Potential Career Change

So, I'm considering a new career as a Spokeswoman for Dyson vacuum cleaners.

You see, most normal people take their hard earned tax refund that they slaved over the documents for days, and do something really fun, pay off bills, invest or save the money. Nope. Not us Rotters. We bought a new vacuum. Not just any vacuum. A Dyson. Being the budget conscious consumer that I am, I searched and searched for the best deal. Costco.com saved me 149.00 and had FREE shipping.

The Dyson was to be delivered on Friday. All day, I kept checking the porch for the "package" and refused to leave home for fear they would require a signature. Around 5:00 I had to go deliver dinner to a gal who just had a baby. My heart was racing with worry that I would miss the man in the brown shorts, brown short-sleeve button up, brown socks and black shoes (really...who thought up those outfits, anyways??), driving the big brown truck. I speed the half-mile to deliver dinner, basically threw the lasagna at the grandmother and raced home to see the big brown truck pulling away from my house. My heart sank. The kids and I pulled into the driveway and to our surprise the man in the brown shorts, brown short-sleeve button up, brown socks and black shoes had left the treasured package on the porch. Yippeeee!!! I haven't been this excited since both of my kids slept through the night on the same night (it's a rarity around here)!

I have totally been researching my "new" vacuum for months. I love to vacuum and I'm tired of going through various models and brands. In the 6.5 years we've been married, we have had 4 or 5 vacuum cleaners. I wanted to be sure that the vacuum I choose this time would last. I could go on and on about the fantastic features of my new Dyson. To name a few: it's purple (I didn't have a choice, but it's really fantastic), extra long cord-I plug it in the hallway and it reaches everywhere but my kitchen, extra special attachments that I still have no clue how to use (better get reading), 5 year warranty and best of all it sucks up EVERYTHING. For the record, I vacuum everyday (rarely do I skip a day). The picture below shows how full the canister was upon completion of the Dyson's "maiden-voyage." This was just a "normal" pass through my house. No moving furniture, no doing the edges, no extra duty my friends. Can you believe all of that was in my carpet!?!!!! I think I tasted a little bit of vomit in my mouth I was so disgusted.

If you're considering a vacuum change or need a good way to spend money during a mid-life crisis, I highly recommend the DYSON!!! Who wouldn't want to take advice from an OCD vacuumer. Vacuumer is not really a word, but I like it anyway.

Future Plumber for Hire

Anyone who goes to CMA church here in Ellensburg may rest easy tonight. Jensen took one for the team this morning at church and inspected ALL of the drinking fountains in the building. Hey... somebody has got to do it. Water is a sign of life people!!! Jensen's preliminary report is that all specimins tested function properly, are cooled to just the perfect refreshing temperature, and have the essential blend of metallic taste. He'll post later in the week to let you know what sorts of bacterial, fungal and viral microbes were found based on what illnesses may or may not arrise within the next few incubation days.

It's a good thing that we spent extra time this morning making sure everyone was out of bed, fed, washed and dressed in our Sunday best. No one likes a slobby plumber.

The "Price" of Four Year Old Imunnizations

Well Child Check Up: 108.00



Polly Pocket Cinderella horse/carriage play set: 19.99



Starbucks Stop Post Shots (had to calm my nerves & treats for kids): 6.65



Box of New Band-Aides (they fix everything): 2.25



Hearing Faith say to a stranger "I was a big girl and got my Kindergarten shots. Now I'm all ready to register!": Priceless



Okay...can you tell I totally "positive reinforced" my child into getting her shots???? We do NOT believe in bribery in our house...strictly positive reinforcement. By the way...what's the difference? There is none you say. EXACTLY! I must tell you though, this was a conversation I overheard at Fred Meyer.



Faith had her 4 year check up on Thursday with Dr. Larson (plug here for him being the BEST doctor ever)! He's a fantastic doctor and gets right down with the kids and talks with them, instead of around them. She got to help him set up his lap top for her check-up, help him take all of her vitals, etc. On his laptop there was a whole list of questions he was asking her and checking off. He'd read them to her and then let her talk about them with him. Very funny and detailed answers she gave. All except for number 7: Child dresses himself/herself. He just skipped right over that one and checked yes without even discussing. Not sure if you've seen some of the fashionable outfits that Faith puts together. Watch out Tyra, Faith may be taking over America's Next Top Model!

A Tribute to Sinead O'connor

In a "spin off" of a Blog posted by Abby...

