Eyes!

So, I had pink eye a few weeks ago. Umm, that was NOT fun. Having to always tell myself, don't touch your eye!! Here's a picture.



ICKY!

Blogging is best

As of yesterday, I am Facebook free! A few people really hit a nerve, and I was feeling genuinely picked on. And with that said, I reminded myself that I am almost 29 years old, I am NOT in high school anymore and I don't want to deal with it. A shame because I kept my account for the past 3 years, to see family members photos and to catch up with them, as well as my siblings, being that I'm not down and around the corner. I'm definately a good hour drive away.

So, this is the best way to keep up on what I'm doing. I have a twitter, I just don't ever log into it. I guess I'm not an avid tweeter as some famous people are.

Here's the latest Daniels happenings!

Landon is 16.5 mos, and he has a little walker that he LOOOOOOVES to push around, you can tell he feels like a big boy when he gets some serious speed. He says "Whee-o!" for wheel, he's a big fan of anything with wheels and cars. TOTAL BOY! We pretty much give him all table food, and we've taken him off of his iron, and oddly, he seems to be doing better that he's not on it 2 times a day. He's still a bit yellow, but we're used to it, it's when he's orange, is when we freak out. He's got 10 teeth now! Molars are coming in and we hear alot more loud noises from him biting things during dinner - too funny!

Leena is my little bike rider! YAY! Took 8 years but she can totally do it. She could do it a looong time ago, but she let her fear of falling and getting hurt, hold her back for a long time. She's rockin' in school, and is at middle school grade reading levels. GO LEENA! She's an avid bookworm. I got her the huge book of all the Chronicles of Narnia Series compiled into one, and I think she's on the last chapter of the lion, witch and the wardrobe. She's really good. She's also a math whiz we're discovering. Her parent teacher confrence was a few days ago, and the teacher suggested we start her on times tables because math just comes easy for her, like reading. (and it's a bonus that she happens to love science) and she sent a little paper home with leena with a website Leena can log into and practice times tables. We did that, after I hand wrote some out on paper as more harder subtraction with the borrowing and carrying, and she got it all! She missed only one! She's definately doing good in school. I'm proud of her, she's a hard worker and it shows in her work and her grades too.

Jeff, still busy recruiting. It seems like he's been home alot later this past few weeks. But, he does have to enlist one person a month and you'd be surprised at how much work just that 1 can take. He is trying to gain weight, so he's been running a few more miles each week and comes home and drinks a giant protein shake...ICK! But, I'm trying to talk him into taking a day off, the kids miss him you can tell. Landon won't want to take a nap, and so I go to lay him down and he yelles "DADADADADA!" Sorry bud, he's not here! So, hopefully we can get a good family day in to help the kiddies out with some quality time. And I know Jeff has earned a day off too, so it's much needed for everyone. OH! And Jeff starts school this month, he's a fw hours away from his associated, now I just have to talk him into getting his bachelors :)

Me, I got www.heididanielsphotography.com up and running. That was ALOT of work! It may not look like it, but it was micro details in everything. WHEW! Hopefully with that up and running, I can increase my clientel. Cross my fingers! I've been really tired lately, perhaps I need to go to bed at 8pm and get 12 hours of sleep? I'm not sure, but I think I see a light at the end of the tunnel. The kids and the chores of keeping a house clean, keep me busy as it is. But, I'll take a clean house over a messy one.

Little words

Landons vocabulary is sure picking up!

He now says "uh-oh", but usually is said "uh uh uh ooooooh", cracks us up! He also says "eat", usually he YELLS it at the top of his lungs.
ANd he can say "owie!" he crawled down the driveway yesterday with no socks on. In typical Landon fashion, he was unphased by pain. Makes me wonder! We brought him in to clean and bandage him up and we pointed to his tops of his newly scuffed up feet and said "Landon! Do you have an owie? Ouch!" and he goes "OW!!" We laughed and said good job, Landon! He then clapped for us praising him. He's too cute! Anytime we say "YAY!" or "Good job!" he immediately claps.

Love those little mile stones!

