Busy Week

I just had to acknowledge all the people who were there for me during this week! It was a lot of fun... don't get me wrong, but it was very busy. I think it would have been terrible if I hadn't have had help from the wonderful people in my life... especially Jeremy. Besides getting ready for our house to get appraised, put together paperwork for various things, hike Timp, do my regular work, teach piano lessons, visit with family while they were here from out of state, get ready for and host a game night for a few of the couples in our ward, and take care of my two kids.... I also baby sat/hung out with several others... I'll explain...

• Tuesday I had four kids... one aged 3, two ages 1 and one 2 month old... I had them for 5 hours. This was actually pretty easy... the highlight was Ada and the 3 year old reading books together on the floor for most the morning and the 3 year old "eating" sugar cookies. She ate one and asked for another... I gave it to her and gave her one to give to her sister... then she asked for a third... I gave it to her and said it was the last one. After they'd left I was picking up the house and found a blanket outside the door... When I picked it up... out fell 3 of the 4 sugar cookies that I had given her... she'd wrapped them all up nice and warm to put them outside!
• Tuesday night and Wednesday I had 6 kids... ages 2 months, 1 year, and one about 14, 2 about 12 and 1 about 10. This was a lot of fun... we played on the Wii Fit, they helped me clean my house for the inspector to come on Wed... and we played a vicious round of Run for your Life Candyman and Curses. Thanks for letting them come Mary!
• Friday (all day and night) and all day Saturday I had... one 3 year old, one 1 year old, a 4 month old and my 2 month old. I was terrified that they wouldn't sleep that night... but under the conditions... everything went as best it could. A couple of highlights from this experience. We went out to eat for dinner because I was out of steam... everyone looked at us carrying in the two boys that looked the same size in their baby carriers and they all got these dreamy, happy expressions on their faces like "oh look twins!" And I'm pretty sure that they thought the two girls were too... Ada and the 3 year old are the same height and Ada weighs 27 lbs while the 3 year old weighs 26... they both have blond hair and are the best of buds. Jer and I fed two kids each, then we went to Walmart to grab some eggs... So here we are in the middle of Walmart with two "sets of twins" and we got some pretty amazing stares. My favorite things about going to Walmart was showing the girls the bikes... they both climbed on and looked like they'd never climb off again. And Jer made a new game. He walked with the cart with the car seats in it and I walked about 10 feet behind... Then he had the girls run to me and tag me turn around and run to tag him. We were probably quite the sight, but it kept them both busy enough not to pull things off of racks and shelves... and they both stayed between the two adults where we could see them.

I discovered that if I were ever to have two sets of twins I wouldn't die, but I would definitely need help... and I think I'd be okay having 5 or 6 kids... after having this second one I said that I felt like I was done...

Here are a couple of the pictures that I took of the two girls while the boys were asleep... I thought they were being dang cute...

Just had to share

Funny story...

We finally got a copy of the Blessing Certificate from Sammy's baby blessing... Here's what it said...

Samuel Parker, son of Jeremy Scott and Elizabeth Catherine... Now I didn't know that my name was Elizabeth Catherine! I'm pretty sure that I carried and delivered Samuel myself... that or I just gained all that weight for nothing. Actually what happened was that there is another family in our ward with the same last name. Elizabeth is the wife in that family... I wouldn't have known it was her though because the name on the certificate was her maiden name and she doesn't go by Elizabeth... she goes by Libby. I only knew it was her because I went to High School with her and knew her last name. Otherwise I would have thought that they were just pulling a random name from somewhere! Congrats Libby, you're a new mom. Does that mean that you're supposed to pay me child support for raising your son?

Oquirrh Mountain Temple Dedication

Wow! I've been blessed to be able to participate in a number of temple dedications, but I was absolutely amazed at this one. It was neat that the church tried to make the dedication available to anyone who had the desire to go. They held 9 dedication sessions, cancelled ALL meetings in the Wasatch area, and broadcast it all over! I have to admit that I almost didn't want to go though. It's been a tough week, and I've been to 5 dedications and a couple of open houses. I felt like I'd had my share. Then we got to the Stake Center. It was really neat because our bishop met us after having our ticket checked at the door. He talked to us in a whisper which really reminded me that the Stake House was acting as an extension to the temple at the moment. The talks were all wonderful, but I don't think I'll ever forget seeing Pres. Monson. We've seen him talk several times and you can predict the layout and tenor of his talks usually. This time... about half of the way through it you could see a physical change. He hesitated, then he proceeded to tell part of the story of how the temple was built in the 80's on the other side of the Iron Curtain. Just watching him marvel at the absolute miracle that it was that they had given permission to build and operate a temple! I feel that this is where his true testimony lies! He saw first hand how the faith of many people and how his own actions were answered with a blessing. I could see that he is still reminded of the power of God on this earth in day to day actions that result in marvellous outcomes. He also said that we people that live with so many rooms... a room for eating, a room for sitting, and a room for TV and entertainment need to make sure that we are making room for Christ. A thing that also struck me was that he said that during the dedication that we needed to touch the temple... and to let it touch us. That was neat for me because the Mount Timp temple dedication. My dad was a bishop at the time so we were able to sit in the Celestial room with President Hinckley while it was dedicated. I sat right next to the wall and he said that the young children needed to touch the walls of the temple and remember and return. I did return. I returned to receive my endowments before my mission, I returned to be sealed to my wonderful husband, I returned to serve others in their covenants, and I returned to hear Pres. Monson bare testimony of the same thing. I don't know if he planned that or not, but it is important to me. The spirit felt so strong during the dedicatory prayer and the Hosanna Shout. I'm blessed that we could attend such a great occasion.

Videos

Just a couple of videos off my phone. One is of Ada and her cousin reading books the other day while I was babysiting. One is of Ada and her cousin Emma's best friend doing the Wii Fit together, and the other one is when the neighbors irrigation flooded the driveway and the garage at Jer's parents house. Jer said I should name that one "Do it yourself wave pool".

Cute kids!

I actually have three different stories to tell that were all pretty darn cute...

The first was last night at my parents house... I went to put Ada to bed while I helped my sister with her computer. We sang a song and went to say a prayer. She won't just repeat the prayer after you when she does her own prayers... you have to kind of prompt her... (ie: "Heavenly Father... now you say it... we thank thee for this day... okay your turn...) If you prompt her she'll say it. During her prayer, instead of repeating the sentence from the prayer she repeated, "Your turn!" Everyone just cracked up!

The second story is from tonight. She's not much into the Disney princesses, but I bought her a sippy cup with them on it. I was showing her the three princesses on it and telling her their names... Princess Aurora.. who she then called Princess Arara. Cinderella... Cinderera... and Belle, who she happily called Ding Dong. I think she got that from a book that she has called "The cows Ding Dong Bell".

The third is more of a general cute on going thing. Ada and Samuel just adore one another! If Ada wakes up and Sammy's still sleeping she says,"Where'd the baby go?" She tries to help me feed him what she calls baby's milk, and she tries to put his binkie in any time that it falls out whether he's asleep or not. I've been making him smile lately by kind of buzzing my lips together... Ada's tried to do it several times but it usually ends up with her spitting a little bit. Tonight he laughed at me! It was so cute that I brought him into the office to show Jer... I had him on the ground and he wouldn't even smile at me after that! But every time Ada did her spitting thing his little crooked smile would appear!

Accidental Copy Cat

Amy... I promise I didn't copy you! I didn't even know you had a blog until I saw you at your wedding reception!

I was reading my friend Amy's blog this morning and Jer starting pointing out that her blog was named "A Day in the Life..." and mine was "A Day in the Life of". We laughed and said that it was ironic... I checked and I started mine on Aug 31, 2008... she started hers on Aug 28, 2008. So I guess I'm an accidental copy cat.

What I've learned

Just over the last couple of weeks I've been researching insulin resistance and nutrition. It's not like I eat terribly, but I'd like to not be diabetic by the time I'm 40. Here's what I've found out is helpful for my PCOS/insulin resistance and because thyroid problems often accompany it... Not just eating sensibly and exercising because I've been jogging, walking, fencing, biking, hiking, etc regularly since I was a teen... I even did yoga while I was pregnant. I also try to eat salads a few times a week and not go overboard on junk except on vacations/holidays.

I found out that your body recognizes the insulin that you produce better if you include Vitamin C, Vitamin B, Omega3, Cinnamon (but not cinnamon bark), and split your meals between protein and complex carbs. I also found out that soy keeps your thyroid from functioning properly. I'm doing more research on which foods have the best complex carbs, but here's a short list... whole grain bread, oats, muesli, brown rice, oatmeal, bran wheatgerm, barley, maize, buckwheat, cornmeal, potatoes, root vegetables, Corn, yams, peas, beans and lentils. One of the things that I read even said that counting calories isn't efficient... If you pay attention to eating low calorie, low fat things but don't eat right it doesn't help your basal metabolism and your body has a harder time "reading" the foods that you do it... which can cause lots of problems including insulin resistance. So if it's a choice between a handful of almonds (lots of fat) and juice (lots of sugar, but fewer calories and fat) then it is better for your body if you eat the almonds. If you do this regularly then your body recognizes the healthier things and your metabolism responds in kind. Another thing that relates to this, in my jogging class we talked about when to eat and exercise. He said that you eat at least an hour before you exercise and then after you've run or whatever... you eat 100 calories of something and drink a lot within 10 minutes... that helps your body to keep burning calories even after you're done exercising... then don't eat for about an hour after that.

Anyways... lots of rambling and I hope you all don't think that I'm going on some crazy fad diet or anything... just don't want to become a diabetic.

Iron deficiencies

This is more so that I don't lose this list that I made for the next time I'm pregnant... When I'm pregnant I'm also iron deficient... this is an email that I sent out to my family about it... I forgot to mention that Vitamin C and D helps you absorb the iron.

Hi all... I know a couple of people I know have been having trouble with iron deficiences... I have, and considering how many others might be I wanted to write this email with all the things that my doctor has said about it. Besides... I promised Janelle I'd send this to you but it's taken me a while to get around to it.- Hide quoted text - First of all, he said to take an iron supplement every day at least while I'm pregnant and breast feeding because the prenatal vitamins weren't enough for me. The best one on your stomach is the Slow FE, but it can get pricey... I think it was $12 for 90. If you ask at the pharmacy counter they have one that is about 300 for about $2.50... you just have to take it with a meal so it doesn't hurt your stomach. It's best if you take iron with some kind of citrus juice because it helps you absorb it, especially orange juice. Here's a list of the foods from the highest iron content to littlest that he gave me. Prune JuiceLima BeansRed BeansSplit PeasBarleyBeef LiverBlack eyed PeasBeef, Pot RoastGreen BeansPork ChopSpinachBoiled HamDried ApricotsGreen PeasDried PrunesCooked RiceFried ChickenEggEnriched Cooked RiceCanned Tomoato JuiceHaddockCooked enriched MacaroniBolognasweet Potatocooked OatmealRaw BananaCantaloupeFrankfurterWinter SquashRaw StrawberriesLettuce Leaveswhite PotatoCanned SalmonWhite enriched BreadBroccoliPeanut ButterCrisp baconDiced carrotscanned cornGrapefruitOrangeRaw Apple snap Green BeansCanned Peaches Canned Pineapple juice I've been trying to follow this for the last couple of weeks and I feel absolutely amazing! After three days I was waking up voluntarily instead of being dragged out of bed because Ada needed me. I hope this helps anyone who feels like they are dragging and just can't seem to get over being tired all the time!

A.B.C.

I was tagged too...

A - Age: I think I'm 28... I keep having to ask Jer how old I am.

B - Bed size: Queen... though I feel like it's bigger I keep spreading out after Jer gets out of bed... it's amazing how much room there is!

C - Chore you hate: Just about anything I'm "supposed" to do... if it's elective I'm more likely to do it and enjoy doing it.

D - Dogs' name: Lucy... I should have named her something else because I want to name our next daughter Lucy or Lucille... but now I'd feel like I was naming her after the dog.

E - Essential start your day item: 5 minutes alone in the bathroom (without toddlers trying to get me to read them books or anything!)

F - Favorite color: Yes... all of them in the right context.

G - Gold or Silver: Silver or even white gold...

H - Height: 5'4" if I haven't started shrinking with having kids and all.

I - Instrument(s) you play: piano, organ, cello and I can play violin a little but not well.

J - Job titles: The most recent ones... office manager, piano teacher, cleanroom lead, flooring sales, and my favorite... mom.

K - Kids: 2... Ages 1 1/2 and 2 months.

L - Living arrangements: Luckily I like living with my husband...

M - Mom's name: Moana

N - Nicknames: Zan, Zanny, Rosie, Zanny bear, and Hey You.

O - Office: If you can think of it as anything else... Jer and I both work from home and in the same office. We have three big tables/desks crammed into one bedroom of our home...

R - Right or left handed: Right... but it is fun to write with the other hand or write backwards and upside down.

S - Siblings: 2 brothers and 2 sisters... and if I follow Becca's counting 8 sister in laws and 8 brother in laws.

T - Time you wake up: Whenever Ada knocks on her door or Sammy wants to eat... They like to compete on who will be first up in the morning.

U- Underwear: I sure hope so!

V - Vegetable you dislike: Celery... I think it's the stringy texture.

W - Ways you run late: Do I have to answer this one? I don't think there isn't a way I don't run late... but somehow I don't mind being late anymore.

X - X-rays you've had done: Teeth every year, three broken arms, and a cracked tailbone.

Y -Yummy food you make: I make good soup.

Z - Zoo favorite: Elephants and the butterfly house when they have it up...

I tag Mesh, Jenny, and Sarah. Have fun!

Potty training

So I've started to potty train Ada.... two of my favorite stories...

The first time that I put her on the toilet I wasn't sure what to say to explain to her that she had to "go". I finally said that if she went poopy then she would get a treat... "Ok mom!" And she did... nice.

Since she can't go on demand... that means that she only gets a treat when she's actually used the toilet. She really wanted a treat but couldn't go... so she looks at me and says "Mom! Help!"

Home teaching

Here is an example of how doing your home teaching can bless your life.

Jer Home Teaches a family in our ward that has 5 little kids including one little boy that recently received the priesthood. The kids and I go with him often because Jer's partner is usually out of town for his job. Ada likes to play with their kids even though the one closest to her age is either 5 months old or 4 years old...
So on Sunday I got up to play the closing hymn on the organ and Jer was feeding a bottle to the baby so neither of us saw that Ada had followed me up to the organ until I had gotten there... I can't play with Ada there for several reasons... mostly because she turns the page before the end of the song and I lose the music. I didn't want to cause a huge delay or a fuss by walking her back down into the audience just for her to throw a fit... Parker... the boy that had just gotten into the priesthood quorums was the bishop's helper and was sitting next to him on the stand. I saw him and asked Ada if she wanted to sit with Parker... to my surprise she did. He held her on his lap and then for a little while after the meeting so that I could play postlude. Thank goodness that she was familiar enough with him that she was willing to do that!