Jonah's Last Day of School

Here are some pictures of Jonah's last day of school. He came home with all of his art projects, which were all centered around ocean creatures. He had some cute works of art! In fact, I'll take some pictures and post them as well. I'm not sure he knows that school is over, but I'm sure he'll be excited to go back in late July. He has really loved riding the bus and wearing his backpack. He was only in school this year for 2 months, and I am seeing improvements. Hopefully next year his speech will really take off!

Waiting for the bus

Getting on the bus for the last time this year!

Levi's Cage

I admit, sometimes I have to cage Levi in. He is just too quick! In fact, the other day when both Peter and I were home, he managed to crawl to the stairs (we were upstairs) and fall all the way down the top half of the stairs! He did not like that, but thankfully, nothing was broken and he stopped crying after a while. We both thought he was with the other person, but he tricked us both! So now if I'm upstairs and can't concentrate on him 100%, I put him in his crib, which he likes anyway! Here are some pictures I took of him today.

I Like This Show, But...

I have some small gripes. This is so not a big deal, but I thought I'd just vent a little. I really like the show "So You Think You Can Dance." Here are the problems, though:

1. What is with that LAME title? Couldn't they think of anything better than that? It is just wordy and sounds dumb.

2. Sorry, but I can't stand the hostess of the show, Cat Deeley. I don't mind British accents, but hers sounds horrible! It is so annoying and she also says the dumbest things (although I can't completely blame her because I'm sure it is scripted). Still, I just really cringe every time she starts talking.
3. Right now the show is still in its audition phase. I know that they do it for ratings and for the overall entertainment value, blah blah blah. But I want to watch the dance auditions, not the winners celebrating by dancing in the hallway like goons. They showed a ton of dancers who made the first cut celebrating in the hallway, but why didn't we see them audition? Am I missing something here? They also give way more airtime to the losers who don't know what they are doing, but no airtime to half of the people who made it through. It's like American Idol, whose audition episodes also bug me. I just would rather watch someone who is really good or trying, than someone who dressed up in a chicken suit just because they are desperate to get on TV. Lame! I am not interested in being "entertained" by whack-job people who have no self-respect and submit themselves to national humiliation!

Okay, I am done... (I have been complaining a lot lately, haven't I?)

Phoenix Bitner Hill

My sister, Lexie, had her second baby boy tonight! I went to see her at the hospital and she and the baby are doing great! I snapped a few quick pictures too. Here are the stats:

Name: Phoenix Bitner Hill
Weight: 8 pounds 10 ounces!
Length: 21 inches
Born on May 25th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Delivered by Dr. Conrad

Phoenix is a big boy with broad shoulders and a barrel chest! He has lots of back hair and big chubby cheeks! He also has big feet and long toes. He is already a great nurser, just like his big brother, Marcelus, was.
Lexie is doing well. She was able to labor at home for a while, and was dilated to a 6 when she arrived at the hospital. She got her epidural when she was at a 7, and she had a good delivery.

Email me if you want to know what room she is in at the hospital if you want to visit her. She should be there until Tuesday morning.

Congratulations, Sharrid, Lexie, and Marcelus! And welcome to the world, Phoenix!

Trip to the Temple Visitors' Center

Today we took the kids to the Mesa Temple Visitors' Center. We mostly just walked around and tried to keep Eden from running away. She only bolted once. Inside, we had a hard time keeping the kids quiet and keeping Eden from jumping on a chair and falling off and hitting her head (which followed with a high-pitched scream). Needless to say, our visit wasn't that long. We did have a good time getting out to the temple and visitors' center. There was a really nice photo exhibit called Reflections of Christ. You should check it out if you live in the area!

Peter and I had our engagement picture taken in front of this weird rock!

Jonah really liked the big Jesus statue!

Levi Playing

Here are some funny pictures of Levi playing in the laundry basket and crawling around-

Jonah's Television Debut

Jonah was on the news tonight for about 2 seconds! The news crew came to his school because their P.E. teacher is being deployed to Iraq. Since Jonah's preschool is part of a public elementary school, he gets to go to all of their assemblies. Here is the video. He is near the end shown with one other kid waving their American flags.

Unwanted Visitor

Okay, I am really sorry to all of you out there who love cats, but I have a gripe! This fat ugly mangy cat has been hanging around our front door for two days. Not only am I allergic, but I think I am finally realizing that I might hate cats. I'm pretty certain that I hate this one. I have always disliked cats, not loved cats, etc. I never felt like I hated cats in general, until maybe now.

Well, this ugly thing will not go away! I don't know what is so alluring about our front porch- we have nothing to attract it here. This cat is huge and butt-ugly too. It looks like the cat pictured here, but way fatter and mangier.

I actually had a few ladies from the ward drop by today. I was thoroughly embarrassed that that stupid cat was sitting right on my welcome mat as I opened the door. That mat means "Welcome, humans," not "Welcome, homeless cats!" Actually, the cat had a tag, and I asked some neighborhood girls to read it since I did not want to touch the thing. My seasonal allergies just barely started subsiding, and I do not want my throat closing up or my eyes turning puffy any time soon!

Anyway, I had to shoo the cat away for the tenth time (seriously!) as I explained that the cat was not ours, and I was allergic to it. One of the ladies who came over is terrified of cats, and the other just hates them. It was pretty embarrassing for me. The whole neighborhood probably thinks that I belong to this thing.

Anyway, I will be spraying a cold jet-stream of water into that cat's face the next time it thinks that my welcome mat is its bed. Sorry, but I just have little patience for this. I know cats roam, but whoever owns this cat needs to get it out of here, or I will. Just because it's a cat doesn't mean that the owners shouldn't take responsibility for it. I would shoo any dog, cat, bird, hamster, rabbit, etc. off of my property too. I just think it's kind of rude for people to assume that nobody cares about stray cats. Seriously, get it out of here!

Okay, I'm done...

Eden's Big Night

Okay, sorry again about all of the posts in a row, but this must be documented for posterity. Last night, Eden made history by being the first kid in the Shirley family to poop in the potty! *the crowd cheers*

Eden, poor thing, lately has been a little constipated. she has started crying a little before she has to have a BM, which was perfect for me, because I knew right when she had to go. I had sat her on the big potty twice yesterday, telling her to go poo-poo in the potty. She actually was trying, grunting and pushing. But she didn't go until last night. Unfortunately, I wasn't there, because I was touching up baseboards! And I hadn't even told Peter what I had done that day with her, but he must have had the same idea, and put her on the little potty when she had started grunting. So she pooped in the little potty and we were so excited! I know it doesn't mean much, but at least someone in this family is making some progress! And she isn't afraid of the big toilet, so we are going to get one of those little inserts for her.

Yeah for Eden!

10 Random Things

Okay, I have been tagged to write 10 weird, random things, facts, habits, or goals about myself. So here I go: (and these are way random...)

1. I am scared of opening those Pillsbury refrigerator roll tubes. I hate how they pop when you pull the paper off; it startles me every time! I usually make Peter do it for me if I can.

2. I have a dream to open a gourmet sandwich and salad cafe/deli. I have lots of good ideas for sandwiches, and I love making them. So if anyone wants to be the money behind this idea...haha just kidding. It probably will never happen, but it's fun to think about it.

3. I really like my feet. I think that is my favorite thing about myself (physically). They are small and I like my toenails. Weird, I know...

4. I used to collect stationary. I still have it all, and use it occasionally, but I used to seriously collect it. I'd buy stuff and never use it. Now I don't really have anyone to write to with it and I don't really know what to do with it all.

5. I hope someday we get one more girl in our family.

6. I am really sad that I haven't kept in touch with some people from high school, college, or my mission. I am sad to lose friendships; I feel like I have lost touch with people mostly because I'm lazy and that makes me feel like crap.

7. I love shopping. I know it's not good, but it can really cheer me up when I'm down. Just going to the store and buying a bag of chocolates or a new candle can really make a difference! That being said, I really miss the shopping in San Francisco. (That 9-story Macy's is the best! One whole floor practically devoted to shoes!)

8. I used to be somewhat adventurous, but I am a big wienie now. I am kind of afraid to travel, whereas when I was younger, I didn't even think about what could happen. I went to China for 10 days when I was 16! Peter thinks it's because now I have a family and kids and have something to really live for. I think he is right. Anyway, this is something I really don't like about myself- I am too much of a worrier and I usually let those negative feelings ruin a good time for myself. I really would like to change this, but don't know how!

9. I hope I never have to live in the snow again. 11 months in Siberia was enough for me!

10. I don't like taking medicine unless it's really necessary. Plus, I just don't really think about it. If I have a headache, I just suffer through it most of the time. It just doesn't usually occur to me to take something for it. I do take it if I'm in a lot of pain, but otherwise, I just forget that I could take medicine to help me feel better. I guess that's kind of dumb.

Okay, I tag:
Courtney
Amanda
Claire
Christy
Tibi
Mom
Karena
Okay, how about just everyone on my blog list? Haha

Do Not Try This At Home!

I will not tell you when we started painting Jonah and Levi's room for two reasons: I am embarrassed at how long it took, and I seriously can't remember! It has been that long. For those of you who talk to me often, you might have an idea of how long this took. I do not recommend chipping away at a project like this! I should have hired a babysitter so I could finish it faster!

Oh well, it is done, and I am so happy! I think it turned out pretty good. I can't take all of the credit, though. I stole the idea from my friend, Kayleen. I pretty much did the same stripes, but different colors. I can never seem to come up with ideas, but I can duplicate things pretty well.

Peter said if he would have known how much of a project this was going to be, we wouldn't have done it. Well, I am still glad we did it, but I don't think I'll be doing something this intricate for a while! Painting each room one color sounds so easy now! Good thing we started with this hard one first then...

It has been pretty crazy having Jonah sleeping on the couch in our bedroom and Levi also in there in the pack-n-play. Can't wait for them to sleep in their own room tonight! Hopefully I can air it out good enough so they can.

I can't find my other memory card for the camera, and I know I took before pictures, so they must be on it. But I couldn't wait, so here is one "during" picture and some "after" pictures. The blurs are from my camera; there aren't any weird spots on the walls! If I find the "before" pictures, I'll add them later. The colors are truer in the first picture. I took the last three last night after I had finished, and the colors look brighter or darker than they are because of the flash and it was dark in there.

During

After

Baby Food

Sorry for all of the posts in a row. I hadn't cleaned off my camera for a while, and there were some good ones I thought I'd post. This morning, I was feeding Levi his breakfast of apricots mixed with rice cereal. He is such a pig and can't seem to eat it fast enough. What a typical guy! He scarfs it down without even pausing to take a breath. He has been eating at least a stage 2 container each meal, usually with some grains mixed in. What was so funny this morning was that Eden finished her food and came over to beg for a few bites from Levi's food. She hasn't eaten baby food since she was a baby, so she had no idea what it was. But I gave her a little taste and she liked it! Then she kept bugging me for more, saying "please" (which sounds more like Moo-eeze in her language). So I gave her a bite every now and then. It reminded me of feeding my brother and sister when they were babies. We are about 15-16 years apart, so I got to help out with a lot of mommy stuff in high school. My sisters and I all love baby food, well at least the fruit kinds, and we used to sneak bites all the time while feeding Tibi and Landon. We'd say "one bite for you, one bite for me..." Poor kids probably didn't get enough because we ate it all. Anyway, it just made me laugh and think of that. I even snapped a couple of quick pictures.

One bite for Levi...

One bite for Eden...

I was not about to sneak any bites. Apricots with rice cereal mixed in? Yuck!

Too Pooped To Party

As my mom would say, Levi was "too pooped to party" in these pictures. Hey, sisters, that's another mom-ism! Anyway, he was playing in his pack-n-play, but I guess he got so tired that he couldn't even lay down. He fell asleep sitting up, poor guy!

Eden's Parasol

We got this for Eden when we went to SF. She loves it but she's not very careful with it and she sometimes almost hits herself in the head with it!

