Totally Moore-onic

Preschool Graduation!

2011-06-02T23:41:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday Macy!

2010-10-09T22:58:00.001-04:00

Earthquake predictions for West-Coast residents

2010-06-10T17:12:00.002-04:00

Earthquake Warning! Be Prepared!

New Floors and Butters' New Nails

2010-04-03T20:06:00.002-04:00

After Butters ripped up our carpet a month or so ago we've been waiting to get new floors. Last week we got them done and absolutely love them! After only a couple days of light play, however, we saw rather substantial scratches on the floor from the Butt. Nathan did some research and found out about a product called soft paws, which are basically glue on rubber nail covers for dogs. With color options such as black, clear and natural, Nathan felt that the choice of course had to be red. So, while we now can protect our floors, we've done it at the expense of our dogs' self esteem.

Sewing Saturday

2010-03-14T00:45:00.000-05:00

For the past couple of weeks Nathan has been on swing shift which means he goes to work around 1pm and gets back home around 1am. It's pretty rough because we don't really get a chance to hang out or talk. Saturday and Sunday mornings are our two chances to catch up during the week and I love them. This morning I was supposed to go to an amazing self defense class with the USS Nevada ladies, but after a week of stress at work and Butters destroying our house, I couldn't bear to miss out on my morning with Nathan. So, I skipped out on the class(hopefully I won't get attacked any time soon), and spent some quality time with my man. I woke up a lot earlier than him, but when he finally woke up we had a nice morning, used our deep fryer for the second time this week(this will not become a trend), and then said our good byes as he left for work. It was a beautiful day out, but still a bit chilly so rather than work on my yard, I decided to do a bunch of sewing. I've been working on some big projects and then some little ones, but I really wanted to make a couple of things for me that I could get done in a day. So, today, I made a shirt and a clothespin apron from start to finish. It was super fun to complete two things today and I can't wait to wear my shirt to school Monday and use my clothespin apron in a couple months when it's warm and dry enough to hang our laundry outside.
Happy Saturday!

The Tunic

Clothespin apron

One of Butters' mild shenanigans

cell phone pics - excuse the poor quality

2010-02-27T23:02:00.001-05:00

When you're Darth Vader you don't need pants...

"Don't be scared Mom...It's just me, Ikey."
She's been sad ALL day today...not sure why. I guess it's a girl thing.

Whose the diva with the long hair? :)

MYSTERY ROAD TRIP!!!!!

2010-02-20T22:10:00.006-05:00

Today I left what we were going to do today up to Nathan. My only stipulation was that I wanted to go somewhere because it has been incredibly beautiful the last few days. So, we leashed up Butters, hopped in the car and went for a drive. We drove through the Northern end of the Olympics and after about 2 and half hours of driving and Butters whining non stop, arrived at our destination... La Push! For those Twilight fans out there, you know what I'm talking about. It was beautiful! Crazy driftwood, crashing waves, cliffs in the distance... Fortunately for Butters, there were several dogs of their leashes so we let him go play and he was King of La Push, for about an hour that is. He was so brave! He doesn't have a history of loving water, but today he actually played in it! After playing with his friends, we put him back on his leash and took him for a walk where we did some crazy driftwood climbing. Nathan even brought butters up on some of the stumps VERY MUCH against his will, but it was worth it for the pictures. After La Push we drove through Forks. It was so uninspiring we drove past the High School and took the one picture you'll see on this post of the high school sign, just to prove we were there and then drove home. It was a most fantastic day and I have to give Nathan serious snaps for choosing to take me to Twilight country for our Saturday. And now, TONS of pictures. Note Butters in the car before the beach and then after.

Our Family Portrait

Other Blog

2010-02-19T23:24:00.002-05:00

http://mydeathstar.blogspot.com/

Twitter update from Macy

2010-02-15T17:20:00.001-05:00

After a full blown tantrum in the middle of Albertsons followed by chasing my brother around the park for two hours, I like to come home and curl up on Mom's bed in my Darth Vader cape for a little R&R. - Macy Moore

Big Girl Bed

2010-02-07T21:33:00.002-05:00

For the record we have no cribs in our house (but TWO in the garage if anyone wants to borrow)

rained in

2010-01-21T21:18:00.001-05:00

In case you haven't heard about it on the news, it's been raining all week here in our normally sunny little corner of the country. Southern California was not built for rain. And neither are my kids. They've been trapped inside non-stop. The highlight of their week so far was when Mom went to the gym and they got to play in the kids club. Ike is even tired of playing the Star Wars game

Macy doesn't seem to mind so much. At least she can still dress up like a princess. In fact she can CHANGE princess dresses as frequent as she wants since she's home with them all. This one she calls "Sleeping Beauty" for obvious reasons. She wore the blue one to the kids club at the gym and all the little girls there referred to her as "Cinderella" which I think she liked very much

Hope you all are staying warm and dry and fighting off the winter blues!

A Mysterious Visitor at G. and G.'s

2010-01-19T20:33:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, Josh, Heather and the boys were here. We heard a strange noise in the pantry. We wondered if it was a big rat. Cautiously, we looked in to the pantry, and this is what we found.

A Sunbeam

2010-01-05T21:38:00.001-05:00

Isaac is a Sunbeam! He said he had a lot of fun in Primary. His teacher took these pictures. She said she could not get one of him looking at the camera because whenever she asked him to look up he'd roar like a dinosaur. She also said that he was VERY reverent and when she asked him what he likes to do he said, "Play Mario Brothers!" Consequently Macy had her first Sunday alone in the Nursery. The Nursery leaders said she was, "very, very sad and kept asking for Isaac." Life's tough ey?

CHRISTMAS in WASHINGTON!!!

2010-01-01T15:07:00.001-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year! Nathan wasn't under water, so that was a plus, and it was our first Christmas in our First House and with our first dog. It was great!!! Nathan and his family are the sleep in on Christmas, have breakfast and then open present type of people, so he was expecting to sleep in a bit. I, on the other hand, am not a sleep in on Christmas person AT ALL! So, I woke up at about 6:30 because I couldn't sleep, fed and piddled Butters, then put him in his Santa suit and had him go wake up Nathan at around 7:00. Butters ran into the room and stuck his nose in Nathan's face and I informed Nathan the when Santa came to our house last night he decided to stick around. So much for sleeping in hun! We opened our presents in about 30 minutes and then spent the rest of the day cooking or pretty Thanksgivingy Christmas dinner. Butters stayed in his Santa Suit most of the day, which made me laugh tons, especially as he explored the yard in it. All in all, it was a great Christmas! Of course we miss our CA families, but it's really starting to feel that between the two of us, excuse me Butters, the three of us, we've got our own family going pretty strong. Happy New Year!
Our Christmas Tree Christmas morning
Me and the Butt
Santa
Butters Scouting out his loot
Jackpot!
Bath Salts and Chef Boyardee from my stocking
Tons of Candy Canes
What's Christmas without Star Wars Legos?
After the Storm
The boys cooking
"Santa" exploring the yard
Merry Christmas From Butters Too!

Song for the Mormons...

2009-12-21T00:59:00.000-05:00

I thought this was kinda funny....

Life Update

2009-11-22T12:23:00.001-05:00

Well, it has been quite a while since I've added anything to my blog so I decided to compose one of those grand sweep blog entries that discuss the bulk of what is going on in my life in a fairly brief manner. Let's begin. As many of you know that read my blog, if anyone actually reads my blog, Nathan is under water and has been for about a month. It's been tough, but honestly it isn't as bad as I'd feared and we both seem to be getting along pretty well! Normally while on patrol they don't get a chance to call, even when they pull into Hawaii for supplies, but the patrol Nathan is on had some special circumstances and most people were allowed to text their loved ones from Hawaii and some even got to call! Nathan was one such lucky individual who received permission to give me a call and it was wonderful! We were able to talk for nearly 30 minutes!!! Let me emphasize that wives never get phone calls from husbands on boomers (the type of sub Nathan is on), and even in this situation where several were allowed to phone home, most only got 5 minutes. Nathan must be on someone's good side. Along with the phone call and copious texting, they were able to send out paper mail which I just received! Nathan wrote me 34 page letter that he has worked on a bit every day since they've been gone. It covered a variety of topics from the super romantic, to jackass crewmembers, from the depressing to the down right absurd. Needless to say, there was nothing quite like my evening of huddling under a blanket while reading Nathan's letter and listening to Butters chew on his disgusting bone.
Butters is doing great, by the way. He's around 55lbs, super fit, and super ridiculous! He wakes me up every morning by scratching, which jingles his collar and then trotting over to my side of the bed and sticking his wet nose in my face. It's pretty endearing, at least it is when it's time for me to get up as well. He's definitely been a good companion. I think that maybe I'll try and get him to go out on Nathan's next patrol so he can be their sub dog and keep everyone company. That's a thing, right? A couple of days ago I bought Butters an amazing collar. If you can't tell in the pictures, it's argyle with skull and crossbones. The name of the design is Arrrrrgyle. He's being so good and I even let him have a super gross bone on the carpet (placed on a towel of course) and he amazingly stayed on the towel, well, at least for the most part.
As for things I've been doing, I'll start by what I haven't been doing, and that's laundry. I don't know why, but that is the one chore since Nathan has been gone that I absolutely hate doing! Once I get home from work laundry seems like the absolute most draining thing to do. Once I throw a load in, it's usually another couple of days before I fold it and then another day or so before I put it away. It's completely pathetic! Fortunately, the rest of my household chores haven't fallen by the wayside nearly as badly and the house still looks okay. Phew!
One thing I have been doing is organizing my sewing room. I'd call it a craft room, but I'm pretty sure my scrapbooking stuff is going to stay in its crate forever. Anyway, I folded all my fabric up, organized it in baskets, organized my patterns, etc, and it's finally coming together! I also finished the quilt top I've been working on and now just have to pony up and buy batting and backing. Well enough about sewing.
I'm spending quite a bit of time with some of the ladies on the Nevada and am loving it. We really lucked out with the group of people on Nathan's boat! Spending time with the ladies generally means spending more money than I should by going out to dinner, shows and shopping, but hey, my husband is under water! Whatever gets me through the day, right?
As for Washington, I really love it. The past couple weeks have been rough due to the fact that we've had half a day of sunshine during that span, but those glimpses of sun really do make up for how dreary it is in the rain.
I'm still planning on beginning a teaching program most likely in January or February, but am steering more toward a Montessori program which I'm really excited about. I finally feel like I've found the right fit for school and I am at peace over the whole education conundrum for the first time since I began searching for the right program.
To summarize, life is good. Of course it's difficult to not have my favorite person and love of my life by my side, but I know we'll be able to start right where we left off when he gets back and the distance helps us grow stronger. The rest of my life is going really well! I have great friends, a wonderful job and I think I finally know where I want to go next with my life, education and career wise. What more could I ask for?

Now for some pictures.
The following Pictures are in a pretty random order but I'm too lazy to rearrange them.

My 34 page letter from Nathan.

A sampling of the post its with sweet little notes hidden all over the house from Nathan, including on about 6 out of 12 cans of diet pepsi in a box that he opened and sneakily resealed.

My beautiful washer and dryer that are being utilized from the looks of it by a hobo

Flowers I received last week from Nathan

A close up of Butters' Arrrrrgyle collar. Pretty snazzy, right?

Butters being an idiot.

A sampling of my organized fabric.

And finally, my quilt top.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2009-10-31T23:23:00.001-04:00

Seattle Sci-Fi Museum and Butters' new trick

2009-10-12T23:13:00.004-04:00

Nathan and I are pretty much in love with where we're living. We love the people on Nathan's boat, we live in a gorgeous area and we're only a 30 minute ferry ride from Seattle. Just this past Saturday we visited the Science Fiction Museum. As Nathan and I are kinda nerds, we both agreed it was one of the coolest things ever. The museum made it like you were on a space ship and even had vibrating floors that made it feel like you were walking over the engine. Here are some of the highlights.
Nathan Outside the Crazy Looking Museum

The stairway leading you down into the spaceship level

The Actual Death Star Model used in Star Wars: Episode IV

Jake's Star Wars Collection

Alta's Dress made by Robbie The Robot in "Forbidden Planet"

Robbie the Robot Himself

And of Course, The Day the Earth Stood Still

We also went to Pikes Place Market, where we had excellent chowder and spent the rest of our Sur la Table store credit, which ended up being enough for a Cuisinart and some other fun stuff. All in all, it was a wonderful day!
Of course I can't post without something about Butters, so here's his newest trick. Hope you enjoy!
han

Macy is TWO!

2009-10-10T20:17:00.001-04:00

Meet Duke!

2009-09-21T01:13:00.005-04:00

Duke is the newest addition to our family. He has been with us for a little over a week now and we are loving him. He will be 4 years old in Nov. and weighs in at about 100 lbs. We found him through a Lab Rescue organization and the timing was such that we were able to get him directly from the owner. The owner had raised him from a puppy but had to part with him as they were moving to a house where they couldn't have dogs. It was kind of a teary parting, but he was so happy to know that his dog was going to a home where someone would love him and he would have room to run. We also said it would be an "open adoption" and they could visit him any time. It made me feel sad to think of parting with a dog that you loved. Jim and I were a bit stunned when we got him home and he ran around like a crazy dog. Our first thought was that we had made a big mistake! We had not bargained for a 100 lb. puppy! However, each day he has been calmer and is settling in very well. Jim even took him to Lake Sonoma. He minds for the most part and we can actually let him in the house and he stays on the wood floors. (I did preface that with "for the most part".) He is great with kids---loves Xander and Mason as well as Tucker.

Curtains, Pillows, Kitchen and a New Quilt

2009-09-17T17:15:00.001-04:00

Moving in has been fun and busy! We're finally to the point with no boxes and most everything in its place. Right now what we have to work on is the style. We've painted the whole lower level and it looks great! Turns out, Nathan is really good at putting those final touches on the painting so it turns out well. Here are a few of the things I've been working on for the house, a picture of the kitchen and my newest quilt beginning.

Front / Living Room / Office

2009-09-15T23:47:00.003-04:00

Here are some pictures of the house as we are getting it put together. We just finished the living room today and more rooms are falling into line as we work the details out. I'll put up some more as the week rolls on. The living room pictures start with the TV and work clockwise around the room, same for the Office.

A Day at the Beach

2009-09-14T15:22:00.003-04:00

Since Nathan arrived last week the weather here in Washington has been pretty rainy. On Friday we had a break from the rain with 85 degree weather so we decided to take a break from painting and take Butters "THE BUTT" to the beach. We went up to a beach called Point no Point which is at the tip of the Kitsap Peninsula. It was beautiful. We were on the sound and could see mount Rainer and Mount Baker as well as the Olympic Mountains. We all had a pretty great time, perhaps except for Butters who doesn't love swimming, as you'll see in the video. All in all, it was a great day and we're happy to be living in such a beautiful part of the world.

We Miss Butters (and Mame too!)

2009-09-07T01:11:00.003-04:00

It has taken a little getting used to being able to leave bedroom doors open, toilet paper on the holders, walking into the downstairs bathroom without having to climb over a toddler gate, and being able to leave "stuff" like shoes on the floor. But, we are managing. We do miss that little cutie though. However, Butters is loving his new home in Poulsbo, Wa. Josh and Heather brought Tucker up today and he acted like the King of the Castle with no competition. We also had friends over that have 3 children, so he got plenty of attention and treats. We have been "accepted" to adopt a Lab from the Labrador Rescue organization. This means that we will probably have to start closing doors again, etc. We are getting an older (2-3yrs) dog, so it will be a bit different than a puppy--we think! We must be getting pretty good at identifying "cool" dogs on the internet, because so far we have picked 2 dogs that are now being trained as drug sniffers and the other 2 had been adopted before we got our confirmation letter! We will keep trying!

The Solution

2009-08-04T22:54:00.002-04:00

Butters Escape

2009-08-01T19:52:00.001-04:00

4th of July

2009-07-08T00:47:00.000-04:00

Isaac and I made our debut run together in an official race. We entered the Huntington Beach 5K - Stroller division. The rules state you must push a stroller with a live person (apparently people have tried using a doll in the past to win this division) and the same person must push the stroller from start to finish. I haven't looked up our score to see how we placed because if you take a look at my face as we crossed the finish line you'll see how I did in a nutshell. Dad and Macy met us at the finish line.

After that we went to Polly's for a BBQ then down to the Beach to watch the "Big Booms in the sky" which were so exciting for Macy she fell fast asleep. Ike is still asking me daily if we can go see them again when it gets dark.

By the way - Macy and Jackson (Jeff and Bonnie Lyman's cat ... not our Anderson cousin that is) might be related. She's very into climbing into boxes these days.

Also, we made it to church on Sunday and Macy was the cutest girl there (as usuall) in this dress made for her by her Aunt Amanda. Thanks Auntie!!!

And as for "Ike Man" which he likes to call himself, well, he's just cute no matter what he's wearing. Especially when he smiles a smile like this.

We missed you all and hope you had a wonderful 4th of July! xoxo

Butters Battles the Dinosaur

2009-06-29T15:17:00.000-04:00

Fetch, Kind of

2009-06-24T21:15:00.001-04:00

What a cutie!

2009-06-23T12:03:00.004-04:00

cool tricks - dedicated to Grandpa

2009-06-21T00:04:00.000-04:00

Here's a little show from the kids to you Grandpa Jim. Happy Father's Day. Love you!

Butters!

2009-06-19T01:48:00.001-04:00

Today mom and I picked up the newest member of Nathan and my family, Butters! He's a six and a half week old yellow lab. Nathan and I have wanted a dog since before we were married and the time has finally come! We have orders (Washington State, hooray!) and that means a somewhat permanent location. Nathan will be in sub school for the next two months in CT while I stay in CA with my parents. Deciding it would ease the pain of separation and that Santa Rosa would be a good place to train a puppy, we decided to get one today. We found the ad for his litter online and as luck would have it, today was the day the puppies were ready,today is my first day without Nathan, and today is the day I was driving back from LA which drive crossed the path of where the puppies were from, Modesto. All in all, it was pretty perfect.
Once we got to the puppies, it was pretty obvious which one was mean for Nathan and me. I stepped into the kennel, and butters looked at me from the corner, peed and then climbed on my lap and started kissing my face. It was love at first sight. Since then he's been nothing but the sweetest. After trying to chew everything he shouldn't in the car he fell asleep on the floor, then he woke up and played on my lap where he once again fell asleep for the rest of the 2 and 1/2 hour drive from Modesto to Santa Rosa. Once at home he quickly started exploring. He was particularly fond of an overgrown rosemary bush outside the garage, both to climb in and to eat. Whenever he got scared, like when our 110 lb. yellow lab Ulee met him or when his metal name tag clinked his water bowl, he backed as fast as he could all the way under my car and stayed until he could see Dad or me to whom he quickly ran. He even went to sleep in his crate without any yelping...so far. I'm so excited to have Butters in our life and am especially excited for Nathan to meet him!

visit with auntie and uncle nathan

2009-06-03T22:19:00.000-04:00

Uncle Nathan has a new fan after playing golf on the Wii with Ike. I'm still hearing about "Uncle Na'an"

Meanwhile Macy and Auntie hit it right off. Especially when Auntie let her play dress up in anything she could find.

And today, Ike got this new firetruck. It was the toy I had to bribe him with to get him to wear his sandals without sox.

"See! It not hurt Ike's feet!"

Macy got this new baby.

Afterall, she wears her shoes without sox anytime I ask. Sometimes she likes to put the baby's binkie in her mouth instead of the baby's but I think maybe she's just warming it up for her.

She's a very affectionate mama!

Happy Birthday Jake!

2009-05-06T16:34:00.001-04:00

I'm a little late posting this but wanted to assure you all we celebrated Jake's birthday with more than just a trip to the ER.
Dad had lots of help opening his presents.

And he shared his new toy with everyone.

Since Mom forgot to buy candles to put ON the cake, we had candles NEXT to the cake and again, Dad had plenty of help.

Macy quite enjoyed her piece of cake.

Ike tried only one bite. What child doesn't like birthday cake?

Happy Birthday Jake! We love you!!! - jody, ike and macy

Annapolis Weekend

2009-04-22T15:51:00.003-04:00

Nathan and I just returned from a wonderful weekend in Annapolis. We had a great time, hung out with some great friends and hate a lot of junk food. Here are some pics from the weekend.

At the wedding.

The sword arch at our friends wedding. Nathan is second from the bottom on the left.
This is what Nathan gets when he doesn't try and take good pictures.
All our friends at croquet

happy easter

2009-04-15T23:16:00.001-04:00

We had a fun Easter. I'm sorry to say I only have a couple pics to show for the entire thing but I hope to steal a few from Sherry. Grandma and Grandpa Moore were in town and we had Easter dinner at the Anderson's. I wish I had a pic of Macy jumping on the couch and "dancing" to Yo Gabba Gabba with the cousins. She was one happy girl.

It was Macy's first official Sunday in the nursery. Despite this being the only picture I could snap quickly on our way out the door, she really did like it thanks to big brother for helping her to not be scared.

My Blog

2009-04-14T19:22:00.005-04:00

For those of you who are interested, I have my own blog.
It has a bunch of lame stuff that I'd rather not clutter the family blog with, but just in case, I thought I'd let you know.
-Mame

bath time is exhausting

2009-04-07T00:56:00.000-04:00

Here's a little video clip to illustrate my top ten thoughts from today:

1. Macy loves itsy bitsy spider but loves splashing even more
2. Anything Ike does, Macy does
3. These kids are freakin' cute
4. Jake and I think we are in charge but clearly that's not the case
5. I have a wonderful singing voice
6. No song is truely complete unless everyone applauds at the end
7. Macy's hair is out of control
8. Ike does have it in him to participate in kid songs
9. The bathroom needs to be cleaned.... again
10. I need a nanny

My sewing projects!

2009-03-03T15:24:00.002-05:00

Since I brought my sewing machine back from CA I've spent a lot of my free time sewing. Mom asked me to post pics on the blog so here are the projects I've completed.

My first completed quilt top!

The aprons I copied from Jody and Jenny

My first completed attempt at machine quilting.

Pics from the CA trip...I admit, a little late.

2009-03-02T15:56:00.006-05:00

Here are a few pictures from my visit to CA last month. Sorry they're way late. I'm still pretty lazy with this whole blogging thing!

Sorry I didn't get any adult pictures, but I guess we know who the stars are in the family. It was great to see everyone. I love you all and miss you tons!

happy valentine's day!

2009-02-18T18:47:00.001-05:00

Well, we neglected to get our Valentine's love and wishes out in the mail this year but wanted to let you all know how much we love you and give a little report on our celebration.

Ike got a Valentine cookie from the neighbor with so many sprinkles on it, it turned his lips purple!

The kids made Valentines at Polly's house. Colorful yes?

Ike loved opening up his bag of Valentine treats which was filled with stickers and chocolate!

Macy got these VERY cool sunglasses...

Which she opted to wear for the ENTIRE rest of the night.

"Hey Ike, you should get your sunglasses on too!"

"Good idea sis!"

Merry Christmas from Ike and Macy

2008-12-24T18:42:00.000-05:00

Quick Update

2008-11-09T21:50:00.005-05:00

For the few in our family who read the blog, I just thought I'd give a little Nathan and Amanda update. As you all know, we're going to be stationed up in WA state. Unfortunately, it's going to be a couple months later than expected. Nathan's work is completely shut down so he can't finish what he needs to here. Because of that, we're going to miss Nathan's sub school report date on Nov. 17 and will have to wait until the next class in January. Then we'll be in CT for a couple months for sub school and after that, finally, we'll be in Washington. So I guess I'll just keep being a barista for a while. Maybe one day I'll get to have a cool job like Jody.

So this post isn't too lame, I thought I'd show everyone how much Jackson LOVED the Jungle Cruise.

Happy Halloween from Nathan and Amanda!!!!

2008-10-28T15:03:00.004-04:00

Isn't it Halloween YET?

2008-10-28T01:22:00.001-04:00

Sleepover

2008-09-15T20:50:00.006-04:00

Mason and Xander had their second sleepover at Grandpa and Grandma's. We had really fun time. Fri. night we watched the "not too scarry" parts of "I.J. and the Temple of Doom". They thought it was great fun to sleep on the floor in sleeping bags. Sat. a.m. we made shaped pancakes, turtle cookies, then went to Howarth Park. They went on all of the rides that their Dad, Auntie Jenny and Uncle Jake used to ride on. We pointed out the bench on the Merry-go-round where their Daddy used to always ride! We ended the day with dinner at In and Out Burger----what could be better? I wish the So. Cal. cousins lived closer so they could have sleepovers too. I'd like to have them all here at the same time. (I think!) Here are a few of our favorite photos from the event.

separated at birth, part 2

2008-09-14T22:06:00.001-04:00

You'll have to click on the picture to see the resemblance.

practice makes perfect

2008-09-01T23:54:00.000-04:00

Ike likes to go to the new golf store because it has a putting area where he can practice his mad skills. I don't think I have ever seen this drill before, but maybe he knows something I don't.

Manhattan Weekend

2008-08-24T23:05:00.007-04:00

We came to New York like millions of immigrants did at the beginning of the 20th century, on a boat. There were a few differences between our situation and theirs however. We left from Nee Jersey, not Europe. We stopped at Liberty Island, instead of Ellis Island since we thought Ellis Island was too boring. Lastly, we didn't have to deal with all of the prejudice that immigrants did since we speak English. Those slight differences aside, our trip to the city was great.

We stayed across the Hudson in Jersey City and took the ferry or train in each day. On Saturday we went to the Statue of Liberty and walked up into the pedestal to look around and see what there was to see. Due to the fact that terrorists are lame, we couldn't climb up into the head, but it was for the best since we would have had to spend all day in line to do that if it had been possible. Next we walked around the financial district, ironically, wall street was closed, so we didn't get to see that. Looking for the Subway to midtown, we stumbled upon the World Trade Center. We didn't spend any time to take in the sight because it was depressing and because there were huge fences blocking the view, but it was weird to see a huge block of nothingness in the middle of a Metropolitan jungle.

When we did find the Subway we went to Midtown and on an impulse decided to go up to the top the the Empire State Building. Unfortunately a couple thousand other people had the same idea, so our impulse trip took about 2 hours, which cut into our Manhattan Temple Time, so we had to put that off until the next trip in the winter. With the time we had left before the show we had tickets for we walked around midtown to Rockefeller Center, Times Square, up and down 5th Avenue, to the Mecca of all Apple Stores, and around central park (kinda). One thing that we did in times square was go to the Toys'r'Us that is there. The whole time we were there all we could think about were the huge breakdowns that all our nieces and nephews would probably have if they were exposed to such a place. It is 3 stories of nothing but toys, candy, mayhem, and a Ferris wheel. The last thing that we did on Saturday was to go to the Lincoln Center on Broadway to see South Pacific. It was a long show, but was also really good. By the time we got out, it was about 1100, so we got back to Jersey in a hurry and went to bed.

Today all we had on the schedule was a Mets game. We took the Subway over to Queens and watched about 7 innings of the game at Shea until we realized that neither one of us really cared about either team that was playing, so we left. It was good though in a way because we got our baseball game fix for the year. After that we jumped in our car and got out of town. All and all it was a pretty solid weekend in the city.

We have some pictures from the top of the pedestal with us and the city in the background kinda, but the ones from the Empire State Building are better.

We had to stop at Ellis Island on the way to and from the Statue of Liberty, but we never got off the boat.

Self explanitory

On our walk up the Empire State Building we saw these two ladies and couldn't help taking a picture. The best that we could come up with for their odd appearance was that they were part of some show like Cirque de Sole. All we know for sure though is that they were super obnoxious french ladies.

At the top of the City

Approximate spot where Max would have had a meltdown.

blue hat

2008-08-21T00:07:00.000-04:00

While cleaning out Ike and Macy's closet tonight we came across this helmet we bought for Ike a year ago which at the time he refused to wear, thus, lost in the back of the closet until tonight.

When Ike discovered "blue hat" he couldn't be more excited to put it on and run around the house and when bath time arrived his silly Mom suggested he take it off to get in the bath.

After a tantrum where Ike proceeded to bang his head against the floor (Jake and I couldn't help laughing as the helmet protected him from himself quite nicely), we agreed he could keep "blue hat" on in the bath if he wanted.

I can't wait to see the looks we get if he insists on wearing it in the car tomorrow.

Talent abounds

2008-08-14T00:33:00.003-04:00

Grandma Sherry or "Sher" as she is known around our house, can get both our kids to bed with very little drama all on her own while we are out at a movie. This is a skill we still have not mastered even when there are two of us pitching in.

Isaac can carry 2 cars, 2 trucks and 2 airplanes all by himself. And he does. Take them everywhere I mean. And no helping allowed. It only takes us 20 minutes to get in or out of the car this way.

Macy can walk around the sofa, eat fruity cheerios, drink from a sippy cup and even gets the humor on Elmo's World. This child is advanced I tell ya!
Isaac can line all the golf balls up in a perfect row. Notice he did have to put down some of the previously mentioned toys to perform this feat.

Macy can have snot crusted all around both nostrils and still be charming enough to warrant a kiss from her big brother.

So Tired

2008-08-06T12:50:00.001-04:00

Today marked the last day of my first shift cycle and to be honest, it was more brutal than I was expecting it to be. The first shift lasts 7 days and goes from seven to seven and would be okay if there was actually 12 hours worth of work to do, but because the people who schedule us are lazy and don't seem to care, there isn't. Following days we get a nice normal weekend. Second shift is the same but only lasts four days and the staff are all in training all day so there is even less to do. After this shift we get a four day weekend which is nice but then we go into the gauntlet. 7 days of noon to midnight with one day off then 7 days of 7 to seven, but not the normal way. Needless to say I barely know what time of the day it is let alone what day of the week it is. The best part though was that in the middle of kids we had to take a five hour test that is only administered at eight in the morning, so guess how much sleep I didn't get those two days. Fortunatley I am one cycle down and three to go, hopefully the next ones will treat me a little kinder.

Weekend In Boston

2008-07-12T17:06:00.004-04:00

Last weekend we went to Boston just to check the place out and put it on our list of places that we have visited. On our way out we stopped at the Boston Temple and did a session, so that was pretty nice seeing as how both Amanda and I are going to be super busy for the next 6 months and we don't know when the next time we'll get to go will be. We stayed in the old Boston Federal Reserve Building that has since been converted to an upscale hotel. That was our base of operations as we walked around the downtown area seeing all of the historical sites, such as a graveyard that has about 5 founding fathers buried there, the Old North Church (which Amanda didn't understand the significance of until she looked it up on wikipedia), the old market, and a plethora of other sites around the area. It was a really neat little town, not unlike Annapolis in a lot of ways, just scaled up and way more cool.

This is the Old North Church that Mame was ignorant about.

weekend at the pool

2008-06-23T00:37:00.002-04:00

We had a warm weekend down here so we broke out the pool and tried to keep cool. Macy, Ike and Jo all had crazy hair from the heat and humidity.

We decided to test out Ike's new pool. At first he was hesitant to get in, but after 30 minutes or so he worked up the courage to go down the slide and then he didn't stop for an hour or so.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

2008-06-20T16:30:00.011-04:00

What fun! This was the boys' first real baseball game and Grandma got to come too! (She didn't even complain that the A's weren't playing - although secretly, I know she loved that the Giants lost.) The boys absolutely loved it - well, after they got over the initial shock that they weren't actually playing baseball. (That would come a little later in the day.) I was optimistic that their interest would last through lunch. But to my surprise, they were actively engaged for 7 innings.

Mason loved learning about all of the players, who did what, when to cheer, when to boo. He remembered everything, including the names of the players as they came up to bat over and over. Xander took it all in, asking excited questions about everything he was seeing.

Finally, it was time for the boys to play. After a quick trip down the Coke slide, we made our way to the miniature ball field where the boys waited in line to hit the ball and run the bases.

I think it was as real to them as the rest of the game.

OK, so the highlight of my trip - or at least the part that still makes me laugh - was the trip home. Xander talked non-stop the whole way home, sharing details about his baseball lineup. There were of course the San Francisco Giants and then a few new ones - the Pennsylvania Mountain Mans, the Scotland Chicken Mans and my personal favorite, the Scotland Knockers. Sorry, Grandma, the A's were MIA, perhaps you'd consider cheering on the Knockers. I understand that Knockers can always use a little support ; )

Can't wait for our next game!

Prototype Update

2008-06-18T20:50:00.001-04:00

Well things are going well at prototype, I am in my fifth week of Off Crew Training and in another two I will be shifting to On Crew work. Just to clarify my jargon, during off crew I get to work 0600-1700 (600-500) learning different systems for the particular plant that I am working on. Once I get to the point where I think i know the system well enough, I go to an enlisted staff member and they quiz me. If they think I know enough then they sign my book of things I need to do (total is about 1500 signatures) and I get points. During off crew our "curve" (quota for points per day) is 35 (pronounced 3 5 per the Sub IC manual, that's right we speak in digits) and each system is on average about 20 points. The goal is to get as far ahead of this curve as you can before On Crew starts. Right now I'm about 10% ahead and hopefully will be about 14% by the time I move into the plant.

Once I go on crew shift work starts and every 7 days I get a few days off and then get to change to a different sleep schedule. There are 4 shifts that run a 5 week cycle; Days (0730-1930), Swings (1200-2400), Mids (1930-0730), and T week (0730-1930). During this time I'll be standing watched inside the engine room and nuclear plant. At the MARF plant the two are separate, normally this wouldn't be the case but at MARF we have the Nuclear Plant of 60's era submarine hooked up to the Engine room of a 50's era destroyer. It was basically thrown together in the 60's as a makeshift prototype and they've been using it ever since. Anyways, I digress. Once I get on crew I'll post some more info on how that all works, until then though, it's time for bed.

I work somewhere in this picture. Hint it's not the giant ball, there isn't anything in there anymore.

Happy Birthday little monkey!

2008-06-13T18:09:00.001-04:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Our kids LOVE the beach

2008-06-08T00:13:00.001-04:00

Cutest kids ever!

2008-05-28T12:27:00.003-04:00

I have some cute pix to post of our trip to L.A. for Grace's belated birthday. I was so busy holding Macy, that I forgot to take pictures of her---but you can see some darling ones of her that Jody has posted. She is so sweet and cuddly, that it is hard not to just hug her to pieces! The photos of X and M took place a couple of weeks ago. Some time ago Xander spilled some cashews, (one of his favorite snacks!) We hooked up the vacuum and let him vacuum them up with the short hose. Then M wanted a turn. Now, periodically we hear, "Let's go spill some cashews so we can vacuum them up!" We came up with the solution of giving them each 1/4 cup of popcorn kernals to spill on the floor and vacuum. It is a fun activity!

Palmyra

2008-05-25T12:51:00.003-04:00

So we figured that since we live in upstate New York now, we should probably make a trip out to Palmyra at some point during the next six months. The opportunity for that came up when our new ward was looking for volunteers to help with baptisms at the temple. Amanda and I volunteered and yesterday made the trip out there. The past week it has been super cold and rainy every day, but yesterday it was sunny and warm and overall perfect weather for the drive out and our time there. We got to go to the temple, which is quite small but at the same time very ornate. There are very few decorations at all on the inside except for the stained glass windows of sacred grove trees which are everywhere.

After the temple, we went to the hill Cumorah to check that out, other than the fact that it's a big hill where something happened it's not that spectacular, it is fun to run down it though as it is quite steep.

Last but not least we went to the sacred grove to walk around and see the place where it all began. It was very peaceful and beautiful with a very strong spirit. The whole day could not have been better if we had asked. I think both Amanda and I would suggest getting out there if you can.

Separated at birth

2008-05-21T23:53:00.001-04:00

Now we know where Macy gets her "I'm so happy I can't open my eyes" smile from.

The New Place

2008-05-17T12:26:00.002-04:00

Congratulations Amanda!

2008-05-15T20:24:00.004-04:00

We had an amazing week in Maryland with Amanda and Nathan, the highlight being her graduation from St. John's. It was wonderful! It was scheduled to be held outside, but the previous two or three days had been very rainy and windy. They were having flood as well as tornado warnings! We awoke Sunday, the day of her graduation to overcast skies, but no rain. The ceremony was held at 10:30 a.m. and the rain held off until that afternoon. Monday a.m. Amanda and Nathan started their trek north to Malta, N.Y.---to a pretty new apartment and the chance to actually live together again. (Even though they never wear the "hood" as pictured, Mame complied with our request to just see what it would look like on!)

Big boys drink from a cup

2008-05-11T01:12:00.000-04:00

The Race!

2008-04-09T20:15:00.005-04:00

As most of you know, we Moore women have never been known for our coordination or athleticism. In order to combat that reputation, I decided to join Nathan in the Cooper River Bridge Run. The run was a 10k race over the new Ravenel bridge and finished in downtown Charleston. While this run would not be much of an accomplishment for Nathan, since he could run it without any preparation, I started running about three weeks before the race and realized that running isn't a natural skill for me and even though I would probably be able to get through the run, it would be painful.
The day before the race, Nathan proved himself once again to be a wonderful husband and promised to run with me, no matter how slow for the entire race as long as I never stopped to walk. That gave me the confidence aI needed as well as some more motivation because I didn't want to fail in front of Nathan, especially when he was sacrificing his run time to go slowly with me.
Race day! We woke up at 5:15 am after finally going to sleep at 1 am and drove to the starting line. The starting line was crazy! There were 40 thousand people in the race and they were all around us in their short shorts and some in their crazy costumes. After a couple hours of standing around, and two back to back renditions of the national anthem, it was time to start the race. It started out pretty, good, for the first mile and a half, but then we hit the bridge. Even though I had run the 6.2 miles before, I hadn't practiced running uphill and there was a mile of hill right ahead of me.
Even though it slowed me down tons, Nathan kept his word and stuck by me and proved to be quite the cheerleader. The rest of the race was about as difficult as the hill for me, but I didn't stop "running". I put running in quotes because there were a few instances where I was running at a pace that I could have beat walking. After what seemed like forever, the finish line was finally in sight! I mustered what little strength I had left and picked up my super slow pace to an only moderately slow pace to cross the finish line. After over an hour, Nathan and I crossed that glorious finish line and never being one who likes to follow directions, i didn't continue running 50 yards past the finish line as instructed. Instead, I ran about three yards, stopped and puked all over the road. Nathan was fortunate enough to be far away from me when it happened, but had the privilege of witnessing the event. After walking it off I was of course just fine and was super happy because I had actually run 6.2 miles.
The run encouraged me to start running more and be in more races because there are very few feelings as satisfying as finishing something throughout which you want nothing more than to stop, but somehow(in my case my amazing inspiring husband) you manage to keep going and finish it. While I'll probably never reach the level of Dave or Jody, I'm definitely looking forward to more running in the future with Nathan!

no egg hunt this year

2008-03-24T00:32:00.000-04:00

It's a good thing our kids are too little to expect a visit from the Easter Bunny or a good old fashioned Easter egg hunt because if so they would have been disappointed by how much their parents failed them this year.

We showed up for the ward breakfast/egg hunt just as the egg hunt was ending...

No eggs for this Easter basket. Luckily he doesn't know he should care

Neither does Macy

Since that didn't work out so well we thought we'd go for a walk in Mom's new double jogger. (We know... we now own 5 strollers. This one we got of Craig's list but still. What's wrong with us?) Macy loves riding NEXT to her big brother instead of behind him. It's a whole new world for her being able to see everything.

And did we mention Macy's latest trick...putting her own binkie in her mouth!

We were originally planning to visit the cousins in Whittier for Easter dinner and have an egg hunt with them but yesterday some of them woke up sick and since Ike and Macy have been sick we thought we'd try to avoid further cross-contamination. Once again we've missed the egg hunt Mom and Dad were counting on to make Easter complete.
So, after church and naps and dinner (Mom made ham and funeral potatoes but does that make up for no visit from Mr. E. Bunny? I don't know...), we went for yet another walk downtown. This time Ike amused himself by trying on Mom's sunglasses.

And despite both of them being a little on the sick side, Dad and Macy were all smiles!

We love you all and hope you all had a very Happy Easter! We really did, even without Easter eggs or chocolate or jelly beans. I know, hard to believe. And just for fun here are a few more pictures of our little Macy bug. Warning: she gets cuter every day!

Happy Easter!

xoxoxo

The Moores

Poor Isaac

2008-03-02T19:44:00.002-05:00

Ike caught a bit of a bug on Saturday and only slept for two or three hours that night. I stayed home from church with him because of his fever while Jo took Macy. I took these pictures while he was watching a movie on the sofa. Even with a fever and running on little to no sleep he was able to smile for the camera when he saw me taking pictures. A few minutes later he was out.

Lighting of the First Draft

2008-02-11T20:48:00.001-05:00

As many of you know, Amanda has been working super hard over the past month or so to write her big paper for St. Johns. So when she finished a few weeks ago we decided to have a little celebration by lighting all of her initial hard copies ablaze. We called it the Lighting of the First Draft, and as you'll see in the video, the fire was pretty sweet, mostly because we crumpled up about 300 pieces of used printer paper to fuel it. Anyways, enjoy.

A Note from Macy

2008-01-22T23:27:00.001-05:00

After Ike gets his bath he likes to help Mom give me my bath

And when I say "help" I mean he sticks alphabet letters on me while Mom tries to wash my tummy and hair in between

This might not sound like fun to you guys but Ike thinks it is a BLAST!

By the end I am clean ... and covered in letters ...

Then Mom gets my diaper on me followed by my nightgown and of course Ike "helps"

He is a crazy big brother but I love him. He is good at "holding" me but I'm getting bigger every day and I think one day soon I might be the one having to hold him. I miss you all! Big kisses... Macy

Adding to the Blog.

2008-01-21T20:08:00.000-05:00

Having checked the Moore blog over the past few weeks, and never finding anything new, I thought I would add a little. I am sending a few pix from Christmas--unfortunately I didn't get very many good ones--in fact NONE of M and X! If I knew how to add videos, you would have the excitement of watching Amanda and Nathan jumping in the "Jumpy House" with the Anderson kids. However, the best you will get is Grace's great hair---after jumping! I am sure that things are more exciting in San Rafael, Charleston, Huntington Beach and Whittier than here! I am patiently (?) waiting for the final news on the well. So far, this is my 3rd or 4th day of hearing, "We should know by tomorrow night!"( Whenever I try to download pictures, I get a message "cannot contact Blog"--so I will try another day.) Hope all is going well. Love you all!

Macy's blessing

2007-12-06T13:53:00.000-05:00

It's always SO nice to have family around. We truely appreciated everyone who was able to come to Macy's blessing. It was a very special day and fun weekend! Papa Lyman has more pics but I thought I'd post a few for now.

Aunt Jenny seems baby hungry. :)

Macy and Papa Lyman meet for the first time.

Mimi and Macy are good buds. They go way back.

Ike still got plenty of attention from everyone.

Grandpa Jim drove all the way from Santa Rosa!

On Saturday we took the kids to see Santa. Ike was scared unlike his little sister who just wanted to keep sleeping but opened her eyes just long enough for us to get a pic...

Happy Birthday Amanda!!!

2007-12-02T19:01:00.003-05:00

Today was (is) Amanda's Birthday and we decided to celebrate in style so we invited some of our friends over for cake and ice cream with a little guitar hero action. The party was pretty sweet especially when it got time to blow out the candles. As you know it's really difficult to put 22 candles on a cake, so instead I decided to put five on and only light three representing a 22 in binary. It was pretty amazing, and nerdy, but everyone got a kick out of it. Then when it was time to give Amanda her other present she got to go on a scavenger hunt, since I was too busy to go out and find wrapping paper and wrap it. At the end of the hunt she found her present, the Daring Book for Girls, a guide book for girls. All in all it was a really good party and anyone who wasn't there is lame.

Christmas in the Carolinas

2007-12-02T19:01:00.001-05:00

Well, It's that time of the year again, and here in South Carolina we decided to not sell out and keep it real by getting a real Christmas Tree. I was trying to figure out what Amanda would really like for her birthday, and I couldn't think of anything good so I just told her we could get a Christmas Tree. Fortunately for me, I lucked out and she thought that it was an amazing present. So we went out and picked up a base and some lights and some ornaments and a tree, then came home and put them all together. Amanda even let me pick out my own ornament, so I picked out one that looked like stupid Ulee. It's really nice having a tree in the house. Even though it won't be around for Christmas and we'll hardly ever see it, it's neat to actually have our very own first REAL Christmas tree. Not that there is anything wrong with fake ones, other than they are lame. Anyways, Merry Christmas everyone, we're looking forward to seeing you all soon!

Nathan and Amanda Update

2007-11-14T21:12:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a while since Nathan or I updated everyone about what's going on in our lives. Strike that, it's been a while since I've updated people, seeing as how Nathan has his own blog. As most of you know, Nathan started nuclear power school in Charleston, SC while I'm finishing school in Annapolis. It's a little bit lonely not having Nathan around all the time, but it's amazing how quickly the weekends come and we get to see each other again.
Last weekend I went to visit Nathan in Charleston and we had a really great time. We went downtown, which is beautiful. It's charming and full of amazing shops. There's even a store called cupcake and ALL they sell are cupcakes.
We also went to the beach. They're not nearly as beautiful as California beaches, but they're still pretty nice. They even have a sweet pier that we can take pictures under too, Jake and Jody.
We also spent a large portion of the weekend playing guitar hero, as you can see from the video Nathan posted. Even now when I close my eyes I see guitar frets lighting up and flying toward me. All in all, it was a great weekend.
Next week we're looking forward to cooking our own Thanksgiving feast. Hopefully it will taste as good as mom and dad's.
We love you guys and are looking forward to seeing you all for Christmas!

Amanda Rocks

2007-11-11T14:16:00.000-05:00

Check it out! Amanda is totally rockin out to Pat Benetar!

the kids

2007-11-03T23:38:00.000-04:00

We are looking forward to having Uncle Jared here this week to take some good pics for us. In the mean time, here are a few of the little monkeys. It's fun to see them interact when they do. So far they seem to really love each other! We hope it lasts!

Macy is a great sleeper during the day. We're still working on the night thing...

Our morning ritual: the kids get in Mom and Dad's bed and watch Sesame Street while Mom and Dad try to rest for just a couple more minutes...

Macy is already fascinated by her big brother. Who wouldn't be?

Ike likes to give Macy hugs...

Macy endures Ike's hugs as best she can...

Refreshing Things Is Back

2007-10-30T12:27:00.000-04:00

www.nathandmame.blogspot.com

We love Gma Sherry

2007-10-28T00:06:00.000-04:00

It was so great to see Gma Sherry last weekend and Gpa Jim the week before. All the pics with Gpa are on his camera so we don't have any to post but here are some with Gma.

Tonight was the "trunk or treat" for our ward. After Isaac had a melt down getting into his golfer costume we decided to just let him go as "Isaac" in his jeans, red tennis shoes, and white t-shirt. He had a blast running around getting and eating as much candy as he could. I think he's a fan of Halloween now! Macy slept through the whole thing.

All 7 in 1 Weekend!

2007-10-27T09:50:00.000-04:00

Last weekend was pretty amazing! I drove to So. Cal. on Fri., returning on Sunday, and in the course of the weekend, I got to see all 7 adorable grandchildren---and beautiful little Macy Jane for the first time! Here are some pix. (Fri. night was Grace's first dance performance. I got there just in time!)

Hilarious Video

2007-10-16T08:34:00.000-04:00

I know this isn't nearly as cool as Macy, but I thought it was pretty funny.

Spoiler Alert!
Has nothing to do with the Moore Family

It's working again.

Wide awake

2007-10-11T23:20:00.001-04:00

After posting the last set of pictures, we realized she is asleep in almost every one. Here are the two pictures we do have of her showing us her pretty blue eyes.

Bringing home Ike's little sis

2007-10-11T22:26:00.000-04:00

We're all home together again and Jake and I have made it through almost an entire day of being parents to 2 children so far. We're pretty proud of ourselves. Here are a few more pics..

Macy's first visitors: her sweet cousins

Finally home safe in her crib

Isaac's first glimpse of his new baby sister

" You guys still think I'm cute too though right? "

Mom and Dad have their hands full but so far we love it!

Happy Birthday Macy!!!

2007-10-10T10:44:00.000-04:00

Macy Jane was born October 9th at 7:53pm. She weighed 7 lbs. 11 ozs., measured 19 inches in length and is absolutely perfect!!! She already likes to be held when she sleeps and is easily calmed by our voices. She must be used to hearing us say, "Ike, please don't", or "Can I please have that Ike?" I'll be curious to find out if she is calmed by Ike's squawks, barks and quacks. Here are a few photos of Macy.

So we don't neglect our firstborn child, here is a before Macy photo of Ike. And yes, he is playing with his nipple. I'll post more pics in the up coming days. We look forward to Macy meeting everyone!!!

Two new additions to our home

2007-10-04T20:54:00.002-04:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything so I thought I'd tell everyone about the new and exciting things we not have in the apartment. The first came about because I wanted to be in a Halloween mood, but there was nothing at our place that reminded me of the fantastic holiday. It made me sad knowing that I couldn't join in on the fun of mom had putting out the decorations and the little kids in the family all dressed up in the costumes. So I made an executive decision and bought a Halloween village. Not only is it adorable in the above picture, but each of the little houses and the pirate ship all light up and have moving parts. It's basically the coolest Halloween thing ever.
The Next addition to our apartment came about by working for slum lords. My job certainly has a bunch of low points, but one of the good things about it is that when people leave things behind I can take what I want. For the past couple years my couch has been a 100 dollar futon from target that broke about a year and a half ago and has been held together with duct tape and blankets propped up beneath it. Two days ago a gift from heaven, or rather the kid that moved out of one of our apartments, came. It was, as pictured below, a super long, super old, super grandma-esque couch and it was free! Upon deciding to take this couch home, my friend from work brought her truck and her husband over and he and Nathan moved the couch into our apartment.
This, unfortunately, was not a simple as it may sound. Our apartment has the quaint attribute of having an impossibly tight corner at the bottom of our stairs which makes it nearly impossible to bring in any sizable furniture and after an hour of pushing and turning, Nathan and Dennis were stuck. Fortunately, a solution presented itself and with a saw in his hand and fierce determination in his heart, Nathan sawed off a back leg of the couch, making it possible to slip through the corner and make it all the way into our apartment. Now we have super comfortable and a super yellow couch that we can enjoy, until we have to move it out again in May.

Election Results

2007-09-25T11:37:00.000-04:00

Question----does the winner get a prize?

Facing Fears

2007-09-23T18:25:00.000-04:00

As I write, a “Black Knight,” fully armored in dinosaur underwear and plastic shield, breastplate, helmet, and sword is fast approaching threatening to “slay” me. I attempt to hide and plead for mercy. The Knight takes pity on me and says, “Don’t be scared Mommy, I’ll protect you.” I welcome his protection with a hug. Fast forward 4 hours – It’s now dark outside and the Knight intends to retire fully clad in his armor. But now the roles are reversed and the Knight insists that I wield the sword to frighten away monsters, dragons, ghosts, goblins and other fiends of his imagination that only hours before cowered in his presence. The Black Knight’s brother “Anakin Skywalker” has joined the ranks and requests that I scare away Darth Vader on my way out the door (I’ll explain the irony another time, perhaps after this little Anakin has actually seen or read Star Wars). No doubt, we’re in for a real treat this year, as our little-big boys demonstrate that although they’re fearless by day, facing their fears at night requires a mom or dad that is still bigger and stronger than any foe.

Amandas New Quest

2007-09-20T23:16:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, Amanda is a very talented girl, but as of this week, she has decided that she wants to learn a new skill. Ventriloquism!!! Every night when we watch the Daily Show, and the Colbert Report, she sees these commercials for this ventriloquist and she can't stop talking about how cool he is and how amazing it is that he can throw his voice so well. At first I thought that she was just super interested and excited to watch the show, but then today I saw her looking up "throw your voice" on Google, Wikipedia, and other various search engines. I also found a few "sewing" projects in one of our closets that look like they might someday be puppets. I think that it is a good idea that she wants to learn a new skill, and I am excited that soon she will be able to wow us all with her new skills. I think that we should all support her in this venture by making sure that she doesn't give up. As you all know she has a tendency to forget about projects or leave them in the closet for years, and years, and years until... well, until something. So make sure that next time you talk to her you ask her to hear which voice that she is working on this week, just to keep her on track.

15 Jack o' Lanterns All In A Row!

2007-09-19T21:50:00.000-04:00

Even though it is still September, I felt compelled to get the Halloween stuff out. My favorite was finding all the little Jack o'Lanterns that Mame and I (mostly Mame) made several years ago. This year I bought more orange and red/orange Sculpty, and made some with the boys on Sun. and then made a few more to add to the "collection". This was actually quite a bit faster than painting them like we did originally. The faces on mine all look kind of the same---I have to say that Mame's were cuter. The little twigs for stems are the finishing touch. This might not be all that exciting---but it IS keeping me from working on my seminary lesson, so that should count for something.

Newsflash!!!

2007-09-18T00:09:00.000-04:00

Charleston Apartment

2007-09-15T15:44:00.000-04:00

Well, we got our Charleston apartment worked out today. It's pretty sweet. Here is a picture for you all to be jealous of. MUAHAHAHA!

Ready for Halloween?

2007-09-11T22:27:00.001-04:00

For the past several years, September 11 was not a day to celebrate. Today, however, we have reason to celebrate as Mom/ Grandma/G.G. had her last (of 33) radiation treatments. Thought you might like to see her custom made mask that she not only got to wear during her treatments, but they bolted it down to the table so she couldn't move! The Drs., nurses, etc. all commented on how amazing she is and she is their favorite patient by far! She would like to have been able to celebrate with a "Big Gulp"--but hopefully that will happen in the future!

An Open Letter to Jake

2007-09-11T19:18:00.001-04:00

Dear Jake,
If you're reading this it may already be too late, but I will try anyways. Did you get the package that we sent you a couple months ago? If yes, just comment that you did, or maybe blink twice. If no, I'm sorry that the post office sucks.

Nathan

We're at War!

2007-09-10T08:29:00.000-04:00

Living in an old apartment, we sometimes get special visitors, Cockroaches! For those of you who haven't experienced them before, they're about the scariest bug in the world. We don't really have a huge problem, just every few weeks we'll see one run across the kitchen.
A couple of weeks ago I walked into the kitchen, flipped on the light, and there he was. Sitting under the ledge of the sink, just hanging out. I slowly walked to where I keep the bug spray, walked up to it and sprayed it for all I was worth. Rather than run away and die, it ran straight toward me, causing me to run away and stand on the couch for about five minutes. Lamenting that the roach had gotten away, I woke up the next morning to a roach walking around in little circles in the middle of the kitchen. After properly disposing of the now brain damaged roach, I couldn't help but smile at my victory.
This morning I walked into the kitchen, grabbed a bowl for cereal and as I walked to the cabinet, I was stopped dead in my tracks. There he was, the most gigantic cockroach I have EVER seen. This guy was HUGE. Lying on his back, barely moving, with white spray all over him. Nathan had gotten him and he must have wandered back to the open kitchen, waiting to die...or so I thought. I wanted to make sure he wasn't going to last much longer so I got out the roach spray, aimed and fired. The next thing I know, this roach warrior is on his feet, launching into the air on his huge wings right at my face and then making a lap around the kitchen. The cockroaches had sent a suicide bomber, and he was good. I screamed the loudest I've ever heard myself scream, unaware until this moment that roaches had wings, ran into the bedroom cowered, afraid to finish making my breakfast. And then I realized something. We started the war, and we were going to have to be the ones to finish it. So, wish us luck!

Help! We are being invaded!

2007-09-03T14:11:00.001-04:00

This summer has been especially bad for ant invasions. They have been worse in So. Cal. than here. Then we heard of a cockroach invading on the East Coast. Last night G.G. called us down about 10p.m. as she had heard something flying, and felt something skim the top of her head. Jim investigated....and believe it or not it was a BAT!!!!! Jim was able to catch it and send it on its way. Somehow, it isn't going to seem as safe to keep the deck doors open on a hot summer/fall night!

Stupid Ulee!

2007-09-01T22:09:00.000-04:00

Some of you who frequent this blog may, or may not, know that I'm part of the Moore family now, and as such I feel that I have been placed outside the "Circle of Trust" that you all have. What could cause me to feel this way you ask? Maybe the fact that no one ever told me that Ulee wasn't the only dog that existed in the family. And I'm not talking about Leo and Monty or Ben and Bemsleyy, I knew about them, I'm talking about two other dogs, ones that are alive, and have apparently been alive longer than any of you have known me. Stag and Tucker (MoTo if you're inside the "circle").

Sure over the past year and a half i've heard all the stories about how Stag used to come over and teach Ulee and Ben all kinds of cool tricks, and about what a cool dog he was. But having been over to Josh and Heathers once or twice, three times at the max (they think I'm awkward), I never noticed any dogs running around the house, or even the backyard. Apparently though, had I run around the basement once or twice, I would have met Stag, and Tucker, whom I had no clue ever existed before about five hours ago.

I think that what I'm most upset about with this whole situation is that Josh didn't think that I was cool enough to meet his dogs. It's like I didn't even know there were other dogs that I was missing. If I ever have a brother in law, I'll either tell him there are dogs and let him meet them, or tell him they are there and not let him meet them. But the one thing that I will NEVER do, is not tell him there are dogs, and then not let him meet them!

To end I would like to say thanks to Jim, for letting me meet Ulee. Because even though he may not be as "cool" as Stag, or have a sweet nick name like MoTo, he is one thing that as far as I know the other two will never be, retarded, and I love him for it.

Me Three!

2007-08-31T22:26:00.000-04:00

Just got paid, Friday night...and I'm all alone. Even though it's only for a couple of hours while Nathan is locking up a building over at the Academy, I'm super bored and I really wish I could see him. Turns out that watching, "Diana remembered" and the last thirty minutes of the movie "Speed" doesn't make the time go that quickly. Even fixing my hair and makeup for fun didn't take all that long. Geez!
Well, I suppose I can take this time to catch everyone up on what's going on in the Voelker household. Nathan has been, as you know from the previous blog, working at his super fun job and I've been working 40 hours a week at a rental agency. Turns out, they're basically the slum lords of Annapolis. Luckily the past week has given me a break from that because I started school. It's pretty tough, but I'm enjoying it.
For the most part though, I'm just trying to get as much time with Nathan as possible before we have to be separated by about 500 miles.
Anyway, I know it's not as exciting as, say, having a baby in the next couple months, your kids starting preschool or having a little girl named Grace who's a shorty, but it's our life right now and it's just the way we like it.

Me Too!

2007-08-30T15:28:00.000-04:00

I am also bored. They ran out of things for me to do at work, so lately I've been spending my mornings re-learning calculus, so that when I have to re-re-learn it in a few months, it won't be as big of a deal. That's pretty cool for about an hour or two, but that only takes me till ten, and it's not cool to leave work until at least noon. So for the next two hours of my day I get to walk around my building aimlessly, or wander the internet looking at the laptops I wish I could buy. Then finally noon rolls around every day, and I get to go home.
For the frist couple of days of the week it isn't so bad, there are plenty of chores to do after Mame goes to school or work, but then come wednesday there isn't much left to do. I'm not ever tired so I can't take a nap, and Wii will only get you so far in life. So I look more on the internet at stuff I want to buy, and then talk myself out of buying it. Then Amanda comes home and we make dinner and watch a movie, or go out and everything is back to being non boring, but up until that point... Whewwww!

"I'm Board!!!"

2007-08-29T22:59:00.000-04:00

Jim is on his way home from an over-night trip to Houston, G.G. is asleep, I cannot spend another second on my Seminary lesson, I have checked my e-mail and there is nothing but news from Pottery Barn etc., I am too tired to read but not tired enough to go to bed, blah, blah, blah. It makes me think of when Amanda was little and her friend Ashley Valena would come to play. After an hour or so, she would come up to me, and in a very monotone voice say, "Sherry, I'm bored!" Since she wasn't my child, I couldn't really say, "You're bored, huh? Well, here is a little job for you!" Anyway, "bored" made me think of "board" and here are pix of my Seminary Bulletin boards! Now I am expecting something a lot more exciting from say, Annapolis, San Rafael, or Huntington Beach! (Whittier is just wishful thinking!) Incidentally, Jim and I had a wonderful couple of days in Whittier and H.B. this past weekend. Maybe that is one reason that it seems extra quiet here!

A few pictures...

2007-08-21T23:31:00.000-04:00

We've really been enjoying Ike lately. He's becoming more and more independent and has the funniest little personality. He has no idea his whole world is going to change in a couple months when his sister gets here. :) We miss you all!

Ike loves "Bear Bear." He sleeps with him and give him lots of hugs.

He also loves when Dad rinses his hair under the faucet in the bath... Who wouldn't?

Highs and Lows of Firsts

2007-08-07T19:42:00.000-04:00

So it's been a couple of weeks since these firsts, but I thought I would share with the extended Moore family.

A couple of weeks ago Mason gave his first talk in church. He loved it! Mom helped him prepare a 2-minute talk with pictures and we ran through it several times at home. Mason couldn't be more excited. Finally the moment came. Mason peered (barely) over the podium and began to recite what mom whispered in his ear. With a huge smile, sing-songy voice, and r's and l's still sounding like w's and l's, he was an instant hit. Every child and teacher struggled to contain their laughter. Luckily, Mason was thrilled with this reaction and hammed it up even more for his first real audience. After he sat down, Xander immediately said, loud enough for many to hear, "It's going to be my turn next."

Our next first came, literally, at the hand of Josh. I was gone for just over an hour at a Relief Society event. When I returned home Josh met me in the garage with a sheepish look on his face. I immediately knew that something was up. He said, "Ummm...I cut Xander's hair." I said, "You're kidding, right?!" (Josh had been threatening to cut it for weeks with his clippers and save the ridiculous cost for 2 kiddo haircuts.) Just then, Xander walked into the garage. Not wanting him to see my shock, I smiled and said, "Xander, you got a haircut!" With a HUGE grin, he said, "Yeah, I look like my Max!" To this day, any time I wash his hair or his hair gets wet in the pool he says, "...but if I get my hair wet it won't look like Max anymore." So, with this haircut Xander reveals his admiration for one of his heroes, his cousin Max...and I've finally gotten used to his missing waves. If Xander has anything to say about it, the waves will never return, at least not until Max grows out his hair ; )