great great movie

I can't help but blog about this movie. I saw it at the library and just had to check it out. Kent and I had seen it previously but thought that it deserved a second viewing. We were not disappointed. It is an independent film starring Elijah Wood and directed by Liev Schreiber and takes place in the Ukraine. Perhaps it appeals to me because of the fact that the majority of the film is in Russian (with English subtitles of course), but Kent loved it as well. It is definitely not a children's movie, but if you are bored and can't figure out which movie to rent I recommend this one! Kent and I sat and giggled through the entire movie. It has very serious themes, but the manner in which the characters behave and speak is hysterical.

sUpeR FaT tuESdaY.... two holidays in one!

FAT tuesday
(Did you all know that Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday?)
Here is little Zeb celebrating fat tuesday (sorry mom...but if it makes you feel any better, I didn't participate in the donut eating)! I guess it's kind of a big deal around here because of the Polish population. All the stores are selling these little "panczki" (donuts) and so we couldn't help (kent loves donuts) but join in the celebration. Fat Tuesday is the day preceding Lent (which involves fasting) so all of the rich ingredients like eggs, sugar, flour, and oil must be purged from the household. Those ingredients are usually used to make panczki or pancakes! Apparently IHOP celebrates by offering free pancakes, but postponed it until next Tuesday because they didn't want to conflict with Super Tuesday. Why and how the free pancakes interfere with elections, I have no idea. But we are going to go to IHOP next week after walking group to celebrate Fat Tuesday again.

SUPER tuesday

This super tuesday thing is giving me anxiety...BAD! I am considering not turning on the tv or checking the internet tomorrow morning. I am beginning to think that Huckabee is just a John McCain plant to steal votes. He knows that he has no chance but he's still in there stealing Mitt's audience. I am quite envious of all of those in Super Tuesday states. We have to wait until March to cast our votes. I do hope however that in March the Republican ticket is still up in the air! It would be great to have a say in what happens. The map shows today's elections.

Purple= republican and democratic primaries
red= republican primary
blue=democratic primary

He is so fast now. I don't know if he'll ever crawl normally because this works so well for him. sometimes he gets going so fast he'll over shoot and go rolling over his head. I'll try to get it on video. notice how I say "mom". I am truly an Ohioan now. oh, and sorry about the background noise! Rachael Ray is on.

what a weekend

Friday: I taught my Biology students to suck it up, to deal with the pain and discomfort. I told them horrific stories of evolved mutant monsters that would take over the human race if we couldn't tough it out. I made them all promise (at least nod their heads in agreement of our decision) to NOT go get antibiotics for every little red throat and inflamed sinus tissue they had. And now look at me. I caved. I couldn't take it anymore. I woke up at 4:30 with the earache of death and that day called the trusty doctor to get me a prescription. Thank heavens for antibiotics.

Saturday: the prophet's funeral was an incredible experience. I got to watch it live on the internet and I am pretty lucky that I didn't go and watch it at the neighbors like I had initially planned. I did pretty well until Elder Eyring spoke. I think from his talk through Elder Monson's, and then for the duration of the closing musical number, I bawled like a baby. I really really am going to miss his voice and smile at General Conference.

and Sunday... what a game huh? I am not a football fan, especially on Sundays. I didn't even know who was playing until the game started and even I have to admit that those last two minutes (good thing they were about the only two minutes that I watched) were pretty dang good football. We ended up having some pretty good food as well.

we did it! we finally hit the 100,000 mile mark on our car! I was at 99,999 and didn't drive anywhere until Kent got home! :) and then we went to the mall. A very good 100,000th mile. I have no idea why I was so excited about it. It's kind of like a stepping stone. It's our first car as married people (although we bought it with 40 something thousand miles) and it was kind of a big deal (to me anyway). It was also a good reason to celebrate. It never hurts to have a mini holiday of sorts :)

tag.

Cousin Hailey, this one is for you. And yes, it is only 4:45 in the morning. I have a ridiculous earache. Don't only children get earaches? I am doing this only to abide the time until the excedrin kicks in. I think it's Toledo. My immune system has been under attack since we've been here. I've never had this many sicknesses in such a short period of time in all of my life. Maybe I have some terrible auto immune disease. ew. Let's hope not.

What were you doing ten years ago?
so, like cousin Hailey I don't have that good a memory! luckily I keep an insanely good and detailed journal. ten years ago today I got in a car accident with my friends matt, ben, and scott. We were driving to a fireside at the Marriot Center.

five things on my to-do list today
1. go to walking group
2. serve missionaries lunch at their zone conference
3. update blog. again.
4. change diapers. feed baby. read him books.
5. ummm. so maybe that's it. wow, my life is easy. oh wait, we may go to the zoo today! I'll post pictures if we do.

Things I would do if I were suddenly made a a billionaire:
umm, put it all in investments and high interest accruing accounts. right now we have no need.

2 of my bad habits:
1. biting my fingernails
2. inability to remain quiet. I cannot control my mouth. I voice my input, opinion, anger, happiness, and /or response no matter what and in every situation.

5 places I have lived:
1.(holy) Toledo, OH
2. Rexburg, ID
3. Moscow, Russia
4. Tver, Russia
5. Provo/Orem, UT

5 Jobs I have had:
1. 4 AM snow shoveler (in Rexburg, ID) and I LOVED it.
2. Grounds worker. I love love love to mow lawns.
3. GAP employee. five years strong. I couldn't give up the discount.
4. Jr. High Science teacher/ High school Biology teacher.
5. MOM.

5 Things people don't know about me:
1. I, like kenna s., loathe, more then anything, to be shhhhed. It happens a lot in the temple. Kent and I DO NOT have temple voices when together (or alone for that matter).
2. I crave people and talking. I get really crabby if I sit in my house all day without real people contact and interaction (and, no, zeb does NOT count as a person). Thus the reason that I attend EVERY walking, cooking, book, and play group there is! and sign up to serve missionaries lunch at their zone conference.
3. I actually really really loved being pregnant. and with that said, I really don't like newborn babies, at all. Even my own when he was that age (but I am pretty sure everybody knew that).4. I was so embarrassed to be bringing a "boyfriend" (kent) to my family reunion (above picture) that I told everyone that he was my cousin justin's (he was living with us at the time) friend.
5. kent and I both have such detailed journals that from the day we became best friends (back in 1997) everything we EVER did together is RIDICULOUSLY well documented.

I tag my new blogging friends... molly and alicia, and then my old blogging friends.... jill, and cyndi e (you have been blog stalking for awhile now so I consider you an old blogging friend).

tribute to the Prophet.

My mom sent this to me in an e-mail! I like Glenn Beck and loved this. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

3 posts in one day! can you tell that the wind chill is -17 and I just am not in the mood to venture out today? even for errands. I am going slightly stir crazy though, and regardless of the temperature I have a full day of activities planned for tomorrow! The big snow blast isn't supposed to be in until tomorrow evening.

This morning zeb ate all of the leftover potato soup that was intended for MY lunch. Luckily I love him. Shortly after the feeding he urped carrots up all over my sweater. boo. So I put on my sweatshirt. After his nap we decided to read his favorite books ("that's not my monster" and "feely bugs") when I smelled a rancid smell. He was sitting on my lap so I picked him up to check his diaper. No need to take a peek inside. He had diarrhea. and he had it on ME. yep, that's right, he pooed on me. I changed him (only his diaper needed changing. somehow he got his excrement on me but not on any of his own clothing) and put my sweatshirt in the wash. We continued to read and he got bored so we decided to play. I will take partial fault for this next occurrence. After much thought on his diarrhea and vomit from this morning, I deducted that he was probably getting a tooth. The only way I can get him to open his mouth long enough to check for teeth is by hanging him upside down. I did this and found a swollen gum. He is indeed getting tooth number seven. I repositioned him right side up and brought him close to my face to see if I could get a better look from another angle. The picture should explain exactly what happened. Zeb could not figure out what I had all over my face. Luckily he eats solids now so the urp kinda stuck. It wasn't running into my mouth or nose all that much (which is also why I had the time to take two pictures). He thought it was hilarious.

book reviews

I finished reading The Devil in the White City. The parts of the book that I read were enthralling. The book is split into two stories (both true) happening simultaneously, one about a serial killer in Chicago and the other about the history of the Chicago World's Fair. I was FAR more interested by the serial killer portion of the book. Maybe I'm slightly morbid. About a third way into the book I just skipped over the world's fair chapters and went straight to the story on Dr. H. H. Holmes. It was a little creepy and I loved it.

I am actually not quite finished with Peter and the Starcatchers, but I thought I'd post on it anyway. I love it. It is YA and makes for an easy quick read. With little Z, young adult novels are really the only type that I can read in a short enough period of time that I don't forget what happened at the beginning of the book. It precedes the traditional Peter Pan story and tells the of how Peter became Peter Pan. It's just a wonderful story and is the first in a series of three. I love when good books have more to follow! I can't wait to go and check the others out.

sleeping kent and happy zeb

part I of post. "sleeping kent"

I have this nasty head cold that seems to worsen beyond explanation right as I lie down to bed each night. Kent falls asleep relatively quickly and I am left to battle breathing. Two nights ago I got up to take another decongestant and decided to get some reading done while it kicked in. When I got back into bed I semi awakened Kent. Here is the conversation that ensued.

Kent: It's so cool
Leisy: What's so cool?
K: It's just so cool!
L: What is?
K: the Uterus
L: whose uterus?
K: the cross section of the uterus
L: whose cross section?
K: the cadaver's
and then he just started mumbling. I feel bad for him. He can't even rest from school while he's sleeping! Oh, I don't think that the cross section of a uterus looks all that cool.


part II of post. "happy zeb"

We went to zeb's pediatrician yesterday (we actually saw the resident, Anosh from Syria, because Dr. Badik is on maternity leave) for a hospital follow-up. He is completely better. The doctor said his lungs sounded 100% clear! HOORAY! no more breathing treatments! no more waking up all night! I think that I am happier than Zeb.

my healthy happy rugrat is back!

Gone are the days of slacker motherhood. It has come to an expected although dreaded end. Sure, I can still deposit the rugrat on the living room floor surrounded by his toys, but there is no longer the guarantee that I can find him in that same location when I return from my lickety split trip to the bathroom. This morning as I made myself a piece of toast and washed some of the leftover pots and pans from yesterday, I documented his first journey down the hallway. He is surprisingly quick and nimble with those chubby little legs and that portly belly! the last picture was a surprise to me. I thought he was headed to his bedroom, but upon return from the last pot I found him in quite the precarious position. It is a good thing that Kent deep cleaned the bathroom yesterday.

Gordon B. Hinckley 1910-2008

What a wonderful wonderful man! I miss him already! I sure am glad that he finally got to join his wife.

"Let us all try to stand a little taller, rise a little higher, and be a little better."

-President Gordon B. Hinckley, fifteenth prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints