The Aquarium of the Pacific

Coleman came for a visit and we went to the aquarium and walked around the Long Beach Harbor area. We also went on the 45 minute harbor boat tour. It was just ok. I wouldn't do it again.

This was a fun quiz..

You Belong in London

A little old fashioned, and a little modern. A little traditional, and a little bit punk rock. A unique soul like you needs a city that offers everything. No wonder you and London will get along so well.

What City Do You Belong In?

Old Pictures

I downloaded all of the pictures off of our camera. I also sent all of my pictures to be developed. We haven't developed pictures since before Jack was born. In total I sent 223 picture files to be developed.

Here are some pictures from our trip to Idaho this summer. The first 4 pictures are from floating the Salmon river near Brian's mom's house.





This last picture is where we (the kids, not me) went swimming in a mountain lake near his mom's house. I can't remember the name of the lake.

Tristan's big news!!!


So, Tristan had two loose teeth. One tooth already had the permanent tooth growing behind it. Tristan decided that he wanted Brian to pull the tooth that had the tooth growing behind it. So after some amount of struggle, Brian pulled the tooth. But... he pulled the wrong tooth! There was a lot of blood and Tristan then didn't want him to pull the other tooth that needed to come out.
This picture is from the first night of teeth pulling.

He agreed to let Brian pull the other tooth the next night. Unfortunately, Brian only could get it "mostly" pulled out. It wasn't until the next night, as Brian was kissing Tristan good night that he reached in and twisted it the rest of the way out. Now he has a very cute tooth gap and Jack-O-Lantern smile.

Losing teeth is a very big deal in kindergarten. Tristan was very excited to show everyone at school and get to mark 2 marks on his paper tooth on the wall.

This is Jack's pre-school holiday program. He's in the white shirt and blue hat.

Tristan has had a lot of firsts lately. This week on Monday he went to his first book fair at school. His class went during school hours. He took 6 one dollar bills in an envelope and I told him he could buy whatever he wanted. He picked out a pen and a little notebook and paid for them all by himself. A first. He was so cute. He told me all about how he counted out his money. He accidentally gave the lady too much, but she gave him back a dollar. whew.

Tuesday the Mighty Ducks hockey team sent representatives to his school. It was just for the kindergarten. They set up a street hockey course.


Then today he went in a limo with 8 other kids to the Rainforest Cafe. Here he is posing in front of the limo with two kids from his class. The rest of the kids were older.

A visit to Uncle Chad & Uncle Andrew's work


Recognize Chad's handiwork? Who doesn't want drawings on their chest and back? No one I can think of. We stop by Chad and Andrew's work weekly for a little fun and running around. The boys can usually get Andrew or Chad to give them a ride on the forklift or, as they did this last time, a ride on a metal cart through the parking lot. Jack is mostly interested in Chad stamping him with whatever stamps he has handy, ie. "PAID" or "FAXED" or "Pay to the order of (complete with banking information)". The boys love going there. They get a few laughs and some tootsie rolls. Jack told me the other day, "I have three daddies. Daddy, Uncle Chad and Uncle Andrew." Aww...

It's been forever since I've posted, but we just recently got our camera back... the one I lost in the hospital in Utah on July 7th. There were some technical difficulties, but we're back in action now. Things have been very busy with work lately. I'm overwhelmed. More work= more money, but it also equals more work. Funny how that turns out. I asked to be released from teaching Sunday School. I needed to cut back on something. Don't worry, I'm still the Webelos Den Mother.
My first school class is wrapping up this week. I thought they were 6-week classes, but no, they're 5-week classes. It's the equivalent of taking a full-load at school. A semester crammed into 5-weeks. One thing I like is, I only have one class to keep track of. It does mean that I have 4-6 chapters to read a week and at least one paper due per week in addition to a BIG individual paper and BIG group project I'm working on. The BIG ones are due this week. Happy Thanksgiving to me. It's all done online and I'm getting used to that. I enjoy independent study, so I don't miss going to class, but all the textbooks are online too. It's hard to do so much reading online. I prefer reading out of a book. It's also hard to be sequestered in the office for so long. I have been getting up an hour and a half earlier everyday to work on my school work. I feel the dust coming off the wheels in my head already.

