busy weekend at the jancers

... and because of the busy weekend i only snapped a few pics.


this:

i call them my "chinaman shoes" and love love love them.

(from urban outfitters for $10)

and this:

brother brandon perfecting his "wedding" smile for the upcoming festivities-

(this one is for you kerrianne)

thus far today i have watched the neighbor boy so his mom could go to a doc appt. put dinner in the crockpot (orange chicken). did a load of laundry, the dishes and scrubbed a bathroom floor. tickled kate til she couldn't breathe. oh and visited my favorite blogs (gotta have some 'me' time!)


i must have been slipped some cocaine. it's not natural for me to be so productive.

we heart sleep

my beloved:

nope, not you mr jancers. (although i do love you). tonight my affections are directed towards the afternoon nap that kate took. now normally miss kate takes her daily nap at 9 am. about an hour or so after she wakes up, she's ready for a 2-3 hour nap. i know it's weird. i've tried to figure it out and i can't. so i'm just enjoying it. especially since i don't fully wake up until 11 am. plus, this way i get to enjoy my morning shower without kate underfoot.

i promised myself when i started this blog that i wouldn't just write about the good things. i wanted to document life, with all of it's ups and downs. i feel that i have done that. the readers of 'letters to...' know far too much about scrubbing bodily fluids out of my carpet, rude ER patients and my complete inability to function with less than 6 hours of sleep.

that being said, it's so much easier to write about a good day than a bad one.

but bad days happen...
molars start to come in.
husbands do rotations that last well past the stated time.
you realize you need government assistance to survive the final year of grad school.
yada yada yada.

but then you blog about it and somehow you feel better. (thanks everyone for listening)

so after a day full of loving kate despite numerous temper tantrums, this was my reward.

this doesn't even do the craziness justice.

favorite part? the remote control throw at the end. yep, it hit me. 

(sorry for the crappy footage- forgot to use the video camera... again)

katers was exhausted this afternoon so i attempted (3 times) to give her nap number two. finally (FINALLY) she succumbed and at one point was sleeping with her left leg hanging out of the crib. she slept for 2 hours and woke up sweaty. a sure sign of a sound nap.

then she released all the happy energy she had been storing up today in about 20 min. i'm pretty sure she was visibly shaking because she couldn't control her joy.

don't know if i want to spend everyday waiting for this kind of enthusiasm (it makes for a looooong day) but i'll gladly accept it today.


thanks afternoon nap. you were marvelous!

a blahg post

dear life:

i'm feeling a little beaten down.
you're wearing me out.
i'll be better tomorrow but for tonight i'm checking out, ignoring my woes and watching 'glee' clips.
and i'm going to make jank watch my favorites with me because (even though he has trouble admitting it) he loves glee.


during the glee finale i cried.
possibly twice
ok, fine. 3 times.
whatever
i'm dramatic, the show is dramatic and i'm not ashamed.


one said cry was during this song.

quinn's face at the end is what got me. i miss seeing that look

i love fall
i can't wait for the return of my favorite show...
and cooler weather (100 degrees is not for me)...
and hot cocoa...
and christmas. ok, that's going a little too far but i can't wait for my elf.


and those are my ramblings.
good night.

missing nana

to mom:

i made waffles tonight and i left the latch up on the waffle maker which made me think of you. my waffles were fluffy and yummy. although i am still not convinced that the latch has anything to do with it. personally i think it's my fantabulous ability to add water to hungry jack.


here's a pic of kate for you-

all yummy smelling and ready for bed

now it's time for a long soak in the tub while devouring 'mockingjay'. it was a process tracking that dang book down today. i finally found it after dragging katers through 3 different stores. then as soon as i returned home with my purchase i received a text msg from t-ville library saying they had 'mockingjay' on hold for me. figures. i'll bring you 'catching fire' and the new book when we come home. hopefully after the wedding you'll have some time to relax and read them.

until then,
lots of love from utah


ps- i'm stoked you found kate's other sandal. whew!

oink

dearest curly-q hair on the back of kater's head:

you know who you are and i love you. you're the only chunk of hair that knows how to grow properly. could you please get your other buddies in line and tell them to start turning out more blonde curls??? 

at church today i was looking around at all the other little girls with their hair all fancied up and became jealous for a second. then i remembered how kate woke up at 12:57 and we did a rapid fire diaper change and flew out the door. i didn't have to worry about bows or headbands or braids or pony's. i just gave you an little tug and you sprang to life and off we went. it was awesome.

jancer asked me a few weeks ago if we should cut you off. "WHAT?!?" i screeched, "you want to cut off the few pieces of hair that are actually growing?? her gorgeous piggie's tail?? you're dumb." and that ended that conversation. 

no worries- i've got your back. plus, i hid all the scissors from the big guy. 

you get to stay. for a very long time i hope. because i think you're adorable (except when we bathe miss kate and you get wet and look like a rat's tail. not so cute)

do you have any idea how hard it is to get a clear pic of a toddler with a crappy camera??

 please note the curly-q

****************

post script for BB:

hope this is enough kate to get you through the night. see you tomorrow!

sugar high

MOA-

out-of-towners might call you by your given name: the mall of america.
we minnesotans like to think we're on friendlier terms.
you're MOA to us.

you're an old friend to me. when you first opened your doors moms everywhere were excusing their kids from school to go see the 'biggest mall in america'. it was so very exciting. but then you kind of became boring and run-of-the-mill. sorry, no offense but i got bored with you. too big, too much, too overwhelming for a normal shopping trip. i stopped visiting you and our friendship died.

but today i apologized for my rudeness and you accepted my apology and all was right in my world.
everyone needs a good friend and today i had you.

with cloudy skies and the threat of rain our plans for the como zoo were dashed. so we packed up and headed to see you. (after a 2.5 hour nap for katers. seriously why on days when we need to get going she naps for soooo long. but on days when i NEED her to sleep, she only naps for 30 min. screw you universe) anyway, off we went to the other side of the twin cities.

oh wait...
first there was a trip to see 91 year old grannie.
that was fun.
fun chasing a toddler around an apartment filled with picture frames and crystal dishes.
geez that kid can destroy when she wants to!

katers blurry due to toddler-like activity

but then (finally!) we arrived. the first store we hit contained my shoes for the wedding. perfect timing MOA- i didn't have to wander all day looking for gray heels. jank REALLY appreciated your consideration.


your amusement park had a major facelift awhile ago. i was unaware of such changes and was taken by pleasant surprise to see all your new rides. jank, kerrianne and i decided to give a few a try. i haven't screamed like that in a looooooong time. thanks for the good times. i needed to let loose like a kid again.

mom tracked down your mini donut stand and bought us 2 bags. isn't she awesome?

there was no way to contain my excitement.

i have been craving mini donuts for about a year now and was so excited to finally get some.  i'm not ashamed to say i stuffed my face. like, inhaled and almost didn't share. (i think i might be addicted to sugar)

thanks again MOA. i love you and hope we can continue this glorious friendship for many years to come.

this pic reminds me of 'harold and the purple crayon'

so stinking cute, if i do say so myself!

with adoration,

kayla

ps. can you come visit me in UT? i think it'll be awhile before i see you again and i don't do well with long waits.

youcan'tmakemeleave!

no letter. just thoughts.

tomorrow is our last full day in MN and i'm depressed about it.

and i hit my head on the edge of a door and it really hurt. 

double depression. 

i really shouldn't be feeling so blue. today was a great day- kate didn't wake up until 0820, we played tennis and wiffle ball, swam in the pool and went to olive garden for dinner. 

(we also got to see kerrianne in her wedding dress.

but i'm not allowed to talk about that article of clothing for 2.5 more weeks. 

i'll just say it's beautiful and leave it at that)

the last few nights i've blogged from the front bedroom. it's so relaxing to lay on the bed with the window thrown open and listen to the neighborhood noises and crickets. we're staying in what i refer to as the 'cloud room' because bb painted clouds all over it when she was younger. it's now painted a tan color but i still call it the 'cloud room'. funny how certain things never change. the room overlooks the cul-du-sac and during the day i love to sit on the bed and watch the neighborhood. yesterday the ice cream truck drove by blaring christmas music. it made me so happy to see the neighbor boy (sam?) race to the truck in a dripping swimsuit. i thought he wouldn't make it but the ice cream man waited patiently for him. it reminded me of my youth and all the great times i had in this house. there was plenty of rough times too (my mom deserves a medal and a halo and a mansion in heaven). i love this home and it makes me sad to think that my parents will move in a few years. no more summer trips to MN. i know i need to accept this and move on but i think i will be a grown-up in the morning. tonight i want to pout about it. 

maybe a few pictures of a great day will cheer me:

every time katers put a ball in the bucket papa would cheer. she was pretty proud of herself.

wiffle ball was played. check out my awesome pitching form.

