Shanna loves her pacifier. If she sees another one, she'll spit out the one she currently has in her mouth and grab the other. Video date is October 27, 2007. And there is no sound.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Photo Album
A self photo of Clark, taken by Clark himself.
Shanna & Haley
Shanna & Haley
Joy, Ruth, Haley & Jeanne McPherson--Jeanne has the triplets.
Lee at the branch woodchopping contest.
Shanna & Haley!
Shanna & Haley
The pigs at the McPherson farm.
Lee and Cal on the hayride!
This is 2/3 of the McPherson Barn. The section on the left (the center) is a room with a fridge, table and can't remember what else, and there is an "attic" for storage. The place on the right with the white door Axel & Jeanne added on after their triplets were born. It's a room with a bed, bunk beds and a bathroom so guests can stay there when they come.
Cal having fun with his green cat sugar cookie.
Clark enjoying the sprinkles.
Lee posing for me.
Part of the "playground" at the McPhersons. There is a big play area to the right that you can see part of.
Okay, this is Axel McPherson and his triplet boys. And this is the other 1/3 of their barn. It's not really part of the barn, but it's right next to it. It's a covered area with tables and a grill. They have a perfect yard for entertaining.
Clark, Ruth and Shanna last Sunday.
Clark, Ruth and Shanna last Sunday.
Rachel, Lizzy, Clark, Anthon & Ila--isn't this a fun picture!?
Cal and Clark both decorating cookies.
Cal didn't have a nap last Sunday. And at about 7:00 pm, he fell asleep on the floor.
Cal didn't have a nap last Sunday. And at about 7:00 pm, he fell asleep on the floor.
Cal yesterday at the birthday party for Nathan.
Rich Dad Poor Dad
By Robert T. Kiyosaki
I finished reading Rich Dad Poor Dad on Friday. It was a good book. I don't agree with the entire book, but I would recommend reading it. Robert Kiyosaki made some great points concerning money.
There were a couple quotes that I liked. One point in the book he writes about "Chicken Little" and how people are held back because of fears: their own fears, fear they get from watching the news, or fear others instill in them. Kiyosaki gave the example of Col. Sanders how he faced his own Chicken Little: "At the age of 66, he lost his business..." but went on to become a multimillionaire. Kiyosaki concludes: "So when you're in doubt and feeling a little afraid, just do what Col. Sanders did to his little chicken. He fried it." I thought that was great!
He also wrote about how his poor dad would say how good it was to climb the "corporate ladder." Rich dad responded (paraphrasing): "Why not own the ladder?"
Sunday October 28, 2007
Another week has passed in our lives. This week was fairly normal. We did things like: go on a walk, clean bathrooms, play with babies, do laundry, cook, read to Clark and Cal, play hide-n-seek, study for boards part II (just Lee)--just to name a few.
Lee got home around 6:30 every night! I loved it! (Well, one night he was home close to 7 pm, but 4 out of 5 isn't bad!)
Saturday was our big day. Lee treated us right by making German Pancakes for breakfast. A family in our branch was celebrating their son's 1 st birthday, and we went to the party. It was more like a party for the guests! We got lunch, won 2 prizes, had cake and ice cream and the boys and Lee and I got goodie bags.
Later that afternoon we went to two Fall get-togethers. The first was at the McPherson place. I met Jeanne McPherson at the library. She has a 4 year-old-daughter and boy triplets, age 2. They live outside of Whiteville about 4 miles. They have a great place. Jeanne wrote down directions for me to her house. On it she wrote: We are the 2nd house on the right(brick house w/ front porch & playground in backyard). Usually people have a play "area" in their back yard. Well, they have a "playground"! It's great. And their barn is SO GREAT!!! You'll have to see the pictures that I post of it.
We enjoyed visiting people and going on a hayride. Clark had so much fun playing with kids his age. He and Cal were terribly sad when we left.
After the McPherson's we went straight to the church for the fall festivities there. People were finishing eating when we arrived. Lee had a hamburger at the McPherson's and I ate at the church. Bro. Edward (Ward) had roasted corn on his grill in the shuck. YUM! I think this was the first time the whole "summer" that I had corn on the cob. Lee participated in a log chopping contest and won against the people he was chopping with. And he didn't even get any wood chips in his eyes.
We had a fun-filled day. I was tired when we got home at 7:30.
Today was the Primary program at church. I worked with Clark several times to try and get him to memorize his part. He did have a few words of it memorized. Lee went up and helped him though.
We stayed after church for choir. Lee really likes being in the choir. I don't mind, but I am not "excited" to be in a choir. Well, they really wanted us in the choir I think. Especially when they announced in Sacrament meeting last week that they would have babysitting available during choir. Well, beside the choir pianist & his wife, we are basically the only people that need babysitting!! Clark & Cal enjoyed playing in the nursery.
Well, if I think of more to write I'll post it later. Shanna still isn't crawling yet, which I am grateful for. She is close...
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Birthday Present Tip
Instead of a normal, expensive gift for your child's friend, stop by a dollar store or other merchant and purchase a hellium-filled balloon for the gift. Add a little bottle of bubbles or a favorite candy bar at the end of the string to weigh down the balloon. Thanks Lena for the great idea!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Daniel and Amy came to visit!!
Once again, thanks for taking the time to read what we've been up to. This week was a crazy one at work. Usually it slows down for about 15-30 minutes around 3:00 or so. That's when I run home and grab a bite to eat. This week, Monday through Thursday, the patients never stopped coming! Good for Dr. Lewis' business and my education but bad for my stomach.
Monday was our first day back to normal after out trip. I went back to work and since it was so busy I didn't even get a chance to come home for lunch. Ruth did a lot of laundry and got the house back in order.
Tuesday has been lost to the black hole of our minds. If the gravitational pull of remembrance is strong enough I'll tell you all about it.
Wednesday morning Ruth took Shanna to the doctor here (Dr. Matthews). Her head is pretty asymmetrical and we thought we'd just check it out. The doctor said it was right on the borderline for being outside of normal. He wants us to go to a neurologist in Raleigh to be on the safe side. Ruth mentioned that I was interning at Dr. Lewis' office and he said that he was going there for an eye exam that same day. So, he asked Ruth a little bit about me and said that he would play a little joke on me. Ruth told me he was coming because she wanted me to ask him a couple more questions about Shanna, but when I looked on the schedule I didn't see his name. Later that afternoon I saw this guy in the hallway that looked really familiar to me. I looked at him a little longer and he came up to me and said "Lee? What are you doing here? From Ely right? I knew you were in Memphis but what are you doing here?" Anyway, my brain was wracked trying to remember who this guy was and how he knew me! Anyway, it was the doctor and he got me good. It only made it worse that I had thought to myself just before he talked to me that he looked familiar. That part was of course a coincidence.
The next day I saw Dr. Matthews picking up his glasses. He saw me and told me that the neurologist wanted us to get a CT scan before we came! Dr. Lewis has heard all this and said that he would call the hospital to see if they would give us a discount on the CT scan. He also said that if Dr. Matthews charges me for our office visit to let me know because he didn't charge him anything for his eye exam or his glasses the day before.
Thursday Ruth took the kids to story time at the library. Clark and Cal went right in and thoroughly enjoyed it. They look forward to it every week.
Friday was a good day (as usual). Ruth spent most of the morning cleaning and getting the house ready for Daniel and Amy's family. For some reason fewer patients came in and it seemed a lot more laid back at the office. I was even able to come home for a decent amount of time for lunch. While I was home Daniel called and said that they had just left Raleigh and were on their way. After lunch Ruth was getting ready to take the kids outside. The boys were a little restless but she wasn't ready yet so I took the boys back to work with me. Everybody had fun seeing them and 10 minutes later Ruth came with the girls and they had even more fun seeing them. When I got home that evening everybody was here and had just gotten done eating. Daniel brought his Game Cube and Clark had a blast holding a controller and watching everybody else play games.
Saturday I made pancakes and put out the cold cereal. When we were all ready we went to a park in Chadbourn, about 5-7 miles away from Whiteville. The park exceeded expectations!! It was very nice and all the kids had a great time. Ruth prepared some food and we had a fun little picnic. When we got home Ruth put some chicken and special sauce in the crockpot for dinner. We basically just hung out on the front porch and let the kids play the rest of the afternoon. Just as the chicken got done we made some rice and had a yummy dinner. For dessert Ruth made her delicious chocolate chip cookies. Later that night Ruth put together a lasagna in the crockpot and made some no-bake cookies for after church on Sunday.
Church was good today. It was a rush to get ready with everybody here but we made just in time. Halfway through Sunday school Ruth realized that we never put the crock in the pot! (Or is it the pot in the crock?) Luckily we only live 1 minute from church so I could just run home and do it really quick. There's not an official nursery in the Branch so Daniel took Cal and Rachel in there to play with the toys. Cal, I'm sure, loved it. At one point Daniel took Rachel and Cal outside. They each picked a leaf and then Daniel taped the leaf to the back of a plate. He wrote on the back of the plate: "Cal loves his Mom & Dad." It was fun that Daniel did a little craft with them for nursery!
After church we ate the lasagna and no-bake cookies all of which was really good. After lunch we had a good visit while the kids played. They left around 3:00 or so and got home safe, despite a flat tire on the way.
Well, once again I've typed more than you want to read - unless of course you're a parent or grandparent.
Here's a few pictures from this week and Daniel and Amy's visit:
That, my friends, is a lizard tail.
Ruth and Lee at the park.
Ila, Clark, Lizzy, and Lee at the Chadbourn park.
Clark and Anthon posing before they put the fire out.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Hello to family and friends,
This will most likely be a long and boring entry so I suggest that you utilize you’re very best speed-reading skills for the next few paragraphs. Unfortunately I don’t have any speed-writing skills so just be glad you didn’t have to write this.
Monday at work was supposed to be our fist day going “live” with the new electronic medical record (ERM). Dr. Lewis has spent a lot of money on it and is looking forward to the day when everybody (including himself) can use it. Until then I think we’re going to have a grumpy office. Monday was supposed to be only half-booked but somebody missed that memo and we had a full schedule. Dr. Lewis had the staff using both the ERM and the old paper exam forms. The patients really got backed up and the last ones didn’t leave until 7:30 or so.
Our van is still in the shop. A nice (I mean really nice) man from the branch lent us an “old” car of his that they don’t use very often. When he brought it over last Sunday he dropped off a 2002 Buick LeSaber! Pretty nice “old” car I’d say. We were gone all week and so we haven’t had a chance to talk to the mechanic. Our van might be all done, but we’ll find out tomorrow. It’s got an electric problem somewhere and every time they find something that could cause it they fix it and try it. Sometimes it dies on them and they go back to the drawing board. Sometimes it doesn’t so they give it back to us, only to have it die on us later that same day. So far we’ve had to take it back 3 times. I’m not complaining though. I think the mechanic is doing a good job and will be fair.
Tuesday would be a half day for me since later that afternoon I’d be flying to a seminar in Jacksonville, Florida. The Vision Care Institute paid for my travel, lodging, and food to come down there and take some classes with other students. They are an affiliate of Johnson & Johnson, which owns Vistakon, which is the maker of Acuvue contact lenses. Surprisingly they did not push their contact lenses at all. They gave us several classes on contact lenses in which they talked about all types and even told us why they liked some lenses better than Acuvue. Nevertheless, they formed a connection in my brain that associates good food, nice hotels, and free airfare with Acuvue contact lenses. (What do you think about that Matt?) Another one of those old marketing tricks I’m sure. Anyway, we all drove to Wilmington that afternoon and Ruth and the kids dropped me off at the airport and then drove up to her parents in Raleigh where she would spend the rest of the week. My flight was fine and when I arrived a black Lincoln Towncar picked me and another girl (there for the same conference) up and took us to the Embassy Suites Hotel. Luckily I had my own room (and living room and 2 TV’s)! They gave me a $40 voucher to eat at the in-hotel steak house. This was surprisingly barely enough money. I had the fillet minion (sp?) and the “obnoxious chocolate cake”. My fillet was ok for being free, but if I had paid money I would not have been happy. The cake on the other hand was oh-so-worth the $10 it would have cost me. Unfortunately they charged me a $7.00 “service fee” which made me go over $4.00. Oh well, steak, soda, and a huge piece of chocolate cake after a free flight for only $4.00 sounds fair.
Wednesday morning I went down for the continental breakfast and I had a made-to-order omelet. It was yummy. By 8:00 we were all on the bus and heading for the Vistakon headquarters were the Vision Care Institute was. There were 28 students there, all from different schools. I was the only one from SCO though, so that forced me to make some new friends. Everybody was really nice. I’m pretty sure I was the only one married, let alone with kids. Over the next three days we had classes on communications, practice and staff management, and toric and bi-focal contact lens fitting. It was all very nice and, for the most part, helpful. We ate all of our lunches at the cafeteria in the building. Wednesday night they took us out to eat at a Japanese grill. The kind where they have some crazy guy toss, chop, and do tricks with your food on a big grill that you’re all sitting around. It was pretty entertaining. The girl next to me was persuaded by the girl next to her to order sushi. She said she really liked it. It looked gross to me. I ate shrimp and scallops. The fried rice was really good too.
Back at the ranch, Ruth and the kids went with everybody to one of Sheldon’s track meets. After that Daniel and Amy came over and had dinner. Clark and Anthon had a really good time playing air hockey together. I don’t know if anybody ever won, but Ruth said they had a great time hitting the puck back and forth.
Thursday we had more classes. That night they took us out to eat at a Mediterranean place. It was classic. I’d never been to a Greek restaurant before but it was everything I hoped it would be. I had rack of lamb – probably the best meat I’ve had in a long time. While I was on this little trip I met two girls and a guy from the Puerto Rican school. I had told one of them that I was interested in going to that school just for the exposure to Spanish and that I had lived in Nicaragua for couple of years. The topic was left at that. Later in the week she asked me something in Spanish and I responded in Spanish. Her other friends were there and we all started speaking Spanish. I’m going to go out on a limb here and brag about myself; they were totally surprised and impressed with my Spanish! They told me that they couldn’t believe that the Spanish they heard was associated with the white American person they were looking at. Anyway, I was flattered.
Thursday Ruth took the kids to the park with Amy and Anthon and Mom B. After that Amy kept Clark and Ruth went shopping with Cal and the girls.
Friday was the last day of the seminar. Between our last two lectures they took us on a tour of the plant where they make the contact lenses – pretty amazing. I’d tell you more about the details, but they’d probably have to kill me if I did. They fed us pizza for lunch and took us to the airport.
That afternoon Ruth went shopping at the outlet mall with Cal, while Clark and the girls stayed with Grandma. Ruth found a few good deals for some gifts she needed to buy. That evening they all piled back in that “old” car and met me at the airport. On the way home we stopped at McDonalds. Clark and Cal had a fun time. It was a special treat for them.
Saturday we went grocery shopping and I took the boys to the library. Before the kids went to bed they got a good dose of playing outside and getting all their nooks and crannies full of dirt. That behavior was of course rewarded with a bath and they were promptly off to bed.
Church was good today. In sacrament meeting we had a “Hymn Sing” as they called it. We just sang hymns that people would go up front and request. They would basically say which song they wanted to sing and why they liked it. I really enjoyed it. Clark did really well in church today. It helped that a promise of ice cream was on the line. This afternoon we did normal Sunday stuff. We noticed a very large wasp flying in our living room. I was being overly cautious in my killing strategies and thus let it escape my clutches several times. After much excitement and anxiously spoken words the wasp was killed and collected in a paper-towel hearse to be carried out to its grave in the bushes.
Well, the kids are in bed and the kitchen is clean. What could be better?
Another exciting week awaits us all,
Love Shanna, Clark, Haley, Ruth, Cal, Lee
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