I think we finally have a tooth coming in on Ellie . . . which made her scream uncontrollably most of the morning, and the entire time I was out visiting teaching (making me acutely aware that if the woman had had a blog, my screaming child and I would surely shown up on it as examples of how 'not to visit teach' on it.)
I saw two little bumps where a bottom tooth should be coming in, I swear it, but now they're gone. Greg probably thinks I'm making up this 'alleged tooth', as well as our daughter's hysterical theatrics, since she's always on such good behavior (and tylenol) when he gets home.
Ellie is also now finally crawling around like a crazy baby . . . making me, of course, wonder why I was so anxious for her to be mobile. Don't get me wrong, I love watching her explore and develop and I think it's amazing that she can now get to a toy that she wants and it doesn't require any effort on my part . . . but I am now having to vacuum twice as often since she has the baby/puppy ability of finding even the smallest piece of trash or discarded food on the floor, and have to make sure all of Annie's non-baby-appropriate toys aren't anywhere within swallowing distance (obviously this was never an issue with the first child), and make sure she doesn't crawl anywhere dangerous in say, the 20 seconds I try and run in to use the restroom. Thinking about locking her in the closet. I'm pretty sure that'd work.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Because I Apparently Never Want to Get My Dishes Done . . .
I started playing around with the online makeover tool, again. This time taking every suggestion they made for the 'Make Up Artist' looks. Make Up Artists apparently use a lot more green eyeshadow than I do.
And I tried some 'fun, new' hair colors and styles . . .
And I tried some 'fun, new' hair colors and styles . . .
Keen Grasp of the Obvious
Annie this morning was happily playing with a Disney toy she received yesterday from Grandma Ruth (who, along with Aunt Andrea, went to Disneyland last week). Looking at some of the pictures on the packaging, Annie was happily singing her own made up song, "Mickey Mouse. Minnie Mouse. Mickey Mouse. Minnie Mouse. Mickey Mouse. Min . . . HEY MOM! They're both mouses! I 'ever noticed that before!" This is probably one of those 'you had to be there' kinda stories, but it was hilarious!
The toy that Annie is so infatuated with (would hardly stop playing long enough to eat dinner last night, or breakfast this morning, it is just that cool) is a Cinderella fashion set . . .
A little plastic Cinderella with all kinds of little plastic accessories . . . I think Greg and I have done nothing but help change Cinderella's dress since she got it yesterday afternoon. I've never seen her quite so taken by a toy before. Anyway. Yesterday, she had me help get Cinderella all dressed in her blue ball gown, complete with dramatic blue cloak. She happily snatched her away from me the moment the last accessory was in place, and starting making 'whooshing' noises as she flew Cinderella around her grandparent's frontroom, while happily shouting, "Fly Cinderelly, fly! Cinderelly to the rescue!" What else would a princess do when equipped with not one, but TWO, capes in her accessory set? She then explained to her Dad, "I have to make 'air' noises [the whoosing] or she nan't fly." So that's how it works.
Ellie has made it her life's mission to consume at least one of those teeny tiny princess shoes when I'm not looking, but so far we've all been diligent, and at last count we're only missing one teeny tiny accessory, and we're 90% sure it was just dropped at Grandma's, not eaten by Ellie.
Ellie has a love/hate relationship with one of the other souveniers the girls were spoiled with. Grandpa K.C. got a Shamu Cup with a straw for the girls, and Annie thought it was OK, but it was no Cinderella Fashion Set, so she lost interest pretty quick. Ellie though, she's in love with all things 'beverage container', so this was like Christmas. She giggles and dives for it and jams the straw in her mouth (then she nearly punctures the back of her throat, cries in sheer agony for a bit, then forgets the pain and suddenly notices a really cool whale cup with a straw in it and dives for it and giggles), and then she starts to suck. And suck. And suck. And although she doesn't seem to have problems with any other straw/cup container we own, this one seems to be her evil nemesis, 'cause the poor kid cannot seem to get any liquid out. And you better believe that pisses her off. But then she's just so excited, giggling and babbling, to be holding a cup at all (it's like the holy grail of big girl items, so to speak), that she seems thrilled to just be in possession of such a prize. Of course, then she tries to suck . . .
The toy that Annie is so infatuated with (would hardly stop playing long enough to eat dinner last night, or breakfast this morning, it is just that cool) is a Cinderella fashion set . . .
A little plastic Cinderella with all kinds of little plastic accessories . . . I think Greg and I have done nothing but help change Cinderella's dress since she got it yesterday afternoon. I've never seen her quite so taken by a toy before. Anyway. Yesterday, she had me help get Cinderella all dressed in her blue ball gown, complete with dramatic blue cloak. She happily snatched her away from me the moment the last accessory was in place, and starting making 'whooshing' noises as she flew Cinderella around her grandparent's frontroom, while happily shouting, "Fly Cinderelly, fly! Cinderelly to the rescue!" What else would a princess do when equipped with not one, but TWO, capes in her accessory set? She then explained to her Dad, "I have to make 'air' noises [the whoosing] or she nan't fly." So that's how it works. Ellie has made it her life's mission to consume at least one of those teeny tiny princess shoes when I'm not looking, but so far we've all been diligent, and at last count we're only missing one teeny tiny accessory, and we're 90% sure it was just dropped at Grandma's, not eaten by Ellie.
Ellie has a love/hate relationship with one of the other souveniers the girls were spoiled with. Grandpa K.C. got a Shamu Cup with a straw for the girls, and Annie thought it was OK, but it was no Cinderella Fashion Set, so she lost interest pretty quick. Ellie though, she's in love with all things 'beverage container', so this was like Christmas. She giggles and dives for it and jams the straw in her mouth (then she nearly punctures the back of her throat, cries in sheer agony for a bit, then forgets the pain and suddenly notices a really cool whale cup with a straw in it and dives for it and giggles), and then she starts to suck. And suck. And suck. And although she doesn't seem to have problems with any other straw/cup container we own, this one seems to be her evil nemesis, 'cause the poor kid cannot seem to get any liquid out. And you better believe that pisses her off. But then she's just so excited, giggling and babbling, to be holding a cup at all (it's like the holy grail of big girl items, so to speak), that she seems thrilled to just be in possession of such a prize. Of course, then she tries to suck . . .
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Turning 30 This Year
So, I've been thinking a lot about turning thirty this year. I don't find it depressing, upsetting or sad . . . just kinda surreal :-)
Although this realization of my impending thirties has made me acutely aware that I should probably stop using a baby wipe to wash my face on the random nights I think to remove my makeup. I'm gonna end up with wrinkly, damaged skin and it'll be all my fault. So, this has prompted me to start a 'beauty regimen.' I bought some Olay stuff earlier this year. I used some Loreal stuff I liked. I decided to give the Mary Kay TimeWise line a whirl, which is what I'm using now. So far I'm liking it. Even more now that I found they have a "Virtual Makeover" tool that is so much fun I may not go downstairs and get my dishes done this evening.
As fun as putting crazy color eye shadows on my virtual face was (the colorful lipstick options just looked ridiculous), I found the hair style thing way more fun than the make up capabilities . . . although it makes me a little sad I can't grow my hair out (my hair grows to my shoulders and stops. I have NEVER had it longer than that in my entire life.)
Any favorites? :-)
So, make up and skin care lines . . . what do you use? Anything specific? Or do you have an entire drawer full of random stuff (including dozens of samples from the "What a Woman Wants" fair) that you randomly pull stuff out of and slather on your face, hoping it isn't expired or doesn't cause adverse skin reactions? Or is that just me?
Edited to add: Greg was watching me upload the pictures, when he commented, "You really should grow your hair long like that." Yeah, thanks dude. You know, for reminding me how much you prefer long hair to short when we've discussed at length (so to speak) that my hair won't grow out. Wanna tell me how much more attractive blue eyes are then brown?
Just giving you a hard time, hon. You know I love you and totally forgive any dumb thing you say that you immediately wish you could take back. (After I've mentioned it a few times, used it against you and pouted for a awhile.) ;-)
Although this realization of my impending thirties has made me acutely aware that I should probably stop using a baby wipe to wash my face on the random nights I think to remove my makeup. I'm gonna end up with wrinkly, damaged skin and it'll be all my fault. So, this has prompted me to start a 'beauty regimen.' I bought some Olay stuff earlier this year. I used some Loreal stuff I liked. I decided to give the Mary Kay TimeWise line a whirl, which is what I'm using now. So far I'm liking it. Even more now that I found they have a "Virtual Makeover" tool that is so much fun I may not go downstairs and get my dishes done this evening.
As fun as putting crazy color eye shadows on my virtual face was (the colorful lipstick options just looked ridiculous), I found the hair style thing way more fun than the make up capabilities . . . although it makes me a little sad I can't grow my hair out (my hair grows to my shoulders and stops. I have NEVER had it longer than that in my entire life.)
Any favorites? :-)
So, make up and skin care lines . . . what do you use? Anything specific? Or do you have an entire drawer full of random stuff (including dozens of samples from the "What a Woman Wants" fair) that you randomly pull stuff out of and slather on your face, hoping it isn't expired or doesn't cause adverse skin reactions? Or is that just me?
Edited to add: Greg was watching me upload the pictures, when he commented, "You really should grow your hair long like that." Yeah, thanks dude. You know, for reminding me how much you prefer long hair to short when we've discussed at length (so to speak) that my hair won't grow out. Wanna tell me how much more attractive blue eyes are then brown?
Just giving you a hard time, hon. You know I love you and totally forgive any dumb thing you say that you immediately wish you could take back. (After I've mentioned it a few times, used it against you and pouted for a awhile.) ;-)
Time for a Date Night . . .
Greg and I have a $25 gift card to Chili's (most of our dates are paid for by gift cards we get as either gifts, reward programs on our Visa, or from his work), and Greg really wanted the family to go out to dinner last night. I was less than enthusiastic. The last two times we've taken the girls out to dinner, I've come home a complete bundle of nerves. They're both really pretty good kids, not yelling or throwing breadsticks at people in restaurants or anything. But when we're there it feels like I'm on high alert. There's trying to keep Ellie from getting fussy (she's awfully impatient). Then just keeping Ellie fed, while keeping the sizzling fajita platter out of reach, the water where it can't be pulled off the table, the black beans where she can't stick her little fist in them . . . it's a full time job. I barely have time to feed myself. I'm also trying to make sure Annie's eating more than tortilla chips.
Greg, on the otherhand, seems to enjoy eating out so much and all I can figure is we're experiencing the event much, much differently. I'm experiencing it as the Mom. Last time we went, right as we were getting ready to leave (in the snow), Annie accidently knocked an entire glass of water on the two of us. Ice water. In my lap. I had to walk out of Chili's looking like I'd peed my pants.