As many know, he was fairly ill about a week and a half ago, two weeks ago. We took him to Mary Bridge Hospital in Tacoma, and they wouldn't run the tests on him that we needed. UGH!!! A few days lter, his tempreture hadn't gone down, it had gone UP if anything. I called my good friend who's a nurse at Childrens Hospital in Seattle. She reccomended taking him in, so we can get the right tests run. Long story short, he had a 103.8 fever and had we not given him motrin, he would've been unable to move. For a while we didn't give it to him and he just was a sick little snuggle bug. Poor baby! Anyway, since he was about 12ms or so, his skin has been yellow. We thumbed through photos to find a date because we're regularly taking photos so finding a time frame as to when it started, wasn't hard, luckily. They told us he had high liver enzymes back in Dec. And so at Childrens, the doctor was puzzled...He came back with 2 more other doctors and had them examine Landon. They asked me a series of questions, and if he ate alot of carrots or squash, things that turn skin orange due to alot of beta carotene. This was not the case. They put an IV in his little hand, and stuck him with a catheter for some more tests. So we're waiting on those results to figure out what's going on. It was farily worry some for us though, he's always going 100mph, so when he crashes like that, it's almost scary because he was hot hot hot, and NOT himself.

He's back to tearing things apart, yelling and screaming and spending hours demplishing his toy box :)

It's 2010!

Wow, I've slacked on this blog just trying to keep up the other ones, oh goodness!

He're an updating for the past 5 weeks!


Christmas- was busy and fun! We woke up in the morning and opened the presents we had here athome, and then hit the road to my parents house where my dad, my brother, siste d bother in law were patiently waiting on us. We had alot of fun seeing everyone!
A few days later, my older sister rolled into town with her niece and boyfriend, Alex. We were glad they were able to make it down to my brother Cody's wedding on the 29th. (He got married to a nice girl named Katie Diehl) Cody's reception was fun and eventful. We wish them the best!

New Years- Jeff and I hadn't gone out solo in MONTHS. I think this was the first night out in 5 or 6 months? Date night is horribly rare at our house. But, it's ok, we don't need it all the time. My girlfriends from high school all stay in touch, and so we always try to get togehter once every few months. Only group of friends I know that do that still. Espcially now that everyones home from grad school and what not. I love them, they're all my besties, so it's always fun to get the husbands/fiancees/boyfriends together and go out. We went to a chinese restaurant and got literally about 14 entrees. It was an INSANE amount of food! 9 take home boxes! We went to my gf Andreas house afterwards and hung out and played pool and laid low, much needed! My mom and dad were nice enough to watch the kids. We left at 1am and went home to my moms, slept there and got up in the morning and left. Ahhhh.

Leena- she's taken off at riding her bike. She really had a huge phobia there for a LONG time. But she can go almost everywhere, yay! She's got a diorama due for school, so that should be a fun little task that we can go together :)

Landon- is a silent ninja! He can climb up the stairs way too fast, and fall down them equally as fast! ACK! He also is learning more wods too! He only says them once though. I'm sure this will change! He has said: "eat", "Pee boo!" (Peek a boo)"ring", "more" and "hand", he's so fun! You can see his little gears just turning when you try to get him to talk! He is really attached to both parents. He cries if one of us leaves. Awww. He loves to play with legos and loves anything with music. Too cute!

We all went to Idaho about 2 weeks ago. We had originally wanted to go after christmas, but with my dad in town (and he's not here often) and my sister and niece in town, and Cody's wedding, I talked Jeff into delaying it 2 weeks. So we packed up the car and drove to Idaho! Unfortunately, we did have a major delay. We left on a Wed night, and only about 2 hours into the drive heading over Snoqualmie Pass, the visibility was pretty poor and Jeff hit a pot hole at over 70mph and the front tire burst. I'm glad there was no snow! Long story short, when we had the tires rotated last, they putthe lugnuts on waaaay too tight and NO ONE could get the off, literally 4 people tried and no success. So we ended up having to get towed 20 miles to the closest town of Cle Elum, WA. And even with that, the one shop in town was closed at 2am. So we rented a hotel room across the street and stayed there for the night and no one got any sleep! It was HORRIBLE! Landon hardly slept at all. Anyway, we luckily got someone to get the lugnuts off using brute strength, and we happily hit the road. So, a full day later, we arrive in PoDunk, Jerome =) We stayed through the MLK weekend, and it was anohter long 12 hour drive back.All in all, it was good to see family! I got to take my sister in laws photos (seen here at http://heididanielsphoto.blogspot.com) and some other ones of Jeffs cousin, Keri and her 2 sweet little kids.

Whew!

Excited doesn't even begin cover it!

I'm so ecstatic about this! I'd recently wrote that I wanted to do a secret Santa. I'd been kinda bummed because I hadn't gotten wind of anyone in my ward that would really truly benefit or anything like that christmas I had.

