hold on Scoundrel, let me change into some sweats." (Although that would be awesome. I'm imagining a Wonder Woman type of spin here...)

One of the cadets (it wasn't Jay, I swear) left his baton on top of the hill during the hill climb and by the time he realized it, the PT instructor had chucked the baton into the forest! It's kind of funny when it's not your baton. Anyway, Jay passed his test, so that's one more requirement we can cross off the list.

The rest of the week was filled with range, Spanish, patrol techniques, etc. They are moving into a new phase of their training where they are applying what they have been learning over these past few months. It's kind of exciting!

And so Friday came (yeah!) and Jay came home for the weekend. It was a nice relaxing one since Jay actually did not have any homework. We spent Saturday in Monterey with Betsy, just checking out the sights and enjoying the day together. Jay and I spent part of our honeymoon in Monterey so we always enjoy taking a trip down memory lane. As always, the weekend was over too fast. We parted Sunday night, both of us a little down, but what can you do? Only 13 weeks to go. We can do it! (right?)

Our little family in Monterey

Checking out the boats & sea lions

Stopping at Thrifty for a scoop of cylindrical ice cream


Jay enjoying a break from the Training Table

(Sorry babe, I had to do it!)

Well, at least she's thinking about others...

At school the other day, Natalie was asked to draw a picture of something she would like to buy for one of her family members and how many pennies she thought it would cost. Imagine my surprise when I pulled the following picture out of her bag:

It's a good thing her teacher knows Jay is going to be a police officer, otherwise I'm sure I would have received a telephone call!

As a side note, if anyone knows where they sell guns for 6 cents, please let me know. Thanks!

Latest Cadet Blog

The latest CHP cadet blogs are up and you'll never guess who wrote the entry for week 13! Cool, huh?

CTC III 07 Cadet Blog

No pictures of Jay that I could see, but here's a glimpse of what they've been up to:

Edited to add:

Several people have pointed out to me that Jay is in fact in a picture. I don't know how I missed it. Here he is, the scribe of the group.

Happy Half-Way Day!

Jay is now officially half-way done with the Academy. Way to go, Schmoops! We will celebrate tonight over a plate of IKEA meatballs and maybe even some apple cake!

In other supremely awesome news: Jay no longer has double PT! Oh happy day!

Day 1 & Now
Just a tad different, huh? He's lost over 20 lbs!
(Notice I didn't include a "now" picture of me)

Week 13 & Skid Pan updates

Week 13 was a little rough, but it's done. The juniors reported on Monday and Jay's class thought that would mean a little bit less attention on them, but it didn't really turn out to be the case. Part of that was brought on by themselves, because whenever a few people do something dumb, the whole class pays. Well, on Monday more than a few people messed up (like, 1/2 the class), and therefore they were all restricted Wednesday night. It was such a bummer! Jay was frustrated because he was not in the 1/2 that messed up, but he still had to be restricted. We both made it through the week, though, even though it made it much longer than normal. I've really come to depend on our Wednesday night IKEA dates.

Jay's class also had their second PFT (Physical Fitness Test) on Tuesday. Jay made some great improvements from his first PFT during Week 1, however, they still have one more run to do so the test is not yet complete. Until that run is over, Jay won't know if he's off of double PT. He's only a few points away from getting off of it, so he's optimistic.

The rest of the week was extremely busy with homework and studying and tests and PT and preparing for their AI "report for grade." Oh, and let's not forget about night classes! They have night classes every day except Wednesdays and Fridays for the next 6 weeks or so. Yikes! It's going to make finding time for everything else very difficult, and it shortens our nightly chats to boot.

But let's focus on some GREAT news.... on Monday the 7th, Jay passed Skid Pan! Whoo hoo! We are all very relieved and proud. Now we can start stressing about the High Speed Course....

Dex and Natalie playing with our coffee table

Bea playing with Dexter's toys (which were once hers but held no interest for her until they were moved to Dex's room)

Dex is 9 (months, that is)

Our "little" Dexter is 9 months old today!

Here he is, getting into a little mischief:

He doesn't really crawl yet (it's more of a scoot, army-crawl thing), but he sure can get anywhere he wants to go! The other day I caught him teething on the stone fireplace hearth. Methinks I need to do some babyproofing.

A Strange Anniversary

7 years ago today...

I hopped into my small red truck and started to head home after a late night Activities Committee meeting at church, not knowing that a life-changing event was about to take place. It was dark and cold, and the roads were wet. It must have rained while I was in my meeting. I took the Leavesly Road entrance onto 101, and as I was curving around the bend up to the highway, I felt a strange stab of fear and an undeniable urge to pray. The words of my friend Graham’s closing prayer came to my mind and I immediately prayed that Heavenly Father would see me safely home. Ten seconds later, I lost control of my truck. To this day, I don’t know exactly what happened but I assume that as I was accelerating onto the highway, the truck hit a patch of oily water and the back wheels started moving around. I didn't know what to do, I started to panic, it was happening so incredibly fast. I tried to correct myself but didn't remember the slightest thing from driver’s training and all of a sudden there I was, facing the opposite direction on a cold, black, empty highway, my truck and I plunging over the side of the highway, most certainly to my death. I had the strangest feelings during those few seconds. My heart prayed to Heavenly Father, pleading with him that I wasn't ready to go yet, but at the same time almost accepting that it was the end. A feeling of peace came over me during those few seconds as I was tumbling, rolling, to the ground below, a feeling that I cannot fully comprehend or explain. I felt that there was someone else in the car with me and I let go of the wheel, letting the other person – the angel, the Spirit, my imagination, whatever – take control. And when those few excruciatingly long seconds were over, my truck had landed right side up on a small grassy area next to another entrance to the highway.

