Christmas 2008

OK, so I am WAY behind on all this Christmas stuff. The week has been busy and I haven't been feeling too hot so blogging has been pretty low on my list of tasks to accomplish. However! We did have a wonderful Christmas.

The kids slept until just around 7 and then woke up. I keep waiting for the year that Andrew tries the 12:01 am business that Reece and I tried growing up. I mean come on, it is TECHNICALLY Christmas!

Zane seemed really into the opening of presents this year. To start with Santa brings unwrapped presents for the tree and this year he brought a Thomas toy for Zane and a big kid bike for Andrew. I don't know what it was but it took Andrew about 10 minutes to even notice the bike. Eric and I could hear him say. Zane! There is a bike here. I think maybe it is for me! Too cute!

Lucy got some girly stuff for Christmas. Princess cups and a super cute doll. Although honestly she seemed to get the most joy out of stealing the boys toys from them. What a pesky little sister!

Andrew was pretty excited to get a new big Lightning McQueen puzzle. It is the first (and only) one that I have found with 300 pieces that isn't totally girly. Is it so strange that I have a BOY that likes doing puzzles?

Andrew on his new bike. The only thing that sucked is that he couldn't ride it for the first few days. Too much snow! It was a bummer and he was kinda disappointed. It should be better in a few more days when the snow is completely gone!

All in all a great Christmas. Hope yours was wonderful as well!

Stairclimbing and a Whale Spout!

So this week Lucy has achieved a new milestone. Climbing up the stairs. Frankly it has shocked me at how long it took her to get up the guts to try it. But now she feels brave enough and is off to the races. And let me tell you, she is fast. If the boys run upstairs you can almost guarantee that she will be after them. There is not place safe from a little sissy these days! Also last night while I was nursing Lucy before bed I was playing with her hair just wishing that I could put it in some type of pony/piggy tail configuration. (One of my favorite things to do and one of the reasons I was so excited to have a little girl!) I have always tried when her hair is dry and it just slips and slides everywhere. Well last night I had washed her hair and lo and behold if it wasn't long enough to bunch together when it was wet! I immediately decided that today would be the day for Lucy's first real hairdo. I have been dying for this day!


So here is photo of Lucy's first hairdo. I tried to get a picture where you can actually see her but her hair is pretty light and it is kinda hard to tell. You can see it against the stark whiteness of the snow though outside. It was funny, I don't know who was more excited for her hair me or Andrew. He is very opinionated about girls having long hair. It just cracks me up because I honestly don't know where he gets it from. Eric isn't really that way at all.

Watching? Christmas Specials

Tonight the boys stayed up to watch the new Muppet Christmas special. Unfortunately Zane fell asleep at about 7:40. We tried to wake him up to watch the show but the lure of sleep was just too overwhelming. Hopefully he won't be too upset about sleeping through it tomorrow. Andrew is enjoying the show though. I mean seriously, who doesn't love the Muppet's?

Let the Fighting Begin!

So the in the last few weeks Lucy has definitely taken on the role of the little sister. She has discovered that if she finds a toy or book or anything that matters to Zane she can get him to scream. It is hysterical to watch her. First Lucy will look for something that belongs to Zane. Next she picks it up and examines it. Then she gets his attention by shrieking and waving said object until Zane notices. Then the fireworks begin. Zane heads off like a charging bull to take whatever it is from Lucy. Lucy spends the whole time screaming like someone is murdering her. Zane ends up stopping inches from her crying because he knows that if he actually hurts her then he will be in super huge trouble. Usually by this time either Eric or I have noticed what is going on (Zane is not the most easy to ignore child in the world) and we tell him to take whatever it is from her, just gently. Lucy gets a stern "NO MA'AM!" from us and that is usually the end of the problem. Until the next time at least!

A Step in the Right Direction

Well it appears it is a week of Lucy posts! Last night Miss Lucy took two steps to walk to her daddy. He was tempting her with a brownie. I guess it just goes to show that she is definitely a member of our household. We are all easily swayed by the sight of food. Anyway, I know that we will be in trouble in the next few weeks for sure. She is destined to be mobile before her first birthday guaranteed!

