Members in Congress

Today at work I went through the congressional directory that we have and highlighted all of the congressmen who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I then had to compile a list of them so I thought I would share the list with you!! Just in case you're interested....
Jeff Flake ... Arizona ... Republican ... House
Wally Herger ... California ... Republican ... House
Howard P. “Buck” McKeon ... California .... Republican ... House
Mike Crapo ... Idaho ... Republican ... Senate
Mike Simpson ... Idaho ... Republican ... House
James A. Gibbons ... Nevada ... Republican ...Governor
Harry Reid .... Nevada ... Democrat .... Senate
Dean Heller .... Nevada .... Republican .... House
Tom Udall .... New Mexico .... Democrat .... Senate
Gary R. Herbert .... Utah .... Republican .... Governor
Orrin G. Hatch .... Utah .... Republican .... Senate
Robert F. Bennett .... Utah .... Republican ....Senate
Rob Bishop .... Utah .... Republican .... House
Jim Matheson .... Utah .... Democrat .... House
Jason Chaffetz .... Utah .... Republican .... House
Eni F.H. .... American Samoa .... Democrat .... Delegate

tRicKs And DeALs!!

Yesterday I got home from school early , Woody had no work, and I don't have school on Friday so I did not have to do homework so we got an evening of play! Which was lots of fun. I made us a successful dinner of Chinese food with Egg Rolls. I really love when I get the chance to cook dinner, it really is a joy to me!! After dinner Wood was looking up some sweet awesome songs on itunes so I decided to play with his crutches and developed a really cool trick....

It took some practice for me to master this... I blame it on the fact that the crutches are way too high for me, after I made Wood take a picture of me and my fanciness it was his turn...

Of course he showed me up and was able to hold his a lot longer, and could do it on his first try. But my legs are straight and his are bent so.. mine is cooler :)


Due to Woody's mad computer skills he found a sweet awesome deal on Toy Story 1, 2 & 3!!! Using two coupons and a match price from Toys R Us at Walmart we bought Toy Story 1 & 2 (containing Blue Ray and DVD) for only $16.99 PLUS they both contained a ticket to see Toy Story 3 in theaters!! So in essence we bought 2 movies and 2 movie tickets for under $20 how awesome is that?!

So after our dinner and crutch tricks we watched Toy Story 1. I honestly have never had so much fun watching Toy Story!! We both had some favorite lines that we would giggle at but the best was when Woody would say things like, "watch his face right.. now" and it would end up being a really funny face. Haha he definitely has that movie memorized, which is good considering he is the main character!! Here are some of the classic Toy Story 1 lines...

Mr. Potato Head: How come *you* don't have a laser, Woody?
Woody: It's not a laser. It's...
Woody: It's a little light bulb that blinks.
Hamm: What's wrong with him?
Mr. Potato Head: Laser envy.


Buzz: I've set my laser from stun to kill.
Woody: Oh, great. If anyone attacks we can blink em' to death.

Buzz: How dare you open a Space man's helmet on an uncharted planet? My eyeballs could have been sucked from of their sockets!


Woody: O-KAY! Save your batteries


And right before this one Wood goes " Oh here is the part that I have heard all my life...."

Woody: Hey, who's got my hat?
Shark: Look, I'm Woody! Howdy, howdy, howdy!
Woody: Ha-ha, ha-ha...
[snatches his hat away]
Woody: Gimme that!

I have to admit I was definitely one of the ones to use that line on him, and now that I've been reminded of how stinking funny it is.. I'll probably start using it again! So I suppose Metal has been returned back to Woody, because of Toy Story it's just too funny :)

Movies and Cookies and Books oh my!

MOVIES

Due to Woody's injury (ok really just because we love movies) Woody and I have gotten around to watching some good movies lately.


The first new one we watched was The Princess and the Frog




Woody had already seen this one, he saw it in theaters with his family while I was at school (what a weinee). BUT I absolutely LOVED this movie. It was so cute and just like the old Disney movies. The music was tons of fun, the characters were cute and funny and overall a great movie! That I will definitely buy... eventually. Side note, the villain was super scary and I think I am now forever afraid of shadows.


The Second movie was Planet 51

This movie was cute and I did enjoy while watching it. However, I would not say that it is a must buy or must see. But, if you want to watch it and are in the mood I'd say go for it! It was another cute movie. And the good thing about this one is no scary villains :)

The third new movie that we have recently seen is Old Dogs


This one I actually thought was pretty funny. I really like Robin Williams and think he was just as funny as ever. I remember liking it while watching it, but now as I try to think about it I can't remember if it had any crude parts ... which I'm guessing is a good sign! Again, not one I would have on my to buy list, but I would for sure watch again it had some good laughs.