(and yes mr red, my dad did beat us. but jank didn't break the bat. good thing because mom and i just bought it this morning.)

what else is there to do when you're waiting for your future sister to get her wedding dress on?

wait patiently like an adult (please note my mom in the corner) or pose like a mannequin?

date night

Dear mother and father:

thanks for taking care of the kid tonight so we could go out.
it sure was nice to go over to stillwater and eat overlooking the st. croix.
we love any excuse to get (somewhat) snazzed up and pig out!

many thanks to kerrianne, our photographer

mom, we got onion straws like you told us to.
we might have eaten the entire basket by ourselves..... whoops.
and i used your scarf because, like you predicted, it was cool on the river.
that's one of the million things i love about minnesota summers-
nice and hot during the day but by evening you need a sweater.

dad, thanks for answering on the first ring and for looking up movie showtimes for us.
in case your wondering, we went to 'eat, pray, love' not 'the other guys'
it came down to a game of paper, rock, scissors and i was victorious.
(i love winning)

can't wait to spend the day with both of you tomorrow.
do you think we can play wiffle ball in the yard?
hope so.

photo overload

BB-

miss you.

a lot.

especially tonight while playing hand and foot.

and eating angel food cake w/ cherry frosting.

don't you worry, i'm eating nonstop for the both of us.

i'm so glad that lizard went to bed early tonight (i hope that means you get some good sleep).

but i really wish we could've skyped.

i wanted to see your face and liz's and t george's.

maybe tomorrow? please??

blogging while on vacation is hard.

i'm the type of person who makes a mental list (another list! i know) of all i want to do and see.

then i become stressed when the vacation goes too fast and i'm not crossing things off my list.

sigh.

i need to slow down and enjoy.

so that's what i did yesterday.

there was no new post for you because kerrianne, dad, jank and i played cards.

(kerrianne was taught the ways of haskins' card playing.... oh we are an anal bunch)

but then i felt bad because i promised you i would blog every night so you wouldn't miss out.

oops.

mcdonald's to make up for my blunder??

so here is a whole slew of pictures for you viewing pleasure:

corn on the cob @ wilson tool picnic. sooo good

jancer stuffing his face. we did this all day- except they didn't have snow cones. pout.

a new activity this year...

kerrianne injured her leg on. mom FLEW (far!) off the bucking cow and i bailed right after this pic.

it got a little too crazy for this momma

remember when we had to wear our name badges on our backs so we wouldn't tear them off?

the petting zoo returned.... katers was terrified of course

they even had a kangaroo you could pet and feed grapes. katers wouldn't touch it of course but she barked at it. just like she did with EVERY animal there. apparently they were all doggies to her. 

(she's hoo-hoo'ing at the kangaroo)

jancers has a hidden talent... horseshoes. just check out that form.

he took third in men's.

i took third in women's.... only 3 women signed up. 

mom won a dirt devil kone for 2nd place. (which i will be stealing).

do we even need to explain?

i love sugar. and i was not about to share!

it was so hot and humid at the picnic all we could talk about was getting in the pool.

kate fell asleep on the ride home and slept for 2 hours.

we took full advantage of nap time and played in the pool.

jank kept threatening to dump me off my floatie and i told him if he did i wouldn't talk to him for the night.

kerrianne thinks we bicker all the time, i told her that's just how we express our love to each other.

jank had to play ball by himself b/c t george isn't here.

he's really bummed about that.

mom leaving for her 35 yr high school reunion. (she didn't get home til 1 am!)

mom's hair finally passed the awkward growing-out stage.

FINALLY. she looked like one hot nana!

nana decided to put pollen in her eye (she claims accidental but i think she was trying to ditch church). we headed to the ER to get it flushed out. it didn't stop swelling for a couple hours. the sclera was almost bulging out of her eye- jank and i loved it!

guess my prediction for this visit didn't come true... at least no one is locked up at the moment!

please ignore the hideous lighting- fluorescent lights do nothing for us.

the whole mullin clan was there for their fam reunion so that means attendance was doubled!

don't the babies look ecstatic to be missing naps and lunch?

well, that's it little sister.

i hope you feel caught up.

sorry blogger was being dumb earlier and you have to wait til morning to read this.

everyone at church says hi and they can't wait to see you in a few weeks.

sione wants me to give you a kiss from him. 

ps: i was only called 'brittany' 3 times today.

that's pretty good compared to normal!

time for bed yet?

longest day ever
ok, probably not ever. but seriously a reeeeaaallllyyy long day.
it's only 9:30 pm and i'm exhausted.
that's quite an accomplishment for a night-shifter.

it started with mom waiting outside kater's for the tiniest peep.
as soon as she heard that tiny peep she swept in and hauled her downstairs to change, feed and play with her.
we slept until 9 and it was awesome.


breakfast, wedding errands and the farmer's market:

only $5 for fresh flowers!

lunch and wedding shopping at the mall:

jank entertaining miss kate. (they both bore easily)

and then a game of kickball for papa's work:

double rainbow!?!?! what does this mean?!?!

brandon impersonation of the double rainbow guy

MN weather is so crazy. 

