Happy 4th Birthday, Zanna!

We love our girl and think she is pretty special. Thank you to all of you who have made her life so fun and full of memories that she talks about all the time. Zanna fills our house with lots of beautiful noise and I love having her as my little side-kick:) I think she takes better care of her babies, than I do mine sometimes, and she just makes me laugh all the time. Happy birthday, Zanna- we love you to pieces!(there is music with this, so you can pause Neil and push the sound button on the slide show, if you want.)

Dave is cool!

"You're cool Dave, just in a way no one understands"

This was the comment made to my man at his emergency medicine

department party the other night. The best part about the comment is that is was made while out on the dance floor, where he was trying to figure out how to groove to music he had never heard before. Dave was asked if he like the music, he said "I've never heard this before, I must not be that cool." The response was, "No, you're cool Dave, just in a way no one undertands."

So, he's a little "behind the times" music wise- but I will always be grateful he introduced me to George Strait and Don Williams- they are truly the best in country.

(This picture was taken the night he had to MC a large reception for residents and attendings at Hershey Med. Cntr. I was giving him a haircut for the big event, and went right up the side without the gaurd on !! I was so proud of the way he handled it- no yelling involved- and he related it to doctoring in that you have to pay attention to the small details (like a guard) in order to give your patient the best care.)

He's amazing, and I'm so lucky he's mine... even if I am the only one who understands the way he is "cool."

Tag team back again...

I guess it's time to answer a tag. I've been tagged three times now, so here goes...

The Rules:
1. The player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves - try to find 6 you haven't already posted about!
2. At the end of the post, the player tags 6 people and posts their names, and then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog for the rules.

My 6:

1. I constantly write posts in my head all day long about everything that is going on around me. I think it is pretty pathetic, but I can't help seeing life through "blog perspective" these days. I guess it's the today's way of saying "If my life were a movie..." Does anyone else do this?

2. Few people from my childhood know this- but I wore my hair the same way every day of fourth grade- half up with the pony tail on top off to the side (I'll try to find a picture... it was awesome), I wore shorts everyday of sixth grade- even on really snowy days!, and I wore a Chiquita banana sticker in the middle of forehead regularly through sixth/seventh grade- Heather, why did you let me do that??

3. I love watching make-over shows!!!! I know it is pretty lame to spend an hour watching someone else become happier and feel so much better about themselves, while laying there wishing I could be that person or feeling like I should be doing something to make myself better- when really, if I would just stop watching other people improve, I would have a lot more time to work on myself! .... that was a little tangent, but it felt good to tell myself that again.

but, I still love a good makeover.

4. I really want to go to Australia someday. I used to sit in my sister's car, she wasn't a big fan of that, and pretend I was driving there. I don't really know a lot about Australia, but it always seemed so beautiful, clean, and so far away from here. I love a good accent and a warm beach, so why not Australia? Maybe Dave will surprise me someday and pack my bags for me ( I hate packing) and we'll fly off into the sunset to the land "down under"--hint, hint... if he ever reads this.

5. I love watching kids- of any age- play sports. I always wanted to go to high school basketball or football games in Hershey, even though we didn't know anyone playing, but Dave thought it was really weird so we never did. I guess it is a little weird, but it is probably ingrained in me from watching all my older brothers' games and then playing lots of sports myself. I used to supervise Jr. Jazz basketball in American Fork, UT and I thought it was such a fun job! I think the little kids are hilarious to watch and I love seeing how into the games everyone gets. I guess I miss that phase of life and want to live vicariously through the kiddos. Hopefully our kids will play something so that I can finally attend some high school games again without feeling like a lame-o.

6. I love reading biographies and journals and "true story" books. I wish I could read more of them-I seem to go at a slow pace these days, with lots of Princess books and "Go, Dog, Go" taking up a lot of my reading time. I am reading Neal A. Maxwell's biography now, "A Disciples Life" by Bruce C. Hafen and have loved getting to know him better- he was so disciplined and thoughtful and some of his stories remind me of Dave. My sister-in-law let me read her journal from college and that was a fun, enlightening experience. I like to go back and read my journal too, well some of it, and I just love getting to know a person's true feelings and seeing how they handle what life throws at them.

I guess that is all for now, that was kind of fun...maybe I'll answer another tag in the near future. I am now tagging Sharon, Tricia, Caroline, Jill and Cheryl

To all our Neil Diamond friends:

Merry Christmas!! Dave's enthusiasm for the mug and sweater live on!