So when Greg asked last night if I thought we should go to Chili's for dinner, my response was along the lines of, "Well, we could do that . . . or we could just stay home and stick red hot pokers in our eyes and save on gas." My suggestion was we leave the kids with a sitter today and go without them. I for one, will probably enjoy my food a lot more that way!
Ellie's given up on babbling or vocalizing in cute baby tones . . . she now just grunts and growls at us. And she finds it hilarious. It's this really deep growl, and you'd never believe it's coming from such a cute, delicate little girl. I was on the phone with my Mom the other day when Ellie was doing it, and she asked, "What is that?!" She was pretty shocked when it turned out to be Ellie . . . I think she thought our disposal was having problems or something. The main exception to this is when she calls out, "Mommommom!" while crying, just to make me feel bad. It's kinda mind blowing we're getting so close to this kid actually being able to communicate (and walk, and do all those other things my baby should be too little to do!)
Greg, on the otherhand, seems to enjoy eating out so much and all I can figure is we're experiencing the event much, much differently. I'm experiencing it as the Mom. Last time we went, right as we were getting ready to leave (in the snow), Annie accidently knocked an entire glass of water on the two of us. Ice water. In my lap. I had to walk out of Chili's looking like I'd peed my pants.
So when Greg asked last night if I thought we should go to Chili's for dinner, my response was along the lines of, "Well, we could do that . . . or we could just stay home and stick red hot pokers in our eyes and save on gas." My suggestion was we leave the kids with a sitter today and go without them. I for one, will probably enjoy my food a lot more that way!
Ellie's given up on babbling or vocalizing in cute baby tones . . . she now just grunts and growls at us. And she finds it hilarious. It's this really deep growl, and you'd never believe it's coming from such a cute, delicate little girl. I was on the phone with my Mom the other day when Ellie was doing it, and she asked, "What is that?!" She was pretty shocked when it turned out to be Ellie . . . I think she thought our disposal was having problems or something. The main exception to this is when she calls out, "Mommommom!" while crying, just to make me feel bad. It's kinda mind blowing we're getting so close to this kid actually being able to communicate (and walk, and do all those other things my baby should be too little to do!)
Friday, March 27, 2009
Classic Pictures
To go along with my last post talking about Classic Skating . . . here's the pictures I just downloaded from my camera of our outing there yesterday . . .
We hit the arcade first, and Annie LOVED riding in this jeep, and in the "Roller Coaster Simulator" . . . I think this is a good sign for Disneyland!
Annie LOVED roller skating (the strap-on-over-your-shoes kinda skates, that you basically walk in, not skate . . . either way, she loved it!) When she saw the rink, with the lights and disco ball going, she went over and sat on the bench. I asked, "Annie, what are you doing sitting there?" "I'm waiting for the show to start!" she exclaimed. So imagine how excited she was when she found out she actually got to go play on the rink!
Here's Ellie . . . super happy 'cause I'd just let her basically eat her own body weight in pizza.
That's Annie, up top in the black shirt . . . she was like a inflatable-scaling-monkey! It was amazing for a kid who just mastered stairs and ladders like a year ago! It was slightly nerve wracking for me to watch her scale some of the near vertical surfaces, but she loved it.
Annie and I running down our 'lane' . . . I was snapped back a split second later!
You can only play that hard for so long before the toddler ends up in timeout or in tears. Or in our case, both. We left right after this.
We hit the arcade first, and Annie LOVED riding in this jeep, and in the "Roller Coaster Simulator" . . . I think this is a good sign for Disneyland!
Annie LOVED roller skating (the strap-on-over-your-shoes kinda skates, that you basically walk in, not skate . . . either way, she loved it!) When she saw the rink, with the lights and disco ball going, she went over and sat on the bench. I asked, "Annie, what are you doing sitting there?" "I'm waiting for the show to start!" she exclaimed. So imagine how excited she was when she found out she actually got to go play on the rink!
Here's Ellie . . . super happy 'cause I'd just let her basically eat her own body weight in pizza.
That's Annie, up top in the black shirt . . . she was like a inflatable-scaling-monkey! It was amazing for a kid who just mastered stairs and ladders like a year ago! It was slightly nerve wracking for me to watch her scale some of the near vertical surfaces, but she loved it.
Annie and I running down our 'lane' . . . I was snapped back a split second later!
You can only play that hard for so long before the toddler ends up in timeout or in tears. Or in our case, both. We left right after this.
Completely Random Thoughts & Classic Skating
I'm having a very productive morning. Both girls ate breakfast, we got that cleaned up, dishes done, frontroom cleaned, bedrooms vacuumed, we're all dressed, a new load of laundry's started, my hair and make up are done, and we're totally ready for our "Mom & Me" group that starts in 45 minutes. Boo yah.
Just one of the many, many things that amaze me about my husband: each and every time Greg changes the laundry, he remembers to clean out the lint trap. He's amazing.
Ellie's found my weak spot (one of many): she now cries out "Mommommommom!" from her crib when I put her down for a nap. I'm a sucker for this and fall for it about half the time and go and pick her up and cuddle her.
Classic Skating is every bit as cool now as it was when I was 12 (arguably more so, since it has huge bouncy houses, inflatable slides and obstacle courses and a jungle with vine swings.) Still has the same awesome neon swirl carpet though. I'm realizing now I have many memories that go back to this place. It was where I first saw the "I'm Fat" music video by Weird Al. (I have no idea why that's such a vivid memory.) We went there a lot, and it was one of the few places I ever saw music videos, as we never had MTV growing up. We also saw a concert there , I think the girl's name was Lisa something, where we got super cool plastic charms . . . I think my sister was rockin' a side ponytail, and we both were wearing two pair of socks (alternating colors), and neon clothing (possibly even the long knit shirts, a pair of leggings, and multiple knit belts.) Ah, good times. Horribly ugly, fashion-victimizing times. Did I ever tell you my sister and I took skating lessons for more than one summer? I rocked. I could do that thing where you crouched down and skated with one foot sticking straight out in front of you while squatting. Why that is cool, I don't know, I was just that good. I think I would promptly fall over if put me in skates now.
Fast forward a dozen years or so, and Classic Skating was the first place I ever held Greg's hand. While skating to a slow song during the 'couples-only skate.' With the lights dimmed.
At a singles ward activity.
I was bitter. :-)
It felt forced, and a bunch of people were watching and suddenly very aware that we were a verging couple, and I had to answer approximately 350 questions about it the next day, and we'd never even been on a date yet. Greg and I had just played cards the night before at my house, and for the first time, really got our flirt on. When he left, all of my friends were saying all kinds of dumb, cheesy things about chemistry, sparks and the like. It was pretty clear right then that something was happening between the two of us. And the next night our ward's Family Home Evening activity was going skating. So, I called Jessi, begging her to come with us so I could get a not-in-the-singles-ward point of view. Upon meeting him, and seeing his obvious infactuation with yours truly, Jessi highly approved . . . and mildly chewed me out for my cluelessness, when I responded to him asking me to attend a fraternity thing with him by saying, "Oh, that would be cool, but I'm going to California with Nate and Rob." I was instructed not to mention vacationing with other boys when the boy who currently liked me was asking me to hang out. Check. Anyway, we were skating and the lights dimmed and they did the whole, "Grab your partner or clear the floor," thing they do at cheesy skating rinks, and Greg grabbed my hand before I could skate off quick enough. :-) The whole time I was thinking, "This isn't how we're supposed to hold hands for the first time . . . now I'll never know when it would've happened in our relationship if left up to its own devices." Dude, I stressed about stupid stuff. I was married to him like 9 months later anyway, so it seems really dumb in hindsight.
Fast forward another 5 years, and I'm running around like a crazy person on inflatable toys after a two year old, with a 10 month old in hand. I marveled at how fearless Annie was, climbing up nearly vertical walls to get to steep, tall slides that she'd just come flying down. I learned an important lesson though. Do not, under any circumstances, use your elbows to try and slow yourself down while going down the slide with the baby . . . you will have no skin left on said elbows, and it burns like no other.
Ellie's found my weak spot (one of many): she now cries out "Mommommommom!" from her crib when I put her down for a nap. I'm a sucker for this and fall for it about half the time and go and pick her up and cuddle her.
Classic Skating is every bit as cool now as it was when I was 12 (arguably more so, since it has huge bouncy houses, inflatable slides and obstacle courses and a jungle with vine swings.) Still has the same awesome neon swirl carpet though. I'm realizing now I have many memories that go back to this place. It was where I first saw the "I'm Fat" music video by Weird Al. (I have no idea why that's such a vivid memory.) We went there a lot, and it was one of the few places I ever saw music videos, as we never had MTV growing up. We also saw a concert there , I think the girl's name was Lisa something, where we got super cool plastic charms . . . I think my sister was rockin' a side ponytail, and we both were wearing two pair of socks (alternating colors), and neon clothing (possibly even the long knit shirts, a pair of leggings, and multiple knit belts.) Ah, good times. Horribly ugly, fashion-victimizing times. Did I ever tell you my sister and I took skating lessons for more than one summer? I rocked. I could do that thing where you crouched down and skated with one foot sticking straight out in front of you while squatting. Why that is cool, I don't know, I was just that good. I think I would promptly fall over if put me in skates now.
Fast forward a dozen years or so, and Classic Skating was the first place I ever held Greg's hand. While skating to a slow song during the 'couples-only skate.' With the lights dimmed.
At a singles ward activity.
I was bitter. :-)
It felt forced, and a bunch of people were watching and suddenly very aware that we were a verging couple, and I had to answer approximately 350 questions about it the next day, and we'd never even been on a date yet. Greg and I had just played cards the night before at my house, and for the first time, really got our flirt on. When he left, all of my friends were saying all kinds of dumb, cheesy things about chemistry, sparks and the like. It was pretty clear right then that something was happening between the two of us. And the next night our ward's Family Home Evening activity was going skating. So, I called Jessi, begging her to come with us so I could get a not-in-the-singles-ward point of view. Upon meeting him, and seeing his obvious infactuation with yours truly, Jessi highly approved . . . and mildly chewed me out for my cluelessness, when I responded to him asking me to attend a fraternity thing with him by saying, "Oh, that would be cool, but I'm going to California with Nate and Rob." I was instructed not to mention vacationing with other boys when the boy who currently liked me was asking me to hang out. Check. Anyway, we were skating and the lights dimmed and they did the whole, "Grab your partner or clear the floor," thing they do at cheesy skating rinks, and Greg grabbed my hand before I could skate off quick enough. :-) The whole time I was thinking, "This isn't how we're supposed to hold hands for the first time . . . now I'll never know when it would've happened in our relationship if left up to its own devices." Dude, I stressed about stupid stuff. I was married to him like 9 months later anyway, so it seems really dumb in hindsight.
Fast forward another 5 years, and I'm running around like a crazy person on inflatable toys after a two year old, with a 10 month old in hand. I marveled at how fearless Annie was, climbing up nearly vertical walls to get to steep, tall slides that she'd just come flying down. I learned an important lesson though. Do not, under any circumstances, use your elbows to try and slow yourself down while going down the slide with the baby . . . you will have no skin left on said elbows, and it burns like no other.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Goldilocks
So, I keep thinking as Annie's hair gets longer, it'll lose some of its curl . . . doesn't seem to be the case though.
If you ask Annie her hair color, she'll promptly respond, "Brownish." If you push a little, insisting she's blonde, she'll begrudgingly agree, "OK, blondish-brown." Anytime someone tells her she's blonde, she will later take at least a minute or two to point out ALL the brown she finds in her hair to me. Of course, she refers to my hair as blackish-brown.
Here's just a couple cute pictures of Ellie today . . . from when she wasn't being such a stinker that I ended up calling the doctor's office and making an appointment since ONLY an ear infection of epic proportions could possibly cause my baby to act so cantankerous . . . the doctor assures me she's fine though. Possibly teething ("Is she drooling?" "Yes, for like the last five months."), and she does have a bit of a raw, sore throat. You couldn't tell from these adorable pictures though!
She looks positively "Squishy" here . . . like her cousin Nathan . . . you'd never know she just broke the 16 lb. mark (maybe it's the camera adding weight, coupled with the bulky sweater with horizontal stripes . . . I've warned her, and warned her, but she never listens to my fashion advice . . . )
These are some pictures Annie took of Ellie and I the other day. I don't know why we wasted all the money on kids toys . . . we should've just bought her a digital camera and called it good. I think she shows promise.
We're still working on 'framing' though.
Unrelated to the pictures, Annie was saying prayer tonight, and it takes a pretty good dose of self control on my part not to giggle at her sheer adorableness. She was "thankful we went to a store with books, that wasn't a library, but a book store." She talked about going to the doctor's with Ellie. She also was "thankful I am learning so much, like my phone number and area code and house number, and more talking. I thankful to be getting bigger so I can talk normal." I'm not quite sure why she sees her talking as 'abnormal' (in fact the doctor today told her how impressed he was by all of her talkativeness), but it was just so cute that she sees that as one of the things she's learning and growing in. And we're working on her zip code. She's pretty well rounded.
If you ask Annie her hair color, she'll promptly respond, "Brownish." If you push a little, insisting she's blonde, she'll begrudgingly agree, "OK, blondish-brown." Anytime someone tells her she's blonde, she will later take at least a minute or two to point out ALL the brown she finds in her hair to me. Of course, she refers to my hair as blackish-brown.Here's just a couple cute pictures of Ellie today . . . from when she wasn't being such a stinker that I ended up calling the doctor's office and making an appointment since ONLY an ear infection of epic proportions could possibly cause my baby to act so cantankerous . . . the doctor assures me she's fine though. Possibly teething ("Is she drooling?" "Yes, for like the last five months."), and she does have a bit of a raw, sore throat. You couldn't tell from these adorable pictures though!
She looks positively "Squishy" here . . . like her cousin Nathan . . . you'd never know she just broke the 16 lb. mark (maybe it's the camera adding weight, coupled with the bulky sweater with horizontal stripes . . . I've warned her, and warned her, but she never listens to my fashion advice . . . )
These are some pictures Annie took of Ellie and I the other day. I don't know why we wasted all the money on kids toys . . . we should've just bought her a digital camera and called it good. I think she shows promise.
We're still working on 'framing' though.
Unrelated to the pictures, Annie was saying prayer tonight, and it takes a pretty good dose of self control on my part not to giggle at her sheer adorableness. She was "thankful we went to a store with books, that wasn't a library, but a book store." She talked about going to the doctor's with Ellie. She also was "thankful I am learning so much, like my phone number and area code and house number, and more talking. I thankful to be getting bigger so I can talk normal." I'm not quite sure why she sees her talking as 'abnormal' (in fact the doctor today told her how impressed he was by all of her talkativeness), but it was just so cute that she sees that as one of the things she's learning and growing in. And we're working on her zip code. She's pretty well rounded.
Phone Conversationalist
Annie on the phone with my Dad today (he didn't get a word in edge-wise . . . nor did he understand about 90% of it):
"Hi! I'm feeding my babies a binkie. Mommy's feeding Ellie pretend princess food. (She'd just given Ellie a plate and spoon, that we were informed had "pink food" on it.) I just sitting here, I just have Tamberly's binkie in her mouth and not in my hand so now I can talk to you. (It's a magnetic binkie that she got set up.) She has it in she's mouth. Now I feeding Sophia. My baby. Mom is feeding Ellie pretend food with a pretend spoon. Well, a real spoon. Pretend food. I feeding baby Sophia. She is hungry. She is so hungry, I can't even believe it." The last line made me laugh out loud.
Later while talking to Aunt Talina, she suddenly threw the phone to me and said, "Mom, you talk to her, I'm trying to feed Tamberly her binkie."
Ellie on the otherhand has spent most of the day mightily pissed off at me. FIRST, I didn't let her swallow my necklace. Then I wouldn't let her eat paper. Or newspaper. Or a book. Or a magazine. Or a candy wrapper she found under the bed. Each time I take one of these items away (sometimes by forcibly 'sweeping' her mouth), she gives me a look I imagine I will be very familiar with when she's a teenager. Then she screams. Really loudly. After about 15 episodes of this, I put her down for a nap, because I'm kind of at a loss of what to do or try, since everything I do seems to just make her madder and madder, and the only thing I can figure is that she is tired, coming down with something, or prematurely going through puberty or something.
"Hi! I'm feeding my babies a binkie. Mommy's feeding Ellie pretend princess food. (She'd just given Ellie a plate and spoon, that we were informed had "pink food" on it.) I just sitting here, I just have Tamberly's binkie in her mouth and not in my hand so now I can talk to you. (It's a magnetic binkie that she got set up.) She has it in she's mouth. Now I feeding Sophia. My baby. Mom is feeding Ellie pretend food with a pretend spoon. Well, a real spoon. Pretend food. I feeding baby Sophia. She is hungry. She is so hungry, I can't even believe it." The last line made me laugh out loud.
Later while talking to Aunt Talina, she suddenly threw the phone to me and said, "Mom, you talk to her, I'm trying to feed Tamberly her binkie."
Ellie on the otherhand has spent most of the day mightily pissed off at me. FIRST, I didn't let her swallow my necklace. Then I wouldn't let her eat paper. Or newspaper. Or a book. Or a magazine. Or a candy wrapper she found under the bed. Each time I take one of these items away (sometimes by forcibly 'sweeping' her mouth), she gives me a look I imagine I will be very familiar with when she's a teenager. Then she screams. Really loudly. After about 15 episodes of this, I put her down for a nap, because I'm kind of at a loss of what to do or try, since everything I do seems to just make her madder and madder, and the only thing I can figure is that she is tired, coming down with something, or prematurely going through puberty or something.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
I'm Trying to Think of Something to Write . . .
Annie says a dozen funny things a day, but I can never remember them when I sit down up to the computer! (Although, yesterday she did ask me sweetly for another potato chip by saying, "You know Mom, I would love another one of those.")
Ellie's 10 months old, so despite being irresistibly cute, doesn't really say or do that much. She actually does crawl now, like to get to stuff of interest. Mainly she seems to just crawl under my computer chair (whether I'm there or not), then try to stand up, hit her head and scream at me for letting such things happen to her. Standing up to stuff is the other 'big thing' she's into now . . . she loves to push "Fred" around. (Fred is the name of our "Winnie the Pooh" ride-on toy . . . he was nicknamed such by my sister and I when my sisters had bought it as a surprise for Annie (and were keeping it a secret from Greg too, so that someone who was actually old enough to be surprised would have an actual look of, "Wow, that's cool!" when they unveiled it), and to torture Greg by the secret we just referred to the present as "Fred" for several weeks before Annie got it. After she actually received the present, the name just stuck. But of course, Greg didn't really care about being 'out of the loop'; he's Greg, the world's most laid back person ever. Anyway, so pushing "Fred" around is a big deal right now, and walking along the couch and beds and stuff. She'll stand for a few seconds without help, but you will incur her wrath if you're the one who was cruel enough to let go of her hand.
In other Ellie news, she's hit 16 pounds now (I think . . . at least dressed she's 16 pounds.) What a chunker, right?
Annie hates to sleep. Nothing new there. (So does Ellie for that matter.) I think one of my favorite things about nursing is that I get to hold and cuddle the baby right before bed, while Greg gets to wrangle a toddler into pajamas, get her asthma medicine taken care of, teeth brushed, books read (I actually envy that part though), and get her in bed. But poor Greg has created a monster . . . despite his better judgment, Greg has gotten into the habit of going in and sitting next to Annie's bed while she falls asleep (it used to be that he'd hold her hand, but then when she fell asleep and he tried to 'disengage' she'd wake up and start the whole thing over again, so he 'weaned' her from hand holding, and now just sits by her bed until she's fast asleep.) Problem with this (besides the obvious she won't go to sleep without him there factor), is that in the middle of the night when she wakes up, she wants the same thing.
Last night, she woke up and Greg went in and sat by her (sucker). After a few attempts of her falling asleep, then waking up as soon as he tried to leave, he finally just came back to our room and I put her back in bed and let her scream. (She knows Mom means business, and that I won't go in and sit with her, so she stays in bed when I put her down. Usually. Still cries forever though.) Back in bed, she screamed at us for awhile before finally falling back asleep. During this time, Greg muttered, "Annie, just fall asleep already!" To which I responded, "You realize this is your fault . . . and that I'm going to blog about it . . . " :-)
Ellie's 10 months old, so despite being irresistibly cute, doesn't really say or do that much. She actually does crawl now, like to get to stuff of interest. Mainly she seems to just crawl under my computer chair (whether I'm there or not), then try to stand up, hit her head and scream at me for letting such things happen to her. Standing up to stuff is the other 'big thing' she's into now . . . she loves to push "Fred" around. (Fred is the name of our "Winnie the Pooh" ride-on toy . . . he was nicknamed such by my sister and I when my sisters had bought it as a surprise for Annie (and were keeping it a secret from Greg too, so that someone who was actually old enough to be surprised would have an actual look of, "Wow, that's cool!" when they unveiled it), and to torture Greg by the secret we just referred to the present as "Fred" for several weeks before Annie got it. After she actually received the present, the name just stuck. But of course, Greg didn't really care about being 'out of the loop'; he's Greg, the world's most laid back person ever. Anyway, so pushing "Fred" around is a big deal right now, and walking along the couch and beds and stuff. She'll stand for a few seconds without help, but you will incur her wrath if you're the one who was cruel enough to let go of her hand.
In other Ellie news, she's hit 16 pounds now (I think . . . at least dressed she's 16 pounds.) What a chunker, right?