Determination and a Mommy's Need for Sleep

So last night Eric and I chose to do something that we should have chosen to do several months ago. We decided to let Lucy cry it out in the middle of the night. I kept thinking that maybe she was hungry or thirsty or scared in the middle of the night and she needed me and then went back to sleep on her own. She has been putting herself to sleep for months at bedtime with no problem so I thought there must be some other explanation. Sadly I was wrong. Some nights Lucy will wake up twice and other nights (like Saturday night) she will wake up every two hours and need help falling back to sleep.

For me this is absolutely unacceptable. I need more sleep than that and it didn't seem like anything I was doing during the day was helping. I tried extra water, snuggles and food near bedtime. Finally I had to admit it. I have a little lady that just wants me to help her get to sleep.


I don't call myself the mommy with the heart of stone for nothing and I decided that Eric and I would let her cry. And let me tell you cry she did. Lucy woke up at 1 and I think the last time I heard a whimper out of her was around 3:30. It was rough for all of us. Somewhere around 2:45 Eric asked me how long we were going to let her cry and I told him until she falls asleep. Mercifully the boys didn't hear a peep of it. They slept through the whole entire incident. I am sure we will have to repeat this process tonight. Possibly all week. I am just completely done with the night feeding bit with my almost one year old. Neither of the boys had this problem. Once they started sleeping through and were eating cereal they were done and the nights of uninterrupted sleep returned for me. I am hoping for a quick return of sleep again this time for sure!

A Snowy Day

Today we had our first snow of this winter season. It was super wet and super sloppy but snow is snow and two little boys were ecstatic to go and play in it! On a side note I finally figured out how to take good snow pictures that don't look too dark with my camera. I just have to over expose them a full step and they turned out great!

Last year we bought a 10 dollar toboggan from Joe's. It is probably the best money we have ever spent. The boys adore it and Eric is totally happy to go out and drag them around. Then they all come in a have hot chocolate which is a huge hit as well.

A new type of Rudolf?
Pulling a one person sleigh?

Hope you all have gotten out to enjoy the beautiful snow as well!

The First Report Card!

I have been seriously remiss in my blogging duties lately! So sorry about that! Andrew brought home his very first report card this week. Funny I didn't realize that he would have a report card at all. Anyway, he has done beautifully. The card does not have A/B/C/D type of grades but rather 1,2,3,4's. Andrew received 3's across the board which means that he is using each skill consistently. Can't say that I am expecting more out of him than that. He also knows all his sight words (there were 6 for this trimester) and recognized all his upper and lower case letters and all but one of his letter sounds. (I wonder which one he didn't get?) Eric and I need to work more with him on counting to 100 but that was the only thins that seemed to be even slightly behind where it should be. Also with his behavior at school he received all "Outstanding" scores. It was nice to read all the nice comments about Andrew. All in all a fantastic beginning to his school career! Great Job Andrew!

Building a Gingerbread House

Yesterday we got the boys their annual gingerbread house to put together (thank you Costco!). We ended up not having enough time to build it and decorate it last night so Eric put it together with the boys and then this morning they got to put all the candy on.

I think this may be one of their very favorite things to do during the Christmas season. They always look forward to it and Andrew starts asking about it from the minute he sees the houses at the stores.

The boys and the final product.

I don't know how it is going to go next year. Lucy will be able to help a bit and it should be interesting to see if fighting breaks out. This year she didn't seem to be interested at all. She was just as happy to play on the ground and watch Eric and I race around. Now the fun part begins, eating the candy!

Christmas Time

So this weekend we put up our tree and house lights. I tried to get a picture of all three kids for my Christmas cards. It didn't go well, Zane was uncooperative and Lucy was screaming. Here are a few of the ones that will not be selected!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Need a Turkey for Thanksgiving?

Howdy Partner! Check out my Pilgrim Hat!

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble get your turkey here!

This one's good eats!

Maybe I will be a princess for Thanksgiving!

Nope, can't stand the headgear!

Isn't Kindergarten awesome! Andrew made all these super cute hats and brought them home. It definitely made for some fun pictures. Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!

Place mats!

So I promised Andrew this year that we would make place mats for Thanksgiving this year. We are going to my mom's house and since the day is drawing very near I decided today was the day to carry through on my promise. While Andrew was in school Zane, Lucy and I went to the craft store to pick up supplies. I decided a sponge painted turkey was not too complicated for me. I even bought some googly eyes to go on them too. Always a hit!