Mr. James

Zanna's fortune from her cookie:
"Today, your mouth might be moving but no one is listening."

Applicable to me with this guy:
"James come here." Stare.
"Come here, please" Stare.
"James, COME HERE." James cries.

This is typical- he's a sensitive guy inside, but tough as nails outside!

This week consisted of some head trauma for the poor boy.

Wednesday night: Dave was carrying James up the stairs of the Metro station and tripped-- Dave quickly turned his body and landed hard on his shoulder but not without James' nose hitting the concrete stair- INSTANT blood, a good scrape and some swelling. He survived with the promise of egg rolls for dinner (he's crazy about them!)

Thursday night: I'm cleaning up the kitchen at church at the end of Enrichment and hear a loud thud and a scream no one wants to hear. James has just fallen off the stage in the gym and his holding his head- very scary for me and I felt so bad and queasy about it all night. Dave checked it out at home and I almost threw up watching Dave push on his face, checking for fractures. I learned my lesson that night.

Friday night: We are having a blast at Hershey Park and Dave gives James a shoulder ride for fun. We got into a shop to warm up and on the way out, BAM! James' head hits the door frame- I mean, COME ON!!! Luckily he had a hat on, but he still got a good blue/purple welt.

Today: We got downstairs to do laundry and of course Marie and the stroller come too. James runs past me, full speed, slips on some liquid detergent and whams is head into the industrial washer. I was so frustrated!!!!!! I felt so bad that he was hurt, but I just couldn't take it anymore. So, after consoling him for a while and holding a cold, wet paper towel to his dented head (right behind his ear) I get up to finish putting the clothes in. The next thing I know, James is SCREAMING while holding the bottle of oxyclean. That's right, he picked it up and sprayed it directly into his eye! I didn't say a word, just flushed, flushed, flushed- took him upstairs and tied him to his bed with pillows duct taped around him to break his next fall. He is still there...

Turkey Leftovers?

I've been meaning to post this for a few days, so it is probably a little late and all your turkey is gone, but I loved this yummy recipe and thought it was a good time of year to share it!



Turkey and Pasta with Peanut Sauce
Makes: 4 servings

6 ounces dried fettucine or linguine
2 cups fresh pea pods, tips trimmed, or one 6-ounce package frozen pea pods
1 cup cooked turkey or chicken strips
1 cup coarsley chopped fresh pineapple or one 8-ounce can pineapple chunks, drained
1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons cream peanut butter (or crunchy is good too)
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice or lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 clove garlic, minced

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, halve the fresh pean pods diagonally. Place pea pods and turkey in large colander. Pour hot cooking liquid from pasta over pea pods and turkey in colander; drain well. Return the pasta, pea pods, and turkey to the hot pan. Add the pineapple.
2 Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small saucepan stir chicken broth into peanut butter. Heat and stir with a whisk until peanut butter melts. Stir in soy sauce, lime juice, red pepper, and garlic; heat through.
3. Add sauce to the pasta mixture. Gently stir to coat pasta with sauce.


(I used chicken, frozen peas, and whole wheat pasta and it was great!)

You're gonna be "Popular"

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We made this little video for Mindy's birthday, but thought it would be fun to share it with you. She loved this song and after listening to it over and over and over- she and James both have it memorized and I love hearing them belt it out!

Fall Festivities

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We loved the month of October because we had so many people to play with! We started with a great visit from Scott, Andrea, Nathan and Luke and loved having a full house and entertainment for the kids. They were so so nice and surprised us by taking us to "The Lion King" on Broadway and Zanna's face just lit up with the first note! Thanks for coming to visit us and for spoiling the kids and Andrea- I hope you are liking your new clothes :) Then we had a great weekend with Jess, who the kids can't get enough of, and loved playing in the pumpkin patch and on the playground along the shore and just laughing our heads off at the kids and all our funny run-ins! We love you Jess! We then got the have Rachel all to ourselves for 5 full days and that was a blast. James loved cuddling with her in the mornings and we had a great time relaxing at home and venturing into the city a couple of times! We learned a lot about getting around in NYC and I was very impressed with Rach's sense of direction. We had one late night of getting a little turned around and screamed when the RAT ran across the sidewalk as we were hauling the two sleeping kids to the car on our 15 block walk from the subway! We had a delicious lunch at Bobby Flay's "Mesa Grill" and then were so sad to send Rach back home on the plane. She also went home with some great new finds and I have to say- shopping in NY really is awesome!
Snow White and Dopey loved trick-or-treating with their friends Jonah and Anikah and we enjoyed a night of pizza, ice cream and lots of candy- I can't get enough and keep eating all the good stuff out of their pumpkins! We were very lucky to have Dad with us for Halloween and thought it was our best treat of the night!

