BOOK CLUB

I'm trying to start the Hemming Book Club again. So please check the blog at http://hemmingstory.blogspot.com/. It's invitation only so if I never got you one or if you never accepted let me know and give me your e-mail address so I can send you a new invite. I know it hasn't worked out before, but third times the charm right?

I'm Going to Post... For Reals....

Jeff here. I've decided to do some posting for reals.

First, I'm in law school. I'm a 1L for those who enjoy using abreviations. For normal people, that just means I'm in my first year. I have a really great professor for Civil Procedure. To hear him speak, think 80% George Costanza from Seinfeld, and 15% Christopher Walken. With the 5% left over, lower that voice one octave. So the way classes work, is that we prepare 2 or 3 cases a day. The professor will call on a student, and interrogate them about one of the cases for about half an hour. Guess whose turn came on friday. If you guessed me, you're right. Here's more or less how it went.

Professor- Mr. Hemming.
Me- (Thinking) Man, I'm glad I'm not that guy.
(Then noticing him looking at me) Yes.
Professor- What is this case about?
Me- Jury instruction.
Professor- Yes. What did the judge tell the jury to do?
Me- Answer several questions about the facts.
Professor- Correct, Mr. Hemming. Who wants the judge to do this, the defendant or the plaintiff?
Me- Uhh.... the defendant?
Professor- Yes, Mr. Hemming. Why does the defendant want this?
Me- Ummm.... because there's less chance the plaintiff will win?
Professor- NO, MISTER HEMMING! Can someone help Mr. Hemming out?
Me- (thinking) Ah, crud.
Professor- Mr. Hemming, was it alright for the judge to withdraw his question?
Me- Yes.
Professor- Why?
Me- (staring at the professor)
Professor- (staring at me)
Me- (staring at the professor)
Professor- Does anyone want to help Mr. Hemming?

And it basically went on like that. For half an hour. Law school is awesome!

If My Laptop Wasn't Dead Before It Is Now . . .

Nadia got a hold of this tonight while I was on the desktop working on my talk for Sacrament Meeting tomorrow. The screen has been messed up for awhile now, but we had managed to fix it somewhat. However, tonight our "fix" seemed to no longer be working. Then Nadia got a hold of it and systematically began ripping off keys. I wanted to be mad, but when I caught her at it she seemed to sweet and innocent that I couldn't be. I guess all I can say now is "Goodbye Laptop, I'll miss you."

No surprise here. I always knew I belonged in the 50s. It doesn't get any better than Nat King Cole for Bing Crosby.

You Belong in 1956

You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in!

What Year Do You Belong In?

You are a 1950s Diva

High heels, pretty dresses, classic makeup... You're a feminine beauty who knows how to play up her assets!

What Decade Diva Are You?

Huh! Guess I Forgot to Mention . . .

So I just realized that I didn't mention that we were now in apartment. I love it. It is only a two bedroom but it has lots of space. The kitchen is the perfect size, there are two bathrooms, and both bedrooms have a walk-in-closet. It's at a great location near all the shopping and not too far from the law school.

As for the area well all I can say is that it is hot! Also humid. One thing about the humidity though is that it is great for Nadia's curls.

Adding Music

So I decided to finally add music to our blogs. I've added a song to Nadia's and Finn's and to Jeff and my blog. So let my explain the songs I chose.

Nadia and Finn's: I chose several different songs to play randomly. All of them are songs that Nadia likes and most of them she'll dance to.

Now for the music that I chose for this particular blog. I chose "Calling You" by Blue October.
I chose this song for many reasons. The first time I heard this song was not long after Finn was born. My sister Katie was visiting and she played it for me and told me I should get it as a ringtone because it reminded her of Jeff. Jeff may be embarressed by this but it's true and very sweet. Whenever we are apart he likes to call just to check up on me and he always trys as hard as he can to make me happy. So I took Katie's advice and I had it as my ringtone for when Jeff called (this is before my phone broke). Nadia now knows the words to the last half of the chorus and will sing them. Also whenever she hears the phone she says "Daddy." So basically this song is just perfect for us in so many ways.

I may add songs later that also have special meanings for Jeff and I (we had theme songs for each of the semesters we were dating), but for now I'll leave it at this.

So We're Horrible at Blogging

I just realized it's been two months since we last blogged here and way too long since Nadia and Finn's blogs been updated. But my camera is basically broke, so all the pictures are on Becky or Traci's cameras and I hate posting on the babies' blog without pictures so I just haven't done it.

We're still looking for a place to live and it is somewhat frustrating. We were looking at a house that was for rent through a realestate broker. Yesterday Jeff called and they said they would have someone call back. No one did. So this morning Jeff called back again and they said they'd call him back in five minutes. Well 40 minutes later they finally call back and they tell us the house has just been taken off the market. Go figure.

So now we're back to square one and wondering which is better: house, townhouse, or apartment. I guess it all depends on the price and what you get for it.

Two weeks from now we will be leaving Rexburg. Possibly for the last time. Nadia has no idea what is happening and cries each time she sees me packing up some of her toys. I think she's afraid that I'm going to throw them away. She followed me around today crying "kitchen, kitchen" because packed up her pots and pans. We still have a long way to go though.

A new fabric store opened up her just the other day, and I've had a hard time not buying any. They have so many cute things and I'm a sucker for fabric. I got a lot of good ideas for when we are in our new apartment though. I can't wait to get there and decorate the childrens bedroom.

