And the winner is . . . . .

Coop Dog!

I'm sure nobody is surprised, because apparently Cooper was everyone's favorite pet. Interesting, because only Bex and Shady were living at home when they picked him from the animal shelter. Coop definitely was dad-the-bad's favorite. Cooper knew the sound of his cab dropping him off every thursday night, and always went crazy. I'm sure the neighbors are glad we're gone.

Ryan reminded me that we actually had a few more "pets" than were mentioned. Some of these were temporary ones, but nonetheless survived (more or less) staying at the Reeds'.

Lab rats - although no names were given, I brought home from a lab workshop several baby rats. We had injected the mother with a substance, not knowing she was pregnant, causing her to give birth to several cute little rats. Because the lab was going to destroy them, I took them home to Lindsey, knowing she would never forgive me if I let that happen. She cared for them, letting them crawl all over her for several months. Finally, it became evident we couldn't keep them and needed to let them fend for themselves in a field nearby. Lindsey built an escape cage for them, complete with an escape hatch for them in case they were chased by a predator. According to Ryan, these guys could catch and eat wasps in mid air.

Spike - (not Spike the iguana) this guy was the Challenge class pet hedgehog. Every weekend one child was chosen to take him home to care for him. When it was our turn, Lindsey was excited. Because she is a pushover for pets, she let him out of the cage to "roam around" for awhile. She forgot to watch him carefully and soon realized he was "lost." The first clue was hearing a scratching sound coming from the wall. Sure enough, Spike had crawled into the wall through a small corner gap in the baseboard - too small for us to get him out. Thanks to dad-the-bad, he took off the baseboard and lured him close with "treats" and using a heavy glove, pulled him out to "safety."

Hamster - (another class pet ) this time Bethany offered to keep the class hamster for the entire summer. I'm not sure how it happened, but he escaped as well. We thought for sure he was a gonner, and Bethany was worried about what to tell her teacher. We were planning to buy another hamster when the day before class started we found him scrounging around the garage. We returned him - missing one eye, with scraglyl fur, and looking anorexic - the next day. We were never asked to watch a pet again.

Spritzie - Lindsey's hamster - we only had him for a short time when Lindsey fed him Captain Crunch. (See comment #1) Apparently they can't eat that kind of treat and he suffered the consequences.
We also adopted many a turtle - none of them stayed long - as well as countless frogs that Lindsey collected each night in a bucket on our walk around the neighborhood. She insisted on "keeping them" so we left them in her open bucket on the front porch. She was always disappointed in the morning when they were gone.

Poodle in Washington D.C.

This past week I spent a few several days visiting Poodle in Washington D.C. The best part was seeing her. Here are some of our adventures:

Baking: We made chiffon cupcakes (yummy and light)

and caramel apples.

Teaching physics: (actually Poodle taught, I watched.) They had a robot battle, which was quite exciting. (robots from her robotics class) and another class rode bikes down a hill and calculated their coefficient of friction for the ride.

Solving mysteries: The case of the vanishing chocolate-covered marshmallow clown face-on-a-stick.

Apple picking: (we ended up settling for a trip to the country store and me choosing a pumpkin from this pumpkin patch.)

Community service: We attended a "trunk or treat" at the local ward and gave out Halloween candy. Poodle and Rochelle dressed up as flowers.

Bargain hunting: With Poodle closeby, I managed to find two pair of jeans (regular price $99.00) for $7.97, and a cute scarf (regular price $38.00) for $5.00. It's amazing!

and finally Dining out: We ate at several great ethnic restaurants.

A perfect trip to D.C. Thanks, Poodle!

Dear Fernash,

I can't read your blog.
And I really want to.
Check out Shady's 10 easy steps to make your blog cute! (actually it's cute, I just can't see the print)

Thanks and love you,
Mom

Dear Poodle,

Do you remember I'm coming tomorrow? Sure hope so.

Love,
Mom

Public Service Announcement

The following announcement was posted on the AAP website: (See link to the right)

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is doubling the amount of vitamin D it recommends for infants, children and adolescents. The new clinical report, "Prevention of Rickets and Vitamin D Deficiency in Infants, Children, and Adolescents," recommends all children receive 400 IU a day of vitamin D, beginning in the first few days of life. The previous recommendation, issued in 2003, called for 200 IU per day beginning in the first two months of life.

The change in recommendation comes after reviewing new clinical trials on vitamin D and the historical precedence of safely giving 400 IU per day to the pediatric population. Clinical data show that 400 units of vitamin D a day will not only prevent rickets, but treat it. This bone-softening disease is preventable with adequate vitamin D, but dietary sources of vitamin D are limited, and it is difficult to determine a safe amount of sunlight exposure to synthesize vitamin D in a given individual. Rickets continues to be reported in the United States in infants and adolescents. The greatest risk for rickets is in exclusively breastfed infants who are not supplemented with 400 IU of vitamin D a day.

Adequate vitamin D throughout childhood may reduce the risk of osteoporosis. In adults, new evidence suggests that vitamin D plays a role in the immune system and may help prevent infections, autoimmune diseases, cancer and diabetes.

Please visit the above link for any questions regarding the study results.

Reed Family Pet Hall of Fame

Our family has quite a history with pets. So much so, that if the SPCA saw this list, they would probably ban us from ever owning a pet again. But they were a big part of the lives of our children for many years. Please vote for your favorite Reed pet.

Woodsy - Golden Retriever puppy - which says it all. Purchased for dad-the-bad for our 5th anniversary. (we also had three children ages three and younger) Very much a puppy - jumped on the kids and made them cry, pulled the laundry off the line, chewed everything imaginable. Sold back to the owner two weeks later. Happy Anniversary, DTB!

Paloma - Many years later another try - this time a very large black Great Dane. More of a horse to the kids. They rode on her and jumped on her. She was great to run with - people saw us coming and moved to the other side of the road. Unfortunately, she insisted on being in the house (her whining was unbearable) and brought enough fleas with her that I looked like I had chicken pox all the time. Was given away.

Lucky - (actually not so lucky) got his name from Ryan, who picked him out from a litter of rabbits. He was the runt, and Ryan nursed him back to health. Disaster struck when one of our house guests thought Lucky needed some "space" and let him out of his cage, not knowing that our neighbors had dogs trained to hunt rabbits. They literally ripped down our fence to get to him. Sad :(

Sonja - Funny story - one Saturday when I was very pregnant with our 6th child and trying to take a nap (we had a young women slumber party the night before at our house) dad-the-bad awakened me to tell me he was taking the kids to the animal shelter and would I mind if he brought home "something." I told him I didn't care if he brought home an elephant, just please let me sleep. It wasn't an elephant, but a large German Shepherd. Sonja was at the shelter because she had attacked her owner's smaller dog, not the greatest reference for her. She was taken back to the shelter a week later when she attacked one of the neighbors and bit him. Very sad day for Ryan and DTB.

Max - We were talked into taking Max by a neighbor who didn't want him. Max was a perfect dog for the kids - playful, energetic, friendly, but he came with some boundary issues. No matter how high or deep the fence, Max could escape - which meant that every garbage day I would get bombarded with calls from angry neighbors. He was the ring-leader of the neighborhood and convinced the dog next door to accompany him on his escapades. Eventually we found a friend with a nice large ranch with no fences. (he's still chasing their chickens)

Winkie - (DTB's personal favorite) The best word to describe Winky would be "frisky." This rabbit could jump four feet into the air, turn a summersalt, spin around, and land on his feet. Winky also had some "libido issues." Once dad-the-bad was under the car changing the oil, his big gray mop of hair sticking out, and Winky mistook him for a female rabbit. I'm surprised he survived the experience (Winky, not dad-the-bad). DTB was not Winky's only victim. He was also friendly with Lindsey's stuffed "Shamu" whale, as well as other stuffed animals, and even the dog next door.

Spike - Sad to say, we never quite bonded with Spike, nor he with us. Actually, he was Brittany's iguana - her 13th year birthday present. Spike tried to whip anyone that attempted to pick him up with his long, spiked tail. Sadly, he died of anorexia nervosa before we could get him into therapy.

Chumley - was named after my brother. Chumley - a stray - was rescued by Lindsey after falling out of a tree when he was only days old. Lindsey cared for him consistently and he was growing well - until one sad morning. He loved to sleep under my truck (on the axle.) I took off early for the hospital one morning and, after several minutes heard a meowing sound. Suspecting the worst, I pulled over on the freeway and tried to find the source of the meowing. I never did, and we never saw Chumley again. I still feel guilty.

Value Time - (short for Value Time Cream Sandwich - the kids felt was a more creative name than Oreo) VT was a black and white stray cat with no tail - technically not ours, but since Lindsey fed him every day, he claimed our home as his own. He was the stud of the neighborhood, and every few months we would see a new batch of little kittens running around - always one of them black and white with no tail.

Alice - Classic case of Narcissistic personality disorder with borderline traits. This cat's favorite family member was Ryan. Every time he came home from college Alice would pee in his suitcase. (Don't ask me how she knew which one was Ryan's.) She shredded our new couch, carpet, and chair - stolidly refusing to use her scratching post, and left "remnants" in every closet in the house. Since we couldn't get her into a shelter, we finally paid Lindsey's friend $100 to "find her a home" while we were in Spain. She dumped her on a lady with so many cats she never knew she had one more.

Pedro - (actually a female cat) Product of a pregnancy/toxoplasmosis rescue mission. ( I'm a sucker for pregnant daughters.) Pedro had gender identify issues (thanks to Brandon and Clark), and suffered from bipolar disorder. She finished off the couch Alice started, and also took care of the carpet on the stairs. Pedro would come flying through the house, slip on the wood floors, crash into the wall, and then race up the stairs - for no reason at all. We paid another $100 in cat food for a sweet Mexican guy in our ward to adopt her.

Cooper - My personal favorite. Other than a few phobias and a slight case of OCD, Cooper was the best dog ever! He loved long walks, playing catch, and dad-the-bad. He was consistent as the North Star, and refused to go a different route on our walks. If we tried, he bolted and pulled us back to the usual trail. He was afraid of getting into cars/trucks, and once inside he would stick his rear end out the window instead of his head like normal dogs. He is now in "dog heaven" with a family that lets him stay in the house, sleep in their bed, and eat gourmet dog food. We miss you, Cooper!

Don't you wish you lived in Mexico?

When I filled out the forms to volunteer at the hospital, they were very confused about my name. In Mexico names are passed down differently.

If we lived in Mexico, the names of my children (married or not) would be:
Bethany Reed Fagg
Ryan Reed Fagg
Brittany Reed Fagg
Ashley Reed Fagg
Carrie Reed Fagg
Lindsey Reed Fagg

If you don't like your last name, you can't marry someone to change it. Women keep their name, or they add de Peterson at the end. But the legal name would still be Bethany Reed Fagg.
Pretty fun, huh?

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Dad-the-bad for excellent labs. We recently went for expensive physicals and here are the results everyone has been waiting for:

Last year total cholesterol: 235

This year total cholesterol: 180
HDL: 54

(He's been taking Niacin for the past few months and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon a day for the past 6 months.)

Way to go, dad-the-bad!!!

Oh, but he has Giardia. Oops! :(

Great idea!

I've discovered they do things a little differently here in Mexico. Latest incident: As I attempted to exit our housing development the other day I was stopped by a man dressed in a bright (and I mean bright) red top hat and long-tailed suit. There were also posters in the median strip of our street with my neighbor's name in bold print: Teresa Cohen. Teresa is not only our neighbor, she is the official bookkeeper for the neighborhood association. Assuming she was running for public office, ( in which I was not interested, since I don't vote here), I ignored the signs, as well as the gentleman in the Cat in the Hat suit. He attempted to give me a flier, which I politely attempted to decline, to no avail. When I reached my destination, I read the paper, and, much to my surprise, Teresa Cohen was not running for public office. Apparently, she has not paid the company that provides 24 hour security for our housing complex. She (we) owe them a whopping $32,000 US. I'm not sure what the crazy outfit had to do with anything, but I can suspect he was thinking: Oh, oh, I know, if I wear a Cat-in-the-Hat suit and put posters in front of her house, surely that'll make her pay us the $32,000 she owes us. NOT! But nice try. We have, however, decided not to give her any more money, since it appears as though she's keeping it instead of paying our help.

I'm back in the saddle again . . .

well kind of.
Yes, I started working at Hospital ABC Amistad Clinic (as a volunteer.) My first day went pretty well, other than the fact that when the staff introduced me to my first patient, they told me he had recently been diagnosed with diabetes (at least that's what I thought they said.) Turns out, after a half hour conversation with mom and son on the differences between type 1 and type 2, recommendations on diet and exercise, and an explanation of the genetic inheritance of the disease, I learned that what they actually said was hepatitis A. Big difference, as you might imagine. At least I got some practice explaining the perils of diabetes in Spanish. And I think there's plenty more to learn.

Tagged!

Rules:
Link to the person who tagged you: Poodle
Put the rules on your blog.
Write six random things about yourself.
Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Six things about me:
1. I am nothing if not consistent. You can count on me - eating chocolate, wrecking cars, buying things for my grandkids, and making it to church every week (even a few days after giving birth.)
2. I am better at listening than I am at conversing.
3. I found something I love in Mexico - coconut ice cream. Maybe I'm getting desperate, because technically it's not ice cream - the first ingredient listed is water - but still, it's great with fresh pineapple and raspberries.
4. I love "things to do" lists, and put things on it like "run in the morning" that are automatic, just for the joy of crossing them off the list.
5. I have never had a pedicure or manicure (professionally.)
6. Sometimes I chew gum just to bug dad-the-bad.