doesn't get much better than this

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Dave had three days off last week so we headed up North to the Adirondacks for some good ol' family camping. We were very excited to get out of the city and Dave talked about it daily for about 2 weeks before we left. The drive was long, 7 hours, but the kids did great and luckily James fell asleep right before we pulled in. We set up camp at 10:30pm with just the headlights from the van and a light drizzle that started right about the time we got there. Zanna was so excited to set up her sleeping bag and to be in a tent! It was awesome to wake up to such beautiful surroundings and we loved exploring somewhere we had never been before. It was pretty chilly in the late afternoon so we drove around Saranac Lake and Lake Placid- we liked the towns so much that we were even talking about moving there temperarily.. someday, maybe, probably not, but possibly... or maybe just going back for some getaway trips! Anyway, we loved it and will probably go next year if anyone wants to join us. It would be well worth your efforts.

I'm Healed!

I just had to write, more out of gratitude than anything else, that my headaches are gone and life is good again! I've had these awful headaches almost daily for the past three months or so and for a while I just thought they were due to a variety of factors- the stress of moving, the new weather, Dave being gone ALOT, the kids, preschool decisions, should I work decisions, new allergies, staying up too late blogging, all the people staying at our house (just kidding, we love it!) being on a tight budget, making new friends etc. But I finally made a doctor's appointment and got some anitbiotics for a chronic sinus infection and lo and behold- I am Healed! It's Amazing-I wake up happy now and my kids are so much cuter and manageable now and I can hopefully decrease my chance of severe "crows feet" around my eyes by squinting less! So, if anyone else out there is having the same complaints, consult a medical professionsal before convincing yourself you are CRAZY!!

One call, that's all.

Omnicef worked for me.

Not recommended for those seeking sympathy for all the factors listed above.

Today I asked James what he wanted to be for Halloween... he said "I wanna be a princess!" When I told Dave this, he said it was all my fault for dresing James up in weird girlie outfits-- I don't know what he could be talking about!?!

I thought i would try to feel festive and do the blog in "Halloween."

At least I can say I am being productive by "decorating!"

Here's last year's costumes- the excited dog and the fairy princess jumping for joy because she got wear real make-up!

You'll have to wait and see what this year's ensemble will be...

Some people are just so nice

So, today I ran errands again and the kids were really good (for them) and so I promised them we could get ice cream. All Zanna wanted was a little Frosty- but WENDY'S is hard to come by out here (there aren't a lot fast food chains and none of them are in convenient locations)!

Anyway... I see a Carvel ice cream store so I quickly pulled over and when we got inside the sign said

"No Credit or Debit Cards- Cash only!"

That is how it always is around here- you have to have CASH for everything!!
So, I told the kids we had to leave so I could go to the bank, and James started crying.

The next thing I know, the nice man next to me laid down $6 and said

"It's on me."

I tried to refuse, but he insisted and said he had older kids and was happy to do it.

I couldn't believe how nice it was, I mean $6 isn't really a lot in the whole scheme of money, but it meant a lot to me and especially to the kiddos. So, we all got ice cream and even 50 cents back, which we tipped the nice Carvel ice cream guy with.

today was a good day.

Vacation...seems like a long time ago...

Yellowstone Park with Kim, Steve, Isaak and Ben- it was beautiful!

I wish vacations happened more often- we look so relaxed!

Happy 90th Great Papa Mumford! We are so glad that we stayed to celebrate with you and loved being there to watch you blow out your candles and hear you chuckle- doot da doo!

Driving in Lagoon- fast forward 13 years, and this will really be happening!

Hangin' with Grandma Mumford after church.

Mom and Zanna riding horses at Bryce's house in Oakley

This is as close as James gets to cold water.

Canoeing on Henry's Fork of the Snake River

Hiking at Jenny Lake in the Tetons with the Francis clan.




One of my all time fave' of the boys- taken in Jackson Hole, WY.