Moving Woes

I probably shouldn't even be taking the time to blog right now. Both my kids (wonder of wonders) are napping, so I should be organizing and packing. It's just all so confusing. I know we're never going to be able to take it all, so I have to go through things and decide what we can do with out. Then there's the fact that this is a rather strange move. We're packing up some of our things which a moving company will take to Texas for us. Then Jeff and I are packing up our car (and possibly an extra one that my Aunt lent us) and driving to Utah to stay with my parents. My brother is getting married May 31st and we didn't want to have to travel back from Texas. Anyway, then Jeff and Tim will be taking our car to Texas on June 4 (I think) while the kids and I stay in Utah for a second reception. Also we want to spend as much time with my parents as we can before we move and seeing them becomes an expensive endevor. Then on June 10th my Mom will be flying out with us to Texas. So how do you pack for that kind of moving mess?

Sorry if I've wrote all this before.

Finished

I finally finished Nadia's and Finn's blankets. There were a few mistakes made, but they actually made the blankets turn out really cute. They are, however, somewhat time intensive and very messy. I probably won't be making anymore like them for a while. Then again, who knows.

Nadia's Front and Back.

Finn's front and back.

Houston Here We Come

Jeff decided to accept the University of Houston. He was accepted to Temple, but we felt it would be better for our little family to live near his parents. Nadia and Finn are very excited to spend at least the next three years living near Grandpa Tony and Grandma Becky. I have to admit I'll be glad to have Grandma and Granpa near as well. If I ever need help they'll be right there, and if Finn is anything like Nadia, I'll need help.

I love my children, but sometimes they drive me crazy. Finn likes to be awake during the hours of 12:00 to 3:00 a.m. and if he is left by himself and it's dark he cries. So basically we've been a little sleep deprived around here. Then there's Nadia. She's always bringing me the phone and saying "grandma." Now while it's really cute that she loves to talk on the phone, she cries non stop if people don't answer. Then she gets angry and will sometimes throw the phone at me or shove it into my face. Then there are times when she's a little to helpful. She tries to help with Finn, but usually just makes him cry. Right now, for instance, she's taking out his binki to feed him his bottle.

My computer is having issues (most of which are Nadia related). Nadia likes to push my laptop onto the floor, or open and shut it and pull out the cords. Now the screen is floppy and the internet cord is loose so when you move the computer it often unconnects the internet, causing alot of grief, especially if I'm using blogger and haven't realized that it has become unconnected.

Enough of venting. I've decided to make picnic blankets for Finn and Nadia. So I went and bought some old jeans from the DI. I've got all the pieces cut out and I've even started to put Nadia's together. They're going to be rag quilts so they don't take too much effort. It's actually pretty fun and I can't wait to see how they turn out. When I get them done I'll take pictures and post them.

Law School Update

We have now heard back from some of the law schools, but we're still waiting on some. Washington University, Temple University, University of Indiana-Bloomington, and Cordozo Yeshivia have still not contacted us. Really we only care about two of those.

University of Houston accepted Jeff so yea!

However, he was waitlisted at several, one of which, BYU is his top pick. Which is really frustrating, it would have been easier had he gotten a straight yes or no. This leaves us still waiting and hung up in the air on what we will be doing in a few months.

We are still waiting to hear back from law schools. We should be getting letters any day now and it is becoming very stressful and frustrating. I almost dread checking the mail and yet can't wait till it comes each day. It's very disappointing when there is nothing in it. Our future depends on these letters. Until they come in, we won't know where we will be living in just a few short months. Law school is already stressful and Jeff hasn't even started yet.

On an unrelated note: One thing I really disliked about our old apartment is that we had ants in the kitchen and the bathroom. Now that it is starting to warm up, I have found ants in our new apartments bathroom. To make it even worse, one bit me today. Now I worry that one is going to crawl into my babies towels and bite them when I'm drying them off. It's war. Only last fall when I went to find ant pesticide for inside the house I couldn't find any. Hopefully I'll have better luck this time.

Children

Sometimes I wonder what I was thinking when I decided to become a mom. Usually when Nadia is standing there screaming at me, or when Finn thinks that it is okay to be up from 12:00 to 3:00 a.m. Then Nadia does something sweet and cute or Finn is just sleeping peacfully. Like a moment ago, Nadia just climbed up on the couch and gave me a hug and a kiss. How can you not love being a mom at those moments?

So the layout I chose is kind of girly, but as Jeff never posts anything on this blog that he started he'll just have to deal with it. Not that he'll care, he doesn't even look at the blog unless I tell him to.

We woke up to snow this morning. It had been so nice. Almost all the snow had melted out of our apartments parking lot and it was getting warm (at least it felt warm to me). Now snow is back. Hopefully it will melt soon. If it gets warm enough I can take the kids out for a walk.

Not much is going on here. I spend most of my time trying to keep up on the housework. Which, by the way, doesn't work. Nadia spends most of her time undoing what I've just finished. It's amazing what she can get into. I'll think I have everything out of her reach and she'll prove me wrong.

Thanks Ola

Thanks to Ola for showing me where to get the template.

Beauty Salon

Today, Jeff decided that it was time for a change in the hair department. So he had me go out and buy some bleach. What you're about to see is the results of letting your wife (who has no training whatsoever) bleach your hair.


Before:



During:

After:

Really After: After bleaching is hair we decided to cut it as well.

Since then we have touched up places where I dindn't get the bleach and so had remained brown. It is improved some, but there are still some places that were missed (down at the roots), but all in all it looks pretty good, if quite yellow. Anyway, I kind of like it.

Star Wars According to a 3 year old

Jeff and I found this on YouTube and thought it was really funny. We hope you enjoy it too.