Who Knew Foosball Could Be So Much Fun?

I recently became a foosball addict. At work we have a real professional-type foosball table in the break room, and when I first started working there everyone who was anyone played it for almost every break they had. I played a couple of games back then just to fill-in when they were desperate for a 4th guy. I wouldn't necesarilly say I sucked; I played about as good as you would expect a normal person to play foosball, but these guys seemed to be playing another game entirely. It turns out there's a lot more to foosball than hitting the ball as hard as you can in the right direction. Anyway, most of the guys that were really serious about it have been gone for a long time now and the foosball table hasn't been maintained in a couple of years.

That was, until a few weeks ago. Some coworkers and I started playing and it spread like an infection. So yesterday we cleaned up the playing surface (it was disgusting), cleaned up the foosballs, cleaned up the players, and oiled the bars, etc. Playing a few games a day with the few good players that are still around has been a lot of fun. I'm at the point where I can more than hold my own and the competition is getting intense.

If you've never played a real competetive game of foosball you're missing out. I think it's the most fun I've ever had in an office setting (saying a lot, I know). It comes at a really good time though because things were starting to get a little tense at work with the lay-offs and everyone working so hard all the time trying not to get canned. Don't get me wrong, hard work is great, but you can only sprint for so long before you start to hate your job. So it's been nice to relax a little and really enjoy going to work again.

My Macbook is Cooler Than Your Macbook

Favorites

When I was in CO a few weeks ago, Mom and I stopped at a garage sale where they had a bunch of CDs for $1 each. Pretty typical garage sale CD prices, and I love getting them there because they're so cheap! Well one of the CDs that I picked up was Simon & Garfunkle's greatest hits. I know, totally lame, but also really cool. I was mostly looking forward to "Mrs. Robinson" and "The Sound of Silence" since they were the only 2 that I knew I knew. Well I listened to it once in CO and found that I liked quite a few of the songs on the CD. I brought it back and played it for Erik in spite of his dislike for them because of a crazy hippie elementary school teacher who was in love with them.

Well, within just a few listenings, Squirt had fallen in love. She was dancing and kicking and bobbing her cute little head to "The Boxer" all with a huge smile on her face. Then when "The Sound of Silence" came on, she was really liking it, and when the song ended, she started yelling and crying until we started it over again. Silly girl, loves Simon & Garfunkle. (Her other favorite group is ABBA).

Another favorite of hers is Cheese. While we were at Sarah's for "fakesgiving," Squirt had decided that it was time to go home and was banging on the door saying "bye bye! bye bye!" In order to keep her occupied for another couple of rounds of the great Dalmuti, I asked Sarah if she had any cheese. Alice immediately stopped and said, "Cheese?" and went over to the fridge.

One other favorite of hers is her favorite TV show: Handy Manny. Today, I was trying to make dinner but she was getting all in my way, so I said, "Do you want to watch Handy Manny while I make dinner?" She nodded and headed in to the front room and I put it on for her. I have, in the past, asked her if she wanted to watch Handy Manny, but then put on Little Einsteins or Mickey Mouse Club House, and she has brought me the remote and insisted that I change it. I love how she has connected that the remote is what makes it so that I can make her tv shows come on, and if she wants to watch tv, she'll bring it over to me. So cute!

The really interesting thing to me is how much Squirt's favorites become my favorites. I would never have picked McDonalds over ANY other kind of food before, but now that I can see her playing on the toys and enjoying her hamburger, I love it. And Simon and Garfunkle are quickly becoming favorites of mine, as well.  Don't hate. :D

"no"

So my sweet baby has learned how to use a new word. David and Sarah had come over to pick up some wedding cards that were sent here, and Squirt was just waking up from a nap. When I brought her down, she was still a little cranky and clingy, but overall happy because she saw that David and Sarah were here. Uncle David asked her "Do you want to come see me?" and she shook her head and said in a very sweet little voice "no". It was so cute. They kept asking her if she wanted to come see them just to see/hear her say no in such a cute little way.

She's been struggling for the past couple weeks with an abscess on her neck. It started right as we got to Colorado for our visit and then just got worse, until we finally took her to the dr when we got home a week later. at that point they told us what it was (we were thinking swollen lymph nodes) and gave her some antibiotics which were supposed to either make it go away, or make it come to a head. For those of you who don't know what an abscess is, it's like a boil, but bigger. Similar to the problem I had while I was pregnant.

Well by friday last week, it had come to a head so we took her in and then drained it, which was super disgusting and sad and traumatizing at the same time. They had her strapped down to this board and had a nurse holding her head down while the dr worked and then packed the empty cavity with this really skinny tape like gauze.

The worst part for me is that every day I change her dressing and then have to pull out 2 inches of the gauze and cut it off. Yuk. Pulling stuff out of my baby's neck like it was a floss dispenser is really disturbing, and I swear Frik almost pukes every time he thinks about it.

The whole ordeal has made me fall even more in love with our pediatricians office, though. They drove me home on the day of the draining because frik had to get to class. They've been calling and having us come in after hours no charge to get the dressing changed or to take a look at her to make sure it's ok... and the dr called a couple times over the weekend just to check and see how we're doing and left us with his cell phone number. It was really nice to have someone care about us so much!

I've also realized that Squirt doesn't like older men. We saw a younger dr when we went in the first time (around 30 or so) and then our regular dr came in (in his late 50s I'd guess) and although squirt was fine with the first dr, she was scared and cried for the second one. So Wizard, don't take it personally! You're just too old ;)When I thought about it a bit, I realized that it's probably because Squirt never really associates with any older men since my dad isn't here all the time and Frik's dad is gone, so she has no problems with grandmas and mommy and daddy age people, but grandpas are a foreign concept to her. We've gotta find a surrogate grandpa around here...

BIG doggy

We went for a walk the other day around the block, and the people who live behind us have horses, so I asked if we could go back and see them. As soon as squirt saw them she started saying "Doodun" which doesn't sound like duke or dog really, but it's the word that she says whenever she sees duke, so i think it's just her way of saying it. The horse startled her when he brought his head towards her, but after a few minutes and after seeing me pet the horse, she reached out to pet him. It was a very nice horse and when we started leaving, it trotted along the side of his pen to follow us. It was very cute.

she has another tooth now, so that makes 7. :D I had my first day of nursery yesterday at church (in this ward anyway) and I have to admit that I wasn't looking forward to being in the nursery when they called me, but as soon as one of the little girls reached up to hold my hand, I changed my mind.  I really have it easy. I'm not even in the nursery with the kids having to play with them and keep them entertained, I just take them to go get their parents when they have to go potty or change a diaper, and help shuffle them from room to room. I'm in charge of the older half of the nursery along with one other girl who is my neighbor, and there are 3 groups in that older half that get moved around between 2 rooms the whole time. It's pretty crazy. Then the younger half has another 3 groups and will need a 4th one by the end of the year. TONS of kids. I love this ward!