Cuddle Buddies

Sadie loves to be cuddled and held. I try to cuddle her as much as I can, because I love it, but I usually can't do it for long - I always have dishes, laundry, etc. calling my name. On weekends, when Ben is home a lot, he and Sadie cuddle a ton. It is so sweet. Ben is the best dad ever. I love that my kids are comfortable around him, that he plays with them, and that he's affectionate with them.

Dad's Birthday

Dad's birthday was last week, and we had a little party to celebrate it on Friday night. We had a pot luck dinner first. Jake and Dylan:

Brock (that thing on his chin is a wart he just got removed):

Sadie:

Mom and Dad:

Ben and Pete:

Troy:

And Nat:

Ben and Jake, being silly together:

Then we sang to Dad and had him open his presents (he's opening my card in this shot):

Dylan had a dream about a week ago about a rug in my parents' basement. In his dream, it was a mean magic carpet that ate him. This dream really freaked him out, because he was still talking about it on Friday. He told Jake about his dream, and Jake started to get really scared of the magic carpet in my parents' basement. He worried about it all evening, no matter how many times we told him that it was only in Dylan's dream. So Ben decided to put the rug on top of him and chase the kids up the stairs. I was so worried that it would really scare Jake, but it kind of helped to alleviate his magic carpet fears. Here is a picture of the kids running away from the stairs:

And Ben laughing. He is so silly:

Here's Mom, teaching Sadie how to do a somersault. She did one and really hated it, refusing to somersault anymore. She's so weird!

Then Mom taught the kids how to play Pretty Bird My Cup, What Color's Yours? It was the hit of the evening. You have a little cup of water (we used to play it with a thimble when we were kids), and you choose a color in your mind. Then you go to everyone in the circle, one by one, and say, "Pretty Bird My Cup, What Color's Yours?" The person guesses a color. If he didn't guess the color you were thinking of, you go to the next guy and ask the question again. If he guessed the color you were thinking of, you splash him with the water. The kids could have played this game for a million years. Jake kept getting so frustrated that he wasn't guessing the color and getting splashed, so we told Dylan to splash Jake, no matter what color he said. This picture was taken right before Jake got splashed:

Sadie wanted a chance to splash someone, so we let her splash Ben, which consisted of her holding out his arm and pouring the water gently on his sleeve:

This is Dylan, after I told him we had to go home. He really wanted to keep playing. You can see how drenched he is:

It was a fun night. It is so nice to be around family again. Happy Birthday, Dad! I'm sorry your birthday is right in the middle of tax season. That sucks! Mine was always during finals, in college, but that was only for five years, not for my entire working career!!

Another Reason for Pete to Make Fun of Me

Okay. My brother-in-law, Pete, adores making fun of me. He often asks me random, personality-driven questions, just so he can make fun of my answer. It's his favorite pasttime, besides stupid WoW. He did this survey on his blog and then tagged me, probably so that he can have another avenue in which to tease me. But I don't care - people tease me a lot. Apparently I'm fun to tease?

