How to Get Your 2-year Old to Eat Dinner...

DUH!! Why didn't I think of giving it to her in the bathtub before??? Eric brought the plate in and asked if she wanted bites...so I fed her bites while there was still water. Then she pushed the drain and all the water went out - I set the plate down in the tub and she ate every last bite.

I'm gonna' have to remember this...

Welcome Spring!

March 22 -
Saturday was such a beautiful day - perfectly Springy! Other than the allergies that come with Spring, it is my favorite season! So what else is there to do in the Spring than go buy 2 more chicks??!!



We are pleased to introduce Princess Tiana and Belle.



Here are our two new princess chicks with our own little Princess Haylie

While we were out playing with the chicks, Eric found a little toadie in our {soon to be} pond...of course he had to be rescued...and played with...

And...another sure sign of Spring...

Eric's favorite pastime - catching gophers. Ew.

We've also seen the box turtle out and about - and Sunday we heard a scratch scratch scratching coming from the tortoise's hibernation box in the closet. He came out of hibernation the day after Spring Equinox...kind of amazing how that works!

We're very excited for more beautiful spring weather!

Spring Picture!

My oh my! How far we have come!! I didn't even bother dressing Haylie up because I didn't think she'd smile!!!

Ever Wonder...

...what the inside of your piano looks like? I called my piano man this morning because we had a few keys making a terrible noise when we pressed them. He looked at it and said, "Well, I'm going to have to take it apart." And take it apart he did...

Notice what's missing? ...


Here are my piano keys lined up on my floor!


This is the part that has all the little hammers and things...

...and there it goes...

He had to take it back to his shop to see if he can replace a couple parts. Apparently, the piano was built around 1948 when they were just discovering the wonders of plastic...what they didn't know was that in 60 years, the plastic would be rotting and falling apart. So there were two little pieces inside that had broken and that is why it sounded terrible. Luckily, whoever had the piano before us had most of the plastic pieces replaced with wood, so we shouldn't have too many more problems like this.

He said he'll have it done for me by the time I have to teach piano lessons on Wednesday!

Anna Tries to Wink

I'm posting this for my mom because she always tries to get the little ones to wink around this age and it is sooo funny to watch them try...

Double-Yolker

Our chicken Ariel lays the largest eggs out of the three chickens we have. For the second time now, she has laid an egg that is HUGE, even for her. The first picture below shows the size difference between what we usually get from her and what we got the other day. It is what we refer to as a "double-yolker" - I suppose it could also be considered twins...apparently if it were fertilized it is possible that you could get twin chicks - but it is very rare. Anyway, just thought I'd share these pictures - it's something new and fun.

A Happy Ending...

So for the last 3 months, health insurance has been a huge thorn in my side. We found out in December that the Blue Shield plan we were on, which we happened to LOVE, was going to raise their monthly premium by 65%!! It would have ended up costing our family over $700/month.(Eric's coverage doesn't cost us anything - so that would actually be just for me and the girls) That would be $700 we don't have. So, we went on the dreaded hunt for new insurance - the dreaded hunt that we have been on once a year for the last 3 years. Ugh. So, I spent some time on the phone with the insurance representative for Eric's company. She helped us find the most economical plans for what we needed. I would be on an individual Kaiser plan and the girls would be on a Blue Cross plan. Eric would be on the Blue Shield plan provided through his work. So, we submitted the applications for Kaiser and Blue Cross. I was accepted without any problems, Haylie was accepted with no problems, but Anna was denied coverage through Blue Cross because of her iris cyst - a pre-existing condition. This was very upsetting to me because her cyst is sooo nothing. We have been going in for regular checkups since she was diagnosed and everything is fine. The cyst is not impairing her vision, it is not growing, it is just there. I sent in an appeal and got denied again. Anna's ophthalmologist (Dr. Lanier who is amazing) even took time out of her incredibly busy schedule to call Blue Cross directly to tell them that they were ridiculous for denying her and they wouldn't even talk to her. They will only go off what they see on the medical record. Oh, and the people reviewing the medical record AREN'T EVEN MEDICALLY TRAINED!!

So I was so discouraged and worried - how in the world were we going to pay for them to be on Eric's plan?? I was talking to a friend and I said "I just don't understand - maybe they are not meant to be on the Blue Cross plan, but why would the right plan be the sucky expensive plan??" My friend said "If they are not meant to be on that plan, then something else will present itself to you." At the time, I knew she was right, but it didn't seem like we had any other options. So a few days later, still discouraged, I called Eric's insurance lady practically in tears and told her to put the girls on Eric's plan. That is when she asked me if I had looked into the Kaiser Child Health Plan. The what? Well, she proceeded to tell me about a health plan through Kaiser that is much like California's Healthy Families plan for "low income" families. The only requirement is that you fall into their income guidelines. They did not ask for any health history whatsoever, my girls were accepted - no questions asked! And the best part? Are you ready for this? It is going to cost us $16/month for both girls!!!!!!!!!! I am so stinking excited about this - I cannot even put it into words. Is it fun to be considered low income? No, but if it gets us good health coverage for practically nothing? I'll shout from the rooftops that I AM POOR!! Ha! You are probably wondering, like I did, what the catch is...where's the hidden fee? Where are they gonna get me to pay? Well, there is no catch! Doctor visits are $5. Prescriptions are $5. Hospitalization is FREE. Hearing and vision tests are $5. Labs and x-rays are FREE. The list goes on.

The moral of the story is this: Heavenly Father knows each of us. He knows what we need. He is mindful of every struggle we have. I was nervous about going on a Kaiser plan for myself, but I have met my doctors and so far I LOVE IT. I was so stressed out about money, but Heavenly Father knows our situation and He helped us to find a plan that would work for us. He doesn't leave us hangin' - if we're doing everything we can to live righteously - if we do our part, He will bless us. Who would have thought that Anna being denied by Blue Cross could have been such a blessing? Oh, and she still gets to see her same awesome ophthalmologist because she has a relationship with Kaiser - all I need is a referral from the Kaiser doc. :-)

I am just so grateful for my faith and my belief in God. It is so amazing to constantly feel His love and to know that I am being blessed constantly for my efforts.

I'm putting this out there so that if any of you are paying up the yinyang for health insurance - go check out the Child Health Plan and see if you qualify. (No, they are not paying me for this endorsement) hehe.