These toys were NOT made by a mother! This is just a sampling of the hairless Polly Pockets that reside in our house. The first Polly Pocket she got broke the first day she played with it. I returned it thinking it was "defective." Hmmm....maybe they're all defective?!? Faith LOVES them though and they must be good for hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. Of coarse in our house we don't own any toys that don't foster development. Barbies are good for...anatomy lessons???

2 Truths and a Lie

Okay...here is a "game" a fellow blogger has started. I'm posting 2 truths and a lie about myself. Try to figure out which one it the lie and post your guess in my comments. I'll disclose the correct lie (is that possible) by the end of the week.

Have fun!!!

1. In High School I had multiple run-ins with the law in one weekend. Luckily, I was not arrested and actually made it to see my graduation day.

2. I had two "near death" experiences that both involved unpredictable waters. The first was at Big Beach on my honeymoon (not too many people can actually say they almost died on their honeymoon) and the second one was on the Smith River.

3. During my first week at Central, I got bit in my sleep by a Brown Recluse (spelling) spider. My roomate and I had to be evacuated from our dorm room for a week while they fumigated our room, and others surrounding ours. The plus side...it was an "overflow" year and there were no extra rooms available so we got to stay at the Inn at Goose Creek for a whole week!!!

New Perspective

Okay...so, I'm not exactly what you'd call a "bug lover." To be more exact...I can't stand them. The problem arises in the fact that Faith has a new found fondness for insects. We can no longer squish them. In fact we collect them. I'm really torn in deciding the root of her insect fascination. Does she love bugs or does she simply love to torment me? Rest assured, I'm doing what every well meaning, well intentioned mother should do. I'm "nurturing" her interest in bugs. We're reading books, going on bug hunts, etc. I do have to share a bit of dialogue from today.



So here I am sitting on the couch watching the TV Guide channel for the last 15 minutes. Why I didn't get up and change the channel? I have no clue. Anyways, Faith is in the dining room playing and attempting to catch bugs. For the record, we don't have bugs in our house. It was too windy to go outside so she was pretending. All of a sudden Faith comes in crying. The real tear kind of cry.



K: "Faith sweetie. What is wrong?"

F: "She's just not getting any better. I need to help her feel better."

K: "Who's not feeling better? Is one of your babies sick?"

F: "No mom, Lemon Juice (displaying a plastic baggie containing a lifeless fly) is very, very sick. Can she please rest next to you? I got her an ice pack." / Faith lays the most gigantic ice pack we have (about 12" by 18") out on the couch, lovingly lays a dishtowel over it so Lemon Juice doesn't get too cold, and lays the fly containing plastic bag on top of the stack.

K: "I'd be happy to watch her Faith, but I'm a little worried that she's not going to fully recover. Do you think we should put her outside to get some fresh air? Sometimes fresh air is just what the doctor ordered"

F: "No, Mommy. She just needs to have a little rest and then she'll feel better."

K: "Actually Faith. Lemon Juice is dead."

F: "She is not dead! She is going to take a nap with me and then I'll check her out with my doctor set and then she'll feel better."



So...yes. I did tuck my daughter, pinkie (her blanket) and Lemon Juice into bed for a bit of a nap. We'll just have to wait and see how she feels after a little nap.

Jensen's 1st Crush...

Sorry girls, but I think Jensen may be taken. He's in love. You see, we visit Baby Maddie multiple times throughout the day on her web site. Typically, it's Faith and I checking it. She is even figuring out how to find it by herself on our "favorites." Anyways, Jensen was on my lap last week while I was checking sweet Maddie. That boy was totally infatuated with her! If I scrolled down away from her picture he cried. He is a man (boy) of (VERY) few words, but he did continually tell her "Hi!" for about 15 minutes...not joking. He only took breaks to climb up on the desk and give her little fishy kisses. You know the ones I'm talking about...cheeks sucked in, slobbery, lots of noise. I must have said "Baby" 200 times, thinking that maybe, just maybe, Maddie could get him to add another word to his vocab., but nope he was just too smitten and speechless.



If you have a moment, check out Maddie's web page. She is a sweet, beautiful one month old heart baby. Her and her family would love extra prayers. (check out her web page http://allredbabygirl.blogspot.com/

Faith's Censored Birth Story

Every year on her birthday, we snuggle up with Faith and tell her about the day she was born. This year, I decided to also write it down...definitely a day I NEVER want to forget. One of the BEST days of my life. Actually, I think I'll start at the beginning...when we found out we were expecting her.

