The Carousel

So we have walking group at a local mall (that is actually in the process of closing due to lack of business). At the mall they have this carousel that the kids have always been enthralled with. We had promised the kids that they could ride on our last walk at the mall before it is warm enough to walk outside. Well, today after our walk this older gentlemen came up to our group, we were sitting around and recouping while the kids played, and said he wanted to treat our kids to a ride on the carousel and handed us enough money for all of the kids to ride. He then took off to finish his walk. How amazingly kind of him to do that. I only wish he could have seen the excitement in my girls faces when I told them that someone had given us some money so they could ride the carousel. All of my kids were quite excited...that is until the ride started moving. Here is how Caden reacted.

Ride not moving: Caden is really excited and you could tell he was so happy to be a 'big boy' sitting on the horse like the other kids.
Ride slowly begins: Caden is really excited and has a huge smile and say "whee"
Ride begins to pick up speed: Caden no longer looks excited in fact he looks a little panicked but continues to say "whee" with a look of terror on his face
Ride is halfway through: Caden is no longer having fun and says in a panic "Down! Down!" as he signs down.

The ride was pretty fast so I can't blame the kid (I ended up holding him for about half the ride). I think the girls loved it though. I don't think Caden is going to want to ride it again.

Ready for Kindergarten

I had parent-teacher conference today for Kailyn. I'll be honest, I was a little nervous. Kailyn is the sweetest girl at home (most of the time) but I've been wondering how she really acts when I'm not around. How does a parent know how their child acts when they're not around? Let's be honest its not like parents from playdates would tell me if she was rude, selfish, and/or emotional.

Well, it sounds like she is doing great. I was honestly expecting some feedback like, "Kailyn really does well in this area but she needs help in this area." Not so. The teacher said, "Honestly, I don't have anything to tell you. Kailyn is well-prepared in every area." Her teacher said she is very cooperative, has great vocabulary and language, is fun to be around, has good fine motor skills, and knows all she needs to know to be able to start Kindergarten this coming year. The teacher said she thought she would do great and would handle all-day kindergarten just fine (we never doubted she would). About the vocabular/language, the teacher said I could go in and say hi to Kailyn. When I walked into the room, Kailyn was talking a mile a minute to some poor girl sitting next to her, something about "that's what I did at walking group." On the phone with grandparents: don't expect any of your secrets to be kept!

We're proud of Kailyn and are excited for her next step. Miss her? Can't wait to get rid of her (okay, maybe we'll miss her a little bit now and then).

Book Club

Tonight we had book club. We read the book "Not Without My Daughter." It is a true story about a mother who is trapped in Tehran (by her husband) and is trying to escape. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. It is very fascinating and frustrating and repulsive to read about the cultural differences between there and the US.

I love book club! I just love getting together with 'the girls.' I could do it every night. We were actually having a pretty good dicussion about the book tonight. I was incredibly sad I had to leave early. I had to get home so Ken could go to work (working a 10pm to 8am shift). I was glad I at least got to go for a little bit. I have had to miss a lot of things lately because of Ken's crazy work schedule.

So Scary

So our garage was converted into a family room/playroom by our last owners and that is how we have continued to use it. The garage can get a little cold at times though so we often use a space heater in there when the kids want to play in there. Well, I went in there today and smelled something really funny. We have had a lot of water problems so I was afraid that it might be mold or something but as I got further into the room I knew that couldn't be it. The smell was just way too strong. After a minute of walking around trying to locate the source this is what I found.

I know scary. It was smoking and everything. It was only minutes away from starting our whole house on fire. I'm not really sure why the fuse didn't trip since it seems to trip for everything else. The one time it is an actual emergency and it does nothing. So what you are looking at in the picture is a melted converter (makes it go from a 2 prong outlet to a 3 prong) melted into the outlet and the melted unplugged cord. I'm a bit confused as to why it happened. I have no idea why it got so hot. Don't think we will be using this outlet again anytime soon.

Husband Tag

Ok, I hesitated doing this cause I know how much Ken is going to love this little post but I've been "tagged" so I have to do it..right? (Sorry this is the only recent picture I can find of him)

Husband Tag...

What is his name? Kenneth Wayne Bassett
How long have you been together? We have been together for about 9 years (if you count dating)
How long did you date? about 8 months (counting engagement)
How old is he? He is almost 30. Wow! I can't believe it. At least he finally has a job. Pretty sad, almost 30 and finally he is a real adult.
Who eats more? He does. It amazes me how much he can eat when he wants. Although, I can hold my own pretty well. It was actually something he liked about me when we first met. I had quite the appetite.
Who said I love you first? He did. It took me a little bit (okay, forever, if you ask Ken). I knew I really liked him but I didn't want to get serious and I wanted to save 'I love you' for real love.
Who's Taller? He is and I love it! It is something that I find so attractive about him. I can wear any size heal I want. I have always loved tall guys.
Who can sing better? Definitely him.
Who is smarter? Lets just say, other than History class, I always got better grades than him. Although, he definitely has an unfair advantage when it comes to anything medical.
Who does the laundry? Me. Although he will often help me fold if he is around. He has also started washing some of his own clothes lately. I think it has come out of necessity though. His work clothes get washed seperately (I really don't want all that blood and germs touching the rest of our clothes) and sometimes I don't get to them quick enough.
Who pays the bills? Me. He rarely knows what day of the week it is.
Who sleeps on the right side? Me (if you're standing facing the bed) . Before kids we used to switch all the time. Now I sleep closest to the door so can help kids during night (yeah for me).
Who mows the lawn? Me. I actually like mowing the lawn--crazy, I know.
Who cooks dinner? Me (I thought this was a husband tag). He does cook every once in awhile which I love, love, love (because he IS such an AWESOME cook).
Who drives? We trade, although I have been driving more lately. Not really sure why. Maybe because we normally take the van and it is all set up for me.
Who is more stubborn? Honestly, never really thought about it. I think that we take turns on this one.
Who kissed who first? He kissed me.
Who asked who out first? He asked me. He was so head over heels for me. This actually drew me too him. It is amazing having someone that admires and adores you more than anything.
Who proposed? He did. It wasn't what he really had in mind but it was still so perfect.
Who has more friends? Let's just say it is kind of hard to make a lot of friends when you are working 80 hours a week.
Who is more sensitive? Me, but that is not saying much. Ken is not going to be winning any awards anytime soon for his ability to show his emotions.
Who has more siblings? Tied. We are both the 2nd oldest in families with 6 kids.
Who wears the pants? me (okay, he says he'll let me keep thinking that).

Free Pancakes

Yesterday IHOP had free pancakes for international pancake day. So after walking group we all went to IHOP. The pancakes were delicious. The girls thought the pink and purple syrup (strawberry and blueberry) was the greatest.

We were quite the crowd: 6 adults, no makeup, in our workout clothes, and 9 kids. We consumed a totally of 39 pancakes between us. Gotta love a free meal (we did leave a tip).

About me....

So I was tagged by Jackie. Here it goes...

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:30 (thank you Jordan. She woke up to use the bathroom and in the process woke everyone up, except Ken.)

2. What do you usually have for breakfast? Oatmeal, waffles, pancakes, toast and eggs, cold cereal with fruit, french toast

3. What is your favorite CD at the moment? I love the ones that my sister gave me for my birthday

4. What kind of car do you drive? Dodge Grand Caravan

5. Favorite sandwich? Love deli style with the works. If you are going to have a sandwich have a sandwich.

6. Favorite item of clothing? My PJs they are so comfy and warm

7. If you could go anywhere in the world for a vacation, where would you go? Russia. Ken served a mission there and I think it would be so fun to go there with him and see where he served. I also think a cruise would be fun. Get to see a lot of places and do lots of things.

8. What color is your bathroom? Nothing right now. We still need to finish the bathrooms. First we need to get a water leak fixed before any painting is going to happen.

9. Where would you retire? Arizona

10. Most memorable birthday? I've had a lot of great birthdays. Probably the biggest birthday is when Ken took me to New York City (while grandparents watched kids). It was SO much fun!!!

11. Favorite sport to watch? Football and basketball. I love watching them with friends or live.

12. Are you a morning person or a night person? Night

13. What is your shoe size? 9 1/2 - 10

14. Pets? No. I've already got 4 "kids" I have to clean up after and fed.

15. What did you want to be when you were little? orthodontist, teacher, doctor, business manager

16. What are you today? mom

17. What is your favorite candy? snickers

18. Your favorite flower? I love anything bright and colorful. Ken once got me a bird of paradise and I loved it cause it was unique and different than the normal carnation or rose.

19. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? This month? Later this week when Ken actually has a couple days off in a row. Hurray!

20. What are you listening to right now? The news

21. What is the last thing you ate? cookies. I made them with Kailyn and Jordan to take to preschool for Kailyn's half birthday tomorrow.

22. Do you wish on stars? Yep

23. What faith are you? I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

24. Who was the last person you spoke with on the phone? my father in law

25. Hair Color? brown

26. Name of your favorite school teacher? wow I had a lot of great ones. Mrs. Goodheart, Mrs Strecker, Professor Zepeda, Mr Corbitt (there is more but I'll spare you) They were all hard teachers but I learned so much in their class.

27. Chocolate or vanilla? If your talking ice cream, vanilla

28. When was the last time you cried? A couple of days ago

29. What is under your bed? wood floors

30. What did you do last night? nothing exciting. I did get to go on a date with Ken on Friday night. He has been working a lot so its been a while.

31. Favorite smell? bread baking, rain, clean babies, cinnamon and apple scented things, guys when they have good cologne on (and not too much), things cooking that I didn't have to prepare

32. What are you afraid of? Like Aimee, I have often wondered what would happen if I passed out or something. With Ken working so much it would take a while for anyone to find me. I think Kailyn is finally getting old enough that she could call for help. I also don't like the idea of loosing physical ability either through an accident or age. I'm afraid of not being able to be independent.

33. How many towns have you lived in? 5 but we have moved 8 times since being married

34. Do you make friends easily? Yeah

OK so I guess I have to tag 4 people now Emilee W, Amy, Rachel M, Cynthia (I'm not really sure who hasn't done one yet)

Oh Jordan

So whenever Jordan colors she just takes the crayons and scrabbles all over the page...until a couple of days ago that is. The other day she shows me a picture she drew and starts to casually explain the person she has drawn while I sat there with my my mouth on the floor. I was amazed because up to this point she had never drawn anything, not even a circle. Here is a picture of her person.

A couple of days ago Jordan came to me while I was fixing dinner and says "Here mommy here is a diaper for Caden. It was on the stairs." Seeing Jordan holding a (clean) diaper Caden promptly lays on the floor to get his diaper changed. Jordan sees this and says, "Oh, Caden are you poopy?" She 'checks' him and affirms that he is and quickly leaves the room. Next thing I know she has returned with wipes and starts to change Caden. I at this point am laughing cause 1) I can't believe Jordan would want to change Caden's stinky diaper and 2) that Caden would lay down and allow Jordan to change him (there are times when Jordan can't even look at him without him throwing a fit). Well, Jordan finds out that his diaper is not stinky (thank goodness, I can't imagine the mess that would have produced if she tried to clean that up) but continues to change it anyways. She then spends the next 5 minutes wiping Caden. Caden continues to lay there patiently in fact he even starts laughing. So I'm thinking that this might not be to bad of a deal. I would be perfectly happy if someone wants to take over diaper changing duty.

Swimming Pool

So one thing we have really missed about Arizona is swimming. There were times when we would go swimming everyday. When I wished we could go swimming more in Ohio this is not exactly what I had in mind. This is a picture of our backyard. Ours actually seems to be fairing the best out of all our neighbors.

Of course Kailyn wanted to go out and play in it. Every puddle Jordan and Kailyn came to they would sing "Oh, no______(long grass, muck, forest,etc)! Can't go over it, can't go under it. We've got to go through it" (from the song "Going on a Bear Hunt")

Surreal

So Ken's program has interview dinners that we sometimes go to.  Tonight we decided to go.  Well, we were sitting there waiting for the interviewees when I looked up and say a familiar face.  It was my friend Chris from high school.  I couldn't believe my eyes, it totally caught me off guard.  It was really good to see him.  I was really lucky and had an amazing group of friends I hung out with and he was one of the guys that would sometime hang out with us.  Of course this had to be the night that our 3 munchkins were the worst they have ever been on an interview dinner (or maybe I was just overly sensitive about it)(and they were not great but I guess they could have been worse).  Jordan for some reason had decided not to nap today, Kailyn was very talkative and asked me a million questions all night and Caden was seriously the grumpiest he has been in so long (poor guy is cutting teeth and hasn't been sleeping very well).  I had thought about not going because of the reasons listed but I'm really glad I went. 

Balloons

So we got a couple of helium balloons the other day.  The girls were excited and Caden was amazed.  He would hold the balloon, let it go and then want it back, we would hand it to him and the cycle would start over again.  He did this over and over and over.  He seemed amazed by the fact that the balloon went up instead of falling down.

balloon

So we obtained a couple of helium balloons the other day.  The girls were excited and Caden was amazed.  He would hold the balloon, let it go and then want it back, we would hand it to him and the cycle would start over again.  He did this over and over and over.  He seemed amazed by the fact that the balloon went up instead of falling down.