And then, last night...I got an e-mail from my cousin Courtney in Arizona. (Dad's side) and she said her sister-in-law had told her of a family that is incredibly poor. The children sleep on the floor, there is no furniture, and they hardly any clothes for their kids. Just the whole story is heart breaking. I almost cried when I read it, honestly. It's just horribly sad. Anyway, my cousin has 3 little kids, and so she is donating alot of her son's clothes to the family. I wrote her back promptly and said YES! Count me in! Leena has tons of clothes she doesn't wear, or that she is growing out of constantly. I told her to call and find out what toys and treats the kids like. I'm going to maybe even hit up Value Village and see if I can score some things there for their kids. (I don't think I've set foot in them because I was really against anything ever 2nd hand, but I guess I'm softening up to the idea of it. I really need to stop some of my snooty traits such as that) I'm elated, full of joy, and counting my blessings all in one.

THIS is why I love Christmas. It gives us a chance to help those who genuinely need it. Take the time out not to be greedy, selfish and arrogant. I can't wait to find out all the small details and get going and ship off a box as fast as I can! Gosh, it feels amazing to really help someone in need!

Officers Down

A little over a week ago, 4 Lakewood Police Officers were gunned down in Lakewood, in a cofffe shop. They were just about to start their shift. Lakewood is not far from my home. Jeff told me about the news. Which make me infuriated that someone could be so cold, cruel, and heartless. Not to mention, evil. The shooter was on the loose. He was found 3 days later, and died from gunshot wounds. He was a convicted felon and had been paroled out of prison. Long story short. These poor families are in the bigest state of mourning, and my hearts go out to them, deeply.

As I sat and watched the memorial today, I felt sad. And as the long memorial continued, sotries were told about each one of them. It was interesting. Prayers were offered, scriptures read. It made a difference to see people relying on faih, instead of locking themselves in a room, and crying every day.


Anyway, If you buy Pizza from Papa Johns tonight and tomorrow, ALL proceeds to go the families. Thanks to all the law enforcements out there, you are the ones running in, when the rest of us, are running out.

My Humble Christmas Story

When I live in San Bernardino, there was one Christmas, I remember not only in particular, but with fondness. I will tell my kids this story, so they get the reason why we celebrate it.

I was about 9 or so. My Dad, had been laid off from work. My mom was working as a music teacher at a school, but my Dad was also in school, working on his dissertation. With little income, right before the holidays, my mother was being extra frugal. She was always frugal, but this year, even more. She had been wanting to make us some home made goodies, from scratch. But because of little money coming in, she didn't have all the ingredients, and decided it wasn't a must, to have them. She had been at the story, and seen cocoa powder, and shortening, and thought "oh, I could use this to make treats for my kids!", but it was over $3, that was outside of her budget. She regrettably put it back on the shelf, and continued to shop at the super market.

Not many knew the hardship my parents were in, not to mention with 5 small children. My moms best friend, Ellen, knew and maybe 1 or 2 others.

The Christmas season plugged along. My mom did her best at getting us presents. We went to church, and we were assigned a secret Santa family. I absolutely LOVED those! It's when you leave a treat or a present, on someones door, and doorbell ditch it, and at Christmas time, you reveal who had who. It was just fun, and made you be creative, and we all loved running, and diving through the back window of our station wagon we had. SO FUN!

One night, we heard a knock on the door...IT MUST be the secret Santa!! We all leaped to the door to see if we could catch who this wonderful Santa was that had brought us so many good things. We opened the door...and it wasn't a plate of cookies or a book. But a BIG, white box. It said "To the Elledge's, MERRY CHRISTMAS!" and had holly drawn on it with a good sharpie. My mom seemed shocked that someone would drop of something of that size, as a secret Santa gift. We opened up the box....and there were all kinds of cookies, clothes, and treats, toys for my brothers, toys for me and my sisters....and coco powder and shortening for my mom!! I watched my mom melt into tears with joy, surprise and overwhelming amount of gratitude. She picked it all up, and hugged my Dad. I remember the priceless smile on her face and the remark of "what angel has done this for us?!"

I'm 28 and a half now, and we still have no idea who made our Christmas that year. My moms best friend said she didn't even tell anyone about their trial, let alone the cocoa powder. She said it wasn't her, ad we'll never know who did that for us.

Sometimes there are Santa's all around us. But they ARE, us. I want my children to learn to give, as selflessly as that family or person did, to my family.