Getting to Know You, 2008

Hey, my cute stepfather-in-law sent this to me, so here you go! Again, I won't tag anyone - I think people get secretly resentful of me when I tag them! If you like getting tagged with stuff like this, tell me, so I know who to tag without pissing them off.





1. WHAT TIME DID YOU GET UP THIS MORNING? 7:00, much to my dismay. Dylan is a supernova.


2. DIAMONDS OR PEARLS? Um, I don't know. I guess diamonds? They are my birthstone, after all. So I should holla to them.


3. WHAT WAS THE LAST FILM YOU SAW AT THE CINEMA? Wow. It's been forever. That one with Will Smith. What is that called? And he's one of the last people on earth that wasn't infected with that virus that changes you into a weird animalistic person? You know what I'm talking about, right? Ahhh! It's called I Am Legend. Jeez. My brain is baby-fried.


4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW? It's hard to nail down one, but I'm really into Medium right now.


5. WHAT DO YOU USUALLY HAVE FOR BREAKFAST? Cereal and juice.


6. WHAT IS YOUR MIDDLE NAME? Mathia. It's Norwegian. I actually really like it.


7. WHAT FOOD DO YOU DISLIKE? Any kind of seafood.


8. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CD.? Justin Timberlake's newest one.


9. WHAT KIND OF CAR DO YOU DRIVE? A Volkswagen Jetta.


10. FAVORITE SANDWICH? Ham and swiss.


11. WHAT CHARACTERISTIC DO YOU DESPISE? Ingratitude. Pride.


12. FAVORITE ITEM OF CLOTHING? Jammie bottoms. They are my best friend during this pregnancy.


13. IF YOU COULD GO ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD ON VACATION,WHERE WOULD YOU GO? I'd like to go to Hawaii again.


14. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR BATHROOM? tan, purple, and light yellow. Kind of. Our towels are really, really old.


15 FAVORITE BRAND OF CLOTHING? I like Gap jeans a lot. And their clothes are pretty good quality.


16. WHERE WOULD YOU RETIRE TO? I'm starting to think that I'd go somewhere warm. I'm becoming whimpier as time passes. I don't know if I could handle these Idaho winters when I get old.


17. WHAT WAS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE BIRTHDAY? I had a good one when I taught school. That would have been in '04, when I was... 27? Am I doing my math right? My students did all kinds of stuff for me. It was very flattering.


18. WHO DO YOU LEAST EXPECT TO DO THIS ON THEIR BLOG? Gosh, everyone? You never know if someone will respond to these.


21. PERSON YOU EXPECT TO PUT THIS ON THEIR BLOG? Maybe Beads. She's been into these lately.


22. FAVORITE SAYING? "Far OUT!!" I just laugh when I hear that on my favorite movie, every time.


23. WHEN IS YOUR BIRTHDAY? April 16, 1977


24. ARE YOU A MORNING OR NIGHT PERSON? Oh, night, all the way.


25. WHAT IS YOUR SHOE SIZE: 8 1/2. My feet grow with each pregnancy. Crazy!


26. PETS? Titan, who is so sweet, but very naughty.


27. ANY NEW AND EXCITING NEWS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHAREWITH US? Um, nope. I just signed Dylan up for soccer, if that's exciting...


28. WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE? I thought I'd be a psychiatrist.


29. WHAT ARE YOU TODAY? A stay-at-home mom and part-time document scanner.


30. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CANDY? Skittles.


31. YOUR FAVORITE FLOWER? Lilacs.


32. WHAT IS A DAY ON THE CALENDAR YOU ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO? Hmm. April 16, I guess - my birthday.


33. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Sadie noisily sipping on her sippy cup, the dog chewing on his squeaky toy, and Dylan driving his hot wheels car through his playdough over and over again.


34. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Grilled tuna sandwich.


35. DO YOU WISH ON STARS? Nope. But I like to look at them and meditate.


36. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Probably a lilac color.


37. HOW IS THE WEATHER RIGHT NOW? Sunny - the snow is melting! Veeeerrrryyy slowly.


38. FAVORITE SOFT DRINK? Coke, baby.


39. FAVORITE RESTAURANT? Macaroni Grill or Benihana.


40. SIBLINGS? Three cute sisters, all younger than me.


41. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR? Probably Christmas Eve.


42. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD? I really loved Barbies.


43. SUMMER OR WINTER? Gosh, that's hard. I cannot stand the heat that comes with summer. Can I choose fall instead? Not too hot, not too cold.


44. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs, for sure.


45. COFFEE OR TEA? Neither.


46. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? Chocolate.


47. DO YOU WANT YOUR FRIENDS TO PUT THIS ON THEIR BLOGS? You bet - I love these things, as you may have guessed.


48. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? A couple of weeks ago. My hip was hurting so bad, and I was about ready to shoot it.


49. WHAT IS UNDER YOUR BED? Nothing! Our bed is really low to the ground, so nothing really fits down there.


50. WHO IS THE FRIEND YOU HAVE HAD THE LONGEST? I've known Em the longest.


51. WHAT DID YOU DO LAST NIGHT? I ate with my family, then went to work for a few hours, then came home and watched Gilmore Girls reruns with my hubby.


52. FAVORITE SMELL? Cilantro!


53. WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? Tornadoes. And I'm always scared my dog will crap in my house. That is seriously traumatic.


54. SALTY OR SWEET? Sweet.


55. HOW MANY KEYS ON YOUR RING? Three, I think?


56. HOW MANY YEARS AT YOUR CURRENT JOB? If my job is being a stay-at-home mom, four years. If you're talking about my part-time job for my dad, I've been doing it off and on for about 14 years. Just whenever I live nearby.


57. FAVORITE DAY OF THE WEEK? I'm actually liking Sundays. It's the only day I don't have to work, and our church gets done by 12:30, so I have all day to be lazy and nap. I love it!


58. HOW MANY TOWNS HAVE YOU LIVED IN? Seven.


59. DO YOU MAKE FRIENDS EASILY? Yeah, I think so.


60. HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL READ THIS? That is a good question. My guess is that most people will skim it!


61. HOW MANY WILL COMMENT? Um, now that I've guilted Natalie into it, she will always respond. And Jenny's really good about responding. So maybe two? But I would love more. I love comments.

Sadie's Tummy

I've been trying to remind Sadie that our baby is in my tummy, just to kind of get her ready for his arrival. I talk about how cute he's going to be, and how she's going to be a really great older sister, etc. The other day, we were talking about how there is a baby in mommy's tummy, and Sadie says, "Dere a baby in my tummy." I said, "Really? Are you sure?" "Yes."

Sadie actually looks pregnant, all the time. She has the biggest belly I've ever seen. When she came out, she looked like a frog. One of her feet was twisted weird (luckily, it straightened itself out), and she had this enormous belly. I never used newborn-sized diapers on her, because I couldn't get them around her huge tummy. Her pants slide down under the tummy, and her shirts aren't long enough to cover it - kind of like an older, overweight man. You know, how they cinch their belts underneath their pooch...

She actually thinks her tummy is the coolest thing ever. She is always lifting up her shirt and saying, "Tummy. Tummy," to anyone who will pay attention to her. She loves her belly button, which is the cutest little outie belly button. The other day, she went up to my dad, pointed knowingly to her tummy, like there was a secret trapped inside her shirt, and then proudly lifted it up and said,"Tummy!" She is always lifting my shirt and garmies up and saying, "I see you tummy!!" She is so cute.

Scooby-Doo

Ben's dad and stepmom got us Scooby-Doo, the live-action movie, a few years ago. Dylan loves it. Last October, Scooby-Doo 2 was on TV, and we DVR'd it, and Dylan watches it all the time. He calls it "Scooby-Dooby 2," instead of "Scooby-Doo 2." I guess because of the song: "Scooby-Dooby-Doo, where are you? We've got some work to do now..." We're getting rid of conventional cable today and switching to satellite (Ben's idea. I couldn't care less, as long as I can watch my Court TV and A&E), so we're sadly saying goodbye to "Scooby-Dooby 2." Maybe we can buy it for Dylan for his birthday.

Titan - Just Pictures

Our Daily Ritual

Every day, when I get Sadie ready for the day, I have to put Eucerin on her face, because she has eczema. She used to be pretty resistant to it, until I told her she could put some of my strawberry-smelling lotion on her hands. Now, I put strawberry lotion on her hands first, she rubs them together, and then she willingly submits to face lotion torture. She makes me put one dab on each hand, and she usually sits and stares at the dabs for a minute before rubbing them together.

At the Car Wash

Ben and I were out and about the other night, and I begged him to stop at a car wash. The inside of our car has been smelling like old milk, for some reason. Who knows - maybe it is old milk, sopped into our rugs. Kids ruin cars. This I have learned. I'd been wanting to vacuum and clean the inside of the car forever, but it's hard to do with two kids in tow. I figured it would be easier with the two of us working together - one to make sure the kids weren't running into the road, and the other one to do the vacuuming. While Ben went inside the gas station to change his $20 for some smaller cash to put into the change machine, the kids and I listened to some tunes. This is Dylan, singing "Fergalicious," by Fergie. It's so funny. Dude, I don't know if it's my computer or if it will be like this on all computer screens, but I can hardly see him. Sorry about that:

Later, after we had vacuumed and actually thrown away the floor mats from the back (they were the origin of the old milk smell), Ben was washing the outside of the car, and I ran in and got one of those scented tree things. Sadie thought it was the coolest thing ever. She sat on my lap, playing with the tree, while Ben sprayed and scoured:

Potty-Training

Well, I guess we're potty-training Sadie. Sigh. Potty-training is so hard!! It took six months to train Dylan. What we tried the last month with him, which finally worked, was to have him go naked from the waist down. So with Sadie, we're going to start with the naked thing and see if it speeds up the process. Here she is, showing Ben her bumb:

So far, it hasn't worked all that well. For me. Sadie will go potty for Ben, but not for me. When I'm at home with her, she holds and holds and holds all her liquids until I have to put a diaper on her to run errands or to put her down for her nap. Then she lets it all out. The little terd. She peed on her chair while eating breakfast yesterday, and she's sitting on the couch right now, and I'm petrified that she'll pee on the couch. Maybe I should put a towel underneath her. I've tried bribing her to pee, begging her to pee, giving conditions for her to pee (nope, I'm not getting you a drink until you pee in the potty), but so far, nothing has worked. Sigh. Wish me luck. I hate this process. I'll be glad when it's over.

Leo's Place

Dad invited my family and Nat's family out for a night of pizza and arcade games at a local version of Chuck E. Cheese - Leo's Place. We had a blast. First, we ate some pretty decent pizza. Sadie:

Dylan (he's wearing my sunglasses - he has sensitive eyes, like his mommy, and the sun was shining on him):

Dad, our gracious benefactor for the evening and the most photogenic person I've ever seen:

Jake:

Pete (nice look, dude):

Troy:

Nat and Brock - I cannot get that kid to look at me when I take a picture of him:

Ben and Dylie:

Then we headed toward the little kids' area. Sadie really enjoyed the little riding toys - here she is, riding a caterpillar:

And here's Dylan, riding a motorcycle, quite daringly, I might add:

And then in to the arcade. Pete and I did DDR - I love that the dance pad is made of plexiglass and metal. I whipped his butt. But barely! Alas, I don't have a picture of it. Nat, Pete, Ben, and I are thinking of chipping in to buy the DDR game and two pads. We are just that into it. Here's Ben, playing a game:

And here's Dylan playing a game:

Then Ben and Dylan played in the huge jungle-gym area. It was hot, chaotic, and germy-feeling, and Sadie was overwhelmed by it, so she and I gladly hung out in the restaurant area with my dad and my sis. But I did take a quick picture before retreating:

Dad was like, "Is Ben hating it in there?" As if to answer that question himself, he came over right then to get a sip of Diet Coke. I repeated Dad's question to Ben, and he goes, "No! I'm having a blast! We're going back in!" Ben is such a good dad. He was all over the place in there, while the other kids' dads were just watching from below or sitting in the restaurant and letting their kids run wild. He had a couple of kids ask him to ride on his lap while going down the slide (he declined - didn't want to scare any mommies that were watching), and he and this one kid "raced" down the slide a couple of times. He's so good with kids. Always has been. Dylan's cheeks were so rosy from running around in there. I tried to capture it on film, but didn't succeed:

I love that my family likes to play. We don't do much sitting around. Thanks, Dad, for a really fun night. We missed you, Mom! She's in St. George, visiting her pops.

Titan...Daisy...Same Diff...

My parents have a little shi-tsu named Daisy. Sadie totally calls Titan, Daisy. I always say, "Sade, his name is Titan, not Daisy." And she yells at me in her prissy two-year-old babytalk way - "No! Name-a Daisy!!!" Fine. Some fights aren't worth it.

100 Facts About Me

I know some of you may not like reading these kinds of things (I can tell because I never get comments on them), but my sister did it and tagged me, and I think it was so much fun to read hers. It was thought-provoking and kind of...stuck with me. So here are 100 facts about me. And don't worry - I'm not tagging anyone. I can tell people don't like getting tagged! But if you want to do this and put it on your blog, I'd love it.

1. My eyes sting (because they’re dry and irritated) almost constantly, but I’d rather deal with the pain of contacts than wear eyeglasses.
2. When I wear eyeglasses, I feel like I’m wearing a mask, like I’m too distant from people.
3. I used to wash my face during lunchtime in junior high and high school.
4. I have permanent retainers behind my teeth.
5. I’ve had braces three times!
6. I hate vanilla-scented things, like candles, lotions, etc.
7. I have to eat my pizza with a fork – I cannot stand to have greasy fingers.
8. I cry when I go to Broadway-caliber performances – I’m so overwhelmed by the talent of these singers and dancers.
9. I’m a voyeur. When we’re driving at night, and someone’s curtains are open, I totally look to see the inside. I like to see how houses are decorated.
10. I used to be a lipstick junkie, but now I’m strictly a lip-gloss girl.
11. I detest doing my hair. It takes a million years.
12. I love the live-action movies Scooby Doo and Scooby Doo 2. I think they’re cute. When Dylan asks to watch them, I say, “Okay!”
13. I love to read. Anything and everything. If I’m in the tub and I’m bored, I’ll read the shampoo bottle. I read the back of the cereal box.
14. I love to buy interesting postage stamps.
15. I love ordering cute checks.
16. I love lilacs.
17. I love to scrapbook and to make cards, but I haven’t done it in weeks.
18. I used to be a very faithful flosser. Since I was pregnant with Sadie, I just don’t feel like flossing my teeth anymore. The result has been a few cavities. Sigh. I’m trying really, really hard to get back into the habit.
19. My favorite movie is Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
20. I adore true crime TV shows, like “Forensic Files” “City Confidential,” etc. Most of those shows are on A&E or TruTV.
21. I don’t know if I could ever go back to teaching public school.
22. Sometimes when Dylan or Sadie are being jerks, and they trip and fall, I have to suppress a giggle.
23. I adore taking naps.
24. I have a celeb-crush on Shia LeBeouf.
25. I love listening to Prince’s greatest hits.
26. I’m scared that having a third child will push me over the edge of sanity.
27. Sometimes I want to take my dog to the pound.
28. I’m really scared of tornadoes.
29. I hate celery. And any kind of seafood. I can handle Benihana Hibachi-style shrimp. But that’s it.
30. I haven’t cleaned my fridge since we moved in, six months ago!!! Ahhhh!
31. I love Medium, the show on NBC.
32. I get really bad ingrown toenails.
33. Even though I’m not supposed to, sometimes I take hot baths, just for two minutes, to warm my legs up at night before bedtime. Otherwise, my restless leg syndrome drives me to insanity.
34. I don’t really like chocolate. I much prefer fruity and pie-ey desserts.
35. I hate sewing. My mom made me sew one thing every summer, and I always messed it up. I can hem and mend. And that’s it.
36. I wish I had a water softener.
37. I highlighted my hair in college, but now I don’t, and I’m glad. I think my natural color looks better than the highlights.
38. Right now, I’m reading a book of short stories by an author named Amy Hempel. They are fascinating and really good.
39. I like to cook interesting and new recipes for dinner.
40. I wish I could have a professional come and shape my eyebrows.
41. I’m secretly glad that I don’t have to fast on Fast Sundays when I’m pregnant.
42. I’m going to breastfeed my baby when he comes, but only to lose weight. That’s seriously the only reason I’m doing it.
43. I spend about ten hours each week preparing my young women’s lesson. I know. Way too much.
44. I also cry when I watch So You Think You Can Dance every summer. I just really miss dancing.
45. I jog (when I’m not prego), but only because it makes my weight fall off quickly. Not because I enjoy it in the least.
46. I don’t think I’m very smart.
47. I hate politics.
48. I was actually really rude to a door-to-door salesperson today, for the first time ever.
49. If a waiter gives me the wrong food, or if it’s disgusting, I won’t say anything. I’ll either eat it or pretend to eat it. Isn’t that dumb?
50. If I feel nauseated, but my body doesn’t feel like barfing, I’m so desperate to feel better that I’ll make myself barf. Don’t worry; it’s not habitual! Just when I feel really, really sick to my stomach. It happens, like, once a year or something.
51. I hate scary movies. And I hate it when my husband jumps out and scares me.
52. I have the skin of a hormonal 12-year-old. And I’m 30, for Pete’s sake.