Dave and Mel at the Bellagio fountain in Las Vegas, baby! This is the only picture that even slightly turned out (our flash broke) of our night in Vegas to see Jerry Seinfeld. This was our first trip away from the kiddos for a whoppin' 2 nights and we had a blast eating gelato at 1am two nights in a row, swimming and getting to lay in the sun uninterrupted, sleeping in, and just being able to drive in the car and talk. Seinfeld was hilarious- my face really hurt from laughing and it was great!

the dentist

See this cute little face... well it wasn't so cute as I was chasing her down at the dentist's office today! This was her first check-up, so I understand that she was nervous, but watch out- this girl can throw a fit like no other. I had to hold her on my lap with my legs crossed over hers and my arms wrapped around her arms. It took 2 assistants holding her down and the dentist holding her head just to count her teeth, brush them and put the fluoride on. It was ridiculous. They even had a princess toothbrush, stickers, a pack off bubblegum and I had promised to get blue ice cream with sprinkles at Cold Stone if she let them look at her teeth nicely- we did NOT get ice cream today. Granted, she has always been terrified of the doctor as well, so I think she has a true fear that something will hurt, but when do you draw the line and just say "sorry, but it has to be done!" So, it is over now, but I just wanted to wish all first time dentist goers (and parents of the first timer) - hope your appt. goes better than Miss Zanna's!

These are on the Sound Side of Long Island--fun to throw rocks, but you would never want to dive in! We love going to the real beach, Jones Beach, it is only 20 minutes away and great for diggin in the sand and playing in the waves, I'll have to get some pic's next time we are there.

hey all... we are doing well here in Manhasset, NY and truly do love it here. The humidity is gone, the evenings are nice and cool and the kids and I went to the beach today and had a great time. Zanna and James are quite the dynamic duo and keep us very busy with games of "Go Fish", singing all the Primary songs all day long (I'm not kidding...all day), watching them jump on and off of everthing, and making deals about eating their food and getting treats! Dave is doing really well- he's had a busy 2 weeks in the CCU and is back to the ED next week. I am doing all the things that keep moms busy and have enjoyed this quiet night of blogging :)

A Sweet Weekend

We have been in Hershey this weekend and I just have to say that I am in love with this town! We've had a great time playing with all our friends and I have loved seeing the kids so happy with all these people that know them. We spent Friday evening at Hershey Park and Zanna was such a little fish in the new swimming "Boardwalk" area. We rode rides 'til 10:00pm with the Alsops and it was a great night to be in the park. We hit an awesome garage sale on Sat. morning- Hershey is the spot for garage sales- and got some great new sand toys for the beach in NY and I even found two pairs of jeans for me! We went swimming and then had some great Chinese food from Marco Polo and some tasty treats at a birthday party where we got to see lots of our friends again. We are excited to go to church and have had a wonderful weekend in "the sweetest place on earth!"

Some Highlights from our OBX Trip

feeling better

So, I am fine now. Things have become a little more normal for us and I am going to make it here just fine. I really appreciate all the emails and calls I received in response to my whiny, frustrated email last week and just want to tell you all thank you for being the best friends and family ever!!We had a great weekend together as a family- we went to the beach, Sunken Meadow State Park, about 25 minutes away and it was really beautiful and fairly relaxing. We also met some great dogs and kids that live here in the apts. and the kids' favorite evening activity now is to go throw balls to all the dogs outside on the big lawn in front of our place. The kids and I took a walk the other day to a park that has a pond with ducks, a swimming pool and fun trails so I am enjoying finding the new places around us. There are so many restaurants and every store you could ever want (H&M's everywhere!) or imagine within 10-15 min. Manhasset is a beautiful area of NYC and we are lucky to be in such a great place. Dave is very happy with his residency so far and comes home saying, "I am so glad we decided to come here" everyday. The people are very friendly and just love the kids and love seeing Dave in his "dad" role since they knew him w/o kids for the whole month. He's excited about the training he's receiving here at North Shore University Hospital (that's the name of the hospital for those of you who keep asking- "now, what hospital is it?") and thinks it's pretty cool that he gets to wear black scrubs- he looks great in them!Our ward is very exciting, since it just became a ward in Nov. 2006 and there is lots of service to do! It is about 50% Hispanic and the missionaries translate sacrament meeting and the relief society divides for the lesson, Spanish and English. I was called to be the secretary and a teacher in the RS and Dave as a counselor in the Elder's Quorum. He has been out with the Bishop three nights this week alone, and just got home tonight from speaking at a funeral of a man he met on Sunday (he past away later that night very unexpectedly). He is speaking at the Bishop's youth fireside on Sunday and just loves all these opportunities. I think the Bishop is pretty excited to have a good, right-hand man. The Primary has about 12 kids, but Zanna and James both had a great time on Sunday. I just love the way the church is the same everywhere you go and you always feel loved and accepted no matter where you are.This is long, so I will go, but we are happy and look forward to visits from Dale, Mindy and Bryce, Mom and Dad Mumford and anyone else who wants to come!!Love you all,Mel