A-Attached or Single? Attached
B-Best Friend? Ben. And then Pooh.
C-Cake or Pie? Pie all the way.
D-Day of Choice? Friday. Even though I work on Saturdays, Fridays just somehow feel...lighter. Maybe because Ben loves Fridays and gets home from work, all giddy for a couple of days at home with the fam.
E-Essential Item? I don't know. Deodorant? I couldn't go without it. I'm so paranoid about smelling that I put it on probably four times a day. Seriously.
F-Favorite Color? Purple. I once had a purple car, and I have a beautiful purple couch. And a purple bathroom.
G-Gummy bears or worms? Blech. Neither. Only if I was starving.
H-Hometown? Idaho Falls, ID
I-Favorite Indulgence? Sleeping in for way too long on Saturdays.
J-January or July? Neither! January is too cold, and July is too hot. I think I'm very temperature-sensitive.
K-Kids? I have two and three-fourths. And I'm beginning to think that will be the end. I just don't know if I can stand to be pregnant ever again. This pregnancy has been extremely painful.
L-Life isn't complete without? Benny Bones. (That's Ben's nickname. But not from anything gross. I think one of his uncles called him that, or something.)
M-Marriage date? January 13, 2001
N-Number of brothers and sisters? three gorgeous sisters
O-Oranges or apples? Gosh, that's hard. I adore both of them. Apples are more consistently yummy. I've had a few really horrible oranges in my life, so I get nervous about eating them when they're out of season. But a good orange is like heaven on earth. So I think oranges win this.
P-Phobia or fears? I'm really, really scared of tornadoes. Or is it spelled tornados? Hmmm. Oh well. And I've discovered that heights are a problem for me.
Q-Quote? Lately, my favorite is "Damn! We're in a tight spot!" From O Brother, Where Art Thou? Sorry I swore. :)
R-Reason to smile? My kids. They make me smile a lot. They're just so funny and cute. Sometimes they drive me crazy, but mainly, I just watch them and chuckle to myself.
S-Season of choice? autumn
T-Tag 3 people: Beads, Nat, and Lex (even though she thinks these things are obnoxious. And even though her blog is having some difficulties right now).
U-Unknown facts about me? Jeez, this is hard. My life is like an open book. I'm a sharer, and mainly, an over-sharer. Um... Some people don't know that I used to be a ballerina. Not pro or anything. But I used to dance pretty seriously.
V-Vegetable? Man, I really have a hard time liking vegetables. Okay. I like broccoli, but lately, if I take even one bite, I have heartburn for like three days. So maybe in a few months I can try it again.
W-Worst habit? Drinking Coke.
X-X-ray or ultrasound? Weird question. I don't know. Both x-rays and ultrasounds bear good and bad news, huh? Neither hurt. I don't really have a preference, I guess.
Y-Your favorite food? bean burritos. And lately, anything I don't have to prepare.
Z-Zodiac sign? Aries. I think that's supposed to mean that I'm this overbearing, mean person, or something.

The Master Builder

I have a feeling that Dylan is going to take after Ben. Whenever he has free play time in school, he is always building things. He builds Sadie little dogs out of legos, complete with tails, ears, everything. It's pretty amazing. We went to Home Depot last night, and you would think he was in Toys R Us or something - "Mom, look at these huge boards!! Look at these light switches!!" He built this snail last week, but he can't take credit for it, because the idea was on the outside of the Mega Bloks bag. But I still think it's pretty impressive.

Boogers, Boogers, Boogers!!

Poor Dylan inherited my allergy problems. I have to give him children's Benadryl every single morning, and until it takes effect, he blows his nose about 75 times. It's really frustrating for him. Sometimes he cries about it. The other morning, he pounded his fists on the window, screaming, "Boogers, boogers, boogers!!" It's frustrating for me, too, because he thinks he can't blow his nose himself. I've showed him how, myriads of times, but inevitably, he ends up getting snot all over his hand. If he brings me the kleenex, then I'll help him. I caught some allergy moments on camera the other day. Dylan crying in frustration:

And Daddy helping him blow his nose:

Poor thing. I'm thinking of starting him on children's Claritin. Taking one Claritin, every single day, helps me a lot. If I miss a day, I'm in trouble, but if I do it daily, it kind of builds up, and it helps me.

Four Things

I got this, via e-mail, from my cute friend, Margaret, and I thought it would be perfect for my blog.

A) FOUR PLACES I GO OVER AND OVER: Dylan's preschool, work, Ben's work (he forgets his lunch almost every day), and probably my mom's house.
B) FOUR PEOPLE WHO E-MAIL ME: (Regularly): Greg (Ben's stepdad), Laurie (Ben's biological mom), Brenda (Ben's stepmom), and Gloria (Ben's mom)
C) Four of my favorite foods: bean burritos, cheesy bread from Papa Kelsey's, the house salad from Texas Roadhouse, and mozzarella sticks
D) Four places I would rather be right now: Home (I'm doing this while I scan at work), visiting Nat, visiting Mom, or in the hospital, delivering my baby, who would miraculously be healthy, despite being born two months early. :) We can all fantasize, can't we?
E) Four people I think will comment: Nat, Jenny, Anjie, and Beads
F) Four movies I would watch over and over: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Wedding Singer, and The Man Who Knew Too Little

Some Cards I've Made Recently

The one below is an invitation for Nat's upcoming baby shower. Sorry you can't see the pink stamping very well: