The Wilhelmsen Botanical Blog

Character Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare and Animal Kingdom!

Universal Studios Orlandon and dinner at Bennigan’s.

Lunch at Beaches and Cream and the plane ride home.

Wowsers, you would not believe the craziness that we have gone through this week.  Tuesday was Brandon’s birthday and this is how he spent it.  In the morning he had a fairly calm morning until he went to get in the car and go to school.  When he got to the bottom of the driveway and around the corner he noticed a dent in our car, then he saw that our passenger window had been smashed out.  He ended up missing school and a presentation because we had to wait for the police officer to come.  We also had to find him a ride to school so that I could get our car to the shop.  Turns out that it was a juvenile from Salt Lake County and he stole my hot pad first aid kit, my waterproof matches, a red pen, our tire gage, a bracket to our cigarette lighter fan, a lid from a pill bottle, chapstick and $1.10 (which incidentally was a dollar short of the cash we had in the car).  At very MOST $20.00 worth of stuff.  He missed Brandon’s whip and the c.d. walkman that was in there.  They did manage to catch the guy because they happened to be patroling and saw him walking through the parking lot.  So we got our stuff back (which rarely happens).  We aren’t sure what happened to our hide a key though.  It has a spare in it.  I am not sure if I should be worried about my car being stolen after it is returned to me.  Oi.

On top of all of this Brandon found out that because of company cut backs his last day at work will be April 6th.  This was also our first day back from our fabulous trip.  Not exactly a great happy birthday or welcome home, wouldn’t you agree?

Wednesday I took Aiden for a follow up regarding the E.R. visit we made before our Florida trip.  The pediatrician said that his lungs sound clear and his ears have just a small amount of fluid in them.  Nothing to be concerned about.  We visited my grandma after that and she was glad to see Aiden.  In the evening Aiden was ducking behind the arm of the futon then popping up and saying, “Ah.”  He has been playing peek a boo with his blanket for awhile now but the is the first that he has hidden behind something and then poked his head out.  It was pretty dang cute.  He is also started to sign, “more” and seems to be showing more comprehension and understanding of the things we say and the questions we ask him.

Thursday I had to return the rental car because I did not want to have to pay for more days.  I also found out that our car should be done Tuesday afternoon.  Hooray!  We also had the choice to opt for a couple of things not to be fixed because the insurance company would only pay for part of the fix and so we ended up applying what they were willing to fix to the deductible and won’t have to pay it!  There was also a trip to the grocery store on the way home from the rental car place. 

Friday was another day of insanity.  We woke up and got ready to head to the Fort Union Target for our picture appointment at 10:40 (which I had previously made online).  Our plan was to have our pictures taken, get Brandon his Cold Stone birthday ice cream and then get some lunch at Fazoli’s before taking Brandon to work.  Ha!  We got inside to find that they are closed until June 1st for remodeling.  OI!  There was an employee there who we spoke to briefly and she suggested that we call the Sandy Target.  I did and they were booked solid and wanted me to come Saturday or Sunday.  HA!!!  We were all ready right then and there was no way I was driving clear back out there.  So I called the Redwood Target and luckily they could fit me in at 11:10.  We decided to pick up Brandon’s ice cream on the way but upon reaching Cold Stone found that they would not be open until 11:00 and if we were to wait we would be late for our pictures.  So, no Cold Stone.  Well, we got to the Redwood Target to find out that our coupons were on the counter in Fort Union.  Luckily the employee was willing to give us our discount anyway because of all the trouble we went to.  The pictures turned out really cute and I am excited to have them back.  When we were choosing what ones to buy though the other employee was refering to Aiden as she and her.  I just rolled my eyes and didn’t bother to say anything because we were in a hurry and it was hard to get a word in anyway. 

After the pictures were all squared away we stopped to get food at Del Taco.  Somehow they got the impression that we wanted to seperate checks and we had to tell them it was one check.  We also ordered two waters and when we got to the window they handed us a drink carrier with FOUR waters in it.  By this point I just started to laugh.  The image of those four waters coming in the car window just was the perfect addition to what was already a crazy morning and I laughed and laughed. 

We managed to Brandon to work with no problems but then on the way home I noticed a cop was following me.  I made sure to follow all the traffic laws very carefully and started praying to make it home without being pulled over.  But of course a few moments later the cop turned on his lights and I pulled over.  He had pulled me over because a rear brake light is out and only gave me a warning ticket.  I had explained that I was borrowing my dad’s car because my car had been broken into earlier in the week and I couldn’t find my dad’s registration until it was too late and Aiden was being cute in the backseat so I think that the cop went easy on me.  Phew.  We ended Friday by watching 007 Quantum of Solace.  It was good but definitely a action film that generally only a guy can really appreciate. 

Saturday we rearranged the stuff in our storage unit.  It looks really nice now and there is some spare room in case we need to put more things in it.  It took us about 2 1/2 hours and just our luck when we got in the car to go pick up Aiden (I having just told my grandma we would leave in about 5 mins.) the battery was dead.  We had been listening to the radio while we cleaned and I guess that just ran the juice out.  I tried calling my grandpa for a jump start but they weren’t answering their phone.  Thankfully my aunt and uncle live just around the corner from the storage unit and so my uncle came to jump start our car.  THANK YOU SO MUCH PAUL!  After that craziness Aiden had a nap and then we went to eat at Red Robin to use Brandon’s birthday coupon.  I had pulled pork and garlic parmesan fries and Brandon had the chili chili burger.  Aiden enjoyed bites of both of our food.  We also had to run and pick up ice cream and dessert for Brandon’s birthday celebration today.  As well as some easter basket fillings for Aiden.  I am excited to be officially starting our family traditions this year!  🙂

So last night Aiden went bed with 5 teeth and this morning he woke up with 6 teeth!  It has been bulging and trying to come through the gums for probably the last 4 weeks.  Thank goodness it finally broke through Aiden’s gums.  This morning we went to the baby blessing of my cousins daughter Evelyn.  Then we picked up a less expensive rental car to use until Monday and in just a little bit we will be celebrating Brandon’s birthday.  We hope that everyone is having a good week.  Thanks for reading!

Hello, hello from back home in Utah.  I will probably not be posting pictures of our trip because we took 170 of them.  I may try and do a collage or two and put them in a seperate post but all of the pictures need to be color adjusted first and that will be quite the project in and of itself.  We also took 71 videos on our flip video, very nearly filling the 60 mins. we have to fill. 

The trip however was a success.  It was fun to visit my sister and to see her cute little house.  Aiden loved having all the people around to be entertained by and all of the new stuff to see.  I think that his favorite part of the trip was playing in various water play areas at the different parks that we went to.  My new favorite ride is the Toy Story ride in Disney Hollywood Studios.  It is a shooting gallery.  You get into your little car, put on 3-D glasses and “shoot” at various items on several different screens.  One of which were the little aliens from toy story.  It was awesome! 

We also got to ride Everest for the first time.  I fully intended on riding it twice but the backwards part made me so nauseous that I decided it would be best not to ride it again.  It was the coolest though! 

Friday morning we ate at 1900 Park Fare which is at the Grand Floridian.  It was a buffet like the Pooh and friends breakfast at the Crystal Palace.  We got to meet Alice :), Mary Poppins, the Mad Hatter, Pooh, and Tigger.  Aiden’s favorite seemed to be tigger.  I think it was because of how bold the orange color is. 

The best day for Aiden was Magic Kingdom.  He got to ride Peter Pan, Snow White, It’s a Small World, Winnie the Pooh, Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Carribean and Haunted Mansion.  He really enjoyed the rides because there was stuff to see and music to dance to.  🙂  He did not however like waiting in line.  I think it was because he was finally out of his stroller and still had to be restrained (a.k.a. held).  He did really well being stuck in his stroller all week and we tried to give him a few opportunities to get out and walk around at each park. 

Our flight home went well too.  It felt supremely long because I had nothing to read or do but Aiden was a really good boy and did not fuss at all.  He just played with his toys and then took a nap.  I also had the joy of changing his diaper on the airplane.  It worked fine because there was a changing station in the front bathroom but if Aiden gets much taller he won’t fit on that changing table.  Brandon and I did finally play hang man to help pass the time.  We both did really well and neither of us ever got “hung”.  It was nice to get home and sleep in my own bed even if I do miss my sister and her silly husband.

