Another Stroller Quest

I bought another stroller recently. I know, it's terrible. My inventory to date includes:

1) Kolcraft Universal Car Seat Carrier (the frame kind that the bucket/infant seat fits into)












2) Combi Savona PM: My favorite all time. Five Stars. We bought this when Evalyn outgrew her infant carseat. It's taken a beating but does so much: flat fold, flat recline, removable/swing out snack tray/cup holder, parent pocket/cup holder, carseat carrier compatible, a fabric "boot" to hold in blankets when they're little, large basket AND weighs around 14 lbs. Very light weight. I LOVE it. Sadly, I don't think they're making this exact model anymore, but ebay might have something on it. This stroller is very sentimental because it has gone everywhere with us.












3) Single Jogger: A dear friend lent this to me (and later let me keep it) when Evalyn was old enough. She and I used to jog taking turns pushing her daughter. I used it extensively until I had Henry. It is super lightweight and handles very easily. I could never find anything about the manufacturer. It needs some TLC and a few missing bolts to get it "running" again. I'm hoping at some point to be at home with only one child to exercise with!!

4) Tike Tech Double Trouble Jogging Stroller: I spent a long time comparison shopping for features, price, fold-ability, narrowness (ie can fit through a regular door) and ended up buying this one for $300. For the most part I'm happy with it. Quality is a bit lacking (a strap broke on the original seat AND the replacement they sent me) not to mention the overuse of Velcro strips. If I were to replace it, I'd definitely get something with a front swivel wheel that can also lock in place for running. Maybe the BOB? They're so stinking expensive!













That's all that I technically currently own. I bought a used Chicco Velocita side-be-side umbrella type stroller from Craigslist and gave it away before we moved. It was too wide for doorways, but was great for taking on road trips because it folded compactly. I also bought a used Graco DuoGlider very shortly after Henry was born so I could go places with a sleeping newborn and a 19mo. But it was sooo bulky and heavy that I rarely used it. It made the move, but is currently at my sister's awaiting a Craigslist post.

SO, what new stroller is taking the #5 spot? A Baby Trend Sit-n-Stand LX! (Five is where Matt draws the line, though he'd be more than happy with only owning one. In my defense, only 3 are really "in use") If I'd had my druthers, I would've bought this one when Henry was born and avoided the trial and error of the other two strollers. But it didn't have the parent tray back then. And I wasn't sure how an under 2yo would do on the riding platform.

It was on back order at Target.com (we wanted the gray one) and should be arriving soon. I opted to buy new for two reasons: used ones are in high demand, I can't find one on a craigslist near me. And I really want the parent tray/cupholder (so silly I know). It's a very versatile stroller: carseat carrier/regular seat up front, seatbelt on sitting platform in back, handles for preschooler to hold on to while standing. Of course I'm planning on maxing the 80 lbs weight recommendation by putting 20 pound Linnea (yes! 19 lbs 4 oz a month ago), 34 pound Henry and occasionally 32 pound Evalyn in it when she's too tired to walk.

My routine thus far when going out with 3 kids under age 4 is: Linnea on my back in the Ergo, Henry in the cart/stroller, and Evalyn walking along or kneeling/sitting in the cart. This works pretty good, but the heavier Linnea gets the more tiring the whole routine is. Especially for quick diaper/formula/milk runs. When Linnea was sleeping in her infant seat, I'd sometimes wear Henry on my back instead. Whew! I'm tired just thinking about it.

When I was up in Salem/Portland a month ago, I stopped at Babies R Us and spent awhile trying out strollers there and at Segals, a local baby outfitter type store. I tested out the two sit and stand style strollers: Baby Trend's Sit-n-Stand and the Joovy Caboose. BRU had the Joovy but I didn't care for it (no parent tray for one). Segal's had two versions of the Sit-n-Stand, one with a convertible back seat so it looked like a double stroller. I preferred the regular one (obviously, since that's what I ordered) but it was way overpriced. I'd squirreled away some gift cards and Christmas money, plus the cash from the DuoGlider (whenever it sells), so hopefully we will all like this stroller. If not, there's always Craigslist..... at least I know it's in demand!

Four Generations

On Saturday we drove up to Salem to spend the weekend with my Grandma Z. My mom was hosting a mother/daughter beach retreat for her mom and 3 sisters. Most of my mom's family is in Utah so the last time I saw any of them was in late 2004 at my Grandpa's funeral. So even though it feels like we've had some full weekends lately, we made the drive to have the chance to connect with some family. Especially since my Grandma hadn't met our two youngest children! Linnea is her 50th great grandchild!!

