I'll get you next time, Gadget. Next time!

Anybody remember "Inspector Gadget?" I loved that show. Really that has nothing to do with this post, but I thought this title fit for Charlotte's interests right now. She is ALL about the electronics and gadgets.

Rich went a little (a lot) crazy at Christmas and bought this girl so many toys. I kept trying to remind him, "she is only six months old, we don't have to buy her every toy in the world right now. We will have other birthdays and Christmases to buy her things," but I am pretty sure those words went in one ear and out the other. Anyway, the point is Charlotte is super spoiled with toys.

Well, the other day I was looking through the pictures on our camera and I realized that every single picture had Charlotte playing with some gadget and all of her awesome toys littering the background-getting no love. She does like her toys, but it is so funny to me that she would grab the boring phone when there are squeaky, talking, rattling toys all around her.

Mmm...which one do I want?? Toy?? Phone??

I am going with phone

I am trying to distract her into taking her Sophie giraffe instead of my phone

But when I started texting it was all over. Forget you, Sophie!!

The one plus side is that since my work started doing some of our charts on the computer, Charlotte doesn't mind as much that I am doing my paperwork at home (but honestly I don't think she would mind the paper charts if I would only let her crinkly them up)

In fact, I think she kind of likes it.

Identity Theft

For the past 7 years I have been working in the Primary for my church. When I was first called to the Primary by my bishop in Provo, I was a little apprehensive. He said, "I think you will be perfect, because you are a kid at heart." It was a growing experience, but I enjoyed those two sweet little sunbeams. We moved and changed wards twice since then and both times I ended up in Primary within 2 weeks of moving in. I love primary. I love the simple lessons and the music. I love the sweet spirits of the children, I love their innocence and their willingness to learn. I think kids are hilarious and just so honest. I love that you are a celebrity when you walk down the halls of church...all the kids say hi or wave.

This Sunday I was released from my calling in Primary. I was heart broken. I couldn't stop crying through sacrament meeting and on my way home. I will miss the kids so much. I know that change is important and I really do feel like I am supposed to be in my new calling (relief society meeting leader), but it doesn't make it any easier. Primary has been part of my identity for the last 7 years. I am in mourning and needed to share. Also to any of my friends that are currently serving in primary: If you need a sub, feel free to call me!!

On a happier note, Charlotte got to meet Santa.

Big fail??

I just told Rich that I should update the blog and this is the conversation we had:

Me: I should update the blog

Rich: Yeah, you should. Baby pattern baldness was a big fail.

Me: oh really?

Rich: Yeah, you only got 2 comments

Me: hmm (I was chuckling that he was feeling like I had failed by not getting comments...I mean don't get me wrong I also like comments, but "Fail"? It just seems a little melodramatic)

Rich: I am not trying to make you feel bad, but there are a lot more cute pictures of Charlotte that you could post. People would rather see her cute face than her balding pate.

I guess I ought to update with cute pictures then.

Grandma came to visit. It was a quick visit, but we enjoyed it:

Thanksgiving was yummy:

Charbaby loved swimming with daddy and Doodoo and spending time with Nana:

Charlotte is cute:

This baby shower at our house was fun and Charlotte thought it was tiring:

Rich got puked on. He asked for a rag and I grabbed the camera:

Story from work/me ranting about things that annoy me: The other day I got a message from an 18 year old patient that said, "Needs birth control refilled. She is away for school and can't come in for an appointment" There was a sticky note on the chart that said, "Patient's mother called back 3 minutes after the patient called and said, 'Unless Julia (my coworker that was out that day) wants to take care of a baby she BETTER fill my daughter's birth control pills." This totally annoyed me. First of all, this girl hadn't been in for her appointment and I am SURE she was home all summer and waited until she was away to get this message in. But more importantly, I am shocked that the mother feels that it is OUR responsibility to prevent her daughter from getting pregnant. Seriously?!?! How about a little self control people.

Baby Pattern Baldness

This is male pattern baldness:

This is baby pattern baldness:

Halloween costumes

I have a love/hate relationship with halloween costumes. When I was growing up my mom would ask me what I wanted to be for halloween and I would have these grand plans in my head. For example in 3rd grade I wanted to be a genie (I Dream of Genie style) I had this vision of me actually looking EXACTLY like the girl from show. Then my mom broke the news that I would be too cold and immodest in the midriff-bearing outfit, but she could make a skin colored long sleeve shirt to go under it. I was so stubborn and didn't want a flesh colored shirt underneath. I cried, whined and pouted for 2 months in the hopes that she might change her mind and just let me be cold/hott (yes, hott with two T's. Showing your belly button always equals hott to a 3rd grader) on halloween. Then finally the day of our school party hit and reality set in...I really wan't going to transform into the genie and my mom wasn't budging. I rummaged around the house and decided to be "somebody who just woke up." I donned my bathrobe, slippers, ratted my hair into a fresh bed-head look and headed out. I was warm, but not hott. I still got candy so it wasn't a total bust.

Our first year here in Richmond we went to the ward party. Rich had a costume...I did not(I felt lame). We got to the party and saw all these great costumes and I realized the next time we would have to step it up a notch.

The next year I started brainstorming BEFORE the day of the party.

A few months before halloween I was listening to the TV in the other room and heard an eHarmony commercial. The idea came that we should be an eHarmony couple that didn't match with the posted profiles. Later that week I asked what he would think of shaving his head for the costume. It took him a total of three seconds to declare it "epic" and be on board. It was pretty epic...and quite honestly it freaked me out that this might be my future.

The next year we decided on H1N1 and then Rich caught H1N1.

So last year in July we came up with an awesome idea for halloween. It was 3rd grade all over again. We wanted to go as a mom with her baby in the baby bjorn. We couldn't figure out the physics of making me taller than Rich (the show Happy Endings managed it and I was pretty jealous).

We thought about him carrying me on his back all night, but we didn't know if that would work out. Anyway, last minute we had to scrap that idea and go with the Justin Beiber thing.

This year we decided in July to be the Charlotte's Web crew. I decided to become domesticated. I pulled out my sewing machine. My mom brought me this machine 4 years ago and she has showed me how to thread the bobbin 3 times. Despite her help, I was way too scared of it and had not ever used it. Finally this summer I googled it and figured it out. I was pretty proud of myself..

This year I was HATING the costume when I was finishing it at 1am but I loved how cute Charlotte looked the next day. We love our little Charlotte spider.

Grateful

I have to be honest. I am feeling pretty overwhelmed with life right now. There is so much to do with preparations for the primary program and the church halloween party/service project that the primary was put in charge of and full time work and a beautiful baby girl that deserves tons and tons of kisses and keeping my house from totally falling into chaos and laundry and dinner and trying to keep up with exercise and relationships with friends and...and...and..blah blah blah blah blah. The list goes on.

This morning I heard the sad news that my friend's little sister passed away and I have another friend that started out her week by getting a double mastectomy for breast cancer that will require chemo.

As I was driving home from church I was feeling a little sorry for myself and I thought of these two amazing ladies and how they must be feeling on this Sunday. I had the epiphany that I have so much to be grateful for. I composed a post in my head where I would post pictures of all the things I'm thankful for in my life (that is not going to happen...too much time and too many more important things that need to be done).

The point is:

1) I have so many things to be thankful for

2) To my friends who are suffering right now, I am praying for you.

A couple of pics for my family!!

We survived

I went back to work full time on Monday. Let me just say Monday morning was so very emotional. Mostly for me! Monday night we crashed.