Annie hates to sleep. Nothing new there. (So does Ellie for that matter.) I think one of my favorite things about nursing is that I get to hold and cuddle the baby right before bed, while Greg gets to wrangle a toddler into pajamas, get her asthma medicine taken care of, teeth brushed, books read (I actually envy that part though), and get her in bed. But poor Greg has created a monster . . . despite his better judgment, Greg has gotten into the habit of going in and sitting next to Annie's bed while she falls asleep (it used to be that he'd hold her hand, but then when she fell asleep and he tried to 'disengage' she'd wake up and start the whole thing over again, so he 'weaned' her from hand holding, and now just sits by her bed until she's fast asleep.) Problem with this (besides the obvious she won't go to sleep without him there factor), is that in the middle of the night when she wakes up, she wants the same thing.
Last night, she woke up and Greg went in and sat by her (sucker). After a few attempts of her falling asleep, then waking up as soon as he tried to leave, he finally just came back to our room and I put her back in bed and let her scream. (She knows Mom means business, and that I won't go in and sit with her, so she stays in bed when I put her down. Usually. Still cries forever though.) Back in bed, she screamed at us for awhile before finally falling back asleep. During this time, Greg muttered, "Annie, just fall asleep already!" To which I responded, "You realize this is your fault . . . and that I'm going to blog about it . . . " :-)
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Do the iPod Shuffle
The Rules:
1. Put your iPod (or iTunes) on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You MUST write that song name down no matter how silly it sounds.
I'd like to preface this by saying I don't have an iPod. Don't mock me. I do have iTunes though, with the whole family's music. So, lots of kids songs, primary music, and Weird Al.
I had Greg sitting right here by me as I was doing this, so he can vouch this is legit, I didn't cheat or anything . . . some of them just turned out that funny.
1. If someone says “are you ok?” you say? Hokey Pokey
(That's like Ned Flanders level of cheesy, and yet it works.)
2. How would you describe yourself? Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D, Air, BWV 1068, Bach
(What, you don't describe yourself in those exact words!?)
3. What do you like in a guy/girl? Tow Sawyer (Rush)
(Apparently I'm very particular . . . I only have one type of man. The Tom Sawyer type. (I've listened to a LOT of Rush since I've met Greg. It's been a new, um, experience for me. I seriously still think the main singer is a girl, except that I've now seen him in concert twice, and he looks manly-ish-enough.))
4. How do you feel today? I Only Have Eyes for You (The Flamingoes)
(Um, OK. I really don't have anything to add.)
5. What is your life’s purpose? Wakko's America
(I'm thinking of going into politics.)
6. What is your motto? Clean My Teeth (Hi-5)
(It's not the worst motto. Hygeine is important. And I think 75% of my music on here now is kids stuff.)
7. What do your friends think of you? Everything You Are
(Um, again, nothing to say.)
8. What do your parents think of you? White & Nerdy (Weird Al)
(I laughed for like three minutes on this one . . . this is when I dragged Greg over to enjoy in my blogging hilarity. This cracked me up. Although, it was admittedly embarassing to admit to having so much Weird Al on my computer that even in a randomized search of like 3,500 songs, Weird Al was bound to come up.)
9. What do you think about very often? Paperback Writer (The Beatles)
(Maybe I wanna be a writer?)
10. What is 2+2? 6 Little Ducks
(This is the next one that made me laugh out loud. Greg was also amused. Math was never my favorite subject.)
11. What do you think of your best friend? The Priesthood is Restored
(This made me giggle a little. I told Greg he really was my best friend, so it kinda worked.)
12. What is your life story? Three Blind Mice
(If I thought harder, I could come up with something clever on this one, but I have nothing.)
13. What do you want to be when you grow up? Lose Yourself (Eminem)
(I apparently don't have high hopes . . . unless it means I want to lose myself to some higher purpose? Or I want to be the next big white rapper?)
14. What do you think when you see the person you like? Don't Bring Me Down
(OK.)
15. What will you dance to at your wedding? He Died That We Might Live Again
(Um, that seems odd. Primary songs in general at a wedding would be weird . . . especially Easter/Resurrection ones.)
16. What will they play at your funeral? Hollow of Thy Hand
(That's a little more appropriate. Although, this is the 'punk' version from 'Singles Ward' or 'RM' or something.)
17. What is your hobby/interest? I Heard it Through the Grapevine
(Does this mean my biggest hobby is gossiping or facebook or internet stalking or something?)
18. What is your biggest fear? Barrell of a Gun (Depeche Mode)
(This one didn't make me laugh so much as make me go, "Um, yeah, that works." Did I ever tell y'all about the time I had a gun held up to my head in junior high? I should do that sometime. It's a great lesson in why middle schoolers should never smoke pot.) (NOT ME! Someone else was smoking pot, I just ended up on the other side of the gun. That's another post.)
19. What is your biggest secret? Rain is Falling All Around
(Shhhh, don't tell!)
20. What do you want right now? The Spirit of God
(Sure, that would be cool!)
21. What do you think of your friends? Step by Step
(What, y'all don't have "New Kids on the Block" on your iTunes?! I don't know how that applies to what I think of my friends though . . . )
I'm now kind of ashamed of my iTunes showings . . . I'm cooler than this, I promise! :-)
Oh, and I guess this is like a 'tag' type of thing . . . so, you're it!
1. Put your iPod (or iTunes) on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You MUST write that song name down no matter how silly it sounds.
I'd like to preface this by saying I don't have an iPod. Don't mock me. I do have iTunes though, with the whole family's music. So, lots of kids songs, primary music, and Weird Al.
I had Greg sitting right here by me as I was doing this, so he can vouch this is legit, I didn't cheat or anything . . . some of them just turned out that funny.
1. If someone says “are you ok?” you say? Hokey Pokey
(That's like Ned Flanders level of cheesy, and yet it works.)
2. How would you describe yourself? Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D, Air, BWV 1068, Bach
(What, you don't describe yourself in those exact words!?)
3. What do you like in a guy/girl? Tow Sawyer (Rush)
(Apparently I'm very particular . . . I only have one type of man. The Tom Sawyer type. (I've listened to a LOT of Rush since I've met Greg. It's been a new, um, experience for me. I seriously still think the main singer is a girl, except that I've now seen him in concert twice, and he looks manly-ish-enough.))
4. How do you feel today? I Only Have Eyes for You (The Flamingoes)
(Um, OK. I really don't have anything to add.)
5. What is your life’s purpose? Wakko's America
(I'm thinking of going into politics.)
6. What is your motto? Clean My Teeth (Hi-5)
(It's not the worst motto. Hygeine is important. And I think 75% of my music on here now is kids stuff.)
7. What do your friends think of you? Everything You Are
(Um, again, nothing to say.)
8. What do your parents think of you? White & Nerdy (Weird Al)
(I laughed for like three minutes on this one . . . this is when I dragged Greg over to enjoy in my blogging hilarity. This cracked me up. Although, it was admittedly embarassing to admit to having so much Weird Al on my computer that even in a randomized search of like 3,500 songs, Weird Al was bound to come up.)
9. What do you think about very often? Paperback Writer (The Beatles)
(Maybe I wanna be a writer?)
10. What is 2+2? 6 Little Ducks
(This is the next one that made me laugh out loud. Greg was also amused. Math was never my favorite subject.)
11. What do you think of your best friend? The Priesthood is Restored
(This made me giggle a little. I told Greg he really was my best friend, so it kinda worked.)
12. What is your life story? Three Blind Mice
(If I thought harder, I could come up with something clever on this one, but I have nothing.)
13. What do you want to be when you grow up? Lose Yourself (Eminem)
(I apparently don't have high hopes . . . unless it means I want to lose myself to some higher purpose? Or I want to be the next big white rapper?)
14. What do you think when you see the person you like? Don't Bring Me Down
(OK.)
15. What will you dance to at your wedding? He Died That We Might Live Again
(Um, that seems odd. Primary songs in general at a wedding would be weird . . . especially Easter/Resurrection ones.)
16. What will they play at your funeral? Hollow of Thy Hand
(That's a little more appropriate. Although, this is the 'punk' version from 'Singles Ward' or 'RM' or something.)
17. What is your hobby/interest? I Heard it Through the Grapevine
(Does this mean my biggest hobby is gossiping or facebook or internet stalking or something?)
18. What is your biggest fear? Barrell of a Gun (Depeche Mode)
(This one didn't make me laugh so much as make me go, "Um, yeah, that works." Did I ever tell y'all about the time I had a gun held up to my head in junior high? I should do that sometime. It's a great lesson in why middle schoolers should never smoke pot.) (NOT ME! Someone else was smoking pot, I just ended up on the other side of the gun. That's another post.)
19. What is your biggest secret? Rain is Falling All Around
(Shhhh, don't tell!)
20. What do you want right now? The Spirit of God
(Sure, that would be cool!)
21. What do you think of your friends? Step by Step
(What, y'all don't have "New Kids on the Block" on your iTunes?! I don't know how that applies to what I think of my friends though . . . )
I'm now kind of ashamed of my iTunes showings . . . I'm cooler than this, I promise! :-)
Oh, and I guess this is like a 'tag' type of thing . . . so, you're it!
Photo Shoot & Cody's Lacrosse Game
I have a bunch of pictures from Saturday . . . and these are all just with my camera (it'll be a week or two before we get the photos from our amazing photographer from the family portraits.)
Okay, for our family portraits that were taken at Gardner Village in the morning, I bought Ellie this adorable white dress. She looked so cute . . .
I cannot even begin to express how much I have loved the weather this last few days. We've spent more time outside this last week than in the last several months combined . . . unfortunately, both of my girls' faces kinda show it. I should've been better about sunscreen/hats while spending the whole day in the sun, but didn't really think of it. They're both a little pink. (Not horribly burned! Just pinkish!)
Anway, after the pictures we stopped by my parents house before my brother's lacrosse game. Here's Annie and I racing across their backyard.
Greg & Annie jumping on the trampoline. We'd changed Annie out of her dress at the photo shoot into this outfit (after she sat in duck poop, and spreading the mess to both Greg's and Ellie's clothes too. I'd planned for such an occurence though, bringing both girls white shirt and jeans to change into . . . which turned out great, because we did half the photo shoot with them dressed up, and the second half more casual with them running around and playing more.)
Here is a VERY determined Ellie pushing her toy. Annie is giving her stuffed animal a piggyback ride.
Around noon we all ended up at Cody's lacrosse game. It was my first ever lacrosse game. It was like soccer and hockey bred and had a unstable, violent child that liked to hit other children with sticks. I really enjoyed it.
Ellie enjoyed being on the sidelines too!
Cody looking kinda serious and mean. He's so cute.
Cody in the penalty box. We were so proud.
Ellie rubbing the cheerio's bag all over my Dad's head.