The trip was much easier with Daddy along (compared with February's drive). Matt was fishing all day Friday with some work buddies at Upper Klamath Lake. He caught some big fish! I was all packed by the evening (usually I'm doing last minute packing the morning of) and stayed up late cleaning the house (so much nicer to come home to!). We made good time and arrived in Salem right around noon. Before we could visit though, I had to run the van to the dealership for oil change/warranty stuff. Finally around 2:00 I was able to sit outside in the lovely spring weather with my Grandma and visit with her while Evalyn played on the swings and in the dirt with Troy and Ben and Linnea ate grass and flowers. Matt and Henry went to get much needed haircuts!

It was so good to reconnect. I love how my grandma has always been the center point for family communications. She keeps tabs on all of her many grandchildren and great grandchildren. She always sends birthday cards. When I was at BYU for school I would often call and always say on the phone "It's your favorite granddaughter!" "Which one?" Was her reply. She has a great sense of humor and I always liked to hear her stories of growing up and raising kids as they moved around in the Air Force.

It was also a realization that my grandma is more elderly than I remember, just as spunky as ever but more physically limited. As my mom led her over the uneven grass to a lawn chair, it gave me a glimpse into the future. That time moves faster than our memory and in the not too far off future, I will be in my mother's shoes. (Mom this doesn't mean I think your really old, it means I'm getting older!) It was a lovely little afternoon though. Talking and watching the kids play in the beautiful weather.

Later, my mom arrived back from the airport with my Aunt Jinny, Aunt Cherie and her two kids Dean and Renee. We sat down for a turkey and mashed potato dinner then visited for awhile before the kids got restless and we went to Heather's apartment to crash for the night. I was hoping to come back to my parent's after helping Matt get E and H down, but was too exhausted.

Sunday Heather and Oswaldo cooked up some yummy blueberry cornmeal pancakes, the kids loved that they got to help add the blueberries. We went to church in my "home" ward/congregation where I spent my teenage growing up years. It was neat to see friends/mentors who made a big difference in my life as a youth. It felt very circular to introduce my children to them and to see kids I used to babysit now grown to the age I was when I left for school and my parents moved.



After church we took some "maternal line" four generation pictures in the backyard underneath the old oak trees growing there. I wanted to get them in the background, but the lighting/slope of the land didn't work so well. Of course my brother and his wife and daughters weren't there. So my dad called it more of a "mitochondrial DNA" picture instead. It was a short weekend but I'm glad we made the trip. It is always good to reconnect with family, whatever the occasion.



Oh, and one of the most memorable moments was the kids finding the lower half of a dead snake on the grass. Everyone was being all squeamish about it. Then Grandma Z walks over, bends down and picks it up! Much to the delight and surprise of her great-grandchildren!

Rainbow Stripe Window Shades

So. The girls room is in desperate need of window treatments. The original drapes with the pull strings were yanked down by the kids and were terribly dated and dusty anyway. We've been "temporarily" hanging various sheets and blankets over the old drapery rod for several months now. It's embarrassing, especially since those windows are the most visible from the street. There were also some plastic tinted roller shades to minimize sun exposure since they're south facing windows.

I almost bought some premade ones, but the problem is the windows are very wide (6ft/72in). And there is furniture beneath both windows so I can't have the standard floor length kind. But because of the width, a lot of typical non-floor length child safe shades won't work. Plus I want a certain kind of look to the room. Something that will go with whatever girly themes are in the rest of the room. AND I don't want to spend 80 bucks a window to achieve that look.

Solution: reuse wooden roller shade, let Evalyn pick out fabric at Walmart on a whim one day, (much later on) buy blackout liner fabric on sale at JoAnn's. Measure, cut, glue, sew.... "Put them together and what do you get? Bippity Boppity Bippity Boppity Boo!"



A very bold rainbow striped custom-made roller shade. Cost: $15 (mostly the fabric since I had all the extras, I added in $3 for that)Very worthy of a Design on a Dime episode. Except that nothing is straight/square when you look closely.

I don't like it. I shoulda just used the white roller shade material sans rainbow stripes. It was so tedious to do and would be hard to replicate that I don't want to do the other window. The following picture shows the two patterns I would like to use for curtains. They're actually twin flat sheets, but could totally be cut up and remade for the same price as buying premade.



