Daddy's Cake

Yesterday we spent a good portion of the morning making birthday cake to share with Fred's friends at the park to celebrate his 4th birthday. We had a good time and managed to eat most of the cake. This morning, however, Fred told me, "I want to make Daddy a cake so his birthday can be the same time as mine." Well I was already in a mess up to my elbows while making Daisy's bread so I suggested we decorate a "pan-CAKE". He seemed quite pleased with this suggestion so I pulled out a frozen pancake for both Fred and Daisy. We pulled out the leftover frosting and colored Fred's blue and Daisy's pink. I then let them scoop out their frosting onto the pancake and spread it around. After a moment or two I discovered that their pancakes were sliding around on their plates and making it difficult for them to spread their frosting. I told them I knew a little trick that would hold their pancake still. I proceeded to put a little blob of frosting on each plate and then set their pancake on top of it. It worked, and the frosting of the cakes resumed. A few moments later I looked back at Fred who, with a confused look, was holding up his plate while peering underneath at its underside. There was a smear of frosting on the counter top and also one on the bottom of his plate. Apparently he had tried, unsuccessfully, to use the frosting trick to keep his plate from sliding around on the counter top.
The kids and I enjoyed our time in the kitchen. Fred finished his cake for Daddy and Daisy received her sugar-high for the day since she ate most of the frosting off of her pancake and licked the bowl too.

Amazing

The other day, Fred came up to me out of the blue and said: "Daddy, can I have a box? I need to make something amazing! He sure is a pretty cute little guy. A while back, I picked him up from his preschool class and asked him what he had learned at school that day. He thought for a minute then said: "About surface tension" I was pretty stunned. To be honest, I was impressed that he could pronounce the words let alone that he had learned about it. Since when are they teaching 3 year old kids about surface tension in preschool. I don't think that I learned about that concept until middle school. So I asked him what he had learned about surface tension. They had talked about things that float and had done some experiments. I kept asking him questions about it and he finally said: "Dad, I just don't know everything about surface tension. But my teacher does. She's really smart!"

The other morning we were getting ready for the day when Laurie saw Lucy munching on something. Being the good mother that she is decided she had to investigate. With some effort she stuck her finger in and pulled out half of a cockroach. I walked into the room to see Laurie dry heaving over the sink and Lucy crying for the rest of her cockroach. Did I mention that Laurie still has a problem with our cockroach problem.

The Fruits of our Labors

It's been another great week in Henderson, NV. We have had very nice weather. Yesterday we were babysitting some of our friends kids and they wanted to see our garden. I hadn't been out there for a couple of weeks myself so we took them out there. My goodness! We have celery growing out of our ears. I cut two stalks for them and two more stalks for the nextdoor neighbors and didn't even make a dent in it. The celery stalks are hugeamongous! I have never seen celery so big. Onions are doing well, Chard is doing great and we have a nice little tomato plant coming up that Daisy stepped on yesterday while we were out there. Oh well!

Friday night Laurie and I went out to see a shakesperean play - The Taming of the Shrew. It was out at Lake Las Vegas which is a ritzy area of town. We felt silly eating our picnic Subway sandwiches in front of everyone there so we scarffed them down on the way back from the show.

I am officially done with Orthopedic Surgery. The doctor I am working with gave me Monday-Wednesday off because he is going out of town for Spring Break. No complaints here! I am planning on repainting the red car over the next three days. Wish me luck! I had a good month and learned lots, but am very glad that I am done. I am just not a surgeon. Something about standing in one place working through a tiny hole or through a camera that just doesn't float my boat. Next month is ER. Should be a little more exciting I hope.

Daisy is working on potty training today. There is a big wet spot on our bed to prove it. She has been talking about wanting to go potty a lot over the last few days, so now is the time to start I guess.

On Friday, when I got home from work I walked in the door and Laurie was asleep on the couch. Fred said "Shhhhh Daddy, Mommy is sleeping and I am making a treat for her." Then he asked me to hold a glass of milk that he had poured all by himself while he carried a "snack" plate with an apple, some string cheese and about a dozen chocolate chips (all of which he had climbed on counters and gone through the fridge to find by himself) together with a "Valentine" which was a paper that he had cut out. Then he went over to Laurie and woke her up and told her that he had a valentine and a snack for her. It was pretty cute.

Laurie and I read a really fantastic talk by Elder Bruce R. McConkie this last week that you might enjoy about the creation and the fall. It is kind of deep, and very long, but I thought it was very good. Here is the link: http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=5ed347f765adb010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=f318118dd536c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

We are doing great here in Henderson. We loved having Mom here last weekend. It was really nice to have her here and the kids loved it. Our escapade to St. Louis was fruitful. We put in an offer on a home that we both like a lot. It is spacious, sits on a hill, has a huge yard (compared to Henderson anyway) and reminds me a lot of Grandma and Grandpa Crocketts home (mostly the era, not so much the layout). We have yet to hear back on our offer, but are crossing our fingers that everything works out and in a timely manner.