Cody again . . . frankly, I really love these pictures because my camera did such a better job than I would've thought it would have! I haven't used a lot of the 'sports' mode, especially at maximum zoom, and I was really surprised by the results.
Go Cody!
Annie cheering from the sidelines.
Well, except this one, which is from last Sunday. Ellie just looked so cute before Church I had to go to take a picture.
Okay, for our family portraits that were taken at Gardner Village in the morning, I bought Ellie this adorable white dress. She looked so cute . . .
I cannot even begin to express how much I have loved the weather this last few days. We've spent more time outside this last week than in the last several months combined . . . unfortunately, both of my girls' faces kinda show it. I should've been better about sunscreen/hats while spending the whole day in the sun, but didn't really think of it. They're both a little pink. (Not horribly burned! Just pinkish!)Anway, after the pictures we stopped by my parents house before my brother's lacrosse game. Here's Annie and I racing across their backyard.
Greg & Annie jumping on the trampoline. We'd changed Annie out of her dress at the photo shoot into this outfit (after she sat in duck poop, and spreading the mess to both Greg's and Ellie's clothes too. I'd planned for such an occurence though, bringing both girls white shirt and jeans to change into . . . which turned out great, because we did half the photo shoot with them dressed up, and the second half more casual with them running around and playing more.)
Here is a VERY determined Ellie pushing her toy. Annie is giving her stuffed animal a piggyback ride.
Around noon we all ended up at Cody's lacrosse game. It was my first ever lacrosse game. It was like soccer and hockey bred and had a unstable, violent child that liked to hit other children with sticks. I really enjoyed it.
Ellie enjoyed being on the sidelines too!
Cody looking kinda serious and mean. He's so cute.
Cody in the penalty box. We were so proud.
Ellie rubbing the cheerio's bag all over my Dad's head.
Cody again . . . frankly, I really love these pictures because my camera did such a better job than I would've thought it would have! I haven't used a lot of the 'sports' mode, especially at maximum zoom, and I was really surprised by the results.
Go Cody!
Annie cheering from the sidelines.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Photo Shoot
We had so much fun at Gardner Village this morning getting our family portraits done with an amazing photographer, Gianne Snow. I am SO excited to see everything that comes back, especially since she took like a bajillion pictures (as it should be in the age of digital cameras), and she had so many cute ideas and we tried so many different spots around the Village, and the kids were semi-cooperative. :-) (We joked she'd remember this photoshoot as the "Serious Baby and Moody Toddler", as Ellie was very stingy with the smiling (thankfully she looks gorgeous with her 'serious' face on too), and Annie was nearly bi-polar in her laughter and pouting.)
She put a preview up on her site . . .
http://giannesnowphotography.blogspot.com/2009/03/johnson-family.html
I'll obviously be sharing more once we get 'em in a week or two! It was so much fun, and I'm sure we've captured so many great moments with the girls, that I don't know why I don't make the effort to do the family photos thing more often!?
She put a preview up on her site . . .
http://giannesnowphotography.blogspot.com/2009/03/johnson-family.html
I'll obviously be sharing more once we get 'em in a week or two! It was so much fun, and I'm sure we've captured so many great moments with the girls, that I don't know why I don't make the effort to do the family photos thing more often!?
Thursday, March 19, 2009
So You Say . . .
At lunch, I looked at the vase of tulips on the table that Grandma Ruth had given Annie, and realizing the water was a little low, said to Annie, "When we're done eating, I think your tulips need some more water."
She looked at me, a little perplexed, "These two?" she asked while pointing at her lips. Ha!
Later, I was getting Ellie ready for a diaper change when I asked Annie, "Hey kiddo, can you get me diapers?"
She looked at me, again a little perplexed, and asked, "One or two?"
"Just one."
"Oh, you did say diapers."
She doesn't miss a thing . . . especially if that thing is something she can call Mom on!
She looked at me, a little perplexed, "These two?" she asked while pointing at her lips. Ha!
Later, I was getting Ellie ready for a diaper change when I asked Annie, "Hey kiddo, can you get me diapers?"
She looked at me, again a little perplexed, and asked, "One or two?"
"Just one."
"Oh, you did say diapers."
She doesn't miss a thing . . . especially if that thing is something she can call Mom on!
Back on the Potty Train
So, we bought Annie some cute chocolate little bunny candy, because she informed me we needed to buy her some 'potty candy'. She's pretty excited now to use her potty and get an Easter treat for her success. So excited in fact that the kid has peed FOUR times in the past half hour. I think she has better bladder control than anyone I know! And she's well on her way to quite the sugar rush . . . we may need to rethink the rewards system . . .
She came out of her bedroom this morning on her 'cell phone'. She was just chatting away, and when I said, "Good morning baby," she held up a finger and shushed me. (It was kinda rude of me, trying to talk to her when she was so obviously on the phone.)
When she was (finally) done, she informed me she'd been talking to Iah, Doh-doo and their Mommies and Daddies. Approximately three seconds later, she suddenly ran to the top of the stairs and yelled, "Iah? Is that you? Mom, Iah's here! Yay!" I asked where Doh-doo was, and she informed me that he was at work. Of course. I keep forgetting these imaginary friends are much older than here . . . what with their cars, jobs and marriage.
She came out of her bedroom this morning on her 'cell phone'. She was just chatting away, and when I said, "Good morning baby," she held up a finger and shushed me. (It was kinda rude of me, trying to talk to her when she was so obviously on the phone.)
When she was (finally) done, she informed me she'd been talking to Iah, Doh-doo and their Mommies and Daddies. Approximately three seconds later, she suddenly ran to the top of the stairs and yelled, "Iah? Is that you? Mom, Iah's here! Yay!" I asked where Doh-doo was, and she informed me that he was at work. Of course. I keep forgetting these imaginary friends are much older than here . . . what with their cars, jobs and marriage.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
I'd Pick That One Too
So, yesterday we were driving on Bangerter and saw the new Oquirrh LDS Temple. Annie likes to point it out . . . and debate whether it is gray, white, yellow or tan colored. (Depends on the light.) Upon seeing it this time, she called out, "Hey Mom, it's the temple . . . that's where you got married!"
"Actually baby, Mommy & Daddy got married in the Salt Lake temple . . . remember the pictures?"
We then went on to talk about all the people she knows who were married in the Salt Lake temple, when she suddenly asked, "Why that one? Why not this temple?"
I explained that this temple was brand new and so nobody's been married there yet . . . but that the Salt Lake temple is really, really old . . . even older than "Mommy, Grandpa and even Great Grandpa Powell!"
"Holy. Cow." she responded, completely blown away by the idea of such age. Which made me chuckle. Then a few seconds later, she mentioned the Draper Temple, the only one she's ever actually been inside of . . . it left quite the impression, she talks about it a lot, she thought it was very cool, "like a castle," and she liked all the paintings of the Savior.
Upon pondering our conversation for a minute, she suddenly added, "I get married in the Draper temple . . . Jesus lives in that one."
"Actually baby, Mommy & Daddy got married in the Salt Lake temple . . . remember the pictures?"
We then went on to talk about all the people she knows who were married in the Salt Lake temple, when she suddenly asked, "Why that one? Why not this temple?"
I explained that this temple was brand new and so nobody's been married there yet . . . but that the Salt Lake temple is really, really old . . . even older than "Mommy, Grandpa and even Great Grandpa Powell!"
"Holy. Cow." she responded, completely blown away by the idea of such age. Which made me chuckle. Then a few seconds later, she mentioned the Draper Temple, the only one she's ever actually been inside of . . . it left quite the impression, she talks about it a lot, she thought it was very cool, "like a castle," and she liked all the paintings of the Savior.
Upon pondering our conversation for a minute, she suddenly added, "I get married in the Draper temple . . . Jesus lives in that one."
Miss Manners
Annie has a step stool up to the bed in our room. She was done watching "Hanny Manny" this morning, and wanted to get to it to get down and go eat breakfast.
"Mom. Move."
"Annie, say please."
"Please move."
"OK. Thank you for being polite."
"It's a magic word, you know," very matter-of-factly.
"That's right, please is a magic word."
Mildly condescendingly, "No, not please Mom. Move."
That's one I didn't know about. She's constantly teaching me new things!
"Mom. Move."
"Annie, say please."
"Please move."
"OK. Thank you for being polite."
"It's a magic word, you know," very matter-of-factly.
"That's right, please is a magic word."
Mildly condescendingly, "No, not please Mom. Move."
That's one I didn't know about. She's constantly teaching me new things!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Pictures of Perfectly Healthy, Non-Ill Children. Yay!
Here's some pictures we took on Monday. I was so excited that all of them were of non-snot-covered, miserable looking kids!
She looks kinda dopey here, but she doesn't look sickly . . .
Annie suddenly decided it would be so much fun to 'hold' Ellie. Ellie even agreed for awhile.
Guess which of my two girls was still enjoying the 'sister time', and which one was done . . .
Ellie's actually been crawling a little bit more the last few days. Never more than a few feet, and really only if I'm sitting there in 'range', but it's happening!
She looks kinda dopey here, but she doesn't look sickly . . .
Annie suddenly decided it would be so much fun to 'hold' Ellie. Ellie even agreed for awhile.
Guess which of my two girls was still enjoying the 'sister time', and which one was done . . .
Ellie's actually been crawling a little bit more the last few days. Never more than a few feet, and really only if I'm sitting there in 'range', but it's happening!
And a quick story:
During breakfast today I was trying to get Ellie to focus on the yogurt I was trying to feed her. It wasn't going so well when Annie suddenly piped in with, "Ellie, it's time to pay your attention to Mom."
During breakfast today I was trying to get Ellie to focus on the yogurt I was trying to feed her. It wasn't going so well when Annie suddenly piped in with, "Ellie, it's time to pay your attention to Mom."
Slight Miscommunication
So, I think we may have had a communication misfire at some point concerning potty training at our house. I just had the following conversation with Annie:
"Mom, are you dressed?"
"Yep, I'm ready."
Staring right at me, "So, you have pants on? And a shirt? [pause] A diaper? [uncontrollable laughter]"
"You're silly. Mommies don't wear diapers."
"I won't wear a diaper when I'm three!"
"That's right, you'll wear panties."
"I won't wear a diaper, I won't wear pull-ups, and I won't wear panties."
"No, Annie, you will wear panties."
"NO, I will be three! I will not wear panties!"
"Annie, you won't wear a diaper anymore, so that means you'll get to start wearing panties instead."
"NO! I will be three! I won't wear diapers, pull-ups or panties!"
"Sweetie, if you don't wear diapers anymore, what are you going to wear?"
"Just jeans."
So, at three it's apparently time to go commando. I hadn't realized we were trying to wean from all forms of underwear, I just thought we were trying to phase out the disposable kind!
"Mom, are you dressed?"
"Yep, I'm ready."