The butterflies go better with the stripes. But I like the flowers better. And the walls definitely could go a shade darker of pink so they aren't so pale. I'm tempted to take the remaining two yards of rainbow stripe fabric that Evalyn so loves and make a pillow/case or dress or something that she'd love even more. And then undo what I did and start again. Which way to go?? On with the jarring rainbow shade or start over?

American Idol: I Quit

(SPOILER WARNING: If you haven't already watched/heard the results OR are participating in National Turn Off the TV Week, which we obviously are not)

This is the first year I've actually watched American Idol. I'd see the previews and hype as we fast forwarded through commercials during previous seasons while watching other shows (Bones, House, 24). Maybe it was because of the writers strike that we were lured in. Or maybe because I happened to paint the family room on a Tuesday and Wednesday night in February. But we've kept watching it and I'm surprised that I've liked it as much as I have. Enough to get annoyed when Matt cheats and watches it solo. (Lost is at the top though, you're in BIG trouble if you cheat on that one!)

I was soo shocked when Michael Johns was voted off a few weeks ago. I thought he'd be in the Final Four. And then, how does "Dreads" aka Jason Castro aka "Jack Johnson" continue to stay on despite his mediocre performances??? Who is voting for these guys?? And don't get me started on David Archu-Perfect (too late, I'm on a roll). He's a nice kid, a great singer, but he sings almost every song the same way. He has a good voice/tone/pitch/whatever but is rather boring in my opinion. Or forgettable as Simon so often says. Even if "America" aka "teenage girls with AT&T Wireless Plans" votes for him every week, it floors me that the judges think he's amazing every week. Yawn. I think he is talented and nice and cute, just not dynamic and interesting.

Onto tonight's Results Show. Syesha brought down the house. Amazing performance. Her voice, her energy, simply fabulous. What the heck was she doing in the Bottom Two? And Carly? She had one of her bests nights. At least she went out on a very strong note. Meanwhile Dreads and Brooke are safe. I thought they'd be the Bottom Two and he'd be singing Memory again to the swooning girls in the front. I like Brooke. I'm glad the "lost lyric" didn't hold her back. I love that she always wears modest but very stylish clothes. True to her faith. I'm glad she's made it this far. David Cook rocks. Syesha rocks. I even tried voting for her last night but only got the busy signal. Again I ask, Who's votes are being counted? Any of you ever vote and get through? Seems like a flawed system, not much different than voting for Homecoming King and Queen.

So I guess I won't quit. The week that Matt and I have been anticipating all season: Neil Diamond, baby. Oh yeah. We are stoked.

Song Predictions:

Sweet Caroline (too popular, thanks to the 7th inning stretch, maybe Dreads or Archie will attempt)
Forever in Blue Jeans (or Holly's Misheard version: Reverend Blue Jeans I'm not the only one) Syesha
Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show (David Cook)
Play Me (David Cook)
Soolaimon (Syesha)

Cracklin Rosie (Syesha)
September Morn (Brooke)
Song Sung Blue (Dreads)
I Am... I Said (Brooke)
Heartlight (David Archu-Perfect)
Holly Holy (probably no one, but of course I had to include it!)

Guess what'll be on my playlist this week?? :)

Naptime with 'Aninals'

These were too cute not to share.




I got the stuffed animals out of storage yesterday as a new distraction. Evalyn has loved getting reacquainted with them.

Linnea is 6 months old

(I started this post a month ago, but was waiting to upload photos with it. She's doing so much more just a few weeks later!)

It's amazing how many things a 6 months old can do, especially this one. She sits, rolls, squirms, grabs, scoots, moves, puts small things in her mouth and makes all sorts of fun noise and talking sounds. I'm mostly amazed by her mobility. She's not quite crawling yet, but she can get pretty much anywhere in the room she wants to. She gets a little frustrated about not being able to get back to sitting once she leaves that position, after she's done rolling and moving around.

She loves to pull hair, get her diaper changed, watch her big sister and brother play around her, grab at everything, especially things with buttons like remote controls.

Kaboost

Check out this cool kid gadget. No more booster seat! Our new table is a counter height one and the booster seats make it a bit tricky for the kids, especially Henry, to climb into. Plus the seats scratched the finish off the chair in a couple of small places after a few weeks. :(

I was planning on making a simple pillow with a removable cover. If it wasn't 40 bucks, I might consider it. Or maybe for Linnea's high chair since now she's a bit lower than we are at the table.

I heard about it from a blog I subscribe to: Parent Hacks. It has some fabulous suggestions, though some are kind of so-so. It's a great community of parents who have some ingenious ideas and helps.

At the Top of Victoria Falls

I got an email forward that described "The Devils Swimming Pool" at the top of Victoria Falls. Apparently during the drier season when the flows are low you can swim at the edge of the falls just before it plummets 300 feet below. The pictures were so amazing I had to look it up on snopes and sure enough it is TRUE! Check out the link and watch the two videos. Simply amazing. I wonder who discovered it first.... must have been a lucky accident or a big dare!! There's a slightly different description from this blog that is actually from The State of Jefferson, the region I currently reside in.

Anyway, hope you find it interesting. It's almost makes my hands sweat just imagining being in that precarious spot!

Building a Fence: The Long Weekend Phase

(It took me all week to get this written and photos uploaded and captioned. Notice the difference in the cherry blossoms.)

The past two weekends/weeks have been consumed with building our new "Henry Proof Fence" as we like to call it. The first weekend of April (also General Conference weekend for our church) was the only one my dad had available. So he drove down from Salem to help us get started. The days leading up to it were full:

• consulting with our neighbor (Pastor Don) on the actual property line. Previous owners hadn't bothered checking on this before they put in the existing fence in the wrong place.
  
• measuring and marking out the holes to be drilled (which also caused us to change our design plan)
  
• hiring Jack the excavator back to drill post holes and move brush piles around again
• order supplies for delivery on Friday morning from the local lumber company
• find straight 1x6 planking (not the more popular/available dog-eared boards) because of the design we're going for
  

As it turned out, we didn't need the planking that weekend because we only got as far as setting all 41 posts and screwing on the top rail. That was a feat in itself. My friend Sheila watched our kids on Friday which allowed me to work with my dad until Matt got home. Between the two of them almost all the posts were poured and set. Saturday was a lot of tag-teaming and drill driving with a piece of junk drill that stripped about every third screw. (My dad's trusty drill mysteriously failed on us.) Thank goodness Sunday was a day of rest! We doubled up on conference sessions and watched parts of Saturday's sessions on Sunday. I still have several talks to watch/listen/read that were obscured by needs of children and/or weariness.



The following weekend (this past one) Matt's Uncle Dougie drove up from Sacramento. What a lifesaver! The fence wouldn't have gotten finished without his help and expertise. He was amazing. Another essential factor was the help of our friend Chris. He came over on Thursday with a great Makita cordless driver drill with 3 battery packs, screws and some construction knowledge. With his help we got the bottom rail on and ready to go for Friday. Doug and Matt (with small Holly contributions when not chasing kids) got ALL the planks on around the entire 250 feet of fence. We're talking just under 500 boards! Whew. The weather was gorgeous though. Sunny with a light breeze. That evening Chris came back and helped figure out the two gates. He and Matt were out there by headlamp figuring out the details.

Saturday was warmer and more technical. We had to exchange lumber, get different hardware for the gates, choose a stain color, exchange the color, cut the planks down, remove the vinyl fencing (sadly not salvageable), get the two gates built/planked and pour the concrete for the drive through gate. I was mostly the babysitter for my kids and 3 of Chris's. They are 8, 5 and 3 so actually made it easier by occupying mine! I got some housework done inside in the morning before taking Henry out running the many hardware store errands while Linnea napped. Having the house clean and put together makes it soo much better when everything else is chaotic.

After a long day outside, Doug cooked an amazing grilled salmon dinner with cheesy baked rice, Caesar salad with homemade croutons, perfectly grilled asparagus, and fresh fruit. It was oh so wonderful. (One of his past careers was a professional caterer.) It was more than a treat to have him cook for us, especially after slaving away all day!



I can now let the kids out the back door without fear of finding Henry in the street. In fact, later on Saturday he ran outside without any pants on. I was about to chase him down then realized, "Hey, it's a privacy fence! No one can see in now. Run naked my dear boy! The sun is low enough in the sky that you won't get burned."

We still have a bit of work ahead for the fence to be officially "finished". Half the planks need the second screw in the top and bottom. The top 2x6 "rail" needs to get drilled on horizontally for the finished look we want. Plus staining both sides. That's 3,000 sq ft of stain. 10 gallons. Eeeks! The guys at Meek's Hardware and Lumber know me now. They even gave me contractor prices on the last few purchases we made. We still need to get the deer fencing up behind the 60 ft of split rail fencing. But that's a separate project. Oh and fixing the many punctures in the irrigation pipes that were busted and smashed by the various excavation and digging.....

Next project: landscaping the new backyard!