The boys had a ton of fun and I am sure we will be doing this project again. Each boy got to do 4 turkeys and I made one so there wouldn't be any fighting (we needed 9). My artistic skills are slightly lacking but I still think they turned out pretty cute!

Andrew's Favorite

Zane's Favorite

While I was out and about I ran into Albertson's to pick up the sponges for the project. They were giving away these super cute scarecrows for free! I never pass up free and now I can decorate next fall too!

8 Hours

Yesterday after Zane's amazing pooing in the potty feat. We put big boy unders on him to wear. We also went to visit Reece and Angie in Puyallup. Zane stayed dry the whole way there. He tried to go pee as soon as we got there. No luck. Periodically throughout the day we took him potty. As the time went on I started to worry about a huge puddle being made at my brother's house. Finally, right before we left to go home and 8 HOURS! after he last went, Zane went potty. And yes, he made it in the toilet! We are on our way toward being potty trained for sure!

Success!

Today for the very first time, Zane went poo in the potty! Hooray! I was at the store and Eric convinced him to try. I am thrilled! He is now wearing big boy unders and is feeling super proud of himself! I see one less set of diapers in my future for sure!

Picture Time

So I realize it has been awhile since I posted pictures of everyone's favorite Andrew/Zane/Lucy. Sorry! I think the last two weeks have just slipped away from me in a blur. Tonight I took some pictures although they were inside and with a flash so obviously not the best :) Anyway, I thought I should share. We really haven't been doing much lately and I think that is why my camera has been neglected.

Andrew and Zane showing off the bellies!
Their idea, not mine!

Lucy playing with her tongue. Freaky long in my opinion!

I will try to be better this next week with the pictures!

A New Word with Horrible Timing

Lucy is not the best sleeper in the world by any stretch of the imagination. She seems to think she needs me several times a night. Last night she wanted my attention at 12, 3 and 4. The time at 4 was an hour long cryfest where she never got comfortable or settled down. I don't know what to do with her. The cute thing was that when Eric brought her in the room at 4 she said Ma-Ma! like I was the only thing in the world. Eric was very impressed but I have a tendency to not appreciate these types of things when I am sleep deprived. Now that I am kinda awake and with it, I am pleased. She is super sweet and she does adore her momma. One of these days she will sleep through the night AND say my name. Now that will be something to get excited about!

Super Smart

It is official! Andrew can now read. My mom got this set of primary readers from her school a few years ago and last night she brought over the first beginner set. Andrew picked one up titled "Mac and Tab" and started reading it. It almost brought a tear to my eye! I love to read and I am so excited for him to be able to read his own books too. This last week we got him his first library card as well. He was so excited about all his grownup-ness. I think he will be a fantastic reader by the time all is said and done. He has always loved books so much I just can't imagine him not liking to read. There are several great kid series out now too that are kinda boy-geared. Maybe I should start reading them now so I will be able to approve of them before he gets to them. Hmmmmmm...... that is an idea!

The Swimming Report

Yesterday was the end of a session for the boys swimming. They both are doing great. Andrew has mastered almost everything in his level with the exception of crawl stroke side breathing. He still needs to work on that. It will be interesting to see when he gets it down though what they want to do with him. He is at the last level of preschool and you must be 6 before you start the beginner levels. I am sure we will just keep him in the Advanced Preschool level though. It is good exercise and you can never practice your swimming skills too much.

Zane is also making progress. I was much happier with his instructor this session. She is so much better with the kids than the last instructor was. Zane still has quite a few skills that he needs to master before heading to the next level but he really is enjoying class and looks forward to it each week. Nothing bad about that in my opinion at all!

Lucy is so cute at the pool. When we put her down to crawl she will head off to who knows where. Eric or I will say "Lucy Fern!" and she stops and looks at us. It is always interesting to see the process of them understanding they can't go near the edge of the pool. I remember several sessions of holding Zane with a death grip because he just would not listen. Oh the joy of parenting! Lucy will probably be the same way I am sure. She is quite the hit with all the other families though. Somehow her little grin brings a smile to their faces.

No Ma'am!

There is a new phrase at our house called "no ma'am!" Lucy seems to think it is great fun to spit. She does it while eating, playing, talking or just because she wants your attention. Eric and I aren't super thrilled about it so we say "no ma'am" to let her know that it isn't proper behavior. (In case you are wondering, no, she doesn't seem to really get it and she keeps spitting, but we are working on it!) The boys seem to have taken it upon themselves to be the spitting police though. Eric and I are generally concerned about it while she is eating as it makes a huge mess. The boys though seem to think that a girl shouldn't ever blow a raspberry. All day long I can hear from one part of the house or another "NO MA'AM!!!" from one or both of them. It is quite cute. I am pretty sure she now just does it to get their attention since it seems to have an immediate reaction. She gets this look of glee on her face when they jump to attention. I can almost see the wheels turning in her brain, dance little puppets dance. She will have them doing everything for her in no time I am sure!

Proper Pronunciation is IMPORTANT!

So I got a new china hutch today. (Crazy good deal!) I was out with the kids on the way home from the grocery store and I was saying that when Eric woke up he was going to get my china out from the crawl space so I could put it away. Andrew pipes up from the backseat "Mommy, why is daddy getting stuff for the girl part cabinet?" It took me a second to figure out what he was talking about. I will let your imagination do the thinking too. I tried to explain that he was pronouncing "the girl part" wrong but he just kept giggling. Oh the fun of little kids!

Another Mom of the Year Moment

Or could be titled "Could Eric and I be any Cheaper?" So yesterday was a swimming day. The kids were excited and ready to go. We stopped by Eric's parents place to see them, they just had gotten home from a trip. We drive all the way into Everett to the pool. Everyone gets unbuckled. Then and only then do we realize WE HAD NOT THE SWIM BAG. Which meant that we had no swimsuits or towels. Andrew started to cry and I was incredibly frustrated. I hate it when we spend money on something and are unable to use it. Plus, it is the kids responsibility to put the bag in the car. (Eric and I try to help remind them but it is their job) So now the dilemma starts. Do we just go home? Do we buy new stuff from the pool? We didn't have time to run home grab the stuff and make it back. Lessons would be over by then. So I made the only choice I felt I could. I went and asked the people at the pool if they had any options for brain-dead parents who forget stuff. Lo and behold they did! And their solution is called Lost and Found. So in a moment of cheap insanity I put Andrew is some strange kids too big swimsuit from the lost and found and let Zane just swim in a swim diaper that was hanging out in the van (which was a good thing since they had no other small swimsuits in the lost and found) Andrew had a small fit because there were no goggles for him to wear but Eric and I told him that he would either live with it or not swim at all. He chose to swim and he had a marvelous time. (although he kept having to yank up his swimsuit) I felt pretty stupid though. Although I guess I am probably not the first one to resort to lost and found stuff. Man, if that doesn't qualify me for "Mom of the Year" then I don't know what will. Oh and by "Mom of the Year" I mean the most dumb. In case you thought I actually found my plan to be brilliant! LOL

A First Word for Lucy!

It has officially happened folks! Lucy said her first word. She has been babbling for a long time but this morning I heard her say a word that was inarguably on purpose. She was downstairs crying and Eric and I were upstairs. Eric popped down to grab her and in the middle of the crying as soon as she saw him she screamed DADDY! I swear it was actually daddy too, not just da-da babble. Eric came up the stairs looking proud as a peacock. This is our first baby to say daddy first so he is pretty pleased with himself. Of course he put her in bed with him and she immediately went for the milk factory so you can see where her loyalty lies. Either way she is talking. Now we just need to work on her saying mommy!

Too Smart for His Own Good!

I need to take a quick minute to brag about Andrew. Tonight he was working on one of his homework papers that was patterns. He had a train and he had to color the cars in a pattern. We talked about the pattern and I left him to work. The caboose had spots in it to write Andrew's ____ and _____ train. He colored his red and blue. I told him I would help him with the words when he was done coloring. A few minutes later he proudly announces "I'm done!" so I said "go get a pen and I will help you with the letters". He then informed me he didn't need help. He had ALREADY WRITTEN THEM! He spelled red correctly and blue "bloo" because two o's make and ooh sound (technically correct in some words). I didn't have the heart to correct him, plus his teacher said the fact that they try to spell it and are listening to the sounds is more important than the correct spelling at this point. Anyway, I asked him how he knew what letters to use and he told me that he just looked inside his brain and thats how they were spelled. CRAZY! I will have a reader/writer in no time at all!