muggy and overcast. thunderstorm. hot and sunny. cold. 

all in a matter of 1 hour.

now it's movie time for the jancers.

big jank owes me a 31 minute massage. 

i love winning bets!

living the dream

fellow passengers of delta flight 2085 (part II)-

a big thank you to you all for not glaring at us the entire time.

kate did surprisingly well. there were only a couple of moments when i thought one of you might throw something at us. i think it helped that there was a rather loud 2 yr old sitting in the row behind us- she monopolized your irritated looks so very few were sent our way. (thanks addie! who's name i know because the mom kept scolding her very loudly)

this gloriousness lasted for about 5 minutes:

katers couldn't nap w/o her room darkening shade, her ocean waves and her 4 blankies (we're raising a picky child), so we played and ate and played and drank and played and ate........ until we landed 2 hours later. 

good bye mountains, hello lakes!

let the fun begin.

and by fun i mean swimming in the pool, basking in the sun, eating, listening to REAL thunderstorms, eating, shopping, movies, eating, and wedding preparations. oh and eating.

i already weighed in to see how much i can gain in 1 week.

thanks mom for buying hostess cupcakes.

kate post-swim. cruising around the yard like she's never seen open space before. 

(apartment living sucks)

here goes nothing...

fellow passengers of delta flight 2085:

tomorrow we leave for a week in minnesota. 

i'm so excited to go home..... but right now all i feel is dread. 

because tomorrow we fly with a toddler for 2.5 hours.

she may nap the entire time and we will do jigs in the aisle

or

she may scream bloody murder and all of you may yell at me "you're a terrible person"

fingers crossed......

liz and kate watching 'madagascar'

i'll go sleep now

sometimes i can crash right after a night shift.

i leave my scrubs on the bathroom floor, brush my teeth and i am asleep before my head hits the pillow.

one morning i even fell asleep in the middle of a conversation w/ jank.

(i thought that only happened in movies)

but sometimes (rarely) i need to unwind after a shift.

so i sit in front of the computer, shake my hair out of the pony and scroll through my favorite blogs and pictures.

it's so fantastically distracting.

i get to catch up on my friends' adventures.

i get to reminisce about how much my life has changed in the last couple years.

i get to relive my favorite (good and bad) mommie moments

and then i climb into bed and dream weird dreams about my friends and family

today i want to dream about seven month old katers.

truck stop

brother brandon-


i'm glad your work has brought you to utah.
it's great having a family dinner on sunday night.


thanks for bringing your work truck to our place tonight. 
liz had fun climbing in the seat and honking the horn- i'm sure the neighbors didn't mind.
(but secretly i don't care because their cigarette smoke stinks up our place)
too bad kate crashed so early, she missed all the fun. 

enjoy your last week in utah.

we'll see you in a 3.5 weeks for your wedding!

yes please!

Gourmandise Bakery:

you have the best desserts. seriously, the selection was drool-worthy and i spent probably 5 minutes pacing back and forth trying to decide what to get. i ended up with the "jalousie"- chocolate cake with chocolate mousse with a layer of raspberry filling covered in chocolate ganache with some chocolate shavings on top. those that know me well, know that i was in heaven. HEAVEN.

i brought jank home a peanut butter cookie.
that seemed fair to me seeing how katers slept the entire time i was gone and he didn't have to do anything.

it was half dipped in chocolate if that makes anyone feel less sorry for him.

a house guest

dear new tooth in kate's lower gums:

welcome!! we're so very glad you decided to FINALLY show up. it took you a little longer than expected and the delay almost killed us. but sure enough, you appeared.
you're timing is impeccable- you're just in time for jank's 3 week break from school. yahoooo

now, a few rules for the duration of your time with us:

1. you must stay awhile. it was a lot of work preparing for you and you owe us at least 6 years.
2. you must do a good job. so be sharp and help kate bite through quesadillas so we can stop the annoying task of tearing them into small pieces for her.
3. it would be nice if you stayed bright and white. no one likes a yellow tooth.

again, thanks for coming

sincerely,
the jancers

(downtown slc- uncle red joined the celebration)

(katers so happy to not be in pain.... or maybe she just likes the cold stream)

buddy

dear little bro-


i miss you.


i've now sat here for a few minutes typing, erasing and retyping.
i can't seem to organize my thoughts.


i just know i miss you.
i wish i had the right words to tell you how much you mean to me.


in less than 2 weeks we will be home for a visit.
will you be there?
i really hope so.
then you can see kate swim in the pool, eat nothing but mac and cheese and walk around creating chaos in mom and dad's house.




remember when we came home for grannie's birthday last summer and you met kate? check out her face-  classic katers. no smile but her eyes say it all... she loves you.


so do i