Fred gave his very first talk today in Primary. It was about Prophets. He did a great job with some help from Mommy. He talked about why it is important to listen to the Prophet's voice and wanted to tell everyone about the story of Enos. He was really excited to speak in the microphone in front of everyone. Lets hope that enthusiasm continues for a few years still. Yesterday he helped me fix the car and managed to shift the car into neutral as I was hanging halfway out of the car working under the dashboard. I managed to lunge over to the driver's side and push the brakes with one hand before we got across the street and hit the neighbor's car (which incidentally is the same red color and has just about as good a paint job as the buick does). Fred is quite the artist these days and likes to draw pictures of just about anything he can think of.

Daisy is doing well too. She has more energy than I have in a whole week. Today I layed her down for a nap before church (because we have 1:00 church) at 10:00. I was working on my lesson for about an hour and a half and thought I should just peek in at the girls to see if they were still asleep. Nope. Daisy hadn't fallen asleep at all. She had pulled clothes out of her drawers, was half naked herself, had pulled most of the toys out of the toybox and was busy trying to figure out how to put a belt together.

Lucy is crawling all over the place and is getting into everything. We have to rebaby-proof our house again. The girls are pretty cute though. they are all sure growing up fast.

Last night Laurie and I went to a stake dance that was fun. We learned that I am a lousy dancer. I don't know what happened. Anyway, we are thinking about taking a dancing class together so we don't feel so self concious out on the dance floor.

This month I am doing a pediatric orthopedic surgery rotation with an emphasis on adolescent sports medicine. It is pretty cool. I have gotten pretty good at putting casts on little kids. I see a lot of high school athletes with knee and shoulder issues. I like working with the patients, but I have really learned that I am not cut out to be a surgeon. I enjoy doing the procedures (ACL replacements, lateral patellar releases, plica removals, OCD repairs etc), but I am not really into standing on my feet in one spot for 2-3 hours at a time. I would much rather be seeing patients in the clinic, shooting the breeze and seeing lots of patients in a shorter time period.

Yesterday Laurie found some nice fabric at a garage sale for pretty cheap, so her new project is going to be recovering our Futon.

Tonight we are having Maisy and Blair over for dinner again. Their birthdays are coming up so we are doing prime rib for them tonight. I love a good excuse to eat prime rib, plus they were buying. We have a new agreement with them. They buy and we cook. Blair is all for it and I am all for it.

I had a great idea for Maren and other missionaries. They could borrow a cute little baby from someone in the ward then just sit somewhere like the grocery store or in a park. Then all sorts of people will just come up to them and want to see the baby and tell them how cute she is. Bingo, you make a contact. It's brilliant!!! People are always coming up to us and telling us we have cute kids. That would sure beat knocking on doors. Maybe they could go on splits with a young mother that has a cute kid or something. I'm telling you, I think they could easily quadruple your contacts in an evening. Anyone with little kids can tell you it would work.

Merry Christmas Adam!

Adam, I hope you like the updates of our blog! I am finally contributing! I love you!
Love, Laurie Jean

Jumping Beam!

Daisy is so full of energy that often times I hear her say, "Jumpy! Jumpy!" while she hops up and down. Tonight while preparing dinner I noticed that Daisy was saying something while squatting down real low and then bursting up with a great big jump. A few moments later I realized she was saying, "Sun - Beam! for Jesus!"

Daddy's Girl

Lately Daisy has turned into a huge "Daddy's Girl." She loves to play with Daddy and to ride on his shoulders any chance she gets. She runs and gives him a big hug when he arrives home and hates to see him leave in the morning. Today as Adam was getting ready to leave, she climbs into my arms and says in a sad tone, "I want my Daddy stay here!"

To Your Room

This morning while nursing Lucy on the couch Daisy came to lay next to me. After several unkind leg thrusts I told her she needed to get off the couch and abruptly lifted her down. Daisy then started to cry on the floor. Fred, who had witnessed the whole thing, said, "Mommy, you need to be nice to Daisy or you'll have to go to your room."

Our Little Puppy Dog

Lucy is a couple weeks shy of being 6 months old and she is as happy, cheerful, and giggly as ever. She likes to roll around on the ground from her back to her front & from her front to her back while pivoting and maneuvering her way around. This morning while I was getting ready for the day I put Lucy, surrounded by pillows, on her back on my unmade bed. A few moments later I glanced in her direction just in time to see her on her stomach lowering her head down to the bed and coming up with a mouthful of sheet. She looked just like a little puppy dog!

Scary Moments

After nap time I was putting in The Fox and the Hound for the kids to watch. Fred, knowing how sensitive Daisy gets while watching intense and scary moments (intense and scary for Disney that is!), says, "Daisy, it has a bear! It will be scary, OK?" Daisy replies, "Ok, I close my eyes."

Sharing

Daisy was getting upset with Fred for stealing licks from her Halloween Ring Lollipop. With every lick she told him, "No!" Finally with an an irritated look on his face Fred said, "But Kaarina from my class (his nursery teacher) said you need to share!"