Staring right at me, "So, you have pants on? And a shirt? [pause] A diaper? [uncontrollable laughter]"
"You're silly. Mommies don't wear diapers."
"I won't wear a diaper when I'm three!"
"That's right, you'll wear panties."
"I won't wear a diaper, I won't wear pull-ups, and I won't wear panties."
"No, Annie, you will wear panties."
"NO, I will be three! I will not wear panties!"
"Annie, you won't wear a diaper anymore, so that means you'll get to start wearing panties instead."
"NO! I will be three! I won't wear diapers, pull-ups or panties!"
"Sweetie, if you don't wear diapers anymore, what are you going to wear?"
"Just jeans."
So, at three it's apparently time to go commando. I hadn't realized we were trying to wean from all forms of underwear, I just thought we were trying to phase out the disposable kind!
Monday, March 16, 2009
StatCounter.com
Get ready for your crash course on StatCounter.com! If you're not at all interested in the subject of tracking blogging site info, you may want to just skip this post, it's long and boring!
I've had a lot of people email me today to ask me 'what I use to monitor my hits'/'how I found out about the downloading'/'how do I know where my hits are coming from' kinda questions. (By the way, thanks for all the emails! Even with tracking my site and seeing how many hits I get, I was completely shocked by how many people emailed me and asked for an invite . . . I'm flattered, you guys! It means a lot that there's so many of you who want to know what's going on with my family, or at least what Annie's said or done most recently.)
Anyway. I use statcounter.com. In summary, the free version (which is right in my price range) keeps track of the last 500 page loads or something like that. (I change the setting so that it doesn't include my own page hits, 'cause that would just drive up my numbers and burn through my 500 freebies too quickly. Although, my ego did like the boosted numbers when I was still being counted.) I use one or two features nearly daily, randomly use a bunch of other ones, but don't really know all of what it's capable of telling me. The stuff I use most regularly though include the following buttons:
"Recent Pageload Activity"
I check this one almost every day. In order from most recent, it tells me the date, time, location and "Host Name/Web Page/Referring Link" -- which looks like this:
Comcast Cable (55.555.555.555) Mom's Work (This is the Host Name -- and you can label the IP address if you know who it belongs to . . . about half of mine are labeled.)
hilarysrandomthoughts.blogspot.com/ (This is the webpage, it's always this . . . I guess maybe I could have multiple sites on one statcounter account or something, I just have the one site though, so this is always the same.)
travelinglisa.blogspot.com/ (This is the referring link . . . either a blog that was linked to mine, an email or facebook page that someone linked off of, or there'll be "No referring link" listed her if someone just has the site bookmarked.)
It's that last one that tells me if something comes off of a google search or something. There is also a "Recent Keyword Activity" button that lists all hits that resulted from a search engine. It will also tell you exactly what the search was.
The next button I use is the "Download Activity". This one tells you, in order from most recent, any thing that was downloaded. I think this also just includes when people click on the photo to make it bigger. There's a little 'magnifying glass' icon next to each of these that will pull up the 'Visior Analysis.' This will tell you what website (if any) the user came from, the IP address, the city and state (or country) where the user is, and how many visits the user made to the site (in the last 500 though, since I'm cheap and it's free.)
If I use the "Download" button (versus the 'Download Activity' one), it lists all downloads from most frequently downloaded on down . . . which was surprising to me that a whole THIRTY people further checked out the flyer for my parent's house . . . which, by the way, is still for sale. There is an offer on it though, but it is contingent, so there's still a chance for you if you want it . . . :-) This was a distant second most popular download with 13 people downloading it.
If I'm really bored, I might look into "Recent Visitor Activity." Which'll tell me useful stuff like Jessi uses Comcast, usually exits the site from the comment page (thanks for the comments Jess!) and has contributed 255 hits to my total count (this feature seems to hold onto more info than just the 500 free pageloads info, 'cause it goes back forever.) This is WAY more detailed than I'd normally ever look into. Really, I just like to see where my the overall number of people coming in, and making sure it seems familiar . . . like most of the hits coming from West Jordan or Salt Lake or something, or linking from other blogs I read. And if there was a google search that snuck in (despite my site SUPPOSEDLY being unsearchable), it tells me exactly what the search was.
StatCounter'll also tell you all kinds of random stuff like what browser your readers are on, what size screen they're looking at your site on, you can search for usage by a specific IP address, and I find the map super fun. This is where I'm most bummed about the limited storage the site has, since I'd LOVE to see a map of all the hits that the site gets, not just the most recent. It's been fun to reach out to other Moms, distant relatives, old neighbors and friends of friends from across the globe.
Anyway. That conclude the lengthy tutorial for the day. :-) Hope it answered some of the questions I got!
I've had a lot of people email me today to ask me 'what I use to monitor my hits'/'how I found out about the downloading'/'how do I know where my hits are coming from' kinda questions. (By the way, thanks for all the emails! Even with tracking my site and seeing how many hits I get, I was completely shocked by how many people emailed me and asked for an invite . . . I'm flattered, you guys! It means a lot that there's so many of you who want to know what's going on with my family, or at least what Annie's said or done most recently.)
Anyway. I use statcounter.com. In summary, the free version (which is right in my price range) keeps track of the last 500 page loads or something like that. (I change the setting so that it doesn't include my own page hits, 'cause that would just drive up my numbers and burn through my 500 freebies too quickly. Although, my ego did like the boosted numbers when I was still being counted.) I use one or two features nearly daily, randomly use a bunch of other ones, but don't really know all of what it's capable of telling me. The stuff I use most regularly though include the following buttons:
"Recent Pageload Activity"
I check this one almost every day. In order from most recent, it tells me the date, time, location and "Host Name/Web Page/Referring Link" -- which looks like this:
Comcast Cable (55.555.555.555) Mom's Work (This is the Host Name -- and you can label the IP address if you know who it belongs to . . . about half of mine are labeled.)
hilarysrandomthoughts.blogspot.com/ (This is the webpage, it's always this . . . I guess maybe I could have multiple sites on one statcounter account or something, I just have the one site though, so this is always the same.)
travelinglisa.blogspot.com/ (This is the referring link . . . either a blog that was linked to mine, an email or facebook page that someone linked off of, or there'll be "No referring link" listed her if someone just has the site bookmarked.)
It's that last one that tells me if something comes off of a google search or something. There is also a "Recent Keyword Activity" button that lists all hits that resulted from a search engine. It will also tell you exactly what the search was.
The next button I use is the "Download Activity". This one tells you, in order from most recent, any thing that was downloaded. I think this also just includes when people click on the photo to make it bigger. There's a little 'magnifying glass' icon next to each of these that will pull up the 'Visior Analysis.' This will tell you what website (if any) the user came from, the IP address, the city and state (or country) where the user is, and how many visits the user made to the site (in the last 500 though, since I'm cheap and it's free.)
If I use the "Download" button (versus the 'Download Activity' one), it lists all downloads from most frequently downloaded on down . . . which was surprising to me that a whole THIRTY people further checked out the flyer for my parent's house . . . which, by the way, is still for sale. There is an offer on it though, but it is contingent, so there's still a chance for you if you want it . . . :-) This was a distant second most popular download with 13 people downloading it.
If I'm really bored, I might look into "Recent Visitor Activity." Which'll tell me useful stuff like Jessi uses Comcast, usually exits the site from the comment page (thanks for the comments Jess!) and has contributed 255 hits to my total count (this feature seems to hold onto more info than just the 500 free pageloads info, 'cause it goes back forever.) This is WAY more detailed than I'd normally ever look into. Really, I just like to see where my the overall number of people coming in, and making sure it seems familiar . . . like most of the hits coming from West Jordan or Salt Lake or something, or linking from other blogs I read. And if there was a google search that snuck in (despite my site SUPPOSEDLY being unsearchable), it tells me exactly what the search was.
StatCounter'll also tell you all kinds of random stuff like what browser your readers are on, what size screen they're looking at your site on, you can search for usage by a specific IP address, and I find the map super fun. This is where I'm most bummed about the limited storage the site has, since I'd LOVE to see a map of all the hits that the site gets, not just the most recent. It's been fun to reach out to other Moms, distant relatives, old neighbors and friends of friends from across the globe.
Anyway. That conclude the lengthy tutorial for the day. :-) Hope it answered some of the questions I got!
Freaking Out -- Going Private
OK, I'm really stressing out about blogging right now. In the past few days, I've gotten several random hits from extremely random places where I don't know anybody (Africa, India, the Middle East and New York (well, New York is less random, but I still don't know anyone there.)) And they're downloading pictures of Annie.
Despite being unsearchable by Google, I'm somehow getting a bunch of searches off of Google Images or something. I don't know, I'm not sure how these searches are coming through, or what they're even searching for, but I've had several searches all pop up on the same images of Annie, so it seems like someone is 'passing the link on' or something. (But the link is a google image search, so I'm just confused.)
So, I'm going private tomorrow. I love updating people on what the girls are up to, and all the fun things Annie says and does, so please, if you're at all interested in staying in the loop, email me at hilarysrandomthoughts@gmail.com and I will happily send on an invite.
I feel violated. My own fault really, I'm the one who's put the stories and pictures of my family out there. I've censored, kept our last name and locale out of there. "Been web-safe." I don't post 'inappropriate' pictures of my kids. And yet I now feel vulnerable. And guilty that someone out there, who I don't know, has pictures of my kids. It makes me a little sick to my stomach.
Edited to add: I use statcounter.com for monitoring my traffic.
Despite being unsearchable by Google, I'm somehow getting a bunch of searches off of Google Images or something. I don't know, I'm not sure how these searches are coming through, or what they're even searching for, but I've had several searches all pop up on the same images of Annie, so it seems like someone is 'passing the link on' or something. (But the link is a google image search, so I'm just confused.)
So, I'm going private tomorrow. I love updating people on what the girls are up to, and all the fun things Annie says and does, so please, if you're at all interested in staying in the loop, email me at hilarysrandomthoughts@gmail.com and I will happily send on an invite.
I feel violated. My own fault really, I'm the one who's put the stories and pictures of my family out there. I've censored, kept our last name and locale out of there. "Been web-safe." I don't post 'inappropriate' pictures of my kids. And yet I now feel vulnerable. And guilty that someone out there, who I don't know, has pictures of my kids. It makes me a little sick to my stomach.
Edited to add: I use statcounter.com for monitoring my traffic.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
I Spy With My Little Eye
Annie loves to play "I Spy" on any and all car trips. Tonight, while driving to Sunday Dinner at Greg's parents house was no exception. After several rounds of all of us taking turns "spying" something for the others to find, Annie decided it was my turn to 'spy' again, announcing, "OK Mom, I Spy with YOUR little eye . . . "
Which led me to point out the Draper Temple, way up on the mountain. Upon finding it, Annie enthusiastically shouted, "I 'member! I went to the Draper Temple!" After reflecting for a few seconds she added, "Yeah, Jesus lives there . . . "
Being pretty tired after a long week (or month) of illnesses, I tried reclining my seat back in the car a little to see if I could catch a quick nap, then worried I might be encroaching on Annie's space, said, "Annie, did I squish your feet back there?"