Yesterday was quite the fine how do ya do back home.  We spent a leisurely morning at home and then I sent Brandon off to work with a kiss, hug, and a be careful.  Next thing I know he is back up from the car and knocking on our door.  I figured he had forgotten something but knew there was something wrong when he told me to put on my shoes.  Well, Aiden, Brandon and I went out to the car and to see what damage had been done due to a break in.  My mind of course was trying to figure out what was in the car and if there were any cash or any other valuable items.  I didn’t think that there were so I wasn’t too worried about missing items.  The damages were extensive though, there is a dent in the body of my car from the thief trying to pry open my driver side door and the door itself is also warped.  The passenger window was completely busted out, there are scratches on my bumper and a few chunks out of the trunk lining from where he tried to get into the trunk, he had pulled up the rear seat cushions, pulled back the carpeting in the back window, and broken the plastic covering to our child seat tethers in order to try and get into the trunk from inside the car.  There was also some water damage to some books that we had sitting on the front seat because it had snowed.

The missing items were as follows, a pen, a metal bracket the hangs our car fan in the car, a pill bottle that had waterproof matches inside, my hot pad first aid kit, $1.10 in cash, our tire gauge, and some other things that I can’t remember right now.  Probably worth at most $10-15 dollars and the damage is worth a lot more then that.

We also don’t have rental car coverage so I had to pay for that.  Our car will likely be in the shop for 7-10 days and I only rented the car until Thursday and hope to try and figure something else out car wise by Sunday evening.  It is a pretty neat little car, a Kia Redondo, complete with A/C and a c.d. player.  Woo hoo. 

Oh and luckily the police were patrolling on Saturday when it happened and caught the thief as he was walking through the parking lot, so amazingly enough all of our items were recovered, something that hardly ever happens.  The thief is a juvenile though so even though I will fill out victim restitution papers and things I may not get anything from him.  At least the insurance company is going to pay for the damages.  Although I do have to pay a $250 deductible.  Which is better then the $500 deductible that I thought I had. 

So, to top it all off Loomis is being forced by it’s shareholders to cut back on employees and because Brandon is the newest his last day will be April 6th.  So now we have to start looking for another job. 

Yesterday was Brandon birthday as well.  We celebrated very low key and plan to more fully celebrate on Sunday evening.  To celebrate we watched Bolt and I had made pork stir fry for dinner which was very tasty.  Having been gone all last week I had never gotten a chance to discuss with Brandon what he might want for his birthday and so it went by with out me having a gift for him.  I hope to have one by Sunday though. 

Well, I suppose that is all for today.  Until next time…Thanks for reading!

So today will only be a short post to mention why I am only posting a short post and why it is a bit tardy.  :p  My little family and I are in Florida visiting my sister and her husband.  I will post about our trip when we get back and will also try to write about our week prior to our trip (which I will not be doing today).  I simply wanted to say hello to everyone.  We are doing well, my sister’s house is awesome and much larger then I imagined.

Yesterday we made the trip to Blizzard Beach water park and we all had a good time, even Aiden.  He and I rode together on my inner tube around the lazy river and then he played in the wave pool a bit before he took a well needed nap.  On the way home we stopped at Cici’s for dinner.  Yum!

Today is our Epcot day, which contains the world showcase, which is why I chose the title that I did for our blog.  😉  Well, we hope all is going well back in Utah.  The weather here is about 80.  I can’t imagine Utah being too much colder then that.  Like 60’s I hope.  Well, thanks for reading…

Well, does anyone dislike daylight savings as much as I do?  I have been groggy pretty much all day.  But enough about that.  How about we just jump right into the events of the week eh?  Monday I worked on a grocery list and made cookies.  In the evening my pa and I went to get groceries before dinner and the subsequent night of t.v. (Bachelor finale and 24)

Tuesday Aiden and I went for a brief visit to my grandma’s and because it was so nice he got to toddle around outside for a bit.  He loves exploring and he loves to be outside.  Later while Aiden was napping I spent most of the time on the computer looking at various shoe options.  I didn’t really like what I was finding so when my dad got home I borrowed the car so that Aiden and I could go shoe shopping.  We went to 4 stores and finally at the 4th store I decided to go with some sandals instead a ked type shoe because warm weather is on it’s way and I thought that they would be good in Florida.  I was having a really hard time finding anything that I liked and kids his age should really have bare feet or next to nothing extremely flexible soles.  Baby/kid shoes are way over priced!  I also ordered some church shoes for Aiden from target.com because they were on clearance and were pretty cute.  They came yesterday and he wore them to church for the first today.  I will have to take some pictures of him wearing his new shoes and post them next week. 

