Hallelujah! A Successful Halloween!

For the past two years, Halloween night was the scene of many tears and tantrums in our house, all involving a little boy who didn't want to wear a costume and certainly did NOT want to give strangers at the door candy. This year, it was a Halloween miracle! Scott finally realized that wearing a costume = getting candy. So I think we will never have to convince him to dress up again. He willingly wore his Buzz Lightyear costume for the ward Trunk-or-Treat party, preschool, and Halloween night. And Charlotte was pretty cute as a little ladybug. She was an excellent trick-or-treater and had a death grip on her bucket of candy. She actually went to sleep with the bucket in her crib...

(I was a giant M&M)

Back in Time

I actually remember as a kid my parents once going to a 60s party with their friends. I thought the 60s were like ancient history. Well, last night was our turn to relive our glory days at an 80s party! Famous guests included Billy Idol, Devo, George Michael, Sunny from Miami Vice (that was Drew) and women wearing enough hairspray to double the size of any hole in the ozone layer.

Unfortunately in this photo of Drew and I you cannot see how high my bangs and side ponytail were. But the gummy bracelets, acid-washed jeans, two pair of colored socks and Candies hi-tops should be hard to miss. And I am proud to report that NONE of my outfit actually belonged to me in the 80s, but I can't say I didn't wear a similar outfit back in the day...

Charlotte's Medical Report

Just before Charlotte turned one, we discovered she had a pretty serious allergy to milk. I gave her regular cow's milk and her face swelled up and she broke out in hives. So then through a series of blood and skin tests, we discovered she also is seriously allergic to eggs, with additional possible allergies to wheat, soy, oats, shellfish and environmental stuff. So we obviously eliminated milk and eggs entirely from her diet, but the other items were in sort of a grey area. During a visit to our pediatric allergist a few months ago, I described some of Charlotte's symptoms: She eats like an adult, but is only in the 5th percentile for height and weight; She wasn't walking or saying any words at the time of out visit; she seemed to have chronic congestion; her poopy diapers were more like diarrhea. The doctor suggested that she could have something called Celiac Disease, which is a disease where the body has a total intolerance to gluten (a protein in wheat, rye, barley, etc.), causing the small intestine to basically attack itself, resulting in diarrhea and a lack of nutrient absorption, among other things.

After that appointment with the allergist, we decided to try a gluten-free diet for Charlotte. It is not an easy thing to do to cut out ALL wheat and related products, but within 2 weeks we noticed a HUGE difference. She immediately gained 2 pounds, started walking, the congestion cleared up and her diapers were totally normal. I was convinced she had Celiac disease with the results we observed from changing her diet.

After meeting with a pediatric GI specialist, we decided to do in internal scope and biopsy to determine if Charlotte really has Celiac. We had to return to feeding her wheat products before the procedure so that if there was a problem, it would be detectable. Once we went off the gluten-free diet, many of her symptoms returned. Two and a half weeks ago, we went to the hospital for an endoscopy and colonoscopy. The procedure went very smoothly, although I will say it was VERY bizarre to be holding your wide-awake child, and then watch her lose consciousness in seconds once the anesthesia is administered. A few days after that procedure, the doctor called to tell us Charlotte does NOT have Celiac disease, but did show some inflammation in the esophagus. That could be either a reaction to an allergen or a problem with acid reflux.

We have been back on the gluten-free diet since the procedure and have noticed some improvement, although it hasn't been the drastic changes we noticed the first time we tried it. So at this point we have very few answers and will just keep working with the GI and allergy doctors. But fortunately Charlotte is happy and cute and has plenty of energy! We will keep you all posted...

The Annual Pumpkin Farm Pilgramage

It is that time of the year again when we pile into the Pilot and head up Highway 65 to lovely Wheatland, CA - home of Bishop's Pumpkin Farm. It is such a fun place and the apple cider is absolutely fabulous... Here are the best photos from the trip:

You turn your back for ONE second...

I learned a hard lesson recently. It is very, very important that if you are going to allow you children to go to other people's homes that you know those people extremely well. Look what can happen if you are not careful:

Charlotte's First Words

She's talking! Following in her big brother's footsteps, Charlotte has taken her sweet time saying her first words, but I am extremely proud that her first very clear word is BALL. It is only appropriate since this girl's birth was scheduled around a basketball game. So far the recognizable words include ball, key (which can mean monkey, binky, cookie, or just a straight-up key), baby, uh-oh and no. And just in the past couple of days she has started to do some animals sounds, like "moo" and "OO-OO" for monkey. I'm trying to get it on video, but of course she never performs when the camera comes out.

Our Most Recent Dream for Scott: The PBA!

I am guessing the Professional Bowlers Association does not recruit 3-year-olds, but they may want to keep an eye out for Scott... We went bowling with Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt D. This was Scott's first bowling adventure and it was a huge hit! We can measure the success of an activity by the size of the tantrum he throws when we have to leave. Unfortunately for the people in the surrounding lanes, he REALLY enjoyed bowling. The best part was of course counting the number of pins he knocked over each time.

Scott has constantly asked to go bowling again, so we came up with a way we could do a little bowling at home. Just put a bunch of water bottles on the tile floor, grab a basketball, and - BAM - it is almost as good at the real thing! A side bonus is that Charlotte thinks it is hilarious:

Never too young to love SHOES!

Charlotte is clearly a girl. I was going through some fall clothes given to us by a friend with a little girl two years older. I had a pile of shoes on the floor, and Charlotte sat in my lap as I tried a couple of them on her. But she loved trying on the shoes so much that she kept handing me new ones to try on. So we probably put on and took off shoes for about 5 minutes. I'm sure she would have been entertained with this game for much longer, but I had to get up and answer the phone. So she then walked around for a while with one red and one black shoe on. I don't seem to remember Scott at this age being so entertained with shoes. It is just in our DNA, ladies!

Some random stuff...

No major events this week in our home, but here are a few cute pictures. Charlotte was very angry one day when I gave her two teeny apple slices. She CLEARLY wanted the big half of the apple! She can't talk, but she sure can let you know what she wants and doesn't want.

Scott was so excited when our neighbor's cat came to visit our backyard. They had lots of fun playing together and Scott was not happy when we wouldn't let the kitty come in the house to sleep:

Friday night was another exciting adventure to Chuck E. Cheese's. This was a reward for Scott having a dry pull-up for 5 nights. We didn't get any photos of Scott playing his favorite game (a little kid version of skee ball), but we did get this cute one of Baby C riding in the Bob the Builder car:

The Most Exciting Room in the House

Without question, the most fascinating room in the house in the bathroom. Charlotte and Scott could keep themselves entertained for HOURS in there. Here is a clip of their most recent fun. Be sure to pay attention to what Scott calls the toilet paper dispenser:

Our Typical Bedtime Routine...

This cartoon describes pretty accurately what we go through to get Scott to bed each night. Please notice carefully Drew's additions:

My Amazingly Talented Children

Just watch this...

First Day of Preschool!

What a big boy! Scott had his first day of preschool today! The Jelly Belly shirt was his choice to wear for the exciting event... We went to Miss Cathy's house, opened the door, and Scott took off inside and didn't even look back at me for a second to say goodbye. No separation anxiety for this kid! I picked him up 2 1/2 hours later and here was the conversation we had in the car:

Me: Did you have fun today at preschool?

Scott: Yes.

Me: Did you read a story?

Scott: No, I didn't.

Me: Did Miss Cathy read a story?

Scott: Yes.

Me: Do you remember what it was?

Scott: It had letters.

Me: Did you have a snack?

Scott: Yes.

Me: What did you eat?

Scott: We had Nemo snacks.
(Conversation continues with lots of questions from me and one-word answers from Scott)

The fact that he didn't complain about preschool and that he was excited to go again on Thursday is proof that he LOVES it! Miss Cathy is the perfect teacher for him -- she is fun, creative, and lets the kids be silly. Since the kid is already reading and doing math, it is more important to me that he just learn to interact and play well with the other kids.

What a Difference a Life Jacket Makes!

With Aunt D (Cindy) and Uncle Ryan visiting, we invaded the Bearry's home and went swimming and had the best Evers family dinner ever - flank steak. Well, remember the kid who had to be bribed and threatened to participate in swimming lessons a few weeks ago? I bought Scott a little life vest at Target, and with that on he transformed into a fish! We were there for 3 hours, and the only reason Scott got out of the water was to go on the waterslide that of course dumped him back in the pool.