COOKIES

Woody and I have a slight obsession with funfetti cake. It all started with Woody loving it and then getting me into it (like most things :)) BUT when we were dating we used to always make a funfetti cake after a long night of homework, it heals the soul. And we have carried the tradition into our married life, we actually got a lot of cake mixes from the showers and wedding so we've been lucky to enjoy our cake without having to buy it. When my mom (she's precious) sent up woody's care package she included a funfetti sugar cookie mix. I was kind of excited about this it combines the old love with a little pazaaz. So we tried it on Sunday night as our dessert and oh my heck they're delicious!! The cookies were good on Sunday but on Monday they were even better as they got more moist (I believe from the frosting) They are addicting, heavenly, and death to my diet but I love them!

BOOKS

Woody and I have moved on from Tennis Shoes Amongst the Nephites (which we highly recommend) to Harry Potter. We are now both currently listening to Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (#6)

I am just in love with Harry Potter, and especially this book. Seriously I'm addicted. This book is sooo interesting with all the background information it provides.. I could go on for hours that's how devoted I am :) BUt I have been reminded that the books are a bajillion times better than the movies. To all that are Harry Potter fans it is my suggestion to go back and reread the books. They're great!! And you'll have fun rembering everything that isn't in the movies.

Memory Susceptibility

I have been learning some very interesting things this semester. A topic we just finished in my cognitive development class is False Memory and how memories are changed/elaborated/adjusted without the person even realizing.

Piaget, who is a wide known developmental theorists has a vivid memory of a kidnapping that occurred around the age of 2. He says he can remember being in the stroller in the park and seeing the man attack the nanny. He says he always remembers vividly about the scratches and marks on the nanny's face. He accounts of how he can see the escaping the robber. The nanny after telling this thrilling tale to the parents received a reward, naturally. Years and years later the nanny confesses that this story was false!! Her and Piaget had never been attacked and she made up the whole thing! But he remembered and could picture it?!

Also in a study done by Elizabeth Loftus (not that you care who it was done by). She was able through suggestion, to convince children that they had gotten their fingers trapped in a mouse trap. She did this by asking them questions like "have you ever gotten your fingers smashed by a mouse trap?" "are you sure you've never gotten your fingers trapped?" "try to picture your fingers getting trapped" etc. After this the kids said they remembered the event!! After Loftus told them she made it up and they had not gotten their fingers trapped in a mouse trap before they refused it and said they could remember that they had!

Lesson here:
If you ask a child a question and they give you an answer, once you re-ask the question they will sometimes give you a different answer and totally believe that it is true!!
Also due to lack of maturation of the brain children can sometimes forget who did what in memories. For instance if you ask who broke the vase, in a tone suggesting punishment, their memory may actually tell them that it was not them, even if it was.

So when you feel your child is lying to you, they may be telling you what to them is the truth.
And if you get in an argument over a memory you share with someone... it is possible that you are both right! Due to time your memories have changed so they no longer match, but to you they are correct!!

the brain is sooo interesting

Why I have siblings..

In my text book, from a study I learned that... "only children are likely to be lonely, over indulged brats who would profit both socially and emotionally from having siblings to teach them that they are not nearly as special as they think they are."


So if any one who is a parent is worried about their children fighting.. it is healthy and because of it your kids will not be brats!! Thank you Heather for taking advantage (when we were young) of beating me up so that I am now not a brat! hahah love you Heather (Adam Shani and Heidi were nice to me :))

Beware of the Ides of March

Woody is getting better and is moving around more. He is going to work and is driving himself! He borrows grandma and grandpa's flippin sweet gold convertable so, again, I don't feel TOO bad for him. He is getting pretty handy with his crutches and gettin himself around. The other day he came into the store with me and got to ride on the electric cart, you know the ones that old people use haha but coool! His leg is still slightly swollen really bruised and very painful. But as always he is a champ.

Simply because I can here are some thoughts that have been going round my head lately:

- Since driving Woody around and trying to be careful not to hurt his leg I have noticed that Alpine has the WORST ROADS EVER! There is not a single road that is smooth in the slightest, and I ask myself is this a small town thing? I still can't believe I live in a small town, so small there is not even anywhere to get ice cream!!!
- There are no street lights in Utah. Street lights are the best invention ever. To a kid, they are heaven on earth because when it gets dark you can still play outside and feel pretty safe. Also they are a needed commodity while driving. However, Utah has a general lack of street lights and it just buggles my mind. Again, why don't they have street lights? Woody and I's neighborhood is seriously lacking, I almost hit a dog the other night due to lack of lights, what gives!
- My job is going to give me ulcers. I work as a receptionist and overall it's a pretty laid back job.. I am after all writing this at work SH! Don't tell. but I definitely received like as little training as possible, basically all I got was how to answer to phone so I have had to figure things out by myself. Whenever a situation comes up that I have no idea how to handle, I always have a couple minutes of high stress before I come up with a solution.
- I am so tired!! Last night I laid in bed waiting for Woody to read scriptures and such, I was not planning on going to sleep just laying. I remember seeing woody coming in on his crutches and a package of crackers held in his teeth (his third hand) just remember thinking he was cute..and the next thing I know.. Beep beep beep it's time to get up!! hahaha I did not even make it for when he got into bed!! I am in desperate need of a spring break, but wait BYU does not have one, Crap.

p.s. did my title intrigue you into reading my post that it has nothing to do with? haha

He escaped!!!

Woody got all his permits done (doctor's appointment) and was able to escape from his house arrest on Wednesday! Unfortunately getting out is not as good as it's cracked up to be, it was very very painful! But the doctor unwrapped his leg to a wonderful bruised and yellow and real swollen leg. We got some x-rays and saw the rod and the screws.... kind of gave me the chills to see the screws in his bone YUCK! But the doctor took out the stitches and said that his leg was looking good... still pretty broken but healing. Since his leg was still pretty swollen the doctor said to keep it elevated and that when the swelling goes down then he can get back to real life, he said by Monday would be the earliest. But Woody is ready to get going so were heading to work on Friday! Hopefully he'll make it were going to bring his blanket to prop his leg. But as for now my poor Woody is still hanging on the couch and I think it is starting to drive him crazy! Thanks again for all your concerns and thank you for your prayers we appreciate them greatly

The nurse becomes the patient and the patient becomes the nurse

Semi-decent pictures of the x-ray.. yucky yucky

Woody (Metal) just hanging out playing some x-box.. and all of you felt bad for him like he had a hard life or something

The GOODS most take from the hospital... tub full of bathroom essentials, pills, ice machine, breathing machine, portable potty, baby wipes, and of course a bag of recess cups

Everything all situated

Woody (now referred to as Metal) got released from the hospital Wednesday morning and has just been hanging out at home. I go to work in the mornings and then come back around one to take care of my handicap :) Unfortunately I am not a very good nurse because I keep not lifting his leg correctly which ends up in a couple of minutes of pain for Metal and me just saying "oops sorry! I didn't mean to!!" But overall Metal is starting to feel better and do a little bit more which is good. He has his next doctor appointment on Wednesday so I'm looking forward to testing out our handicap stickers!! Front row parking here I come... I always knew I deserved rock star parking.

But it is definitely an interesting experience. Woody doesn't hardly ever get sick and this is his first broken bone, so he usually is not the one laying around getting waited on hand and foot. Whereas, I am used to being the one sick and afflicted. So I am currently learning on how to be the nurse and Woody is learning VERY quickly how to be the patient. Having now experienced both I do believe that it is easier to be the sick and afflicted, all you have to do is lay around all day!! I guess the pain is a bit of a draw back though.... Hm. nah still easier.

We'll keep you posted on the status!

Oh the other shoe.. where are you?

Well, as I am sure you have heard Woody and I have had quite the experience these past couple of days. Monday morning Woody was playing in a basketball class at school, he went up to get a rebound and something went seriously wrong on his way down. Wood says he can't remember how he landed or anything, but he broke both his tibia and his fibula. They were both completely broken and he had some bone fragments as well. He says that the snap was so loud his coach heard it from the opposite side of the gym... EW! So he went to the emergency room that morning. Unfortunately Woody's body and pain killers aren't friends. He got four shots of morphine on his way to the hospial and none of them worked... so they gave him something that sounds like phitenel which didn't work so then they gave him some dilauded. After this however he got a rash on his neck and chest... so he had an allergic reaction and then got some benidryl and steriods (Wood has never had this much medicine his whole life combined!!) and unfortunately dilauded is supposedly the best the hospital can give him, but he's allergic and none of the other pain killers really work for him.. so sad then Monday night he went into surgery. He had a rod put into his leg with nails to hold it in place by his knee and ankle. Both the rod and screws/nails (i dunno) are permanent, so any nicknames such as 'metal man' are now officially welcome... he'll go from being called wood to metal, that's an upgrade right? Metal is cooler than wood? ANYWAYS his surgery went for three hours when the doctor told us TWO! So that was a little nerve racking. But the doctor came after three hours, showed me a x-ray of the newly placed rod (it's HUGE!) and said that Woody was in recovery waking up and should be back in about 15-20 minutes. An HOUR later.. still no Woody! I finally went to ask a nurse who said that Woody had a reaction to the anesthesia, but would be coming back to the room shortly.

The surgery did go well and Woody is the biggest champ I know. yesterday he got up and walked on crutches (sp?) twice. The doctor came in this morning and unwrapped his leg and said he could go home after physical therapy today. His leg is still extremly swollen so the doctor said no moving around for Woody, but like I said he's a champ. He hardly complains and is even not very grumpy. Even though his pain medication is not the best. I have been just hangning out at the hospital and staring at the most handsome guy I know. His smile just brightens my day .. the best time of day is when he eats because he is always starving and his mood improves after he has had a good meal, and he looks pretty cute when he's eating :) I am so grateful for Woody and how he is handling this, he truly is tough tough tough and is still just as sweet as sweet can be to me.

Thank you all for your prayers and concerns we deeply appreciate them all and have felt them.

And for now Woody won't have to worry about his other shoe.. he just needs his right one :)