Joe and I had been badly wanting to have a baby, after having had a miscarriage at the end of May. July 27th 2003 we were going to go to Jazz in the Valley with our friends Steve and Natalie Joyce. Since wine tasting was to be involved, I decided I should take a pregnancy test just to be sure it was safe to drink. The first test immediately showed "pregnant." As did the second, third and fourth test (just a bit OCD there). I was so excited and could hardly wait to tell Joe. I wrapped up one of the test and gave it to him when he got home from work. After a brief questioning of if I was sure and me pulling the other three test from behind my back, he broke into the biggest grin I have ever seen, picked me up and twirled me around the living room. Pure bliss. The due date of our baby was to be April 1st!

Being apprehensive about having had a miscarriage, we decided to wait to tell people until we were through the first trimester. Talk about a tough secret to keep...especially considering how terribly ill I was feeling. Between the Ellensburg summer heat with no air conditioning, certain smells (coffee, chocolate, cigarette smoke, meat, etc.) and constant nausea I was in BAD shape.

Both of our families came to town for the Ellensburg Rodeo. After the ever exciting (sarcasm) Rodeo parade we all came back to our house to have lunch and see Joe's latest fishing video that he was so proud of. To every ones surprise, the video was actually of our first ultrasound!!! I will never forget watching everyone try to figure it out.

Grandma Beth: "What is it? What is it?"

Grandpa Rick: "It's some kind of fish."

Grandma Beth: "What is it?"

Grandma Valerie "Oh! I know what it is! I know what it is!"

So fun to hear and see them all react like this. What a great day and just one of many to come leading up to Faith's birth.

We decided to wait to find out the sex of the baby. We just wanted the ultimate thrill of surprise at the end. So glad we did. Throughout our 10 months of pregnancy it was so fun to think, wonder and dream about the baby, come up with lists of boy and girl names, shop for special things for the baby, etc.

The months past very quickly, the nausea soon left and was replaced by common pregnancy aches and pains...you know stretching ligaments, sciatica nerve, low baby, etc. At the time, I was teaching 4th grade on the second story of Red Rock Elementary in Royal City. By the end, climbing the stairs 20 plus times a day was painful and something I dreaded dearly.

April 1st came and went. The spring was beautiful that year in Ellensburg. Joe and I, and anyone else I could recruit, spent hours each day walking trying to induce labor to no avail. Baby Rotter just wasn't coming out. The phone was ringing off the hook, with well-meaning family members and friends curious if we'd a)had the baby or b) felt anything. Yep...had the baby. Just figured we'd let everyone know later...????

HERE'S WHERE WE BEGIN WITH THE STORY WE SHARE WITH FAITH:

Daddy and Mommy had been enjoying the beautiful, warm, non windy (yes it does happen) spring weather in Ellensburg. We'd been spending DAYS walking around and patiently waiting for the new baby to be born. We were both so excited to meet our new baby, find out if the baby was a boy or a girl, and see what our little one would look like.

April 7th was much the same as the previous 10 days. We took a nice long walk all over town, visited D & M coffee and Fred Meyer. We then decided to take advantage of the great sunshine and head down to the river for a bit. Daddy threw a few casts into the river and caught some nice fish, while mommy read a book in the warm car. Mommy sat in the little green Toyota Tercel with her feet up on the dash reading and enjoying feeling the baby move around. On the way home from fishing, mommy and daddy decided to get some McDonald's for a late lunch/early dinner before going to see Dr. Larson at 5:30pm.

Dr. Larson listened to the baby's heart beat (leave out the rest of the details for Faith's sake) and then announced, "It's time to have a baby. Head on over to the hospital." (No I was NOT dilated or ANYTHING, but I had NOT slept more than a total of 4 hours combined the past 5 nights and he had pity on me. I truly had not complained at all, but I think seeing me 7 days overdue was more than the poor man could handle). On the way to the hospital, we called everyone we knew to tell them that baby Rotter would soon be there.