I tag:
dad-the-bad, Heidi, Emily

A weekend with Ashley

A weekend with Ashley can be lots of fun. Additionally, it can be very informative. Here's what I learned:

1. Ashley doesn't like dark chocolate (I gave her a bag of chocolate-covered hazelnuts from Costa Rica)
2. She keeps a full agenda. Never a dull moment!
3. I need to apologize to our moving company for blaming them for all of the items that never made it to Mexico. I found them this weekend.
4. She has really great friends. (see, or not see, the picture below)
5. She LOVES argyle. (Her friend Rachel gave her an argyle makeup bag)

(sorry, my camera doesn't take good pictures anymore)
6. You can cook an omlet in a plastic bag! She had an "egg boil" activity before conference and everyone made their own omlets in plastic bags, we threw them into boiling water for several minutes, and voila! They were great!
7. Dallas is beautiful!
8. I actually love sushi.
9. I love Ashley more!
10. I have the best husband in the world. This is the note I found on the bed when I returned to Mexico:
Great weekend! Thanks, Fernash!

Happy Birthday, Fernash (a day early)

Since I will be in Dallas tomorrow, I won't be able to post on my blog. Hence, I will post Ashley's Birthday Blog one day early.

Ashley - a girl of many talents

Did you know that . . . Ashley loves ears - and grandpa



is a great fisherwoman,
is athletic,



and also fun-loving, sassy, and a little accident prone?











She came into the world in her own way - surprising everyone, especially the nurses. Good thing dad was there to "catch."
Other great remembrances of Ashley:

• Talking to people at the gas station about how we couldn't afford the "supreme" gas (when she was two)
• Talking non-stop in complete sentences before she was two
  
• Wearing cowboy boots with a frilly dress to nursery (she insisted!)
• Falling off a cliff in Slot Canyon (see above photo)
• Staying out way too late in High School
• Trying grandpa's wading boots and falling in Moosehorn Lake
• Teasing the alligators at Brazos Bend State Park
• Playing a saxaphone duet with me and laughing so hard she couldn't play
• Getting bit by a dog at BYU
• Being the "sharp-shooter" shortest girl on the BB team in Jr. High
• Running everywhere
• Playing kick the can in the street with the neighbors
  
• Eating pie on the roof at Thanksgiving
• Taking "fake" dates to grandma's for dinner to win brownie points
• Driving the car through the back of the garage into our bedroom
• Always spearheading the "fun"
  

Happy 26th Birthday, Fernash!!! I love you!

Tagged, from Bexie

Here's a synopsis of my high school years - BORING!:
Your High School's full name: Olympus High
School mascot: Titans (as in ancient Rome)
Did you date anyone from your school? Yep. Eric
What kind of car did you drive? Car? Are you kidding? Remember, I walked - uphill both ways (in the snow)
It's Friday night, where are you? Usually making donuts or french fries with DeAnn and my brother and his friends
Were you a party animal? No, I was a dork.
Were you considered a flirt? Didn't even try.
Were you in any clubs? NHS and French club is all (unless you count the Lonely hearts club I started for everyone not invited to Prom)
Did you ever get suspended or expelled? Hah! The worst thing I ever did was skip school a day and take the bus downtown.

Can you sing the fight song? We had no fight song. But I remember our school song, only because it was SO boring the opposing team would fold their arms and bow their heads in mockery when we sang it. Through the years Olympus Proudly we hail As we walk along your victory trail, Though the years may find us From our Titan band Yet will the sounds and cheers resound through the land Olympus we are ever loyal, onward go, Olympus your band stands for light and help as we go And as we leave your hallowed halls through longing doors, Onward, Olympus, we're every yours!

Precious, isn't it, then put that to music that sounds like a church hymn, and you get the picture.

Who were your favorite teachers? Easy - Mr Barfuss - partly because he taught math, my favorite subject, and partly because I could identify with having a last name like Barfuss.
Where did you sit during lunch? If I sat during lunch, it was with Rachel and her friend.
With whom did you go to Homecoming? Eric (also a dork)
If you could go back and re-do High School, what would you do? No Way!
What do you remember about graduation? I finished making my dress 10 minutes before graduation, and was in such a hurry to get there on time I forgot a slip (the dress was pretty see-through), but not to worry, we had those lovely long gowns to wear. My biggest fear, however, was having my name - Susan Fagg - announced in front of the entire audience and having everyone laugh.
Do you plan on going to your 10 year reunion? Only if I can find a time-travel plan.

The secret's out!

The following is a public service announcement: (All sources have been confirmed and cleared)

Ryan and Brianna Reed are thrilled to allow me to announce for them that they are expecting their first child around April 15 of next year!

Congratulate them and offer your name suggestion! We're thrilled!!!