And Charlotte also turned a big corner... She also was not a star student at swimming lessons, but with Aunt Nancy's help, she went under the water a bunch of times and actually seemed to like it!



My cousin, Alisa, was also very creative with all her different ways down the waterslide:

After having SO much fun swimming, we are even MORE excited for Mom and Dad to build their sweet pool at the new house!

The Magic Food

In our house, I just have to say one word to get the complete, undivided attention of two little munchkins: POPASICLE! Please notice the "A" in popAsicle. That is, of course, Scott's pronunciation. I am a cruel mom and like to play this little game where I give Scott and popasicle and wait for Baby C's hilarious reaction -- like she will absolutely not be able to live one second longer without her own popasicle. It is very cute to see such determination in a 1 year old. Hey, we moms have to find a way to provide our own entertainment at home!

The Swimming Lesson Adventure

Kids are supposed to love swimming, right? We signed Scott and Charlotte up for swimming lessons through the city of Roseville. I thought our days would be filled with excitement, laughter, and complaints about having to get out of the water. Instead the week was filled with tears, drama and bribery to get IN the water. Scott threw a few major tantrums and Charlotte just whimpered through the whole experience. I realize some day my children will beg to get in the water, and actually WANT to eat and take naps... But that day seems so far away! At least Charlotte looked adorable in her pigtails and swimsuit :)

Scott's Idea of Heaven

If you ask Scott what his favorite place in the whole wide world is, today the answer would be, "The Jelly Belly store!" Aunt Allison came up to visit us, so we decided to make the trip to Fairfield to the Jelly Belly Factory. When we drove up to the building and saw ALL the Jelly Belly signs, cars and figures, Scott thought he had died and gone to heaven! We did the factory tour, which was really fascinating. And then we obviously had lots of fun in the Jelly Belly shop trying new flavors and loading up with enough Jelly Bellies for the next several weeks... The best new thing that Allison and I discovered are the "JBz", which are like flavored M&Ms: chocolate in the middle and a variety of yummy flavors for the candy shell. My personal favorites is the chocolate strawberry. And if you are interested, the newest Jelly Belly flavor is pomegranate. It was really yummy!

It was a really fun Saturday adventure, but I will admit that the sugar crash Scott experienced as we got close to home was not so fun... And I am sure we are going to hear lots of requests to go back to the "BIG Jelly Belly store" in the future.

We Love You, Daddy!

It took several attempts, but we finally got a perfect picture to give Daddy for Father's Day! We celebrated by letting Daddy take a long, long nap. Also, in an effort to return the favor for the spectacular Mother's Day I was able to enjoy, my friends and I sent our husbands on a surprise adventure. First, they went out to a very lovely part of Rancho Cordova (insert sarcasm) to a shooting range. They shot pistols and shotguns and really had a great time. Drew, of course, has lots of experience using guns, but the other two dads had never been before. We figured Father's Day was a perfect opportunity to try something new and very manly.

After shooting, we sent the boys to Claim Jumper where they could eat themselves silly. Ironically they all ordered a burger from the menu called "The Widow Maker". So after a very fun and successful Mother's and Father's Day this year, I think we have established some new traditions!

So what does SAS stand for anyway?

My acquaintances know I have a job, other than being Mom... My friends know I teach and do something with numbers... My good friends and family know I work for a company called SAS and teach something about data... But that is probably about all anybody (including my mother) understands about my career. So if you have ever thought, "SAS? Is that the shoe company? Or maybe a European airline?" and are curious as to what my job is, read on!

SAS is the oldest and largest privately-held software company in the US. It was started by a couple of guys at North Carolina State who needed a tool to analyze some agricultural data. SAS originally stood for "Statistical Analysis Software" but since the software now does so much than just statisics, the acronym was officially dropped. Here are more details on the history of the company: http://www.sas.com/presscenter/bgndr_history.html

I was first introduced to SAS during my first semester in graduate school. I was told I had to take a class to learn the SAS programming language. I just about dropped out of the program right then and there because the idea of writing code truly freaked me out. But I learned in the world of statistics, there are a bunch of smaller, semi-helpful software programs out there to analyze data, and then there is SAS - the granddaddy of them all. Any career in statistics will most likely include a solid foundation in writing SAS code.

So I took the class and did fine, but really had no clue what I was doing. But since that experience, I learned in the real-world how SAS is used in just about every industry you can imagine. My internship during grad school was with AT&T, and I was asked to analyze a model that would predict how likely customers were to accept offers for additional services. SAS was the only tool I could use to collect the various types of data I needed and do the analysis to answer the question. I used SAS in my master's project to analyze data for the BYU and USA men's volleyball teams to help them determine those skills that were most predictive of a win. At my first job with Intel, I used SAS to help the engineers determine if the tools they were using to make the masks (think of a mask as a photo negative used to etch a pattern on a silicon wafer that will eventually become a computer chip) were accurate and clean. One of my specific tasks at Intel was to set up a SAS program that would flag masks that officially passed inspection, but has some unusual measurements. My knowledge of SAS had improved significantly, but I asked to go take some advanced training classes up in San Francisco to help develop this program.

As I sat in class, I thought, "This guy (the instructor) has such a great job. He gets to teach interesting stuff to different people from every type of work you can imagine." After class, I asked a SAS employee in the lobby for directions back to the freeway. Turns out he was also a SAS instructor and was a very friendly, chatty guy. Through our conversation, I learned that SAS was looking to hire another instructor in SF. I said I was definitely interested in finding out more, and he passed that on to the instructor for my class, who was the western regional manager for SAS Education. The next day after class, I had an informal interview. A few weeks later when the position officially opened, I did a more formal (but still pretty easy) interview and was hired!

That was 6 years ago. I absolutely love what I do... Now I teach and write classes for SAS part-time. My managers have been extremely supportive through the major life changes I have gone through since my hire date, including marriage, 2 pregnancies and a move. Some of my classes are on-line and I can teach from home. Other classes are in a traditional classroom, but most of the time they are local here in Sacramento. And when I work, my mom is my babysitter! It couldn't be a better arrangement. I have taught students from all over the world and from every industry you can image.

I doubt anybody has read this far, but if you have, thanks for reading while I ramble on about my job! And if you want any cool stuff with the SAS logo on it, just let me know. Here's my little bio on our website: http://support.sas.com/training/us/instructors.html#s

The Next Ken Jennings

Scott has the most amazing memory I have ever seen in a kid or an adult. We realized he had a freaky photographic memory about a year ago when he would be in the tub, playing with his spongy letters. Each letter is one of 5 random colors. While Scott would be looking for a letter, he would say something like, "Where's the red B?" or "Where's the purple V?" He knew the colors of all the letters in the tub. A few months later we added a second set of spongy letters to the tub (slightly different than the first set) because he was frustrated he couldn't spell words that had more than one of a particular letter. Now he know the colors for each set of letters.

Since then he has showed us that he also knows the colors of all the letter magnets on the refrigerator. He also has a set of plain old wooden blocks with colored letters on a pair of opposite sides. Not only does he know the color of each letter, but he knows which letters go together. In other words he could see a letter "M" and without looking know that there is a red "C" on the other side.

Throughout the past year Scott has been pretty entertained typing words he knows in Microsoft Word. Last January, just before his 3rd birthday, I showed him how to change the color of the text. He caught on pretty quickly and started typing this:

It didn't surprise me that he was typing "babyeinstein" since he had been doing that for a while, but I realized that he was being very deliberate about the colors he was choosing. While he finished typing, I ran downstairs and looked at the intro screen on the Baby Einstein DVD and wrote down all the colors. When I came back upstairs to see the final result, I saw that the colors were all exactly correct.

The past few months Scott has been really into numbers -- specifically addresses. First he was excited to know that his house was "1773". Then as we would go to other places, he would always notice and remember the addresses. He tells me that he wants to go to "1777" (Tanner's house) or "1240" (the church). He sees an address once and it is locked in his brain. About a month ago we were driving in the car and he asked me what Aunt D's (Cindy) address was. I didn't know so we called and Cindy told me it was 307. Scott said, "No, it is 12345." I just thought, ok - sure - it's 12345. And the discussion was over. Then 2 weeks later, Mom was in the car with Scott and he saw a sign with 307 on it. He said, "307 - That's Aunt D's number."

So I am thinking I should start him now watching Jeopardy and maybe by the time he is old enough to be a contestant, he will have memorized enough answers to make a fortune! I think it is a great plan, but guess we should still plan to save for retirement and college, just in case :)