A few hours later, at 12:45am on April 8th, Baby Faith Elizabeth Rotter came into the world. She weighed 6lbs 14oz and was 20 inches long. She had the most beautiful big, brown eyes and lots of dark hair. She was perfect in every way and Mommy and Daddy were so thrilled to finally meet their baby. Mommy and Daddy began to call family members (yes...in the middle of the night) and tell them the exciting news. Grandma Beth and Auntie Sarah were staying at our house. Daddy called and told them it was time to come to the hospital (he didn't give them any other details or even say the baby had arrived). When they got there, Grandma said, "Oh! What is it?" Daddy said, "It's a Baby!"

Faith's favorite part of the story is the last sentences up there. That and the part that she was originally named Sydney (for about a 1/2 hour), but we decided to change her name to Faith. The part I left out/leave out for Faith, was that there were a few "scary" (for us anyways) parts during labor. I was induced and my body reacted terribly to the cervadel (spelling). Once administered it's supposed to take many hours before contractions start. My contractions began very intensely within 10 minutes and were right on top of another. Having been told that contractions/labor wouldn't start until early the next day (5-6am) I was in total shock that the "unlabor" caused this much pain. I swore this would be my only child (which it wasn't) numerous times to both Joe and my sister Sarah (who I later told had to leave...yes, I was a real peach). Even with all of the contractions I wasn't progressing. The baby's heart rate was drastically going from over 200 to not even being seen on the monitor. I was flipped and flopped, etc. Joe and I began to panic when numerous hospital staff began coming into our room. Baby was in distress, but I wasn't progressing. Our wonderful doctor was actually on the phone attempting to get both the epidural guy and a c-section team to the hospital, when he was able to turn the baby a bit of a different angle. In about 15 minutes I dilated from a 2 to a 10 and had a baby. Leaving out a few of the other "not so pleasant" details...we just thought Faith was a more fitting name...faith definitely helped us through.

Faith's Fabulous Four Years

Four! Four? Four!? How in the world did my baby get to be four years old? What a fantastic four years it has been. Indescribable is a more fitting word. She has changed so much over the past four years. It amazes me the conversations we have and the things she is now capable of doing all on her own...her independence is bitter-sweet for me. Just this past week we had two incredible conversations together. One about mammals. She is into sorting everything as either a mammal or non-mammal. In her words, "mammals drink their mommy's milk and come from their mommy's tummy. I am a mammal. Jensen is a mammal. Cats are mammals. Birds not mammals. They come from eggs, etc." I've still managed to tiptoe around the subject of how mammals (aka Faith) get out of their mommy's tummy. So far, "The Doctor takes them out with God's help," is working, but I can tell not for long. Suggestions? Secret door? A stork? Really...help me out here!!!!

The second conversation was about Easter, while we were on the way to Yakima.

Faith: "Mommy, do you know why we celebrate Easter?"

Mommy: (acting totally uneducated despite the fact that we read the Children's Bible with her almost nightly, attend church, teach Sunday school, etc.) "No. Why?"

Faith: (very proud of herself) "Well, actually Easter is to celebrate Jesus dieing and then coming back to life for us."

Mommy: (Surprised) "What? How did Jesus die? How did he come back?"

Faith: The enemies and bad people, didn't believe that Jesus was Jesus so they nailed him to a cross and then buried him in a cave. Then he came alive again with NO holes in his hands or feet just to make us happy. Then the enemies HAD to believe him. Can you believe it?"

Mommy: "Oh, my! Who taught you that?" (totally expecting it to be me)

Faith: "Mrs. Wallace my preschool teacher. She knows LOTS about God and Jesus!"

It has been a busy few days for the Birthday Girl. Sunday, we had a Princess Party for Faith and all of her friends, complete with "royal" invitations, an Ariel cake (I did my best...), wands, tiaras, and clothing fit for a princess (or prince in a couple of cases). Faith was SOOOO excited for this special day. It's all she's talked about since Jensen's birthday in November...I'm being serious. She got LOTS of gifts fit for a princess; movies, dolls, stickers, art things, Disney princesses with horses, etc. A perfect day for our princess.

Today, at Preschool, Faith got to make a crown, share her birthday journal, and bring pink (of coarse) cupcakes for all of her friends. She then got to choose what to do the rest of the day. She picked eat Pizza at Pizza Hut with Grandma and us and then go play at the Purple Pelican (favorite store in town). The Purple Pelican is having a great sale so I told her she could choose one special thing for her birthday. Thank heavens I was able to talk her out of the stuffed, 3 foot tall, Rottweiler. I was not into that so much.

Anyways, very long post here. I've attached (hopefully) a picture from this morning before school and one from her party as well.