The rest of the story is very long, but suffice it to say that I'm not exaggerating when I say this was a life-changing experience for me. I was extremely blessed to have no major injuries from the accident and to have wonderful CHP officers, firemen, paramedics, and even one stranger to take care of me. Besides being a huge wake-up call, the accident also strengthened my faith and helped me to realize that there were things I was still supposed to do with my life. Now I'm not a brain surgeon or a teacher or a Nobel Prize winner, but I am a wife and a mother. That is why I am here. In these times it might not be popular to be proud of being "just" a wife and a mom, but I am. And every time I reflect on my accident, I am so thankful that I was given another day, another chance to do better and to become the wife and mom that I've become. And even when I'm changing diapers or settling emotional disputes over Polly Pockets, I wouldn't have it any other way.

A Sunbeam, A Sunbeam!

Jesus wants me for a sunbeam, to shine for him each day!

Sunday was Beatrice's first day as a Sunbeam!

For those of you who are not LDS, Sunbeam is the name of the youngest class in Primary, our church's organization for kids ages 3-12.

Because I teach the 11/12 year olds in Primary, I was able to watch Bea during opening exercises and singing time. It was so cute to see her sitting in her little chair, singing along to the songs as best as she could. She is in a small class - 3 little blond girls and one cute little boy. I think she's going to have a great time.

Sunday afternoon I asked Bea if she had fun (she did) and what her lesson was on. She turned to me with a big cheesy grin and answered, "I am a child of God!" I thought it was so great that she actually remembered! When she was in the nursery the only thing she remembered was what they had for snack.

Natalie also started her new Primary class. She is now a CTR 6 (meaning she's in a class with other kids that will turn 6 years old this year). She seemed to really like her new teacher, and she already knows all the kids in her class so that wasn't anything to worry about. I noticed, though, that she has a bit of a problem paying attention when seated next to a certain friend. I'm hoping it was just due to the excitement of changing classes, but we'll see. This was also the first Sunday that she brought her own scriptures to church... she looked very cute and proud with her little improvised scripture bag. (It's really a carrier for one of her stuffed animals.) :)

Week 12 is done!

Jay was very busy during Week 12. The cadets had their written PMA test as well as a test on Laws of Arrest. They continued working hard in their Accident Investigation, DUI, and Use of Force classes, and they are also deep into their Spanish instruction. Luckily for Jay he served a Spanish-speaking mission so that is one less thing he has to stress about. The workload is increasing and the pressure is on to get everything done and done right. Time management is becoming even more crucial than it was before.

In addition to their academic classes, Jay and his fellow cadets also started range (firearms training). That means they were issued their belt, vest, and gun. Yikes! Jay is feeling the heavy responsibility of it all now, but at the same time he's also gained a new kind of confidence. Something about the bullet-proof vest, I think. Not that it makes him invincible, but it does make him feel more official. Goodbye, mall cop!

And now today, Jan 7th, marks the beginning of Week 13 and the first day for the junior class. It's hard to believe that 12 weeks have already gone by since Jay's first nerve-wracking day. In some ways it seems like it was yesterday, and in some ways it feels like he's been at the Academy FOR-EV-ER. It's amazing how much you can adjust and change in such a short amount of time. We are all getting stronger because of this Academy experience, emotionally and physically. (Hey, I have to hold Dex without any relief! That would build anyone's muscles!)

Dex chewing on something

Natalie helping out, Bea being Bea

Don't puke, Dexter!

When it rains...

A run down of my Friday:

7 am - Woke up to gusts of wind and some light rain

10 am - Natalie goes to a friend's house to play

10:15 am - light rain turns into torrential downpour, gusts turn to mini-tornado's

11 am - lights go out, Bea's movie is interrupted.

11:01 am - lights come back on. Unfortunately, the computer, TV, microwave, fridge, and washer & dryer do not come back on.

11:07 am - finally locate the circuit breakers, which of course are located OUTSIDE. (Really? Who designed that?)

11:10 am - Pretend like I know what I'm doing with the circuit breakers. Nothing happens.

11:11 am to 2 pm - Entertain kids. Experience severe computer withdrawals.

2 pm - Neighbor report: they only have 1/2 power as well. Phew! We're normal!

2:05 pm - All the remaining power goes out.

2:06 pm to 4 pm - Get out candles, lanterns and flashlights in preparation. Realize I will have to use them sooner than later because the storm is making the house darker than usual. Try to keep kids happy.

