Its official, we got the keys today! If you double click a photo it will show the picture name which is a description of the room.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
I hate moving!
I know I'm not the only one. But I just have to complain for a minute. HOW in the world are you supposed to take care of a family and pack up your whole house? I have a confession to make, something that most of you probably already know. I am totally scatterbrained. I hate it. Growing up I always thought of myself as a smart girl. I did well in school and for the most part felt good about myself. When I was 17 or 18 a guy I knew said "You know... I think you're the ditzy kind of smart." At the time I was shocked and appalled. But I have come to realize that it's way more true than I want it to be. I have a hard time remembering to feed my kids. Now you are all shocked and appalled. I don't like to admit this to Carson because he feels like our kids aren't well taken care of (but of course he is painfully aware of my inadequacies). We make projects and go on trips and read stories, but we don't always eat at regular times. I'm getting better, especially at having a regular nap time, and we have more of a morning routine now that Trey is in school. Of course I do feed the kids, but sometimes it's because Becks is climbing on the counters and getting into the snacks and I realize I should have made lunch half an hour ago. Anyway, I'm explaining this because I lose all my progress when I'm in the middle of something like moving. I hate to admit that I'm terrible at multi-tasking. I can't focus on packing and keeping the house clean and ordering appliances and blinds and updating our address and feeding the kids all at the same time. Some women can do this and not be so overwhelmed that they feel like they're going to throw up, but not me. I'm just happy to know that it will be mostly over in a week and that we won't be moving again for a long, long time.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Oops!
In the excitement of our walk through and seeing our house finished (or mostly finished as there will be a few things to be taken care of before we move next Wednesday) we forgot to take our camera and take pictures. I promised a few people that I would post the pix this weekend, but we'll have to do it on Wednesday when we close on the house. In the mean time, check out the following video and see how you do...
This was posted on a forum that I participate in to show how our preconceived notions can lead us to focus on specifics that might make us miss other details that are blatantly obvious.
This was posted on a forum that I participate in to show how our preconceived notions can lead us to focus on specifics that might make us miss other details that are blatantly obvious.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Boyz
Video could take a minute to load (15mb)...Rumor has it that Calderwood boys learn how to dance before they can walk....
Since this blog is the only form of a journal that we keep, here is a little update about T-doggy dog.
Trevor is our little scientist. His recent discovery is multiplication. We had gone over the concept a couple of weeks ago, but hadn't talked about it since then. At dinner he started asking about it so we did the 2x3 and 2x4. He did them surprisingly fast so we threw out 3x3 and he said 9 after a couple of seconds. We went up to 4x5 and he got that! We couldn't believe it, but 5x5 was too much, he said 30, then got it right after we said that was wrong. It's fun to see his confidence beam as he sees our surprise and amazement. We got his winter report card today and he is still excelling in math. His teacher is surprised with his huge improvements in reading (we have been working really hard on it!) but of course he still has issues with sitting still, being quiet and paying attention. Good luck kiddo, your mom still has those problems too! [Written by Marisa].
Now that his missing tooth space is being filled by his permanent he is very happy about how big he is getting. He wanted to practice riding his bike some more now that the weather has been getting warmer. He usually isn't one to press through something difficult so we were happy to see him work through the falls and keep trying. After a couple trips up and down the street he was able to ride on his own. Starting and stopping is still on the list of things to learn, but he is very happy to peddle on his own. So much so that he drew the following picture...
His favorite activity at church to stay quiet during sacrament is drawing. Here are a couple of his drawings from last Sunday...
I don't think the retrieval of the golden plates or the first vision occurred at night (Oh how lovely was the morning?), but whatever.
We were looking through and old issue of the Friend (April 07) for family scripture study tonight. After reading the last story we flipped the page to a comic called "Matt and Mandy." It was a story about two kids discussing whether or not Mormon's are Christians. I asked Trey after we looked at it if he knew what was happening. He related the story pretty well. I asked him who is more important out of Jesus and Joseph. He wisely said Jesus. When I asked why he said, "Because He's our Savior." I asked "What was Joseph?" and he said, "A prophet." I was impressed to see how well he has learned that topic and we went through an imaginary discussion with me being the fellow Christian not believing he is Mormon and he fared pretty well.
Right now his favorite things are searching for Sonic the Hedgehog videos on YouTube, playing Lego Star Wars, sneaking in a game of Halo with dad when Mom is not home and Bex is in bed, reading "Magic Tree House" books, playing Legos, going into Caeden's room when he wakes up to be the first to tell him Good Morning, drawing, crafts, cartoons and Dance Time when dad comes home.