long day on Long Island

So, here I am in Long Island and I am exhausted!!I had one of the worst parenting days of my career today and I haven't seen the sun since I got here- which many of you know makes me unhappy. But, I am confident that things can't get any worse, so I look forward to a better day tomorrow and a whole weekend with Dave home. Since I am so used to days without him, I feel like any time he is around is just an amazing bonus in life. That month apart was good training for me on how to survive residency.Anyway, this morning I tried to go grocery shopping with the kids and I barely survived. James was the worst he has ever been and my arm hurt so bad by the end from trying to hold him and push the cart at the same time. I had to hold him so tight cause he was squirming and wanting to get down, but every time he got down he was either running away from me or trying to open something or pull the bottom item off a beautiful stacked display. He also was eating ice off the raw meat freezer and turning and running the other way every time I said "please, come here James." I was one of those pathetic moms chasing their kid down the isle at the store and then once I finally picked him up, he would hit me in the face and yell "NO!" It was awful. It took all I had to not do the same to him. The whole situation was worse because I couldn't stand looking at the price tags in the store. I paid $4.40 for a gallon of milk and yogurts were $1.00!! (I didn't buy those ones.) I need to do some grocery store research 'cause it cost a pretty penny for what I bought today. Then, to make things even better, I accidently went in the isle where you have to bag your own groceries. By this time, James was laying on the floor by the bags in everyone's way while I bagged everything and tried to get out of there as fast as a I could. After strapping him in with a fight, we were on the road and when I pulled up to our parking lot I realized that I didn't have the parking pass that lifts the arm-thing to get into the close parking lot. So, I headed to the main entrance of the hospital to see if I could go grab it from Dave, who was having an awesome shift in the ED. I ended up leaving the kids and the groceries with the valet parking guy who said I had 10 minutes or else I would have to pay $5. Well, I had no idea where I was going, and after winding my way to the Emergency Dept., which is huge, I finally found a second year resident who knew Dave and led me to him. I had to interrupt a class to get the parking pass, and everyone's first impression of me is the sweaty, stressed-out mom who leaves her kids with total strangers in New York! Anyway, it took me 14 minutes to get back to the van and I had to talk my way out of the $5 bucks, because that is a whole gallon of milk! They let me go and James had fallen asleep so I was a little relieved since he always transfers well to his bed, and I just couldn't wait for nap time.Well, not today. With James in one arm, and load of groceries in the other I head up the path to our building and the sound of the elevator woke him up and by the time we are to the apt. he was fully awake asking for food!! AHHHHHHHH! So, I send him and Zanna inside and tell them to stay inside since I have to go back down to the car to get the rest of the load. My arms are aching by this point and the humid, thick air is not helping the situation or my hair, for that matter. Anyway, when I come back up there are James and Zanna at the elevator and he has spilled a whole bunch of pretzels on the floor outside the elevator. I gave the bag to Zanna and told her to go to the apt. While James and I clean up his mess. Zanna obeyed, but set the bag of pretzels on the edge of the counter and the whole thing falls over and empties onto our kitchen floor. I was so done at this point and sent them to their room for "quiet time" so that I could calm down and not yell my head off. I told them not to talk to me for a little while and I just relfected on everything that happened and thought- this couldn't get worse. It didn't, I got a few minutes to myself, and them we had a fun wrestling/tickling match to become friends again. I made good dinner for them and after threatning early bed time many times, they finally ate all their food. I think they are adjusting well- NOT!!!! They were spoiled and entertained for 6 weeks in Utah and now they just have us (usually just me) and a whole new home. I'm sure it will get better, it has to.Really though, it is so wonderful to be back together as a family and the reunion at the airport was a lot of fun. James told Dave about his party the whole way home and Zanna never stopped talking until she fell asleep. I think Dave was a little surprised how much energy it takes to be with them, but he loved all the attention he got too. He has done so much cleaning, organizing, and arranging and the apartment looks really great and will be a great home for us. We still have some decorating to do, but I really was impressed with how set-up and ready the place is. We look forward to any visitors!Well this is a marathon email, but I had to write to get it out and to look back on when we are all settled. I am making it a goal to never go grocery shopping with both of the kids again, we'll see if that works!Anyway, thanks for listening and it was so wonderful to be with most of you and we miss you all like crazy.I'm going to bed-Melanie