Have you ever seen this video?

Well, for the last few nights we have been reading about Lehi's family in the Book of Mormon scripture reader. This is what keeps happening.

Nephi vs Lehi from Laura R on Vimeo.

Familiar?

We love it:)

This means war!!

I have been very "nice" so far about the rat problem in our backyard. They ate through most of Ella's pool toys. They like to smell up the place but I didn't feel like I could really do a whole lot about it...till now.

This time they crossed a line (you think that line would have been crossed when they chewed through Ella's stuff, but no...) They are eating my garden. MY GARDEN! All the time and work I have put in watering, tending to the plants (ok, not that much work... just bought the plants, put em pots and water them when they look peaky) But that's the point. Patio gardens don't have to be time consuming but they are supposed to be rewarding. This morning I went out to get some tomatoes for my breakfast (huevos rancheros) and I found this!



They must have stood here, reached up and ate to their little hearts content.

I found some suspicious dropping in the dirt... grrr.

For the last few weeks I have been noticing that all of my squash flowers seem to disappear overnight. So far the plants have barely grown 2 inches and they haven't started to grow any zucchini. I am realizing that it is the same rats. The flowers get chewed off.

See, small plants, no flowers.


My strawberries are getting the same treatment. So glad that I can provide the rat population with more food.



Not.




So, what to do? My first thought was chicken wire, but after doing some research it doesn't seem that it works well. People still have rats finding their way through. It seems to be the general consensus that if you charge the wire so it gives and electrical pulse when touched rats will steer clear. I am hesitant to try this method with Ella playing in the backyard. Another method is hanging mothballs from the plant. I will go get some today. This morning I also told Charles I was going to get a cat...he suggested that we talk to the owners first. I guess he is right.

As I have been looking on different message boards I've noticed that some people have a real aversion to the idea of others killing rats that are in their garden or house. I don't really understand this. They must not have ever had rats in their home. Rats chew through everything, pee everywhere and leave their droppings behind your walls. These types of rats carry serious diseases such as Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS),Eosinophillic Meningitis, and Typhus just to name a few. Some of these like HPS can be inhaled around areas where the rat has urinated or left droppings. Great, right?

Rats also breed like rabbits. The gestation period for a rat is only about 20 days. And they have 12 to 14 babies in each litter. So saying that they get pregnant every 40 days (just to be nice and give the mother time off between pregnancies) 365/40= 9.12 so about 9 litters per year. Multiply that by 12 for the number in each litter that's 108 babies per year. Wow. And that's only if she takes 20 days off between getting pregnant. You want all those babies living in your home and yard? I live in a city. It would not be very nice for me to catch the rat and turn it loose somewhere else. That would just give someone else the problem. Rats also do not live alone, so where there is one there are usually many more, so I would have to catch multiple rats and set them free elsewhere??? I don't think so.

So there you have it. I will be getting rid of these vermin, any way I can. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I'll let you know how it goes. :)

San Diego/Disney Trip 2012

Ella and I went down to Disney and San Diego a couple weeks ago to have fun and see my sisters and Mom. We were lucky to also see Jason since his deployment has been pushed back (Hooray!) Disney was crowded and we sort of felt a little bit crazy for going. Still, it's hard not to have fun at Disneyland We enjoyed our time though we were ready to go home at the end of the second day! We have decided Disney to go a day at a time during off season.











After Disney we caravaned back to Sarah's lovely home. We spent the rest of the week relaxing and playing with the kids. The beach was our second highlight of the trip. Elizabeth brought a friend with her, it was her first time at the ocean!
It was a grand time, I cant wait for the Family reunion in August when Jacob and my Dad will come. Now if only I could persuade Charles office to give him the time off... :)






My sister took the pictures from the beach. She got these great shots of Elizabeth and her friends Abby. Beautiful no?

22 Weeks

This pregnancy has been a lot different than Ella's. With Ella it was easy, not much in the way of morning sickness nor aches and pains. The pregnancy felt easy even though there were complications with it. This pregnancy however has been an up hill battle. The morning sickness was so bad the first 2-3 months I didn't go anywhere, not out, not to church. Nothing. I sat in bed all day trying to eat food, not vomit and stay alive. I finally figured out that dairy products were making the morning sickness worse. I cut them out and things got better. Now in the middle (or end?) of my second trimester I have been dealing with very strong and painful Braxton Hicks and hypo tension. I must admit that sometimes I am not very positive about it all. Don't get me wrong. I am SO excited to be pregnant. The fact that there is a baby growing within my womb is so thrilling and wonderful I get emotional just thinking about it. But I do tend to complain...probably more than I should.

Today however has been a great day! My blood pressure finally got up to 101/51 so I had no dizziness or fainting spells. I haven't had any desire to be sick. I was able to clean up the house and make pizza for dinner (non dairy for me) and now Ella is going to bed early! So I thought I would share for all those who do not live nearby the classic "look how big my belly is getting" photo. I have never been very good at taking these. Even with Ella I think I only have two. This photo was hard to get since I had a 3 year old crawling around the floor trying to use me as a human bridge, but here I am at 22 Weeks.



I took this photo many times because I think that it makes me look smaller than I am. I have decided it's because I took this photo in the morning. I am always bigger at night after I have been eating all day. :)

We really had a great day. The Disney Princess soundtrack was played at least 3-4 times. There was a lot of dancing, swimming, and reading. Ella decided my cookbooks were interesting to look at. This was a sweet picture I took before she twisted up her face and said, "eww yuck!" She didn't think that lobster looked very delectable.