Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Love at first sight

Ok, I've been trying to blog ever since noon yesterday when I got home with Felix, but since Dan is back to school and I now have 3 little ones to handle by myself...I know all of you are dying to know, or maybe it's just Diane, but I'M IN LOVE. This puppy is cuter than his pictures and so lovable, and he sleeps on my lap and frolics in my backyard. Hmm, never thought I'd use the word frolic in one of my blogs, but it's the most accurate term for his playful bouncing around.He slept in the kitchen last night in his dog bed curled up with an old blanket of Ty's and an old binky of Ty's that he's quite fond of. He cried for less than a minute when we locked him in there with the baby gate, and then he proceeded to sleep through the night. Good thing too, because there may have been bloodshed if Dan had to get up with him. But he didn't need to. Felix is perfect. Yep, perfect, no bias here.I took him to the vet today and he's totally healthy and doesn't need any more shots for a year, and even though I almost passed out when they gave me the bill, everybody at the vet's office (staff and other customers) told me they'd never seen a cuter dog, and they want to get one, and I'm the coolest person they've ever met...you know, that sort of thing. I'm such a proud mommy. OH, and just so you know, Dan never wants to be referred to as Felix's daddy. I can't imagine why. He's been Scrooge about the whole thing, and yet Felix was asleep on the couch next to him when I got home from the store tonight (I thought he had made a strict "no mangy mutts allowed on the furniture" rule, but maybe I misunderstood.) We're pretty much an open house these days with the cuteness of the puppy and the hugeness of the TV, so stop on by if you're in the area. And if you happen to swing by Walmart on the way, I have an ever growing grocery list...

And no, I will not be posting any pictures of the ridiculous TV. So don't ask.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

The deal has been made

I can't stand it anymore. I wanted to give baby Jack at least a day to be the excitement around our family, but it's been 45 hours since his birth, and everybody loves him, he's the cutest thing ever, yada yada yada. (Kidding of course, he IS the greatest.) But now I'd like to call to your attention the deal that Dan and I made about a plasma TV and a dog. If you don't remember this deal check out my blog posting from May (http://dastump.blogspot.com/2007/05/aint-nothin-but-hound-dog.html).

Well, there is now an enormous plasma TV standing in my living room. So as of Tuesday there will be...a tiny dog standing in my living room!!! I'm sorry, I can't help the excessive exclamation points, I usually hate them, but did you read what I just wrote?? DAN STUMP IS GETTING A DOG!!! Actually the only thing Dan did to get the dog was get the plasma. The rest was up to me. So I'd like to introduce you to my new baby boy.
He is a puggle (a pug/beagle) and he may be the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life, aside from Jake and Ty. And Dan of course.

We're going to name him Felix. Dan isn't excited about the dog, but at least he is pleased about the name I suggested because of Felix Hernandez, a pitcher for the Seattle Mariners, whose games we will now be watching in perfect clarity and sound from our ridiculous new TV (which I'm convinced makes our living room 200 square feet smaller.)

Marriage is all about compromises, isn't it. I have to watch all my favorite TV shows and movies on a state of the art television, and Dan has to suffer through precious floppy ears, adoring eyes and a wagging tail. We are so sacrificial, aren't we?

Friday, August 24, 2007

Jack Timothy Franklin

Congratulations to my sister Karina and husband Dan who had a baby boy last night!! (Karina was the one who actually delivered him, for which I'm sure Dan is very grateful, but he was as involved as a daddy can get.) He was born at the hospital where I work and I was actually in the ER yesterday from noon to midnight, so I got to run upstairs and be standing with my mom outside the door to listen to his first cries. I teared up myself, and I'm not a crier.

He was born at a little before 9pm and weighed 7 lbs, 12 ounces and is 19 1/2 inches long. SO PRECIOUS. Plus he's adorable which is really nice because I don't have to lie to my sister. Or make comments like "oh, what a...little blessing you have there. He's so...little, and such a...blessing."

Jack Timothy Franklin, I'm so glad you came out to play! A lot of people have been waiting for you. Jake is thrilled that baby Jack is out of Karina's tummy, and can't wait to see him. Ty is also thrilled (alright, he has no idea what I'm talking about, but I'm sure he would be thrilled if he could grasp the concept.)


Here's the cute little Franklin family. Big bro Matthew will be 3 in November. Brothers...priceless. Karina and Dan, you guys may have some sleepless nights and grouchy days, but looking into your little man's eyes, and seeing his big brother kiss him and hug him...wow, it doesn't get better than that.

Love you guys! Thanks for making me an auntie again!!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

I've been tagged

Well, Faith has inspired me/forced me to get back to the blogosphere. I've been tagged. That means I have to tell you 8 random facts/habits about myself. This will probably take me 5 days to finish because 8 random facts/habits about myself don't immediately come to mind...besides the fact that I think using the backslash key multiple times in one paragraph is funny/entertaining. Okay, before I get to these random facts about myself I have to tell you the rules (which I have copied/pasted from Faith's blog.)

The Rules:

1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules. (If you don’t have a blog, email me)
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

My 8 random facts/habits about myself:

#1. I've seen King Tut's underwear. When I was little my dad took our family on a 2 month trip to 6 different countries to visit some of our church's missionaries. We went to Egypt and the highlight of my 6 year old life was not seeing the pyramids, it was seeing King Tut's underwear (looks like a typical loin cloth) in the Egyptian National Museum. I just read my last sentence and realized I sound like I know what typical loin cloths look like. You know, the typical loin cloths, like the ones Dan has in his top drawer. Anyway...

#2. I have never seen Gone With the Wind or Casablanca. I'm hoping I never will.

#3. I hate mucous. Not that most people don't, but because I'm an ER nurse this becomes difficult because my job pretty much revolves around bodily fluids. If the words "bodily" and "fluids" make you woozy, just skip right to #4 because I'm not done yet. Urine, feces, vomit? Bring it on. Blood? Glove me up and I'll dive right in. But when I'm starting an IV on Mrs. Smith in room 1 and she chooses that moment to attempt to provide "that sputum sample the doctor wanted," because she's had a "productive cough with green phlegm" for 2 weeks, I'm gagging like a pregnant woman opening a can of tuna.

#4. I bite my nails. Always have and probably always will. Faith said this one too when she got tagged, but unlike Faith, I've never really tried to stop. Nails are overrated.

#5. I would rather scrub my toilet than put away my laundry. Especially the clothes that need to be hung up. I lay them nicely on my bed so they won't wrinkle, then lay them nicely on the floor when it's bedtime...so they can get nicely stepped on in the morning which reminds me to either hang up said clothes or never buy clothes again that require being hung up.

#6. I have an unnatural fear of moths. I'm not the type of girl who screams and gets up on a chair when I see a spider, or a mouse, or even a snake, but for some reason I just can't handle moths. They're dirty and ugly and have huge hairy bodies, and they fly around your face...ugh.

#7. My husband is my best friend. People say that, but I mean it. I love to just hang out with him. He makes me laugh, he makes me think, he can always get me out of a bad mood. Sometimes we stay up way too late just talking about the past and dreaming about the future. We tell each other "I love you" multiple times a day, but somehow it's never cheesey. Heaven forbid I have any cheeseyness in my life after I've worked so hard to preserve my anti-cheese personality.

#8. My kids are miracles. Of course every child is a gift from God, but I was never sure I could get pregnant. I only have one ovary because of a tumor that grew on my other one, which was removed when I was in high school. After that surgery I've had 2 more to remove endometriosis which is supposed to make it very difficult to get pregnant. On top of that I have a thyroid problem which can also make you infertile. My body wasn't exactly a welcome wagon for a baby, yet by age 24 I had two beautiful and healthy boys who make me smile more than they make me sigh. As Jake would so eloquantly say, "Fanks, Jesus." Yes, Lord, fank you very much.

And now I have to tag 8 other people...good luck! Becca, Jane, Melissa, Heather, Mel, RaeAnn, Kelsey, and Holly.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Maui, HA or Wood Village, OR?

We're back. I know you've all been waiting on pins and needles to hear how our trip was. You can't wait for us to share our exotic stories. You want to hear all the exciting tales of world travelers. You want to live vicariously through us because of the amazing adventures we experienced. And so I'll tell you. Highlight #1: I read seven books. Seriously. Seven books in eight days. Do you know the last time I read even seven CHAPTERS of a book? Actually, reading seven paragraphs uninterrupted is unlikely. Seven sentences, maybe. Ok, reading seven WORDS in a row without having to stop to change a diaper or prevent a flow of blood from Ty's head from staining the carpet, is more accurate.

So reading was seriously my highlight. Before I bore you to tears, you should know that we did do other things. We snorkeled and saw sea turtles and amazing tropical fish. We saw the Bourne Ultimatum twice (there's a nauseating story about why I only saw about 1/3 of the movie the first time, which I'll leave up to your imagination because it's probably shorter and better than the true story, and no I'm not pregnant again.)Take a breath. We ate fancy but also cooked in our oceanfront condo. And last but most certainly not least, we got tan. I'm talking T-A-N. Here's my before and after photos.

Yes, I was frightened of what the sun would do to my skin.

You can see that I got over my fear and embraced the sun.


Alright, you get the point. I'll wrap things up. We had an incredible time. So, you ask, how does the island of Maui compare to the 1 square mile of Wood Village, OR? Read on, my friends.

Wood Village vs. Maui, round 1: Wood Village has an air conditioned house. Maui has a hot sticky condo...but the breeze out on the lanai from the ocean 20 feet away feels pretty darn good.

Round 2: Wood Village has a down comforter and body pillow ready at bedtime. Maui has one top sheet that wraps itself around your sweaty legs as you desperately try to kick it to the sweltering ground...but there's also no one screaming at you to get out of that bed before you want to.
Round 3: Wood Village has watered down juice and PB&J's for lunch. Maui has Mai Tai's and Cheesburger in Paradise.

Round 4: Wood Village has Jake and Ty. Maui does not have Jake and Ty but also has no temper tantrums, no snotty noses, no split lips after tripping over toys, and no nap schedules to worry about except my own.

Round 5: Wood Village has a three year old telling me he loves me and missed me, and a 17 month old who wraps his chubby arms around my neck and puts his head on my shoulder.

Wood Village wins in a knock out.

Friday, August 03, 2007

We can't come to the phone right now...


This is Dan and I August 3-10. We'll be in Maui without the kids. I'm sorry, but I just have to say it again...Maui without the kids. Love you boys, but right now we're sipping pina coladas on a gorgeous beach and getting ridiculously tan. Ahhh, life is beautiful!