A little voice whimpered from the back seat sadly, "Yeah."
"Sorry baby," sitting my seat back up quickly," I didn't mean to!"
A few seconds later, a happy voice demanded, "Mom! Squish my feet again! Squish them!"
I spent the rest of the drive listening to, "Squish my feet Mom!! Squish them again!"
Which led me to point out the Draper Temple, way up on the mountain. Upon finding it, Annie enthusiastically shouted, "I 'member! I went to the Draper Temple!" After reflecting for a few seconds she added, "Yeah, Jesus lives there . . . "
Being pretty tired after a long week (or month) of illnesses, I tried reclining my seat back in the car a little to see if I could catch a quick nap, then worried I might be encroaching on Annie's space, said, "Annie, did I squish your feet back there?"
A little voice whimpered from the back seat sadly, "Yeah."
"Sorry baby," sitting my seat back up quickly," I didn't mean to!"
A few seconds later, a happy voice demanded, "Mom! Squish my feet again! Squish them!"
I spent the rest of the drive listening to, "Squish my feet Mom!! Squish them again!"
Bit of a Break in the Action
Last night, after a solid week (or two or three) of sickly kids and cleaning up vomit, it was really nice to get away for a few hours. My sister and I went to a girls night thing, with Olive Garden, eyebrow waxing, facials and all that. (Thanks Jocelyn!) It was so great to just get out and not be worried about when the next sneak attack of puke was gonna get me.
And fortunately, there hasn't been any more throwing up (of course, that makes sense, since the girls don't throw up on Daddy's watch), and Ellie's been in like the world's cutest mood (a big chunk of that was at 11PM last night, where she was up and giggling and playing for almost an hour . . . but it was so good to see her so happy, Greg and I just let her sit in bed and play with us for awhile.) I didn't wake up a single time last night to coughing either. We may actually be a relatively healthy family as of this morning!!
When Annie woke up (way too early, at 7AM . . . daylight savings time bought me a week or so of them sleeping in 'til after 8, but they've apparently caught on now), she beamed when she saw me, "You're home Mommy! You were not home when I went to bed last night!"
"Yep, I'm home."
"Ellie cried last night, 'cause you were gone . . . um, I cried a lit bit too. Actually, I cried a lot a bit."
And fortunately, there hasn't been any more throwing up (of course, that makes sense, since the girls don't throw up on Daddy's watch), and Ellie's been in like the world's cutest mood (a big chunk of that was at 11PM last night, where she was up and giggling and playing for almost an hour . . . but it was so good to see her so happy, Greg and I just let her sit in bed and play with us for awhile.) I didn't wake up a single time last night to coughing either. We may actually be a relatively healthy family as of this morning!!
When Annie woke up (way too early, at 7AM . . . daylight savings time bought me a week or so of them sleeping in 'til after 8, but they've apparently caught on now), she beamed when she saw me, "You're home Mommy! You were not home when I went to bed last night!"
"Yep, I'm home."
"Ellie cried last night, 'cause you were gone . . . um, I cried a lit bit too. Actually, I cried a lot a bit."
Saturday, March 14, 2009
You have GOT TO be Freaking Kidding Me!!!!
So, Annie seems to be feeling much better. (Although whenever she hears me on the phone telling anyone she's doing well, she yells out from the background, "I STILL SICK!") She even went outside and played for awhile.
But, of course, it ain't over. I was just finishing feeding Ellie, when she turned and looked at me, then proceeded to throw up repeatedly ALL over the blankets and bedding I've washed THREE times this week. Now the baby is throwing up!? When is this going to end?
While in the bathroom, cleaning up a puked covered baby and Mommy, I caught a glimpse out the bathroom window of my two year old, playing out side on the swing set BY HERSELF.
When did she learn to get out the back door?!?!
Sigh. I'm tired.
But, of course, it ain't over. I was just finishing feeding Ellie, when she turned and looked at me, then proceeded to throw up repeatedly ALL over the blankets and bedding I've washed THREE times this week. Now the baby is throwing up!? When is this going to end?
While in the bathroom, cleaning up a puked covered baby and Mommy, I caught a glimpse out the bathroom window of my two year old, playing out side on the swing set BY HERSELF.
When did she learn to get out the back door?!?!
Sigh. I'm tired.
Friday, March 13, 2009
My Little Art Critic
Annie and I were painting on a giant piece of cardboard (courtesy of our brand new freezer). Annie happily painted me a series of A's, H's and S's ("Look Mom, a big A, a huge H and a giant S!") I did a lovely landscape of flowers and a sun and a bird.
"Mommy, that is kinda boring," she said while inspecting my picture.
"What do you mean, look at my pretty bird I made?"
"Um, yeah. It looks more like a bat."
Yeah, well kid, your circle looks more like an oval, and yet I say nothing. :-)
"Mommy, that is kinda boring," she said while inspecting my picture.
"What do you mean, look at my pretty bird I made?"
"Um, yeah. It looks more like a bat."
Yeah, well kid, your circle looks more like an oval, and yet I say nothing. :-)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Sicker Still
Last night was horrific. Annie was up almost all night coughing (finally settling down to sleep around 3:45AM). She whimpered, cried, whined, moaned and murmured all night as she coughed relentlessly. Her fever was a degree or two over 100 for most of the night, but it finally went down around 3AM. I think my least favorite part of the night was deciding which of my two sick children got the humidifier. Annie won that one, 'cause Ellie really is on the mend.
We had Annie at InstaCare as soon as she woke up. Good news is that it's not asthma at all (bad side of that is the asthma meds don't work at all to help with the cough). Bad news is it's just a nasty virus they can't do much about. The doctor did prescribe her a cough medicine with codeine in it. He said it's not often he prescribes it to a child so young, but she was just SO miserable and tired. I was cautioned repeatedly to dose correctly, even being asked not once, not twice, BUT THREE TIMES if I've ever used a syringe to dose medicine for my children. Um, yeah. About 12 million times.
Then I got to the pharmacy, where I thought they were gonna require a signature in blood for me to walk that medicine out of the store. I had the pharmacist and BOTH tech people there, staring at me, I think judging whether or not I was some drug seeking fiend. Then they decided (probably due to the nonstop hacking on Annie's part), that it was probably legit that she'd been prescribed the medicine. Then I was cautioned AGAIN on the vital importance of using correct dosing, and was SHOWN how to use a medicine syringe. The pharmacist (who was rocking one very cool Hawaiian shirt) told me he won't usually even let this medicine out of the pharmacy for a two year old. But, she's closing in on three years old, and was pathetic enough looking that he allowed it. Then he cautioned me to make sure she didn't, like, stop breathing while on it. And, of course, again made sure I knew how to dose correctly and could use a medicine syringe. "Not that I'm trying to freak you out," he added at the end.
I know that cough medicine with codeine is pretty verboten nowadays for young children (I think the reason we were even prescribed it was our doctor was fairly old), I'm thinking (going out on a limb here) there's been some dosing issues that have caused problems in the past. So, now I'm mildly anxious about her taking the possibly-stops-breathing-don't-dare-give-her-an-extra-drop medicine, but I can actually remember my younger siblings taking this same thing whenever they got bad coughs. And they're still alive. And probably slept better than Annie has in awhile, so I'm going for it. Although, someone may need to show me how to use this newfangled medicine syringe.
We had Annie at InstaCare as soon as she woke up. Good news is that it's not asthma at all (bad side of that is the asthma meds don't work at all to help with the cough). Bad news is it's just a nasty virus they can't do much about. The doctor did prescribe her a cough medicine with codeine in it. He said it's not often he prescribes it to a child so young, but she was just SO miserable and tired. I was cautioned repeatedly to dose correctly, even being asked not once, not twice, BUT THREE TIMES if I've ever used a syringe to dose medicine for my children. Um, yeah. About 12 million times.
Then I got to the pharmacy, where I thought they were gonna require a signature in blood for me to walk that medicine out of the store. I had the pharmacist and BOTH tech people there, staring at me, I think judging whether or not I was some drug seeking fiend. Then they decided (probably due to the nonstop hacking on Annie's part), that it was probably legit that she'd been prescribed the medicine. Then I was cautioned AGAIN on the vital importance of using correct dosing, and was SHOWN how to use a medicine syringe. The pharmacist (who was rocking one very cool Hawaiian shirt) told me he won't usually even let this medicine out of the pharmacy for a two year old. But, she's closing in on three years old, and was pathetic enough looking that he allowed it. Then he cautioned me to make sure she didn't, like, stop breathing while on it. And, of course, again made sure I knew how to dose correctly and could use a medicine syringe. "Not that I'm trying to freak you out," he added at the end.
I know that cough medicine with codeine is pretty verboten nowadays for young children (I think the reason we were even prescribed it was our doctor was fairly old), I'm thinking (going out on a limb here) there's been some dosing issues that have caused problems in the past. So, now I'm mildly anxious about her taking the possibly-stops-breathing-don't-dare-give-her-an-extra-drop medicine, but I can actually remember my younger siblings taking this same thing whenever they got bad coughs. And they're still alive. And probably slept better than Annie has in awhile, so I'm going for it. Although, someone may need to show me how to use this newfangled medicine syringe.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Sickly Kids
Future's so bright . . .
That picture was so cute, I just had to throw it in first.Anyway. So, Annie was throwing up again today. I was holding her, cuddled up on my chest when she started puking. I caught it all in my shirt, which served well as a make shift puke bowl during this latest round of upheavals. I threw the shirt away. It just wasn't worth cleaning.
Ellie's still a snot dripping, coughing, bundle of low grade fever.
It's like it's Never. Going. To. End.
Here's some pictures of the madness though.
Greg was putting together some of our new furniture, and as soon as Annie saw the tool box, she ran in immediately to get her own tool belt and put on her "work boots", just like Daddy.
Here she is taking a break to put on a fresh coat of lip gloss.
This is the night before, when Annie was decked out in sunglasses and taking her inhaler.
Annie 'posing' for a picture.
This is a completely disgusting picture of Ellie.
She is absolutely covered in snot. (I promise, I had wiped her nose for the millionth time like thirty seconds before this picture.) The reason I grabbed the camera instead of a tissue, is when she turned and looked at me, the snot was formed into two giant bubbles, roughly the size of raquetballs. Unfortunately, I missed the picture. Fortunately, I proved to be the kinda parent who grabs the camera and gets the memorable picture before helping their kid out.
Don't judge me, you had to have seen those snot bubbles! :-)
This is just Ellie looking adorable with her Daddy.