Tristan is into his 3rd month of kindergarten and loving it. He loves his teacher and she loves him. She can't say enough about how good he is in class. Not perfect, however. He did have to turn his card once. Oh well... he can't be good ALL the time. He won a trip to the Rainforest Cafe, in a limo, with the principal, for bringing in a lot of money for the Jog-A-Thon. He's excited about that, but tries to play it down. He's made tons of friends, ironically, most of them are girls. His birthday is coming up and he's looking forward to inviting all of them.

Jack is... well... Jack. He's the funniest kid. It's hard to believe all that personality fits in that body. He is willing to "show you his moves" at any time. He got a sleep mask, (The kind that you would put over your eyes to nap or something, if it was too bright.) and he wears it all the time on his forehead. Just in case it suddenly gets too bright and he needs to pull it down. We wore it to Burger King, the park, to take Tristan to school, etc. He's living the Boy Scout motto already. It's either that or a costume. I'm sure he'll have both a costume and the mask on soon.

He loves pre-school and his teacher told me "he's wonderful". Oh good. At least he behaves away from home. He and Archer fight like brothers. They are always arguing about something. Last week when I picked him up from school, he was all upset because he said, "Archer fired me from the playhouse." ha, ha... Then he said, "So I fired him back." That's their new thing. Firing each other. We, the adults, can't exactly figure out what that means. What does that entail? Do they have to leave the playhouse?? Of course we talk about loving our cousins and playing nice with everyone, but it's a little bit funny... secretly. Maybe it's just the way they say it.

Martha Stewart... Eat your heart out!

So, as I put away the new batch of tomatoes I grew and canned, I got to thinking. So far this week I've canned tomatoes, set out the big pumpkin we grew for Halloween, stripped wallpaper off of two bathrooms and finished painting and decorating one of them, taught Webelos, done my Sunday School lesson and fit in my usual mom work and coding work. Ta Da! I was thinking that Martha Stewart has nothing on me. OK, so maybe she has a lot more money and a whole empire she controls. Empire shmempire.

The kids are outside playing in the rain. It rains so seldom here that it's a novelty. They're right now practicing walking around in the backyard with umbrellas.
"Look Mom... I'm not even getting wet!"
Amazing, those umbrella things.

One last note... Why is it that Jack always puts his flip-flops on the wrong feet? I thought flip-flops were sort of wrong feet proof. He has to get them practically sideways in order for him to get the little piece between his big toe and next toe. He'll walk around like that until I say, "Jack, you have your thongs on the wrong feet." Then, with a look of sudden surprise he looks down and says, "Oh." Then he changes them.

Yummy, Yummy Pasta

Penne with Spinach Sauce
Recipe by Giada De Laurentiis

1 pound whole wheat penne
3 garlic cloves
2 oz goat cheese (I used low-fat sour cream)
1 oz reduced fat cream cheese (I used neufchatel cheese)
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
6 oz fresh baby spinach (I used a bag)
2 Tbs Parmesan cheese

Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the penne and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes.

Mince the garlic in a food processor. Add the cheeses, salt, pepper and half of the spinach leaves. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Chop the rest of the spinach and place in a bowl. When the pasta is done, use a slotted spoon and transfer it to the bowl with the spinach. This kind of cooks the spinach because the noodles are wet and still hot. Add the cheese-spinach mixture, mix and enjoy.

Brian and I couldn't believe how good this was! We even fought over the leftovers the next day.

The "Other" Tyler

This is Jeri's grandson, Tyler. Not to be confused with Amy's son Tyler. Jack has dubbed him the "Other" Tyler. As in, "Mom, can the Other Tyler come and play?" The Other Tyler is 4 and they seem to be a really great friend fit. Tyler tells Jack what they're going to play and Jack just says OK. Also, they have one of the hallmarks of a great friendship... twin outfits! Tyler's is new, but Jack's has seen MUCH, MUCH love and wear. Who doesn't want to wear a quilted polyester bodysuit everyday of Summer... especially when it's 103?