Wednesday is my big laundry day so I spent most of my day swapping laundry.  In the evening Brandon and I watched Lost.  It was a confusing episode with a lot of time changes and things. 

Thursday I finally decided that there NEEDS to be a playgroup at least once a week for the sisters in the ward who have young children and sent out an e-mail to see what the interest level is.  I think we have enough people interested but now I am not sure how to hash out all of the other details.  I definitely want to have a different parent in charge each week and I want there to be circle time, free time and art time but that is about all I can figure out. 

Friday I took Aiden to toddler storytime at the library.  Let me just tell you, he doesn’t quite graps the concept of sitting, listening, and participating quite yet.  I think he was just so excited to see all of the other kids and the new things to explore that he just had to get up and go, go, go!  It was fun though and I think that we will start going every week so that he can have the opportunity to be out of the house and learn and experience new things.  It was a good week to take Aiden because the theme was dinosaurs.  I also found out the a misplaced library book had made it’s way back to the Davis County library systems main branch and that I would not end up paying for it after all.  That was AWESOME news! 

Friday evening Brandon and I got to go on a date.  We went to see Bedtime Stories at the dollar theatre and it was a GREAT movie.  I laughed alot and it was insanely clever.  I like dates with my hubby. 

Yesterday we had parent tot swim as usual only this week my mom came along to watch.  We had her take some pictures and some video too.  On our way home from swimming we stopped and got Baskin Robbin sundaes with our 2 for 1 coupon.  YUM!  When we got home we had omelets for lunch and by the time we had finished up with that it was Aiden’s nap time.  While he napped Brandon and I went out in my dad’s backyard and started cleaning up garbage and racking the dirt that had accumulated on my dad’s back patio.  We made a small dent but I had no idea the amount of work we’d actually need to do until I got back there.  Oi.  We spent the night in and had pizza while we watched the first 2 hours of Australia.  It is a long movie (3 hours) but it didn’t feel that long.  That plot moves quickly and has a little bit of everything in it to keep everyone interested.  We plan to watch the rest of it today sometime. 

Today I visit taught after church.  It was actually quite fun to get to know the girls I visit and my companion.  We had a good chat with both of them and each other.  I better go lie down because I got really light headed during one of our visits and even though I have had some water and protein I am still light headed.  Thank goodness we will eat dinner soon.  Until next time, thanks for reading…

Ok, so I have had something on my mind.  There is such a stigma about breastfeeding or not breastfeeding.  My motto has always been that as a mother you need to do what will work best for you and your baby so that you are not overwhelmed or stressed.  If that means you only feed them formula then do it, if that means you feed them pumped breast milk, formula, and breastfeed from infancy on then do it.  If that means you breastfeed to and past age one then more power to you, if that means that you stop breastfeeding at 7 months when their teeth come in because they bit too hard and you became too nervous to breastfeed don’t feel bad about it.  They may say breast is best but if it doesn’t work for you to breast feed 100% of the time or even at all then don’t let anyone make you feel bad about it.  You are the mother, you are the one trying to juggle this new upside down life that your tiny infant brought about and no one could possibly now how you with your unique personality can cope with late nights, early mornings and feeling like a moo cow.  You just have to do whatever you need to in order to make it through the first few weeks and the months until sold food kicks in.  My first 6 weeks with Aiden we both spent in pajama’s.  I made sure that we had a new pair on at least every 24 hours and that we were both fed, that Aiden was changed, and that I got a shower regularly.  Aside from that I just tried to sleep as often as I could and let everything else go as long as I could stand before the clutter got to me.  So there you go, I don’t care whether or not you breastfeed nor do I care how long you choose to breastfeed.  It is your decision and your children and they will turn out happy, beautiful, and smart no matter what.  I also don’t care if you let your house be a mess and wear only pajama’s while you adjust to each new baby you add to your household.  Just do what works best for you because if mama ain’t happy (or well rested or calm) then ain’t nobody happy (or well rested or calm).  😉