Oh, and I have a few additions to Annie's "I-Did-It-All-By-Myself" Photography Library:
Bargain Shopping
Anyone who knows me, knows I love a good deal. A little too much. Greg teases me that I'll save us so much money we'll end up in the poor house. (I have a habit of buying a lot of stuff at 75-90% off . . . more stuff than we need, it's just SUCH a fantastic deal!)
Anyway, I was looking on RC Willey's website the other day, because with our tax return, one of my splurges was a new freezer for our garage, so I can buy other great deals (like 40 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts for $60, that won't fit in our kitchen refrigerator/freezer). I found a fantastic deal on their site, a freezer for $429 that was $599 everywhere else I looked online. I was fairly pleased. Then, for fun, I started looking at their clearance section. Oh my gosh people, if you haven't looked at their online clearance, go their NOW! Right now!! (OK, you can finish reading this first, but then go!) Amazing! Really, REALLY great, high quality furniture pieces, for HUGE savings.
Our tall, thin dresser looks kinda funny on the big wall of our bedroom. I've thought about buying a new piece of furniture, but I wanted something nice, and we don't have that kinda money so recently after buying a new house. Then I saw this:
Regularly $1799.00. As much as $2499 on other websites.
Clearance price at RC Willey: $199.99. I am not kidding. It was the last one and they'd sold out of most of the other pieces in the set, so they were clearancing this piece out at nearly 90% off. It was still in the box and everything. We picked it up yesterday. (It comes in two pieces, a top and a bottom . . . one piece weighs almost 300lbs! The other piece wasn't much less. It's solid.) It makes me giddy just thinking about it. (Oh, and since our current headboard is a dark cherry color, I also got a new Oak headboard (admittedly a simple one, but it matches well and is pretty) on clearance for $29.99 too.)
But if you're REALLY looking for a great deal, they have dozens of different mirrors on clearance. These are like the mirrors that attach onto a dresser or vanity, but they have a ton that never sold (since I'm assuming not everyone who buys a dresser buys the $500 mirror that goes with it.) I bought this one (it is FAR more beautiful in person than this picture lets on). List price: $500. RC Willey's price: $399.99.
My price: $9.99. There were tons of mirrors like this for $9.99, some even $5.99, ranging in regular price of $199-$899.)
This mirror is a solid, nice piece of furniture. It's huge and weighs almost 70 lbs. Greg's already figuring out how to rig something to safely mount it on the wall. (I had no need for one on a dresser, nor would it match our current dresser, but I figured $9.99 was worth seeing if we could put it up on the wall, and if not, it was going in the playroom, as a dress up mirror, just anchored to the wall but sitting on the floor.) Seriously you guys, it is probably the prettiest mirror I've ever bought! I'm still a little bargain-buzzed.
If you are in any need of a king size bed frame, or a mirror, or pretty armoires, or nightstands. You should go check it out!
Oh, my personal favorite clearance item (still $1000 at 50% off though) . . . had to be the Pirates of the Caribbean bed . . .
Anyway, I was looking on RC Willey's website the other day, because with our tax return, one of my splurges was a new freezer for our garage, so I can buy other great deals (like 40 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts for $60, that won't fit in our kitchen refrigerator/freezer). I found a fantastic deal on their site, a freezer for $429 that was $599 everywhere else I looked online. I was fairly pleased. Then, for fun, I started looking at their clearance section. Oh my gosh people, if you haven't looked at their online clearance, go their NOW! Right now!! (OK, you can finish reading this first, but then go!) Amazing! Really, REALLY great, high quality furniture pieces, for HUGE savings.
Our tall, thin dresser looks kinda funny on the big wall of our bedroom. I've thought about buying a new piece of furniture, but I wanted something nice, and we don't have that kinda money so recently after buying a new house. Then I saw this:
Regularly $1799.00. As much as $2499 on other websites.Clearance price at RC Willey: $199.99. I am not kidding. It was the last one and they'd sold out of most of the other pieces in the set, so they were clearancing this piece out at nearly 90% off. It was still in the box and everything. We picked it up yesterday. (It comes in two pieces, a top and a bottom . . . one piece weighs almost 300lbs! The other piece wasn't much less. It's solid.) It makes me giddy just thinking about it. (Oh, and since our current headboard is a dark cherry color, I also got a new Oak headboard (admittedly a simple one, but it matches well and is pretty) on clearance for $29.99 too.)
But if you're REALLY looking for a great deal, they have dozens of different mirrors on clearance. These are like the mirrors that attach onto a dresser or vanity, but they have a ton that never sold (since I'm assuming not everyone who buys a dresser buys the $500 mirror that goes with it.) I bought this one (it is FAR more beautiful in person than this picture lets on). List price: $500. RC Willey's price: $399.99.
My price: $9.99. There were tons of mirrors like this for $9.99, some even $5.99, ranging in regular price of $199-$899.)
This mirror is a solid, nice piece of furniture. It's huge and weighs almost 70 lbs. Greg's already figuring out how to rig something to safely mount it on the wall. (I had no need for one on a dresser, nor would it match our current dresser, but I figured $9.99 was worth seeing if we could put it up on the wall, and if not, it was going in the playroom, as a dress up mirror, just anchored to the wall but sitting on the floor.) Seriously you guys, it is probably the prettiest mirror I've ever bought! I'm still a little bargain-buzzed.If you are in any need of a king size bed frame, or a mirror, or pretty armoires, or nightstands. You should go check it out!
Oh, my personal favorite clearance item (still $1000 at 50% off though) . . . had to be the Pirates of the Caribbean bed . . .
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
You Have Got to be Kidding Me!!
Seriously? Seriously!?
Ellie's fever is back. She's coughing, crying and wheezing. I put her down for a nap, that only lasted about 15 minutes . . . which meant she woke up almost perfectly timed with when Annie started to THROW UP all over the computer chair, desk and floor. For like 3 or 4 minutes. Non-stop. Once she finally finished puking, I scooped her up, held her until she stopped crying and then got her into the bath tub.
Then, while I was carpet shampooing, and letting Ellie scream at the top of her lungs just hoping she'd fall back asleep (she didn't), Annie was in the bathtub and emptied a full bottle of shampoo AND conditioner into the tub with her. The good stuff.
Sigh.
I think my bedroom still smells like puke. Any suggestions?
Ellie's fever is back. She's coughing, crying and wheezing. I put her down for a nap, that only lasted about 15 minutes . . . which meant she woke up almost perfectly timed with when Annie started to THROW UP all over the computer chair, desk and floor. For like 3 or 4 minutes. Non-stop. Once she finally finished puking, I scooped her up, held her until she stopped crying and then got her into the bath tub.
Then, while I was carpet shampooing, and letting Ellie scream at the top of her lungs just hoping she'd fall back asleep (she didn't), Annie was in the bathtub and emptied a full bottle of shampoo AND conditioner into the tub with her. The good stuff.
Sigh.
I think my bedroom still smells like puke. Any suggestions?
If it's Not One, It's the Other (Or Both)
So, I was up half the night with a coughing, hacking, wheezing, sniveling kid. Not Ellie though. Annie seems to have caught it. And with her asthma, the cough is like 1000 times more exaggerated than even poor Ellie's cough has been. Annie kept waking up after horrendous coughing fits and just screaming for Mom and Dad. Then when one of us would go in, she kept asking (between sobs) for a "Bwah, bwah, bwah, bwah." Sometimes while pointing at something she desperately wanted, but that I couldn't see (like, as in it didn't exist, nothing was on the middle of the blank wall she was sobbing and reaching for.) Being that this is my (highly) verbal child, I kept checking for a fever to make sure she wasn't delirious or something. It was so weird, and I still have no idea what she was asking for or looking at. Kinda freaked me out. She is completely coherent this morning though, so I'm forcing myself to assume we're just dealing with a bad cough and bug, and not some form of neurological damage (shouldn't have watched "House" before bed.)
Annie was making me laugh at breakfast this morning. She just talked the entire breakfast to Ellie. Like non-stop flow of one-sided big sisterly conversation. It held explanations for the world around them, advice on handling various situations, and amusing anticdotes about favorite cartoon characters. At one point, while they were happily playing, I took the opportunity to go use the little girls' room, and I heard Ellie start to fuss and Annie enthusiastically reassure her, "It's OK Ellie. Mommy just had to, um, go take care of something." Then after a few seconds, like once she decided it was socially appropriate or something, she added, "Ellie, Mommy just had to go pee. She'll be back soon, it's OK. It doesn't take that long."
This also reminded me of last week when we were at WalMart and Annie happily applauded and loudly exclaimed, "Good job Mommy! You peed! You are such a big girl now! Ellie, Mommy peed! Good job Mommy!" She was so proud. I was slightly mortified. People give you very amused looks when you walk out of a WalMart bathroom stall after your two year old has congratulated your bladder control.
You think all of this potty enthusiasm would translate into some potty training success. But no luck. I'm thinking of attempting it again right before Kindergarten . . .
Annie was making me laugh at breakfast this morning. She just talked the entire breakfast to Ellie. Like non-stop flow of one-sided big sisterly conversation. It held explanations for the world around them, advice on handling various situations, and amusing anticdotes about favorite cartoon characters. At one point, while they were happily playing, I took the opportunity to go use the little girls' room, and I heard Ellie start to fuss and Annie enthusiastically reassure her, "It's OK Ellie. Mommy just had to, um, go take care of something." Then after a few seconds, like once she decided it was socially appropriate or something, she added, "Ellie, Mommy just had to go pee. She'll be back soon, it's OK. It doesn't take that long."
This also reminded me of last week when we were at WalMart and Annie happily applauded and loudly exclaimed, "Good job Mommy! You peed! You are such a big girl now! Ellie, Mommy peed! Good job Mommy!" She was so proud. I was slightly mortified. People give you very amused looks when you walk out of a WalMart bathroom stall after your two year old has congratulated your bladder control.
You think all of this potty enthusiasm would translate into some potty training success. But no luck. I'm thinking of attempting it again right before Kindergarten . . .
Monday, March 9, 2009
Everything's Coming Up Roses
Annie had been coloring happy for a few minutes, when she suddenly rushed up to me and exclaimed, "Look Mommy! A rose! I can draw a rose!"
Seriously, that's about as good a rose as I could draw. The child's a prodigy. A two year old rose drawing prodigy, I tell ya.
(Sorry for the funky colors . . . it was drawn on an oddly bright pink paper anyway, with a light blue pen . . . and then add in my obviously weak photography skills, and I had to PhotoShop the heck out of it to up the contrast enough for the drawing to be seen.)
Seriously, that's about as good a rose as I could draw. The child's a prodigy. A two year old rose drawing prodigy, I tell ya.
(Sorry for the funky colors . . . it was drawn on an oddly bright pink paper anyway, with a light blue pen . . . and then add in my obviously weak photography skills, and I had to PhotoShop the heck out of it to up the contrast enough for the drawing to be seen.)
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