Sleepin without Jamas

After an action packed, fun filled weekend at Disney World we were making the long car ride home. The kids were watching a DVD in the dark backseat of the car when Fred said, "Dais?"
Daisy: "Yeah!"
Fred: "What ya doin?"
Daisy: "Sleepin."
Fred: "You can't go to sleep yet! You don't have your 'jamas on."
Daisy: "Oh!"

Little Elephants

Yesterday Laurie was driving through Brigham City with the kids. As she was driving, she noticed a field with several cows grazing. All of a sudden, from the back seat Fred hollered "Look Mommy, Little Elephants!!!"

Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall

Daisy was playing around in our master bathroom as I was getting ready this morning. She kept admiring herself in the mirror of our sliding closet door. A little while later I watched as she moved closer and closer to the glass until it was right in front of her and then gave her reflection several kisses before peaking around the door to the other side.

Daddy's Tie

Fred came into the kitchen holding a button that he found. I told him thank you for bringing it to me. He then said, "This is Daddy's!" I said, "Oh really?" Then Fred said matter-of-factly, "Yes! It's for his tie."

Potty Trains

Recently Fred has shown a lot of interest in going potty. I keep saying that I need to start potty training him, but for one reason or another I keep pushing it off. This morning, however, Fred came into the living room holding his "Thomas the Train" underpants and said, "Mommy, I want my potty trains." So I have bit the bullet and we have begun.

The Big Chase

One of Daisy's favorite things to do has been to scoot around in her little walker. She can really get moving in it, but has a hard time making the turns. Unfortunately she has run over several of our toes as she careens around the house. Fred has also received some injuries from our little reckless driver. This has caused quite a bit of pain and has made Fred just a little jumpy. Now whenever Fred is barefoot and Daisy comes in his general direction he either quickly takes cover or takes off at a dead run screeching at the top of his lungs. This of course only motivates Daisy even more as she squeals and takes off in hot pursuit.

Role Reversal

The other night I was dog tired and laid down on the bed as Laurie and the kids were getting ready for bed. When Fred came in and saw me he hollered at Laurie "Mommy, sing to Daddy." When Laurie came in Fred wanted to sing "Child of God", so they sang and he wanted to sing "Temple" (I love to see the Temple). Then Fred covered me up with some blankets and gave me a kiss on the forehead and said "Night, night Daddy" and walked out the door.

The Wonder Bandaid

As Fred was playing yesterday he came across a box of bandaids. He came to me and said "Daddy, Owie!" I asked him if he needed a bandaid and he said "Yeah" I asked him where he hurt and he pointed to his left leg and said "Right there." I picked him up and set him down on the chair, then got a bandaid ready for him. Then I asked where he hurt. "Right there" he said, pointing to the other leg.

How Kids Travel

Living in Nevada, so far away from family, we have logged a lot of time in the car. Over our many trips we have noticed some trends in the way that our kids travel. For example:

Pushing his Luck

Yesterday as we were driving, Laurie handed Fred a starburst. Fred politely thanked her and began to unwrap it. Then he said "I want two of them." Laurie had several in her lap so she handed him a second. After only hesitating for a second Fred said "I want four of them!"

Update on Psych Rotation

So here I am nearing the end of my Psychiatry rotation. For the record things finally did pick up and I was able to see some interesting cases and learn a bit about the human mind. With that said, I can't say that it has piqued my curiosity enough to pursue a career in the field. Perhaps it is the clinic that I have been rotating at, or perhaps it is who I have been working with, but despite the exceptional work hours it just isn't for me. It is just a bit too depressing for me when I look back at the end of day and contemplate all of the patients with major depression, suicide attempts, substance abuse and so forth that I have seen. With that said, the mind is an extremely interesting thing. It sure makes me appreciate the many blessings that I have been given.

Guess Who

Last Monday during Family Home Evening we were talking about how we ought to pray as a family. Laurie showed Fred a picture of a random family kneeling in family prayer and asked "Fred, do you know who this is?" Fred pointed to the dad and said "Adam", then pointed to the mom and said "Laurie." Laurie asked if the little boy was Daisy. With a look that had 'are you kidding me?' written all over it he said "Noooooooooo!" Laurie asked who it was and he said, "Fred."

"Baby Flowers"

Fred has always called Daisy "Baby". We think that it is because they sound so close to the same that he thinks we are saying the same thing. We didn't realize to what extent his association between the two was until we were reading one of his books the other day and he pointed to some daisies and said "Look Daddy, "Baby Flowers!"

1st Rotation - Psychiatry

I just finished my first week of rotations. I got lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) to get Psychiatry first. So far it has been incredibly action packed (sarcasm added). I arrived Tuesday morning and worked on paperwork and badging all morning, but was told I couldn't do much without my badge that I would receive the next day so I could go home after lunch. Wednesday morning I started the morning by chatting with Dr. Timnak for a couple of hours. Then I attended a group therapy session which was kind of interesting. After lunch, the patient we were supposed to see didn't show up, so I was sent home at 1:30. Thursday was Air Force Family Day (A holiday) so we didn't work and Friday was the 4th of July. So, after my first week of rotations, I have spent and hour and half in a group therapy session. I sure hope I get to see some patients during this rotation!