Monday, September 29, 2008

Long-Time Coming Updates

Well, here we are with our new school year. Carson started preschool and this is a picture of her after she fell asleep in the car from an exhausting day at school. Ewan is getting big. Click on this picture, look at that hair. On the 23rd of October he will be a year old. It is hard for me to believe all that time has passed already. Both he and Carson have inherited Erik's one-eyebrow raise. He is now taking one or two steps at a time. Watch and see but try not to look at me.

Jeff and Calista prove to me every day what amazing kids they are. They get themselves up at 6 a.m. and get ready for school. They have to leave at 6:50 to get to the bus stop on time. I told Jeff that if he cut off his soon-to-be mullet off I would let him dye his hair. He did so Erik used his hair skills and now Jeff's hair is black (his choice and not mine). We had some hair dye left over so Erik put streaks in Calista's hair. It turned out great!
Jeffrey likes a girl named Rikki who seems to have a lot of the same interests (the Twilight series, Batman, etc.) and she is a tough cookie. Apparently, some boy was giving Jeff crap, telling him he talked like a girl, and she told the kid to shut up or she would beat him up. Many of the girls are friends with Jeff. He was nervous no one would really like him because he had to get glasses. Erik also had to get glasses and both boys look extremely handsome with them on. I will have to post pictures later. Yesterday I received a note from Jeff's teacher that he did an amazing job on his book report on Of Mice and Men. Also, Jeffrey learned to ride a bike which is finally a possibility now that we live in podunk and not ghettoville.
Calista is doing amazing in school. She has started learning how to play the Viola and she is enjoying it. Her teacher says her reading level is well above average. She rides her scooter more than her bike, she is finding bike riding more difficult, but whenever she falls she just gets right back up without complaining. One couldn't ask for better kids than these four.
I've been listening to NPR news quite a lot. Holy Cranoli the state of today. The more I know about things the more I am convinced of my more liberal, humanitarian, not religious self and beliefs. I have also been reading a lot, trying to attain my yearly goal of forty books. There's a list on the side of the blog if you're interested. I am going to need to go see a neurologist about migraines. I can't figure out what is triggering mine. Also, I went to the eye doctor and apparently my migraines are swelling my optical nerves making it more likely to get migraines, an endless cycle. Besides that I am doing well. Erik bought me a real bike and I was able to choose it myself. To illustrate one of the many differences between Erik and me here are pictures of both our bikes. For you, Brittney, I added a picture of the baby seat I was talking about. With Erik's bike he got a sleek racer-style helmet and with my bike I got a helmet that looks similar to an army helmet.
Erik at first didn't want to get glasses, insisting he didn't need them. He got them at my insistence and he likes how it is easier to read and it doesn't make him as sleepy to read. He is reading an interesting book right now by Sherman Alexie called, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, a fiction book about Native Americans living on a reservation but it is very poetic at the same time. (I am reading A Clockwork Orange which isn't the easiest to get through but is interesting.) Erik recently finished his two week training in Seattle and today he is at a funeral all morning for a park officer who was shot and then he works till 11 tonight. He has tomorrow off and then on Wednesday he talks to Calista's class about being a Police Officer and then Wednesday night he starts graveyard shift. PooPoo to that I say. 11p.m. to 7a.m. shift sucks. On another note I signed him up to take the LSAT, much to his chagrin. He talks about wanting to be a lawyer so I figured he better start working toward it. He takes that December 6th.
Because Erik grew up here he knows people he arrests, works with, etc. As a result of being a high-school student in Port Angeles, all the officers think he's a ladies man and sometimes refer to him as McLovin. I figure if I meet any of these ex-girlfriends I will say to them, "So, you are the girl who made out with my husband." He can't go anywhere without seeing people he knows, whereas, I am quite anonymous.
That is most of our new news except that I found out I am allergic to my cat. If anyone has a good home I'd love to know. I hope to blog more frequently now that things have slowed down a little though they are never slow with two schoolkids taking fencing, a preschooler who doesn't allow me to say any form of goodbye so I have to say, "Have fun," and a soon-to-be toddler who is just plain trouble, in the cute way. Ta.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Husband/Wife/Boyfriend/Girlfriend Tag

I tag Erik, Shar, Megan, Timm, Kelli, Allan, Jared, and Ashley
What is his name? Erik Stuart Smith
Nicknames? Dad, Daddy, Pop Pop, Da, Wolfie (only by me), McLovin, Utah, Mr. Glass, E-Smah
How long have you been married? 4 years
How long did you date? 5 months
How old is he? 29
Who eats more sweets? I do
Who said "I love you" first? We don't remember
Who is taller? He is, this is debated by how much. He says he is 5'8'' and I know I am 5'6'' but I swear he is only 1'' taller because whenever I wear 1'' shoes we are the same height.
Who can sing better? He never let's anyone hear him sing though I am sure it is him as he does most everything better.
Who is smarter? He is though he would say I am
Who does the laundry? We both do but he does it better
Who pays the bills? He does
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? He does
Who mows the lawn? He does
Who cooks dinner? Both of us though he does it better with more experimentation
Who drives? We both do
Who is more stubborn? I am though he would say he is
Who kissed who first? We can't remember
Who asked who out first? We didn't ask each other out. I asked him if he wanted to come over and hang out and we kissed while discussing that neither of us wanted to go out with anyone.
Who proposed? He did with perhaps obvious hints by me. "Hey you want to get married?" He asks me casually in my apartment while I sat on the couch.
Who has more siblings? I do with my 6 trumping his 3
Who wears the pants? We prefer to believe neither of us do though in fact we let each other think they do.
On a side note. I have often told Erik that to his family he is the better person and can do little wrong. Similarly, I have told him that to my family he is the better person and can do no wrong. Looking at this list shows that you are all correct in your assumptions.

Friday, September 19, 2008

My Tank

I just wanted to put in some pictures of my favorite artwork that I acquired when my mom brought it from Utah. I think this is so cool. The tank is made of a real WWII helmet and the detail is amazing. They are called Gnome-Be-Gones as they are intended to replace Lawn Gnomes but I won't put them in my yard because I don't want them to rust. They are welded and because of this I have decided I need to take a welding class. I am hoping to this spring semester. You can see other items this artist has at the website sugarpost.com.