53. My favorite color is purple. My couch is purple, and I used to have a purple car, until it got totaled. The car’s name was Grimace, that weird purple thing that hangs out with Ronald McDonald and the Hamburgler.
54. I drop almost everything I hold in my hands. I just have total butterfingers.
55. Whitening toothpaste makes me gag when I brush my teeth.
56. My favorite smell is the smell of cilantro. Yummm.
57. I didn’t start using bleach in my laundry until, like, a year ago. I was too scared that it would ruin clothes, no matter how much you dilute it. I have since become a bleachaholic.
58. I’m way more of a homebody now than I ever was.
59. I used to hate being by myself. Now I crave it.
60. I work almost every night, and I actually really, really love getting away from my kids. That’s so bad of me!
61. I won’t eat store-baked cookies, cakes, brownies, pies, etc. I think they taste really gross. And I figure, if I’m putting calories in my body, they’d better be really, really delicious calories.
62. I purposely don’t pray for more patience, even though I need it. I’m scared that, if I pray for patience, Heavenly Father will give me more trials that will make me more patient. And seriously, who prays for trials?? I know they make us better people, but who would seriously want more trials in their lives??
63. I probably drink ten cups of water per day. I’m always sooo thirsty. And water tastes so good to me.
64. I hate doing my nails. I did fake nails for my wedding, and they drove me nuts. I hate painting them, because I habitually chip at the polish. And I hate growing them long, because I feel like there’s always junk under them.
65. I grew up golfing, and I actually really like to golf, but I’m the worst golfer ever!!
66. I think those old, 1960’s muscle cars are cool.
67. I hate budgeting, looking at finances, etc. I’d rather do anything in the world than do that.
68. I’m afraid of heights. I did that flying thing at Lagoon with my dad and my sister, and I seriously almost fainted.
69. I don’t think I could ever live in a foreign country. Visit, yes. Live, nope.
70. I’m a total technophobe. I’m really bad at technological things.
71. I avoided reading Harry Potter books for a few years after they first started coming out. I didn’t want “to be like everyone else!” Now I adore them.
72. I hate chick flicks. And chick-flick-like books. I refuse to touch a Nicolas Sparks book.
73. I avoid sad movies. I figure that life is sad enough. Ben watched “Saving Private Ryan” on TV the other night, and I kept myself busy with laundry and dishes.
74. I love People Magazine.
75. I love cheese. We used to go to this all-you-can-eat buffet in San Diego, and all I would eat was the different, exotic cheeses on these cool cracker things. Oh my gosh. Sooooo good.
76. I’m psychologically addicted to Coca-Cola. When I’m having a bad day, I keep thinking, “I really need a Coke.”
77. I’ve never drunk alcohol, smoked, or done drugs. Just wasn’t interested.
78. I let my kids watch too much TV.
79. When I was a ballerina, my specialty was grand allegro – big jumps. I was a pretty good jumper. I felt like I was flying. I loved it.
80. I want to take adult ballet classes, someday, when we can afford it.
81. I felt like I had a really good arch on my feet when I did pointe work in ballet.
82. I always get a little nervous before snowskiing or waterskiing.
83. No feeling is better, though, than slaloming on a glassy lake in the late afternoon. I’d like to think there will be waterskiing in heaven.
84. My junior high softball coach called me “rocket” because I had a strong throwing arm (but I wasn’t accurate at all).
85. I have the nose of a bloodhound. I often smell dog poop, just randomly, no matter where I am (I think I have post-traumatic stress disorder from house training my dog). My friend, Nyline, calls it “pooranoia.”
86. I used to go tanning in college, but now I don’t care if I’m tan.
87. I chew on my hangnails, subconsciously, when I’m hungry!
88. My favorite season is fall.
89. My favorite holiday is Christmas.
90. I hate wearing socks. As soon as I get home, I take ‘em off.
91. All I want to wear is jammie bottoms. As soon as I get home, I change from my jeans to my jammie bottoms.
92. I’d like to take art classes again, too. Though I don’t think I’m that great of an artist, I took classes in high school and really enjoyed it.
93. I wish I was a better photographer.
94. My body is an apple shape (as opposed to a pear shape), but I’m glad. I’d rather have a chubby belly than chubby thighs and butt.
95. I really hate it when there are grammar mistakes on signs in front of businesses.
96. I hope I never get a calling in primary.
97. I love working with teenagers. If it wasn’t for their parents, I would go back to teaching after my kids were all in school. It was the kids’ parents that drove me up the wall – “Give my kid an A, even though he doesn’t do any work!” Give me a break.
98. I used to think I wanted four kids, but now I’m thinking maybe that might be a bad idea. I just don’t think I can go through another pregnancy.
99. I used to give Ben backrubs all the time when we were dating – now I hardly ever do it! Too much work… I’m such a jerk!
100. I have really cool in-laws.

