Perfection

the last few days

Since I'm sure you're all dying to know how I did on that list from the last post, here's the update.

What I did.

What I didn't do.

Absolutely riveting. I know. You're welcome.


I did give Cate a bath. It was about 4:30 in the afternoon after she had taken no nap. She was cranky. Baths usually help pass the time until Dan gets home. I sat on the toilet (lid closed) and tried to figure out my phone while she sat in the warm water. I glanced over at her to see her falling asleep. In the tub. Sitting up, of course. Oh, it was fun to watch. Her head would nod and then the eyes would open. Over and over. Of course I wasn't going to let her face fall into the water. I was sitting right there watching her. It was a short bath. Maybe 5 mintues. Probably less. It was getting dangerous. No bath for Mr. Stinky Boy Danny that day. Oh, well.

I did eat something green. Salad. Yum.

I did not do a load of laundry (or two for that matter). I did dry a load of Judy's laundry though. Her dryer is allegedly broken.

I did get crafty with the kids. Paper, glue, scissors and this...

We made our own little version of these paper hearts I saw in my Family Fun magazine this month.

The instructions call for origami paper. Really? Who has origami paper? I don't even know where to buy origami paper. We used regular old white paper. I cut it into 6 inch squares, folded, cut and then let the kids help with the glue and glitter. Oh, boy was that fun (for them at least).

They made some...

and I made some.



Actually, I made a lot of them. Cate lost interest after about two. I think Danny made three.

With all that free time from not doing laundry, I just kept on folding, cutting, gluing and glittering.

I hung them all up on the wall in the kitchen. It was empty and just screaming for some kind of decor. I like it. Makes me feel like I have a classroom again.

Back to the list...

I did regret the glitter. The kids didn't so I guess that's what really matters. They called it "pinkles" though. Like sprinkles without the s. That entire bottle of glitter ended up in the pans. The whole thing. Kids are very heavy handed with the glitter. They just pour it on.

I did not buy any good scissors. I'll figure out a way to clean the goopy ones.

I certainly did not worry about the messy table. I've got bigger fish to fry.



I did not go to my room and close the door at any point in the afternoon. If I had, I wouldn't have felt bad about it. That's for sure.

I don't remember if I remembered to lock the bathroom door.

I did not get upset about the yucky pee-pee pull-ups.

I was thankful when she threw them in the garbage.

I did not even think about spring. Not even once. I'm thinking about it now though. How many more months?

I did not make an appointment to take care of the grays. I can't find my reminder note that was stuck to the fridge.

I did stay calm about the no naps. I'm proud of myself for that one.

I did go to bed before midnight. I'm not sure I fell asleep before midnight though.

I did not wash the dishes more than twice. I did go to bed with two sinks full of dishes. It's not the end of the world and I'm still a good person.

I did not make another batch of cakies. I ran out of cake mixes. I did buy more today though. Even a strawberry one. I'm excited to see how that tastes as cakies.

I did eat less cakies than I had the day before. That wasn't hard since I gave most of them away.

I did not step on the scale. I did yesterday and everything's fine. Phew.

I did exercise. It felt good.

I did make my bed and closed the door. No jumping on the bed.

I was patient. I'm thinking it's because I wrote it down and that made me really try. I should write it down every day. Maybe that will help.

I did not lose my cool even once. Hooray!

I was thankful about the cousin lovin'.

I did make dinner. Meatloaf and broccoli. Yum.

I did hug and kiss my kids a lot. I think they were annoyed. It was fun.

I did take a shower before noon and I put on make-up. Wow. All clean and purty.

I did not wrap any birthday presents. I am pleased to report that I have presents for six different family members sitting on my dresser waiting to be wrapped. I'm so ahead of the game. It's ridiculous.

I did dig out the sewing machine box from the bottom of the closet. Look what I learned how to do on Friday.



I have no fabric so my friend taught me how to sew on a pillowcase. I don't mean to brag or anything but I can now thread a bobbin. Thanks, Janell! You're a kind and patient teacher.

I'm pretty sure I was mostly nice and happy. At least I tried to be.

And since the title is "the last few days," a few highlights from Friday.

I did the laundry that I didn't do Thursday.

I learned how to use my sewing machine! I'm not expecting anything great. Maybe some straight lines. I have a few projects I'd like to attempt. I've got Janell on speed dial.

I made pizza.

Dan and I went on a date!

That's about it.

This morning Aunt Nancy and Grandma came down to go to our stake's Women's Conference. It was wonderful. Just what I needed to hear. We hit up the Roller Mills for some flour and baking mixes before the meeting and then Broadbent's afterward.

Look what I found there.


I've been on the hunt for the perfect key holding thingee for a very long time. I found it today. And I love it. I've made a few trips to the side door just so I can admire it. It makes me happy.

Grandma found some fabric and a few other things she couldn't live without. Aunt Nancy found a red plate. We were all winners.

Then we went to eat lunch at a burger joint. I took a picture of Danny and Cate there but it's on my cell phone. I don't know how to get the pictures off my cell phone and onto my computer. Anyone want to teach me?

We came home and chatted and I took a few pictures of the gang.



Aunt Nancy showed Scratchy some love.


Cate flipped through the coupon book on Grandma's lap.



It's been a good weekend so far. I think Dan would agree. He got to sleep in and take a nap. Does it get any better than that?

I think Danny's getting sick. He wanted to go to bed a little after 7:00 tonight. That's after taking a late nap this afternoon on the couch.

I'm going to go ahead and say that tomorrow morning I will be patient and kind while I wait for 1:00 church to start.

If writing it down doesn't help it happen, I've got a Diet Coke in the fridge that might do the trick.

today I will

...try to make the kids stay in the tub for longer than 5 minutes. Don't they know bath time is supposed to be fun? They're too little to be in such a hurry.

...eat something green. I didn't do that yesterday. And m&m's don't count.

...not do a load of laundry. I won't do two loads of laundry either.

...get crafty with the kids. Paper, glue, scissors and glitter.

...probably regret the glitter.

...buy some good scissors because it seems like all my scissors have goop on them.

...not worry that my dining room table has turned into a holding spot for paper, stickers, crayons and such. We can still eat in the kitchen.

...not feel bad if I have to go to my room and close the door for a few minutes at some point this afternoon.

...remember to lock the door when I use the bathroom.

...not get upset at Cate when she removes her pull-up because there's "yucky pee-pee" in it.

...be thankful that at least she throws the pull-up in the garbage.

...pretend that spring is right around the corner.

...make an appointment for a little color enhancing for my grays. It's getting scary.

...stay calm when no naps get taken. I don't know where they went but I miss them. A lot.

...go to bed before midnight because my children have been waking up way too early and I am tired.

...not wash the dishes more than twice, even if it means going to bed with two sinks full of dishes. I have my limits.

...probably make another batch of cakies. I'm going for three days in a row. Yesterday's was the best so far. I added a little cinnamon to the chocolate cake mix. Holy moly they were good.

...not eat as many cakies as I ate yesterday.

...not step on the scale. I think it's obvious why.

...exercise. Duh.

...make my bed and then close the door. No fun making the bed and then having kidlets jump on it. Well, fun for them I guess.

...be patient.

...not lose my cool as many times as I did yesterday.

...be thankful that these cousins love each other.

...make dinner.

...not worry about the things I really really need to do and just do the ones I want to do.

...hug my kids more than I did yesterday.

...kiss my kids more than I did yesterday (even if they wipe them away).

...take a shower before noon.

...put on make-up since I didn't do it yesterday.

...wrap some birthday presents.

...dig out the sewing machine box from the bottom of the closet because I'm learning how to use it tomorrow!

...be nice.

...be happy.

cupcakes, y'all

I went to the dollar store yesterday afternoon. All by myself!

Danny was at preschool. Cate was playing at her friends' house. Those friends are GIRLS! Hooray!

While I was searching for red ribbon (and not having to stop kids from throwing cheap toys in the cart), I found this Paula Deen cupcake mix.

I love Paula Deen. She's my favorite. I'd love to sit in her kitchen and eat grits with butter, cheese and bacon on top. She'd have to be there too, of course, or else that would just be weird.

I'm guessing her cupcakes will taste as yummy as her grits probably do.

My favorite part of this little cupcake box (that I shall be saving because I think it's a cute little size for one of my gift baxes) are the words in the blue part at the bottom.

FROM MY KITCHEN TO YOURS

That's what she says at the end of her show. Except I like to hear it better than to read it. When she says it, it sounds more like this:

FROM MY KITCHEN TO YERS

I think I'd even eat collard greens if Paula made them for me. You know they'd be dripping in butter.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Here's some other cupcakes I found on the internet one day.

{found 'em here}

I immediately bookmarked the page because I was intrigued (mostly because I wondered why someone would ruin a perfectly good corn muffin with a big ol' piece of broccoli...and then call it a cupcake).

Ever heard of the book called Deceptively Delicious? It's written by Jerry Seinfeld's wife. I watched her on Oprah one day talking about it. It's how clever moms get their families to eat veges and other healthy stuff without the complaining. They puree cauliflower and mix it into brownies. Smooshed up carrots go into the lasagna. (Kind of making me gag just writing this.)

My sister Judy has the book. I've been at her kitchen table when she's brought a big pan of lasagna out of the oven and we play Guess Which Pureed Vege is Hidden Inside. It's a fun game.

So I'm thinking that the broccoli hidden inside a corn muffin "cupcake" is kind of like Deceptively Delicious for dummies, right? Maybe before the invention of food processors. How can I make my kid eat his broccoli? I know, I'll bake it into a muffin and call it a cupcake. Brilliant! He'll never know.

I just think it's kind of funny and a little bit gross.

I was going to save this for Dan's April Fool's joke this year. Too bad he was snooping around on my computer last night and found it. He ruined everything.

I'll just have to figure out something better. But it will have to involve broccoli.

Dan just loves broccoli.

not cool

My little darlings were flipping through the pages of their daddy's roller coaster book this morning.

Danny was excited because to him, it was all about carnivals. He likes carnivals. He's not a big fan of roller coasters like his dad is though...yet.

Cate pointed to each page and asked, "Dat cool, Danny?"

Then Danny would let her know which rides were cool and which were not.

Over and over and over again.

"Dat cool, Danny?"

"Cool."

"Dat cool, Danny?"

"Not cool."

You get the idea.

A little while later I was brushing my hair in the bathroom. Danny climbed up on the counter by the sink and started going through my top drawer. It's where I keep my hair stuff, barrettes, ponytail holders and such. He pulled out a small blue ponytail holder and tried to put it in his hair.

I helped him.

Cate came in the bathroom, took one look at Danny and said, "Not cool."

I think his daddy would agree.

I also think it's time for a hair cut.



And just in case you wondered just how much Dan loves a roller coaster...

Summer 2000
Dan having a blast
Me having the life squeezed out of my hand

the man looks good in a suit

Grama Bama bought her favorite son-in-law this new suit for Christmas. Since she lives so far away and doesn't get to see him as much as she'd like, here's a few pictures. Proof that the suit fits and looks quite nice. Too bad you can't see the pin stripes. And too bad you can see the circles of light all over every picture. My bad.

A few shots of the back, since Grama Bama's such a big fan of the double vent.



The man definitely looks good in a suit.

a collection of miscellaneous or diverse items

him: Ewwwwww! What is that yucky thing?

me: It's called a parsnip.

him: Are we going to throw it away?

me: No. We're going to eat it.

him: Ewwwww. Me and Cate do NOT want any on our plate. We do NOT.

The picture is a bit disgusting. I admit it. In the parsnip's defense, I had it sitting in a plastic bag and I guess it's natural moisture got caught inside. Kind of made the stem part look slightly less than delightful. I chopped that part off, peeled the rest of it, diced it and threw it in the stew. It was rather tasty. And no, Danny and Cate did not have any on their plates.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Two Mondays ago Auburn played Oregon in some big football game. I grew up in Auburn so of course I have to cheer on the Tigers. (And by "cheer on" I mean keep myself busy doing something else, check on the score every once in a while, and then stick around to watch the last 5 minutes.) That's my sister Jenny (she's a loyal fan) holding Cate (wearing the new cheerleader outfit Grama Bama gave her for Christmas).

There's been a little confusion amongst some people who read this blog as to Auburn's mascots. Dan gave a good explanation in the comment section of this post. Hopefully this makes things clear as mud.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I'm trying to refrain from poop, booger and puke stories on here. I mostly just write them in the kids' journals for them to read some day. I've been writing in their journals since the day they were born. All the good stuff, like the day Danny's shriveled belly button nubby thing fell off (I don't know when Cate's fell off because she was still in the hospital and those nurses didn't tell me it had happened...and I was a little preoccupied with worrying about her eating and breathing on her own to notice).

I'm just going to share one booger story today because sometimes it's hard to resist. Danny was picking his nose. I told him to stop. His reply, "But it's hard to put the boogers back in there!" Do I really have to teach him everything? He couldn't just figure this one out on his own?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Somebody's Google search using the key words oldsmobile square recipe led them to this blog. Amazing. I'm guessing they were looking for the neighbor treats I made at Christmas. I'll be making another variation for my Valentine's neighbor treats. I bought these the other day. I like nonpareils. They make me happy.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The cashier at the grocery store this afternoon called me "Hun." I'm pretty sure I'm at least 10 years older than her. Maybe more. The only people who should be calling me "Hun" are old ladies or Dolly Parton. But I imagine that Dolly would call me Sugar (pronounced Shug-uh).

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This conversation makes me about as happy as the nonpareils.

her: You pretty, Mama.

me: Oh, thank you, Cate! You're pretty too.

her: Oh! Dank you!

It usually happens when we're driving in the car. And she starts it. I love it. She's a good kid who knows how to compliment her tired old mother.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I was on the elliptical machine at the gym this week. A boy came in with his dad. The dad got on the elliptical in front of me, the kid got on the one beside me. The worker lady came in, doing her rounds, checking for illegal exercisers.

She asked the boy how old he was. He said, "Twelve." And then she said, "And you're here with...mom?" and then she pointed to ME! For a few seconds I was shocked and slightly offended. Sure, I am in dire need of some anti-wrinkle cream and a good long sit in the hair stylist's chair but really? The mother of a 12-year-old? My oldest just turned four. Then I remembered that I'm approaching my thirteenth anniversary of wedded bliss. A 12-year-old child in my family is possible.

The kid just shook his head and pointed to his dad and then the lady left. I was left thinking about what it would be like to have a 12-year-old. A kid old enough to put himself to bed and tie his own shoes. I can hardly imagine it.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Cate walked into the front room last Friday night wearing some princess dress up clothes she'd gotten for Christmas. In her bedroom, all by herself, she had taken off her shirt, pulled on her purple tutu, purple slippers and put the tiara on her head backwards. Her belly was hanging over the top of the tutu. It was so unexpected and adorable that I almost shed a tear or two. As soon as I can figure out how to post pictures from my phone (somewhere other than facebook and a text message) I'll share. For now, I don't even know how to add a new phone number into my contacts list. This new "smart" phone is making me feel very dumb.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Danny wants two moms. He says, "Like you and Daddy have." I try to tell him that Grama Bama is my mom and Grandma is Dan's mom. I guess he just sees the union of his parents as ONE and thinks that we have two moms. I don't know. Two moms might be nice. I could be the fun one. Let the other mom be the meanie.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

One year and 4 days after the start of Forty by Forty, I'm down 28.5 pounds. It pains me to look at that before picture. A few observations.

Number one: I thought I'd be happier if I lost weight. I was wrong. Lesson learned. Now I'd like to see if the whole "Money can't buy you happiness" thing is true or not. That should be a fun one. I'm accepting donations.

Number two: It's a lot more fun shopping for clothes now. I don't come home nearly as depressed as I used to.

Number three: Keeping the weight off is going to be about as much fun as it was taking it off.

Number four: I'd really like to lose another pound and a half. I like even numbers.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Cate gives kisses on both cheeks nowadays. She's so European. She says MUH but does no puckering of her lips. When I give her kisses, she wipes them off. When she gives me kisses (on the cheeks, almost never on the lips), she tells me to not wipe them off. She's a silly kid.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Danny keeps asking me if we can have a yard sale. He doesn't seem to understand that winter is not the time to hold such an event. I'm not sure where he heard about yard sales either. It certainly wasn't from me. I told him maybe we'd have one in the summer. I hope he forgets about it by then.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I said the opening prayer in church last week. When I came back to our pew, Cate said (in a voice louder than a whisper), "Good job, Mommy! You get beans in you jar!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Danny gave a talk in primary last Sunday. When I first told him he'd be giving a talk, he told me that he was just going to say blah blah blah blah into the microphone. Lovely. We practiced Sunday morning and he cooperated and repeated everything I said. No blah blah blah blah. He did me proud.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Cate took a nap on the bottom bunk in Danny's room yesterday. She woke up when she fell off the bed. She wasn't very happy about it.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Danny asked me yesterday when we were going to babysit baby Raymond again. I asked him why and he said because he likes to make Raymond smile. It took him exactly 6 months to like that kid. When I took him to visit Sweet Baby Ray in the hospital just hours after his birth, he wouldn't even acknowledge the fact that they are cousins. He just flat out denied it. I'm just glad he's finally coming around.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I made some more cakies this week. Danny likes to eat the batter. He asked for a dough ball. "One that's not transformed into a cookie."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Danny went to a birthday party today. When he got home he pulled stuff out of his goodie bag to show me his loot. Balloons, Smarties, glow-in-the-dark stars, paper rocket ship, a bowl. The best part was when he pulled out some Hershey's kisses and said, "I don't know what these are." Clearly, I have not taught my child how to love chocolate. It's ok though because he said Dan and I could eat them. And then I ate them and didn't share with Dan.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

And finally (if you've even made it this far and are still awake), a little video of my kids expressing themselves through creative dance to the tune of Auburn's fight song. Enjoy!

flashback on a friday: seventy-seven days old

February 5, 2007


This picture is one of my favorites.

Just look at my baby boy.

So tiny.

Except for his cheeks.

Man, I love that kid.

The big guy's not so bad either.

her name is reesa

I'm pretty sure Cate has an imaginary friend.
And I'm pretty sure her name is Reesa.

One day last week I asked my little girl who she was talking to on her toy phone.
"It's Reesa."
(usually it's Grama Bama)

I asked her how old Reesa is.
She's two.
I asked if she's a girl or a boy.
She's a girl.

I'm not going to lie.
I am not happy that Cate has an imaginary friend.
It's disturbing to me.
I know it's probably a very normal part of growing up.
(especially as a little girl with no little girls around to play with every day)

I just don't like it.
It kind of creeps me out.
No offense to any of you with your own imaginary friends, of course.

So far, I've only seen Cate talk to Reesa on her phone.
I'm hoping it stays that way...and that it's long distance.

all I wanted for Christmas

Is it too late to be posting about Christmas? I hope not because here I go.

All I wanted for Christmas was a calendar and a robe. I totally scored! I got both things I wanted. I'm a lucky, lucky gal. I know.

Never mind that both items were purchased at Costco while I was there. I'm good at pretending for the sake of my little boy. He was thrilled to be sneaking around the store with Dan. It was adorable (Danny, not Dan...although he's adorable sometimes too, just not so much when he's sneaking around Costco).

Ain't I a beauty on Christmas morning? Sheesh. Somebody get that girl some mascara.


Other things I wanted for Christmas (but didn't tell anyone, not even Santa, so no surprise that I didn't get them, but my birthday is in 5 months so I'll just wait):

I've seen this necklace floating around facebook. It's quite cute. I'm not much of a necklace wearer so I'm not sure why I like it. Maybe because it's miniatures and I have a soft spot in my heart for mini things.

I'm in love with this cutting board. I'd need to have that little heart scootched over a few miles to the east of course (War Eagle!). I think it's almost too beautiful to cut food on. Maybe I'd just use it like in the picture, to make a nice little pile of peeee-cans and some kind of soft cheese blob.

Go ahead and clicky on that link and check out the other cutting boards. Utah, North Dakota and Colorado...good states to turn into cutting boards. Michigan, Rhode Island and Hawaii...not so much.

I could really use a pair of these smittens. Too bad they're sold out. They'd be perfect for all those times when Dan and I go for leisurely hand-holding walks in the cold.


It's ok that I didn't get any of that other stuff (remember, my birthday...5 months). I did get one other gift from Dan.

Take a look.

Mini bottles of shampoo, conditioner and lotion. Isn't my husband the best? He knows I love mini things. He gave me mini bottles of things I can actually use. He's so practical.

Oh, yeah.

He also gave me dinner (at a bbq place I've been wanting to try), a movie (True Grit, not my favorite), a night away from the cats (and the kids too, but I didn't want to say that for fear of being perceived as the bad mom who wants to get away from her kids), breakfast at Denny's (complete with bacon and the most scrumptious gingerbread french toast I've ever tasted) AND a new cell phone (that I still haven't figured out how to use to its fullest potential).

Merry Christmas to me!

And many thanks to Grama Bama and Grandpa for staying with the kids and the cats while we were away. I expected Danny and Cate to come running to the door to greet us when we returned home.

Didn't happen.

They didn't seem to notice. Grama Bama was keeping them quite happy with her phone and all its little games and gadgets.

I'm thinking maybe we should have stayed gone one more night.

Oh, that's a good idea for my birthday.

Two nights away from the cats!

Woo hoo!

never enough

{Thank you to the syrup for reminding me to smile at dinner one night.}


Why is it that there's always plenty
(and I'm talkin' way more than enough)

fighting
whining
no nap taking
tattling
not sharing
messes to clean
dishes in the sink
laundry to fold every day

but never ever enough

hugs
kisses
smiles
laughs
thank you
you're welcome
I love you
I'm sorry
and just plain old fun

?

Things need to be a changin' around here.
I need more of the good stuff.

(Maybe I should add chocolate to that list too.)

I was also wondering why there aren't more pictures of me and my main man.

Then I realized it's because Danny's our photographer.
The angle is all wrong.
It's not his fault though.
He's short.

And his pictures seem to produce way more chins than we actually possess.
And we're always blurry.

Next time I'll tell him stand on a chair.
And hold still.

* * * * *

I'm hoping for a trip to Costco this morning.
I'll be sure to throw a bag of chocolate into the cart.

And shopping with kids is always fun, right?

Right.

ten things I've been thinking about since that last blog post

After working on Sunday's nine on the ninth (while the kids slept and Dan watched some silly movie and laughed out loud several times), I've come to a few conclusions.

1. I am boring. Who really cares what I did Sunday morning? I almost don't care what I did Sunday morning. And I took pictures of it? Good grief. I had almost lost my mind by 10:00 that day. Seriously. Is there any way I could have taken a picture of that? I'm just asking because that would not have been boring.

2. Starting church at 1:00 in the afternoon just might kill me. Not kidding.

3. I need to start eating oatmeal for breakfast again. I haven't weighed myself in over a month. I'm scared to. My pants are not tight (except for the ones that are supposed to be), so I think everything is ok. I'm not going to get on the scale again until I've eaten my oatmeal every day for a week. I'm crazy. I know. But you've got crazy things going on in your head too. Admit it. If I go back to oatmeal then I won't have to worry about people stealing all the strawberries out of my special cereal. One less thing to worry about.

4. I have way too many wrinkles. It's disturbing. The way I see it, I have three options. Gain weight. My plumpish face made the wrinkles much less noticeable. Or I could stop smiling and laughing. Seems like that's where all the wrinkles are anyway...laugh lines and crow's feet. It's not like I go around laughing and smiling all day anyway so I'm pretty close to this option already. My last choice is to get started with the Botox. Or a little face lift maybe. And while I'm at it, I've got a few areas I'd like to have augmented, lipoed, and/or tucked.

5. My kids are cute and I love them, even if they're going to be driving me crazy every Sunday morning for the rest of the year. Or at least for the rest of the winter. As much as I hate summer, I might just hate winter more.

6. Sometimes it feels good to just write stuff, even though it seems pretty boring. I should do this more often. I just worry that my mom and dad (and maybe Dan) are going to read this and think, "Man, that's boring. Now where's the pictures of those cute kids?" I like posting recipes. I know that's boring to some people (Uncle Tim). If I post my favorites here, then I know where to look when I need them. I don't have to go searching through my recipe collection. Plus, it's my blog. I can do what I want. So what if it doesn't know what kind of blog it wants to be. Cute kids? Recipes? Crazy mommy? Complaining? Inspirational? (That last one's a joke, obviously. Unless you count inspiring people to not be like me.)

7. A picture I wish I had included on Sunday was of Danny watching his Aunt Judy nursing baby Raymond. Oh my. I watched him go downstairs where Judy was sitting on the couch with the baby. I wondered why he was going down there, since the big boys were upstairs watching a show. Danny sat down on the other couch and looked over at Judy. He kept giving her sideways glances. Then he just settled down and flat out stared at her. No looking away. He folded his arms like he was cradling a baby. (He couldn't see me watching him. Otherwise, he probably would not have been staring at her. At least that's what I'm hoping.) It was hilarious and adorable all at the same time. Danny was only 19 months old when Cate was born. I'm not interested in giving details, but I'm pretty sure he never saw me nursing her. And even if he had, I think he was too little to remember it. Needless to say, I think he's intrigued.

8. I bet the snow plow driver likes having church at 1:00.

9. Not having anything to do with the boring state of the nine on the ninth post (but somewhat related since it happened at church...and that was on the ninth), Cate told the kids and teachers in nursery that her mommy has a baby in her tummy. {Her mommy actually DOES NOT have a baby in her tummy.} She also told them that it's a baby sister and that it came from her daddy. Nice. I can assure you that if there was a baby girl in her mommy's tummy {and there most certainly IS NOT}, Cate would be one of the last ones to know.

10. I'm back to complaining. The strike has been long over. I'm trying to keep it to every other day though. Today's one of the on days.


And just in case my parents (or anyone else still reading this) think this is boring, there's a cute kid up there at the top of this boring post. He wanted to put on my headband. I let him. Then he wanted me to take his picture. So I did. That's how he posed.


In other not boring news, Cate has got herself a case of The Croup again. I am giving it capital letters because it deserves it. She kept us both up until the wee wee wee hours of the morning today. The doctor gave her a shot of steroids this afternoon. She fell asleep before 7:30. She's sleeping still. Oh, how I'm hoping she'll stay that way until the sun comes up tomorrow. No matter how cute they are, sick, tired kids are not fun to be around.


And in case you're wondering, she weighed in at 35 pounds at the doctor's office. I think she's the one that's been stealing my strawberries.

nine on the ninth

numero uno: Special K with strawberries for breakfast. Except for me it was just Special K. No berries. Where were all the berries? That's why I buy that cereal. For the berries. I'm thinking there are a few kids in this house who sneak into my Special K with strawberries and pick out all the strawberries. That's just a hunch.

numero dos: Woke up to fresh powder. Thanks to the snow plow driver for coming down our street so early in the morning and waking me up. Otherwise, I would have had to wait until a decent hour (like 9:00ish maybe) to find out that it snowed while I was sleeping.

numero tres: Horizontal bed head. That takes talent, people.

numero cuatro: The mess that stayed on the table all night long and into the morning. Those sequins haunt me.

numero cinco: The ear plugs I found under my bed last night. That's why the mess didn't get cleaned off the kitchen table. Cleaning under my bed was a big job. It wasn't pretty.

numero seis: Danny's bed time story last night and tonight. I'm prepping him for the big game tomorrow. After I read it to him he said, "Well, dat was a cute wittle book!" War Eagle!

numero siete: A shaving lesson. Is my little boy really going to be big enough to be shaving his face some day? Say it ain't so.

numero ocho: Dermatologist schmermatologist. My skin tag is gone. I took matters into my own hands and squished the life out of it until it yelled uncle and fell off my face. If you don't remember what it looked like, go freshen your memory (if you care about my skin tag, that is.)

numero nueve: The only picture of the day not taken this morning. (Having church at 1:00 in the afternoon, then having two cranky kids after church puts a damper on the picture taking. Do you really want to see pictures of cranky kids? I don't.) Playing in a fort with the cousins. I took this picture and Jarrett told me to not do that anymore because it makes them hot. You know, like the flash is so powerful it makes the temperature in the room rise. Whatever.

and now they're gone

Grama Bama and Grandpa (my parents, just in case you didn't know) left for the long drive home on Wednesday morning.

I'm pretty sure it was still dark out when they drove away.

That's probably why they left Grandpa's winter coat, Sunday suit and tie and belt, and Grama Bama's sweater in the coat closet.

It was just too dark to see them.

We enjoyed having them here.

I'm pretty sure they enjoyed being here.

The grandkids had fun being spoiled rotten.

What's not fun about that?

Cate got to know Aunt Jenny better.

She stuck to her like glue.

It was nice (for me, at least).

We missed the two cousins who couldn't make it this year.

If I knew how to use Photoshop I could stick them in this picture.

Abby would go right behind Grandpa.

Emma could be on the end by Danny.

Anyone want to give it a try?

Grandpa entertained the kids.

I'm pretty sure they were both ignoring him, but it was nice of him to try.

Danny's gotten it into his head lately that when you pose for a picture, you put your face in your hands.

I have no idea where that came from, but it's good for a laugh.

Grama Bama hit up Robert's (the craft store) on New Year's day looking for some felt letters.

She didn't find any.

In true Grama Bama style, she came home with gifts for the spoiled little ones instead.

They were on sale! How could she not?

Cate had fun playing with this wooden dress up doll set.

The dolls' names are Abby and Emma.

What a coinky dink.

Cate loved having a warm lap to snuggle up on to watch her shows.

I'm pretty sure Grandpa's brain is now mush.

Wubbzy and Team Umizoomi will do that to you after a while.

On the night before they left, I tried to get a few more pictures.

Both Danny and Cate are wearing clothes from Grama Bama.

That zebra shirt Cate's wearing came with matching zebra stripe leggings.

Adorable!

I realized that I hadn't taken any pictures of Grama Bama with her favorite son-in-law this trip.

Now I have.

Here's our little three generation picture.

(taken by me with my arm held out in front)

Now I know who Cate inherited her nose from (and it ain't me).

And then one last shot of me and my dad.

* * * * *

I've gotten a few texts from the parents since they left a few days ago.

Wednesday night my Dad texted me when they got to their hotel at the end of the day of driving.

He said they were "wigged out" and then signed off with "Peace out!"

Ummmmm....ok.

They left Texas this morning.

The goal is to cross Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama today.

And then it's home sweet home to crash in bed.

We're praying for safe travels and no more wigging out.

That's just not something I want my parents doing on a long drive across the south.

In other news, I took the Christmas tree down on day negative eleven.

I didn't meet my goal but at least it's done.

That stick in the snow is all that's left of it.

I had to chop all the branches off in order to get the lights off.

Is that normal?

That's what I've always done.

And these two.

Just when you think they'll never ever learn how to play nicely with each other

(mostly because Danny doesn't want to play with Cate's pink Legos
and Danny doesn't want to let Cate play with his Star Wars Legos),

Danny puts his arm around Cate and says,

"Hey, Mama. Take a picture of us!"

Love.

Love.

Love.