A new post!!!

My camera was misplaced at the University of Utah Medical Center when we were there over the summer. I still have not gotten it back due to some logistical problems. I sometimes feel like, no pictures, no post, but I'll catch everyone up anyway.

We started Kindergarten and Tristan announced at the end of the first day that he had made one friend. When I asked his friend's name, he didn't know. Hey... little things aren't important. He also told me that it was SO easy to make a friend. He just said, "Hey, do you want to be my friend?" and the other boy said yes. "Isn't that SO great mom!" Also there was a bit of amusement when he told me that his new friend looked JUST like him. Same hair, same eyes... "just like me, mom." The next day we went to school and he was looking for his new friend to point him out to me. At first he said, "That's him over there... wait, that's not him." (This boy was Chinese) Then finally, at long last, The Friend came. Turns out, he does have the same hair and eye color as Tristan. He also happens to be a dark-skinned Pakistani. It was funny, but I appreciate at the same time that kids don't see race.

The greatest thing about Kindergarten is that he gets to go everyday. I pick him up at noon and that rolls around pretty fast. He really loves it, but I'm already getting grief from him about doing the homework. Uh.. Tristan... this is only the beginning. Writing your name twice and reading a story is not exactly a lot of homework.

My other news is that I got another calling. They didn't release me from teaching Sunday School. We're going to see how it is doing both. "So, we have a special calling in mind for you," says the bishop. "We've struggled to fill this calling for a while (uh huh) and when you walked in the church on Sunday it was like a vision. (I bet you say that to everyone) We'd like you to be the Webelos Den Leader."
Silence
More silence
"Ummm... what does this entail for me?"
"Only one night a week for den meeting. One night a month for pack meeting. (Who remembers the watermelon cheer?) One night a month for pack leadership meeting and one night a month if you want to go to the council roundtable. "
"Wow, is that all? I'm surprised this has been so difficult to fill. Who doesn't want a bunch of 10 year old boys running around their house? Who doesn't have 2 nights a week to commit?"

Tristan is very excited. Can't you just see him eating all of that campy stuff up at the pack meeting? He's also excited that a group of 10 year olds are going to come to our house and run around. Me? I just can't wait to buy my yellow shirt and sew on some patches. I'm VERY open to suggestions for the group. Because so far-- I got nothin'.

Making Bread




Jack's loaf wasn't salvageable.

This is a very typical day for me. Notice the arguing and that Jack has to stop what he's doing occasionally and watch TV.

Deep Thoughts, by Tristan Plummer.

In the car yesterday Tristan said,
"Mom, sometimes I think about the bad things that have happened to me in my life,"
"What bad things?" I interrupted to ask.
"You know, like when I broke my arm." (mental sigh of relief. I was hoping it wasn't anything too bad.)
"Right, so what do you think about these things?" I asked.
"I think back on all the bad things that have happened in my life, and I think 'wow, sure am glad that's over with!"

Jack frequently gets "needles" in his eyes (dust or an eyelash) and "snakes" (a hair) in his mouth. These episodes are accompanied by frantic motions to remove the offending object.
Mom was speaking in Sacrament meeting on Sunday when Jack suddenly had a snake attack in his mouth. "Mommy, mommy... there's a snake in my mouth. Get it out! Get it out!"

We went to Disneyland yesterday with Amy and kids. Considering we were two adults with 5 kids, under 5, we did well. Lots of fun was had by everybody. Even baby Mia was good. Tristan got picked to be on stage for "Jedi Training". He loved it. He also loved riding a roller coaster for the first time. He rode all alone in the very front seat of the roller coaster. I couldn't ride with him because I was riding with Jack in the seat right behind him. Jack didn't seem to like the ride as much as Tristan, but joined in with the shouts of "Let's do it again!!!"

It's finally done! After many months of waiting, we have a finished backyard. It's strange, it seems like since we've never had an outside place for the kids to play, they don't know what to do out there. I was dreaming of them running and playing, but it hasn't really happened like that. Turns out, the only time they want to go outside is if I'm with them. I wish there were more kids around us. I remember being a pre-schooler and playing outside all the time with the neighbors. Now, if Tristan wants to play with someone, we have to set up a playdate a week in advance.

This is Jack playing in the shortening. He wanted to "make cake". This happened the same day he squeezed out a whole tube of mom's hive medicine. He smeared the shortening all over the floor, the cupboards and himself.












Day 1- before the work begins




















They tore down the awning the first day.

These are the boys watching the concrete demo.

Day 2- A lot of noise and they started to demo the concrete.

Day 3- They dug a hole in the pool. Now we wait until Monday for the inspector to verify that there is a hole.
Jack told me he loves the "guys". "Guys" is Jack's generic term for any kind of blue collar worker. They wave to him in the window.

My challenging son, Jack

So, yesterday was a banner day for us here at the Plummer house. In the morning Jack was unsually quiet. I went to find him and as I climbed the stairs I was overwhelmed with a minty fresh smell. Jack had squeezed out an entire tube of toothpaste and fingerpainted on the walls with it.

Later, Amy was over for a visit and Jack comes running out of mom's room crying and rubbing his eyes...again with a smell following him. This time the smell was methol. I grab him and ran into the bathroom. He had used a large amount of Icy Hot to rub all over his hands and face and now he was rubbing it into his eyes. The more they burned, the more he was rubbing his eyes. I started furiously washing him. In my haste. I knocked over the blowdryer and it turned itself on as it hit the floor. So now I'm rinsing Jack's eyes, he's SCREAMING and I'm yelling for Amy to come turn the blowdryer off.

30 minutes later, Jack is suddenly very shiny and greasy. I said, "Jack what's on your hands?" He said, "Yotion, mommy's pillow." I ran upstairs to find that he has taken a tub of Aquaphor A.K.A. Vaseline, scooped it out and smeared it all over my ultra-suede duvet and pillow. Ahh...
I sprayed the spots with Shout and put the duvet and pillow case in the wash. I haven't checked it yet. I'm sure it didn't come out.

The lesson of this story... install locks to the outside of each door to "Jack proof" the house.

The following is a picture of the gum I made Jack spit out this morning. The quarter is in the photo for scale. I've never seen such a big piece of chewed gum. It's bigger than a deck of cards. Notice the teeth marks.



Halloween (Better late than never)




Jack getting into grandma's powder.

The Ultimate HotWheels Car Park
as told to me by Tristan, verbatim.
(He was talking about designing the park with his building blocks and insisted I take notes)

1. Start with one red block in the middle
2. You need yellow pipes, just like Tristan had them
3. Ramps by the opening, so the cars can launch on
4. A giant playset with cars, lots of cars
5. Tall ramps with a red block
6. We need to buy lots of HotWheels cars
7. Remember to make lots of tunnels
8. Buy some tracks that the cars can get on in their size
9. Make a loopty-loop gap jump- a sweet one
10. Make a continuous connector so they keep going and going

Ahhh.. the perfect car park.

I passed my test! So, most of you know already, that I passed my Certified Professional Coders exam. It's a little bit of a big deal. Some people take programs as long as two years in order to pass the test. I now am officially, Allison Plummer, CPC.

Anyway, because I've received so many requests, here is a picture of the final Halloween craft that Jack was helping me paint.

We went up to Riley's Farm, just outside of Beaumont, to pick apples. Ever since Amanda took me to that apple farm near San Luis Obispo, I'm addicted to eating fresh apples. The ones you buy at the store are terrible compared to the fresh ones. We picked apples, watched them make cider, went on a hay ride, ate BBQ, listed to the banjo and brought home two 5lb apple pies. Ah... a full day.







I also have to share these pictures of Jack "helping" me paint a halloween craft. I had to prime the pots with white. He thought I said prime yourself. I'm sure it was a miscommunication.