Bex has learned the fun of the computer and now we have FOUR people fighting for the computer with the kids' computer having died and the laptop always upstairs. This does not make Dad happy to have so much competition. The above picture was a blank page that Bex colored by moving the paintbrush to the different colors and clicking, then clicking on what area of the picture he wants to be that color. He likes this Little People picture the best because he says that it looks just like him. He always paints the shoes blue to match his Vans and the shirt orange because that is his favorite color. He paints it, erases it, paints it, and does this over and over. Its a good way to keep him busy and he is getting some good finger clicking skills.
As we get to know Caeden better the most obvious thing we are learning is that he has a short temper. The best way to describe him is bi-polar. He is either really happy or really mad. There is no middle ground for him! He frequently brings us his shoes to let us know he wants to go outside. He has had multiple ear infections and water on the ears for a few months now so he doesn't say any words yet; occasionally we think we hear a "Mama" or "Dada," but he is finding other ways to communicate. He figured out that he can make us laugh and loves to be the center of attention.
Since this blog is the only form of a journal that we keep, here is a little update about T-doggy dog.
Trevor is our little scientist. His recent discovery is multiplication. We had gone over the concept a couple of weeks ago, but hadn't talked about it since then. At dinner he started asking about it so we did the 2x3 and 2x4. He did them surprisingly fast so we threw out 3x3 and he said 9 after a couple of seconds. We went up to 4x5 and he got that! We couldn't believe it, but 5x5 was too much, he said 30, then got it right after we said that was wrong. It's fun to see his confidence beam as he sees our surprise and amazement. We got his winter report card today and he is still excelling in math. His teacher is surprised with his huge improvements in reading (we have been working really hard on it!) but of course he still has issues with sitting still, being quiet and paying attention. Good luck kiddo, your mom still has those problems too! [Written by Marisa].
Now that his missing tooth space is being filled by his permanent he is very happy about how big he is getting. He wanted to practice riding his bike some more now that the weather has been getting warmer. He usually isn't one to press through something difficult so we were happy to see him work through the falls and keep trying. After a couple trips up and down the street he was able to ride on his own. Starting and stopping is still on the list of things to learn, but he is very happy to peddle on his own. So much so that he drew the following picture...
His favorite activity at church to stay quiet during sacrament is drawing. Here are a couple of his drawings from last Sunday...
I don't think the retrieval of the golden plates or the first vision occurred at night (Oh how lovely was the morning?), but whatever.
We were looking through and old issue of the Friend (April 07) for family scripture study tonight. After reading the last story we flipped the page to a comic called "Matt and Mandy." It was a story about two kids discussing whether or not Mormon's are Christians. I asked Trey after we looked at it if he knew what was happening. He related the story pretty well. I asked him who is more important out of Jesus and Joseph. He wisely said Jesus. When I asked why he said, "Because He's our Savior." I asked "What was Joseph?" and he said, "A prophet." I was impressed to see how well he has learned that topic and we went through an imaginary discussion with me being the fellow Christian not believing he is Mormon and he fared pretty well.
Right now his favorite things are searching for Sonic the Hedgehog videos on YouTube, playing Lego Star Wars, sneaking in a game of Halo with dad when Mom is not home and Bex is in bed, reading "Magic Tree House" books, playing Legos, going into Caeden's room when he wakes up to be the first to tell him Good Morning, drawing, crafts, cartoons and Dance Time when dad comes home.
Bex has learned the fun of the computer and now we have FOUR people fighting for the computer with the kids' computer having died and the laptop always upstairs. This does not make Dad happy to have so much competition. The above picture was a blank page that Bex colored by moving the paintbrush to the different colors and clicking, then clicking on what area of the picture he wants to be that color. He likes this Little People picture the best because he says that it looks just like him. He always paints the shoes blue to match his Vans and the shirt orange because that is his favorite color. He paints it, erases it, paints it, and does this over and over. Its a good way to keep him busy and he is getting some good finger clicking skills.
As we get to know Caeden better the most obvious thing we are learning is that he has a short temper. The best way to describe him is bi-polar. He is either really happy or really mad. There is no middle ground for him! He frequently brings us his shoes to let us know he wants to go outside. He has had multiple ear infections and water on the ears for a few months now so he doesn't say any words yet; occasionally we think we hear a "Mama" or "Dada," but he is finding other ways to communicate. He figured out that he can make us laugh and loves to be the center of attention.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Tagged Squared
Risa tagged Jodee and then Jodee tagged me. She already tagged me a year ago so I can't ignore her twice. But, before I do that, I love competition and see if you can best me on this...
86 words
I really think I can do better, but it is too late to do more than a few tries tonight. The best thing is that fancy fingers Marisa the piano player has always thought she was faster than me the computer nerd. Tonight, the nerds won!
Anyway, back to the tag...
A- The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B- Each player answers the questions about themselves.
I'm a guy so I tag the only other three guys that I know even post on their blogs: Cody, Chuck G., Zach.
86 words
I really think I can do better, but it is too late to do more than a few tries tonight. The best thing is that fancy fingers Marisa the piano player has always thought she was faster than me the computer nerd. Tonight, the nerds won!
Anyway, back to the tag...
A- The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B- Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C- At the end of the post, the player then tags 3 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
The questions:
10 years ago...
5 things on my to-do list today
5 Snacks I enjoy
What I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire
3 of my bad habits
5 places I have lived
5 jobs that I have had
5 Things people don't know about me
10 years ago...
- I had been hit by a car two months ago, just got out of a wheel chair, still peed in a jar at night (wide-mouth Mason) that my sweet sister and mom would haul to the bathroom for me. My journal from 3-10-98 said that I bought a good luck charm for my then girlfriend so that she would win the NCAA women's three point contest that she was going to be in shortly and I failed a math quiz in Calculus, the only class I kept that semester after getting hit by a car. My mom would help lay me down in the back of her SUV so I could keep my crushed leg elevated, then drive me to Provo for my class and drive me back home.
- I had been hit by a car two months ago, just got out of a wheel chair, still peed in a jar at night (wide-mouth Mason) that my sweet sister and mom would haul to the bathroom for me. My journal from 3-10-98 said that I bought a good luck charm for my then girlfriend so that she would win the NCAA women's three point contest that she was going to be in shortly and I failed a math quiz in Calculus, the only class I kept that semester after getting hit by a car. My mom would help lay me down in the back of her SUV so I could keep my crushed leg elevated, then drive me to Provo for my class and drive me back home.
5 things on my to-do list today
1 - finish getting the estimates from the fence builders, front yard landscaper, hydroseeders and decide who to use
2 - give new address to driver's license, insurances, magazines, amazon, gap, old navy, roboform, credit cards, friends/family, bank, mortgage company,
3 - design sprinkler system and reserve or order bobcat, roller, blinds, hyrdroseed, topsoil, uhaul for Portland, uhaul for move
4 - verify everything is completed and correct with lender and title company
5 - update business plan and pro forma for business loan
1 - finish getting the estimates from the fence builders, front yard landscaper, hydroseeders and decide who to use
2 - give new address to driver's license, insurances, magazines, amazon, gap, old navy, roboform, credit cards, friends/family, bank, mortgage company,
3 - design sprinkler system and reserve or order bobcat, roller, blinds, hyrdroseed, topsoil, uhaul for Portland, uhaul for move
4 - verify everything is completed and correct with lender and title company
5 - update business plan and pro forma for business loan
5 Snacks I enjoy
- Costco's chocolate covered almonds
- sugar snap pees
- chips and salsa
- Starbuck's Vanilla Creme Steamer
- sipping brothy soups
- Costco's chocolate covered almonds
- sugar snap pees
- chips and salsa
- Starbuck's Vanilla Creme Steamer
- sipping brothy soups
What I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire
- pay off my school loans, not take out huge business loan, pay off the new house, let Marisa start her own business, start a scholarship for BYU predental students that pay for all of school by themselves like I did, buy a ranch in Snoqualmie Valley for my parents, buy a 67' mustang for my dad and a 2009 mustang for my bro, not buy anything for my sister because she already has everything and put the rest into a hedge fund for Ronnie to manage and run a charity with the yearly earnings.
- pay off my school loans, not take out huge business loan, pay off the new house, let Marisa start her own business, start a scholarship for BYU predental students that pay for all of school by themselves like I did, buy a ranch in Snoqualmie Valley for my parents, buy a 67' mustang for my dad and a 2009 mustang for my bro, not buy anything for my sister because she already has everything and put the rest into a hedge fund for Ronnie to manage and run a charity with the yearly earnings.
3 of my bad habits
- the closer I am to a person the more critical I am of them
- I am a research/spreadsheet nazi. It has made me spend literally hundreds of hours researching everything for the new house and practice at the expense of time with my kids and wife
- I use the pain in my left leg as an excuse to not exercise and it depresses me that I am in such bad shape.