Three in a Tub

Here are some pictures of the kids. This was a while ago- Jonah still has pink cheeks from the Fifth Disease rash.

Look at those blue eyes!

Movies I'd Like To See

Okay, this post is mostly a list for me so I can remember which movies I'd like to get out and see. Seeing as how we have these three kiddos, I might not get to see any until they come out on DVD, but maybe Peter will get the hint and take me to one of these. In no particular order:

1. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

2. The Dark Knight

3. Iron Man

4. The Chronicles of Narnia- Prince Caspian

5. Kung Fu Panda

6. Get Smart

7. The Accidental Husband (maybe)

Has anyone seen anything good lately? Which movies are you planning on seeing this summer?

Of course, the movie of the year for me will be:

And in second place (sorry, it was the only picture I could get):

Happy "Mother's" Day

When I was in Russia, I was surprised to learn that there is a holiday in March called International Women's Day. I wondered why America doesn't celebrate it if it's "international". Well, anyway, I thought it was such a cool holiday. Basically it honors all females, old and young. People give the women in their lives gifts, flowers and cards. It was a fun surprise being celebrated even though I wasn't married or a mother.

I have always wondered why we have Mother's Day and felt that it left out people who aren't mothers. Don't get me wrong, mothers should be honored, but shouldn't all women be honored even if they are not technically mothers? I think so. And that is why I am wishing all of the women in my life a Happy "Mother's" Day this year.

Every woman or girl I know has maternal instincts given to her from God, even if she doesn't have children. One of the most nurturing, motherly people I know is my 13-year-old sister! So Happy Mother's Day to all of you women who are too young to have children or are still children yourselves. Happy Mother's Day to those of you who haven't had children yet, who are struggling to have children, those of you who are frightened to, and those of you who have more or less children than you planned. Happy Mother's Day to those of you who have it all together and those of you who cry at least once a day. Happy Mother's Day to the ladies who are expecting, who are trying to conceive, or who are trying to not conceive (again!). Happy Mother's Day to the big sisters who are such good examples to their younger sisters, and to the younger sisters who help out with their nieces and nephews and try to support their big sisters. Happy Mother's Day to the women who spend their days working, fulfilling callings, cleaning up messes, or driving kids places. Happy Mother's Day to the grandmothers who play with their grandkids and can't wait till they come back. Happy Mother's Day to the mothers who don't have any kids left at home, who have one on a mission, or who are dreading their youngest entering high school. Happy Mother's Day to the mothers who have found their babies through adoption, or who have given their babies to a loving family.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you women out there- grandmas, moms and daughters. You all deserve to be honored and celebrated!

Levi's New Trick

Since Levi has learned to crawl, he has been booking it all over the place! I am now figuring out that my house isn't as baby-proof as I thought it was. Well, I guess Levi is getting bored with crawling, because he has been trying to pull himself up on furniture too. Tonight he actually pulled himself all the way up to standing, using the TV stand for help. It was so funny and cute to watch him try to figure it out. He stood there for a long time, trying to think of what to do next. I swear, this kid will be walking soon, which baffles me because the other two kids walked right when they turned one. My mom says that I walked at 9 months, and I am thinking that that is totally possible with Levi, but I can't really imagine it! He is so little to me and it will be quite a sight to see if he does start walking soon! I will try to get a video to post soon of Levi's new accomplishment!

Grammar Geek

Okay, so I know that I might not always speak grammatically correct, and that I might make mistakes on my blog too. But there are just some first grade rules that people break that really bug me (although some make me laugh)! My sister-in-law emailed me a link to this funny blog with all sorts of spelling and grammar mistakes, and I just laughed my head off! Check it out here. This reminded me so much of Mr. Dalley's English AP class and all of the predication problems we learned about. Man, I learned so much in that class, my English ACT score went up 5 points after taking it! Thank you, Mr. Dalley! Anyway, I thought at least Amanda might get a kick out of this, knowing that she's as much of a grammar geek as I am. Here is a little preview:
The order for this cake was to write "Best Wishes Suzanne" and underneath that, "We will miss you." That's pretty bad!