4 pm - Natalie comes home. Deal with whining... "But Summer's house had lights!!!!!!!!"

4:30 pm - light approximately 45 candles in the kitchen in order to get the same amount of light I usually get from one electric bulb

4:45 pm - What can I make for dinner with no stove, oven, or microwave?

5 pm - Make tuna sandwiches by candlelight

5:15 pm - We read Laura Ingalls for inspiration. The girls are tired of the candles. (They would never make it as pioneers.) Natalie writes a passionate plea to PG&E and tapes it to the fireplace.

5:30 pm - Jay calls! He's on his way home!

6 pm - Jay calls again ... the Corolla is acting up. The headlights are dimming. For some reason Jay thinks that could be dangerous.

6:30 pm - Put Dex down to bed for the night.

6:45 pm - Jay calls from Sears in Fairfield. The Corolla is getting a new alternator for Christmas, and he needs a ride home.

7 pm - Kids are loaded in the van.... now how to get out of the garage?

7:01 pm - Manually lift the garage door. It comes back down. I lift up. It comes down. I lift up. It comes down. I use all my might to SHOVE it back up... it comes down faster, nearly taking off my head.

7:05 pm - I squeeze under the half open garage door and run to neighbor's. Neighbor takes pity on me and holds garage door open.

7:07 pm - We're finally on the road!

7:10 pm - I remember the gaslight has been on for a day or two...

7:15 pm - Pull into gas station, rummage in diaper bag.... keep rummaging... and ... no wallet.

7:16 pm - Pray for patience.

7:17 pm - Call Jay and try not to cry. New plan: Our good friend Craig hops in his gas-filled, kid-free van and picks up Jay.

THANK YOU HARTLEY'S! Where would we be without you?
Oh, that's right, I'd be stuck at Rotten Robbie and Jay would freezing in Fairfield!


Thank goodness the weekend got much better after that!

My favorite New York moment

"I always like to come to New York a little bit early and hit some of my favorite haunts, like right here, is my favorite New York pizza joint. And I'm gonna go get me a New York slice!"

Man, I miss The Office.

Changed my mind...

Ok, so, the yellow didn't stick.

I decided I'm not quite ready to give up green, so I chose this background instead. Plus, it has crowns on it. And, well, the princesses don't fall too far from the tree, you know.

I just realized...

...I never wished you all a Happy New Year! So...

Happy New Year

to all of you out in blogland!

For the new year I decided to trade in my lime green blog layout for a sunny yellow one, courtesy of Cutest Blog on the Block. We'll see if it sticks. I think I like it but then again it's midnight and I'm not entirely lucid. The kids and I got back from visiting Jay in Sacramento about an hour ago and I made the mistake of checking my email before going to bed. I'm going to regret it in the morning, I just know it.

The Woes of Week 11

Week 11 was a short Academy week, thanks to Christmas. It was also the first week they had alone with the staff now that the seniors have graduated. Luckily most of the staff was on vacation so there wasn't really too much negative attention. There was one little thing, though...

Jay noticed that his name was on the board indicating he was supposed to report to the staff office, so of course he reported as soon as possible all the while wondering what he was in trouble for. There were several other people reporting ahead of him and he overheard one of them getting yelled at for failing a test, so Jay was worried that he had failed the test, too. Failing a test means a weekend restriction, and more importantly, it means a very unhappy wife. Luckily for both of us Jay did not fail the test. In fact, he wasn't in trouble at all. The staff had decided that anyone who had yet to receive a gig* was going to get one, come heck or high water. Lucky Jay! So basically they grilled him on various subjects until he answered one wrong, and then they gave him a gig for "lack of knowledge." Oh, and he also had a speck of lint on his uniform, so the gig indicated he also had a messy uniform. It's a good thing Jay is the one going through this and not me, because that would frustrate me beyond belief! I would never make it past the first week.

Week 11 also brought Jay's first attempt at the Skid Pan. He spent several hours learning how to negotiate the ultra-slick course and he did well and had fun. He did not pass, however. He has 3 more attempts, and we're confident he'll pass on one of them. The instructor said he was getting it but that he just needed to "smooth it out" and be more consistent. We don't know when his next attempt will be, but it should be soon.

You would think it was a bad week because of the gig and the Skid Pan ... and PT three times a week... and our Corolla deciding not to work... but surprisingly, it was okay. Because our Corolla was acting up (it's okay now), the kids and I picked Jay up on Friday. When I pulled up to the Academy gate I spoke with the officer on duty for a few minutes. He was very friendly and gave me some words of encouragment, which was very kind. When he lifted the gate to let me in I said "Thanks, Officer," then pulled forward. There was a gasp from the back of the van and Natalie exclaimed, "Was that a REAL police officer?!" She was a little awestruck. I said "Yep. He's a Highway Patrolman like Daddy is going to be." Bea yelled, "WHAT?!" Like it was news to her that Jay's going to be an officer! My kids... they're just like their dad... a little nutty, but very sweet.