- the closer I am to a person the more critical I am of them
- I am a research/spreadsheet nazi. It has made me spend literally hundreds of hours researching everything for the new house and practice at the expense of time with my kids and wife
- I use the pain in my left leg as an excuse to not exercise and it depresses me that I am in such bad shape.
5 places I have lived
- Maple Valley, WA
- Maryland: Owings Mills two different apartments and one for three months in the semi-ghetto
- Provo and Sandy, UT
- Argentina
- Victor Idaho
- Maple Valley, WA
- Maryland: Owings Mills two different apartments and one for three months in the semi-ghetto
- Provo and Sandy, UT
- Argentina
- Victor Idaho
5 jobs that I have had
- Dentist, Dental Assistant, Lab tech for ortho lab
- College: window washer, car detailer
- Concrete cutter
- shop boy for a car dealership (wash, detail, transport cars)
- Dishwasher, buser at Frontier Pies
- Dentist, Dental Assistant, Lab tech for ortho lab
- College: window washer, car detailer
- Concrete cutter
- shop boy for a car dealership (wash, detail, transport cars)
- Dishwasher, buser at Frontier Pies
5 Things people don't know about me
- I kind of talk so much there isn't much people don't know about me other than the following story, which is a little scary to write...
I moved from the "poor" West Side of the SLC valley to the "rich" East Side where I went to school with people like Larry H. Miller's kids and was made fun of for wearing my "cowboy shirts" to school. I already didn't have a lot of personal confidence and this made it even worse. I used to dream about the time I would get into middle school because I would be with the sons of my mom's best friend and knew that at least then I would have someone who liked me in school. After dealing with this for a few years I finally was able to begin to get confidence after reading the first part of Alma 38:12 and all of Ether 12:27 at age 14 or 15. I decided that if I wanted to start getting girls to date when I turned 16 and prepare to be a confident missionary and future business person that I had to overcome this issue. I worked hard at it, then as a Junior (age 16) had lots of immediate success in wrestling, had one of the best looking girls in the school want to be my girlfriend and I started to do much better in school. Still to this day I see myself as the scared little boy and am still amazed when people like me or see me as confident.
- I kind of talk so much there isn't much people don't know about me other than the following story, which is a little scary to write...
I moved from the "poor" West Side of the SLC valley to the "rich" East Side where I went to school with people like Larry H. Miller's kids and was made fun of for wearing my "cowboy shirts" to school. I already didn't have a lot of personal confidence and this made it even worse. I used to dream about the time I would get into middle school because I would be with the sons of my mom's best friend and knew that at least then I would have someone who liked me in school. After dealing with this for a few years I finally was able to begin to get confidence after reading the first part of Alma 38:12 and all of Ether 12:27 at age 14 or 15. I decided that if I wanted to start getting girls to date when I turned 16 and prepare to be a confident missionary and future business person that I had to overcome this issue. I worked hard at it, then as a Junior (age 16) had lots of immediate success in wrestling, had one of the best looking girls in the school want to be my girlfriend and I started to do much better in school. Still to this day I see myself as the scared little boy and am still amazed when people like me or see me as confident.
I'm a guy so I tag the only other three guys that I know even post on their blogs: Cody, Chuck G., Zach.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Tagged
I thought I would never get tagged. It seems everyone has been doing it on their blog and I figured the reason no one ever tags me is because they know I'm such a slacker with those things that I would never do it! I don't think I have ever returned an email survey, I just never make the time to do it. But I really enjoy reading all of yours so I guess it's time to return the favor!
A: The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B: Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C: At the end of the post, the player then tags 3 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
The questions:
10 years ago:
5 things on my to-do list today:
5 Snacks I enjoy:
What I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire:
3 of my bad habits:
5 places I have lived:
5 jobs that I have had:
5 Things people don't know about me:
Here's all you never wanted to know:
10 years ago:
I was a senior in high school, anxious to go to BYU and definitely not expecting to be engaged within a year!!!
5 things on my to-do list today:
It's Sunday so today is pretty easy...
1) Play with the kids
2) Sweep the floor
3) Choir Practice
4) Maybe scrap before I have to box it all up
5) Try crockpot chicken enchiladas for dinner
5 Snacks I enjoy:
1) Popcorn
2) Grapes
3) Chocolate soymilk
4) Cashews
5) Lest I sound like I eat healthy all the time, I love sugar candy like Nerds, Gobstoppers, Swedish Fish, etc.
What I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire:
1) Pay off our student loans, the house and Carson's practice
2) Buy my parents a house on a river and Carson's parents a ranch in the Cle Elum area
3) Open a kid-friendly cafe with healthy organic food that's fun for kids and super yummy for adults and a big playland that's sanitized daily
4) Hire a personal chef, gardener and housecleaner, at least while the kids are young, so I have more time with them
5) Adopt girls from foreign orphanages.
