Because everyone needs a good laugh sometimes

I got this from my friend's facebook profile. Her mom wrote it:

"That reminds me of the story about your Grandma Beatrice. Grandpa was away and she had to kill the turkey. She couldn't do it, so she 'gassed' it in the oven then plucked all the feathers off. When she came back in the kitchen the 'naked' turkey was standing on the table. She was so shocked that she couldn't 'kill' it again so she knitted it a sweater. Well needless to say Grandpa made sure he made the Christmas table."

The mental images from this story are killing me!

Oh man, I haven't laughed that hard in a good long time. Good times. :)


And now for some family stuff...
Amelia went for a swim. Now we make sure to empty the tub and close the bathroom door.

Felix found a Warhead and wanted to try it out.

Doesn't he look quite heroic here? He's actually a very smiley kid, but he doesn't show off for the camera.

I used to play in the dirt (and eat it) when I was a kid. We can barely keep them away. I wonder if it's genetic.

Pillows. You're doing it wrong!

How she feels rested after this I'll never know.

Snuggled into daddy's side.

Amelia has found a few pacifiers laying around and has decided that she likes them. She's never been a binky baby, but sometimes she liked to chew on them (still no teeth). So she now wanders around sticking these otherwise-unused binkies in her mouth, often at weird angles. She doesn't care, which makes it even cuter.

She's still not walking, although she's still very close. And in the past couple of days I've noticed her trying out sounds as if she's trying to imitate our speech. More than just mumbling and baby talk though, she's actually getting some of the sounds right. She's a very smart little girl and Brent and I are constantly awed by her. She's also incredibly cute and has even started snuggling with us more than when she's tired. Sure, it only lasts a couple of seconds, but it's adorable!

Felix is finally growing some legs. Poor kid had this long torso and short little legs, but now all his pants are looking too short. He's still dragging his feet about potty training, but it's not like we're making a big push for it either. I keep telling him it can be my Christmas present from him - no more diapers. He has no idea what I'm talking about. :)

Brent read a Parenting with Love and Logic book that suggested saying (with toddlers especially) "I can't hear/understand you when you're whining." Even when he's sick or super tired, if we tell him we don't understand (which often is the absolute truth) he will stop, gather his breath, and say, "Please can I have..." Saying it purposely actually makes it easier to understand, as well as teaching him to be polite. He is also starting to say "thank you" without prompting.

Amelia loves her daddy. He gets up with her in the mornings and also gets her to sleep. I'm often taking Felix out on errands to give Brent some quiet so she can take a nap. Felix, since he spends so much time with me, much prefers his mommy. This is both heartwarming and frustrating, since if I'm around at all, he will refuse to be comforted by daddy.

Either way, we have some seriously cute kids. Don't you agree?

Good thing, because they're snot monsters at the moment. Both have bad colds that make them cough so hard they throw up. Amelia was the latest, and it came at a really bad time. Let me tell you, it's not much fun to have a sweet sleeping baby cough so much it wakes her up, only to be covered by everything in her stomach (just formula, thankfully). I was standing there in Walmart, holding my hand a couple inches from her face so I didn't get covered, all the while dismaying that it was dripping through her car seat over the groceries and forming a nice-sized puddle on the floor. Fun times.

After considering all the options with regards to finances, I called a recommended bankruptcy lawyer in Salt Lake. Besides being one of the most annoying people I've ever spoken to on the phone, I left the call feeling really unhappy. I had gotten some amazing information from my brother Nephi, who is in law school, and this lawyer had contradicted too much of it to be comfortable. The biggest part was about my medical bills. Nephi had told me that because Utah is an equitable distribution state, all debts 'belong' to the spouse whose name is on the debt. This lawyer told me that medical procedures are considered to be community property because they benefit the marriage, so if one spouse declares bankruptcy, the creditors will just go after the spouse. Not cool.

This lawyer actually suggested I get a second opinion, so I did, even though I was pretty hopeless at this point.

Turned out that the very next lawyer I spoke to answered all my concerns.

Like Nephi had said, Utah is an equitable distribution state, and the medical bills are covered under that too. So unless Brent's name is on the medical bills, they can't come after him. This lawyer also said that although he couldn't charge any less than $1400 (ouch!), I could actually file on my own, which would cost me less than $500. Because this lawyer was both honest and respectful (and not obnoxiously annoying), I'm almost tempted to have him do all the work anyway. Then again, the whole reason for the bankruptcy is that I don't have enough money, so cheaper might be better. I figure if I can talk Nephi into guiding me through the process I might be okay without a lawyer. We'll see what he says.

Either way, I have hope again with regards to finances.

Part of that hope comes from a new employer. Starting Monday, I will be working full time for PDC Pages (Phone Directories Company) as an office coordinator. I think it'll be a great fit. The plan is to work for a year to get nice and financially settled (finally get this financial crap behind us). Then we can work on more expansions to our family. One of the nice things about this new job is benefits. I'm almost excited to have insurance again, although I don't know many details about it. That'll come after 90 days. It will also be nice to feel like we're not completely strapped with regards to Christmas. That's no fun at all.

So, while I'll mourn the loss of freedom of time and time with my children, I will really enjoy not feeling so much financial stress. The combination of the bankruptcy and the job should help a whole lot. Heck, maybe someday we'll even be able to pay rent again. :)

Life is good. A bit stressful and overwhelming at times, but still good.