A Gold Medal

Yesterday was Andrew's last soccer game. It has been a fun season and he is really bummed that it is over. The morning of his last game he asked is this it? When I told him yes he got all sad. He perked up a bit when I mentioned that he could probably play next year though. For his team party we went to Alfy's for some delicious pizza and cupcakes. The boys each got a super cool medal for their great effort (much cooler than a trophy in Eric and my opinion) and Andrew has been wearing his practically non-stop. One of the mom's on the team also put together these fabulous collages of each kid and then one of the whole team. She gave each kid a copy of the team one as well, so now Andrew has two sports posters starring himself on his wall. Oh and a nail on his wall too for his medal to hang. It has been so much fun to see him progress through the year. He had a great time and the kids all seemed to get along well. There was one little guy who seemed to mistake soccer for football (on purpose). He was kinda frustrating but other than that it was a great year. I think the final stats were 8-1-1 (wins, loses, ties for all of you not in the know). Eric was proud for sure. I am glad he kept track of the games scores though. I never did pay attention and didn't care if they won or lost. I just wanted Andrew to have fun and if that was the only criteria then the whole season was a success!

Halloween Characters!

I have a rule about Halloween Costumes. They must be worn for 2 years. That way I feel like my money has been well spent. It is crazy how expensive they are! Anyway, this year was Andrew's turn for a new costume. He wanted Batman. I think he looks adorable in his fake buffness!

Zane got to be the froggie this year. It was funny, everyone seemed to think he was cute but half of the people thought he was a girl. Hmmmm..... that seems a little odd to me. I don't think he looks anything like a girl.

Lucy was a hydrangea plant. While out trick or treating she got very little notice. She was in her stroller, but when we went to church she was quite the hit. I got the costume from Joanna. Her mother-in-law had made it for her daughter lots of years ago. Now we got to benefit from it which I think is fantastic! Super cute and just the right price! Several houses asked me if I didn't want candy for the baby. Huh? No I don't want candy for her, it just means there will be more for me to eat!

My three characters!

I was so excited that Eric was home last night! He has had to work the past few Halloweens and it means I get to do a ton of work. This year at least the boys would mostly go up to the doors by themselves unless the house was super scary. It just made it so much easier to have someone with Lucy in the stroller and someone with the boys.

Finally, I got an outfit this year. It has been many, many years since I have dressed up as anything. I found this bee costume and I thought it worked well! It was super warm and easy to put on in the chaos of getting ready. All day I wore my black pants and black top and looked all cat burglar-ish. It was fun though and you will probably be seeing me as a bee for years to come!

Hope you had a great Halloween!

Cookie Creations

The kids, Eric and I made Halloween cookies today. We made bats, spiders and pumpkins. I have a whole set of cutters but I have found limiting the variety is a good choice. They boys are not known for there patience while cutting them out. If I don't watch them like a hawk they have put a cutter in the middle of the dough and then nothing else will fit. Anyway we had fun and it was a good activity to do to keep there mind off when they get to trick or treat. Night takes FOREVER when you are 5! We told Andrew he couldn't ask when we are going or he didn't get to go. So far I have yet to hear a peep out of him! It is a wonderful thing! I will post costume pictures later.......

What Happened to My Butterball Turkey?

This is a sight I never thought I would see from Zane. Andrew has always kinda looked scrawny like this but Zane? Never in a million years would I have guessed he would thin out this much! I think he must be finishing up a growth spurt.

A Little Bit Adult Already?

So Andrew has been mentioning in the last few weeks that he feels mountains in the back of his teeth. I looked in there and sure enough it seemed like adult teeth would be in his future. Today I was curious so I asked him about them. Lo and behold there was an adult tooth almost all the way in back there! I was floored. Who knew that adult teeth could come in so painlessly when baby teeth are horribly irritable for babies! So now I have two kids teething and only one crabby. I guess it is a good thing that we have a dentist appointment scheduled. I really want my kids to have sealants on their adult teeth. Two other of his adult molars are starting to break the skin too. It will be shocking to me when he gets his full set AND when he starts loosing teeth. Anyway, my baby is now a little tiny bit adult. I am not ready for sure!

School Conferences with No News

Today we had conferences for Andrew. As we expected his teacher said that he has no problems and seems to be having a wonderful time. She retested the students this year, he understands his prepositions (in, above, below etc.), he can recognize all the letters (upper and lower case), he knows what sounds the majority of the letters make and he can recognize numbers up to 30 (as high as she tested them). She told Eric and I that we had done and great job getting him ready for kindergarten. I think that Andrew is just a natural learner though and is very driven personally to understand. We talked some about his speech and we do not have an action plan yet. Apparently the speech therapist has yet to send a report to the teacher. We obviously haven't gotten one yet either. What came as the biggest surprise to me was how confident Andrew is in school. Not only in the classroom but socially as well. He is very comfortable and confident with himself. His teacher commented on it and how great it was. Apparently a self confident kid reflects a good job by us. My one question was if he seemed to have problems getting other kids to understand him because I know sometimes even adults can't fully understand what he is saying (if I am honest I can't all the time either). His teacher said that he never seems bothered or embarrassed by it. He just says that word is a little tricky for me. Which of course comes out sounding like: Vat word is a yittle fricky for me. It is a wonder they can understand his explanation LOL! The recess lady was in the room working too and she said she has seen no problems on the playground either. That is a relief to me! All in all it was a great report! Oh, and last night we went to a literacy night at school and Andrew and Zane went to listen to the story time. Andrew's teacher saw how sweet both boys were and she said she can't wait for Zane to start school too! Eric and I laughed and said that he can be just as sweet but a bit more of a stinker!

No Sleep for Me!

So Miss Lucy Fern is cutting teeth. At least that is what I am hoping the problem is. Last night she woke up at 11:30. I gave her some tylenol, nursed her and put her back into bed. About 12:15 she starts crying again. I decide to let her tough it out. She kept at it and never simmered down. I finally got her and brought her to bed with me. She fell asleep on my chest around 1 and stayed in bed with me for the rest of the night. I don't generally do this but I was pretty desperate for some sleep myself by this time. In fact we had a first at our house last night. Eric got home for work at 4:30 and tried to get into bed. Lucy and I were sprawled all over it and he asked if I wanted him to put her in bed. I told him no! So he went and slept in the other bedroom. I can tell you right now that has never happened. He always crams into bed and then complains. I think he must have been super tired or something. All I know is Eric never lets the kids sleep with me so he must have sensed that it had been a rough night. I really hope that tooth comes in soon because I need more sleep than that to function!

My Two Fish

We have been making great strides in our swimming lessons the last few weeks. Zane for one of the first times actually put his head back into the water while he was supposed to be back floating. His teacher this session, Miss Hannah, is wonderful and it is nice that he trusts her. Zane has some serious trust issues when it comes to things he feels nervous about. It takes him several sessions to get comfortable with anyone especially in the water. He seems sure they are going to let his head go under. I have been happier with his teacher this time. He had a different instructor last session and she never seemed to be fully paying attention to the kids. She was always looking outside of the pool at what else was going on. Hannah has her focus on the kids and it certainly makes me feel more secure having Zane in the water without me!

Andrew is turning into an absolute fish. This level is requires much more work out of the kids and harder stuff. It will be a long time before he passes it I am sure. But he seems to be enjoying himself immensely and that it ultimately the point. Right now they are working on the crawl stroke, the butterfly and the breast stroke legs (I have yet to see the arms). It looks like lots of fun. I asked him how he like the butterfly and he said "its a lot of work." I am sure it is but I love that he is willing to keep at it!

Fun at the Park

Yesterday we went to the park before the boys swimming lessons. It was a beautiful day and Andrew has been after us to go to the park for weeks. Of course he usually reminds us 3 minutes before we have to leave which gives us no time to play or he will ask when it is raining cats and dogs. Neither situation works for park play. But yesterday he remembered to ask as soon as he came home from school and since it was super gorgeous out we said yes!

This trip was the first time that I have really let Lucy get down and play on the toys. Always before she has been too small or I haven't trusted the other kids or equipment. She was super crabby though and the only thing she seemed to really enjoy was the swing.

Zane was a wild man on the slides. I was feeling a bit distracted and the next thing I knew he was walking down the slide, walking up the slide. I don't allow either of those things so he knew he was doing something naughty.

All in all it was a great time at the park. I hope we will have a few more beautiful days like this before the super cold, wet weather kicks in. It is so hard to be housebound!