3 of my bad habits:
1) Procrastination!
2) I talk too much and listen too little
3) Spending too much money on scrapbook supplies
5 places I have lived:
1) Provo, UT
2) Renton, WA
3) Bellevue, WA
4) Owings Mills, MD
5) Maple Valley, WA
5 jobs that I have had:
1) Gardening help for my parents' neighbors
2) Realtor for Century 21
3) Piano teacher
4) Research assistant at UMD Medical School
5) Full-time mom of 3 crazy little boys!
5 Things people don't know about me:
1) I can guide a whitewater rafting boat
2) I was the first person from my middle school to go to the state math competition
3) I played the alto sax in the jazz band and took private lessons for years
4) I have never had a manicure (and only had a pedicure once because my friends gave me a coupon for my baby shower!)
5) I almost died of hypothermia when I was 13
Okay, now I guess I have to tag 3 people (and sorry if you've been tagged before, it seems like everyone has!)... Lisa Calderwood, Jodee Chapman, Emily Rehrer
A: The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B: Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C: At the end of the post, the player then tags 3 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
The questions:
10 years ago:
5 things on my to-do list today:
5 Snacks I enjoy:
What I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire:
3 of my bad habits:
5 places I have lived:
5 jobs that I have had:
5 Things people don't know about me:
Here's all you never wanted to know:
10 years ago:
I was a senior in high school, anxious to go to BYU and definitely not expecting to be engaged within a year!!!
5 things on my to-do list today:
It's Sunday so today is pretty easy...
1) Play with the kids
2) Sweep the floor
3) Choir Practice
4) Maybe scrap before I have to box it all up
5) Try crockpot chicken enchiladas for dinner
5 Snacks I enjoy:
1) Popcorn
2) Grapes
3) Chocolate soymilk
4) Cashews
5) Lest I sound like I eat healthy all the time, I love sugar candy like Nerds, Gobstoppers, Swedish Fish, etc.
What I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire:
1) Pay off our student loans, the house and Carson's practice
2) Buy my parents a house on a river and Carson's parents a ranch in the Cle Elum area
3) Open a kid-friendly cafe with healthy organic food that's fun for kids and super yummy for adults and a big playland that's sanitized daily
4) Hire a personal chef, gardener and housecleaner, at least while the kids are young, so I have more time with them
5) Adopt girls from foreign orphanages.
3 of my bad habits:
1) Procrastination!
2) I talk too much and listen too little
3) Spending too much money on scrapbook supplies
5 places I have lived:
1) Provo, UT
2) Renton, WA
3) Bellevue, WA
4) Owings Mills, MD
5) Maple Valley, WA
5 jobs that I have had:
1) Gardening help for my parents' neighbors
2) Realtor for Century 21
3) Piano teacher
4) Research assistant at UMD Medical School
5) Full-time mom of 3 crazy little boys!
5 Things people don't know about me:
1) I can guide a whitewater rafting boat
2) I was the first person from my middle school to go to the state math competition
3) I played the alto sax in the jazz band and took private lessons for years
4) I have never had a manicure (and only had a pedicure once because my friends gave me a coupon for my baby shower!)
5) I almost died of hypothermia when I was 13
Okay, now I guess I have to tag 3 people (and sorry if you've been tagged before, it seems like everyone has!)... Lisa Calderwood, Jodee Chapman, Emily Rehrer
Monday, March 03, 2008
Free Phone Navigator
Marisa and I have built up an image of getting lots of things for free amongst a few of our friends that know us well. Here is a new one that I like and an oldie, but a goody.
We have one GPS navigator, but sometimes Marisa will have it when I am in the other car and I wish I had it as well. I found a free service that will give you directions via text message to your cell phone. Try it out, you just pay for text messages (ten cents with verizon) if you don't already get them for free.
Also, we frequently use 1-800-free-411 to get a phone number or address for free when we are out and about. You have to listen to a 30 second commercial, but well worth it when you are in a pinch on the road and don't have internet access on your phone.
We have one GPS navigator, but sometimes Marisa will have it when I am in the other car and I wish I had it as well. I found a free service that will give you directions via text message to your cell phone. Try it out, you just pay for text messages (ten cents with verizon) if you don't already get them for free.
Also, we frequently use 1-800-free-411 to get a phone number or address for free when we are out and about. You have to listen to a 30 second commercial, but well worth it when you are in a pinch on the road and don't have internet access on your phone.
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