Pink Eye

Dylan has pink eye! Ewwwww... Pink eye is just creepy. That's why I hate it. It just creeps me out. I've been washing my hands ten thousand times a day and I've been really careful about not touching my eyes as much as I probably usually do. We got Dyl some eyedrops yesterday, and he looks clear today, but I still think I'm going to keep him out of school for a couple of days. I don't want him to spread it to others. He is the biggest baby about me giving him eyedrops! He says they hurt soooo bad. I'm like, dude, sorry, I have no sympathy for you. You can talk to me about hurting when your hip ligaments won't heal because you're pregnant!! Or when your heartburn feels like someone is stabbing you in the middle of the night! Then we can talk!

The Numbers Game

Dylan loves to play this game with me. He sees household objects that look like numbers, and he brings them to me and says, "Mom, what number is this?" I'll say, "Um, six?" And he'll say, "GOOD JOB, MOM!!" This picture is actually a re-creation of one he came up with - it's a fence for play horses, all folded up, and his hand making a zero. When you put them together, they make the number ten.

Ring Around the Rosies

First of all, let me apologize for Sadie's disheveled appearance. :) This was before Ben cut her hair, and she had just gotten up from a nap, so her hair was really...well... nappy. Get it? Nappy? I'm so punny! And she insisted on picking her outfit, so she doesn't match. And, of course, we've got her mismatched socks.

So, those disclaimers written, here she is, singing "Ring Around the Rosies." Soooo funny and cute. She throws Saw (her favorite stuffed animal) on the ground when she says "we all fall down!" Much easier than falling to the ground herself.

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! I used to hate V-day when I was single, but now it's one of my favorite holidays. Dylan and I had to prepare his valentines for his preschool classmates. He wanted to write his own name on them, but after about three, he got bored, and Mommy had to finish up. Sounds familiar (see my entry for Valentine's Cookies):

Something I used to love growing up was that my mom would buy each of us kids one small toy for Valentine's Day. I wanted to continue that tradition with my own kids. So I got Dylan a transformer (he wanted Megatron):

And I got Sadie a Legos fire truck. Buying her dolls or other girly things is the hugest waste of money! She won't touch 'em. She, Dylan, and I had fun putting the fire truck together:

I got Ben the coolest picture frame ever. I want to put some photos, which he took about a year ago, in our room, and I think this frame will really make the photos pop out:

Following are the photos Ben took. We'll have to crop a couple of them to make them fit into parts of the frame. I think they're beautiful, and they will look so good in our bedroom. I think Ben is a really great photographer, and I love displaying photos he has taken in our home:

Ben gave me some really pretty lilies (I think they're lilies - I'm not a flower expert like Beads is), some chunky jewelery (my favorite), and some yummy candy:

We didn't go on a date on Thursday night - we went last night. Mom watched the kids (thanks, Mom!). We did a temple session:

Then we went out to eat at a steak and seafood restaurant:

Such good food. Unfortunately, I threw it up later. I was so mad! There was $15, literally flushed down the toilet! Grrr... I hate being pregnant.

Titan's Favorite Place

As I told you before, Titan loves hanging in the bathroom. He thinks toilet water is refreshing and yummy (ewww), he enjoys methodically ripping apart my bath mat, he likes to hang out next to the heating vent in there, and he likes to get the kids' bath toys out of the bucket and chew on them. Needless to say, I try to keep my bathroom door closed at all times. Sometimes, when I'm showering, Dylan will open the door to yell some dumb request - "Mom, I want some chocolate milk in a white big-boy sippy cup [a sports bottle]!!!!!" While I'm responding, "Um, okay, when I'm done showering, honey...", Titan will happily take the opportunity to slip into the bathroom and actually jump into the shower with me. He loves showering! I wouldn't mind it so much, but I have to rub the water off him afterwards, which is a pain. Sometimes, when he slips in, and I know he needs a bath, I just go ahead and wash him. He's not such a fan of the washing part. Maybe the possibility of being washed will eventually discourage him from jumping in altogether.

If Dylan is a good boy and leaves me alone when I'm showering (which is seldom), after I get dressed and open my bathroom door, Titan makes a beeline for the bathtub, and then he licks every bit of moisture from it. Another ewww, perhaps, but maybe he's helping me fight soap scum, eh? He's such a weirdo.

Whistling

The kids can't whistle, so this is how they call Titan to come:

It gets a little annoying after awhile!

Valentine Cookies

I must love being miserable. That's the only thing I can come up with when I ask myself the question: Why did I just do this? I like to make the holidays special for my kids, so I thought it might be nice to make sugar cookies with them for Valentine's Day. We baked them last night, and we mixed the frosting this morning and decorated the cookies. The kids wanted to help put food coloring in the icing, and of course, they made a huge mess. There are now four sizeable pink and red dye stains on my table. It's a good thing I'm not a huge fan of the table. When I cleaned up that mess, it was time to ice the cookies. Dylan decorated one:

In the process, he got frosting all over the table and himself. So then he goes in the kitchen, wipes the frosting on my decorative towel (the kids know they're not supposed to touch my decorative towels), staining it, then decides that he's bored and doesn't want to decorate anymore. Sadie also decorated one:

Then she got bored and decided it would be a lot more fun to eat Mom's nicely decorated cookies. She refused to eat the one she decorated (which had about two pounds of frosting on it). I don't blame her:

She also, of course, got frosting all over herself. This left me to decorate the remaining 75 cookies or so, all by myself. I didn't do anything fun. Just the perfunctory icing and sprinkling:

Sadie kept feeding Titan cookies, so I had to put Titan in his kennel. So he's scream/barking and whining, my house has frosting all over it, there are pink and red stains on my table, and I'm about ready to punch someone. Dylan decided to take my camera and have some camera fun while I was finishing up the dirty work. He took, among several, a picture of himself (complete with nasty, snotty nose):

And one of Sadie, complete with nasty frosting all over her face:

Sheesh. What a morning. Now it's 2:30 in the afternoon, and I'm finally going to take a shower. This is what I get for trying to make my kids' holidays memorable!!

Sadie's New Haircut

I have been wanting to get Sadie's haircut for weeks. When we got a certificate in the mail for a $7 haircut at Great Clips, I asked Ben if we could spare the money. He insisted that we couldn't, and that he would do it himself. I was understandably nervous, but I said okay. My mom says that Sadie's hair is like Nat's hair - so fine-textured that you could basically cut it straight across in two snips. I told Ben I only wanted him to take off an inch or two from the bottom, because I wanted to still be able to put it into a ponytail. He said okay. First he sprayed it with a spray bottle:

And then he got started. Sadie was really, really wiggly and uncooperative, so Ben yelled at her, so that's why she's crying in these pictures:

She wiggled so much that Ben ended up whacking one side up to her chin. So, to even it out, he had to cut it all to her chin. So much for the ponytail idea. I was in total shock and not very happy about it:

But then I fixed a few of the straggler hairs, and now it's really grown on me. It makes her hair look a lot fuller. She looks even cuter now than she used to, I think. Her hair is in her face all the time, but it always fell out of ponytails and hung in her face anyways, so this option is probably the better of the two: