Random Friday

18 weeks down, only 22 to go. But who's counting?? ;)

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A popular toy for older infants and young toddlers these days is the Leap Frog AlphaPal. It looks like a big caterpiller, and on every foot is a letter of the alphabet. There are several settings: Saying the letter, giving the letter sound, giving the color of the foot, or playing a short little tune.

A friend of mine told me yesterday that her brother discovered something interesting about the letter sound feature. His son happened to push the letter "f", then the letter "k". This toy is programed somehow to recognize that these two sounds would make a very bad word, so after hearing the "ffff" sound, you don't get to hear the "k" sound. Instead the toy giggles and says "That tickles!". Apparantly they programed it for any swear word you could possibly do. Isn't that clever?

I also think this can go in the category "Weird Things Mormons Do When They Are Bored".

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Dallin turns one on Tuesday. I can't believe it's already been a year! It went by so quickly. Also weird to think that I am pregnant now, and I was a year ago at this time, too. Yuck.

Anyrate... I have to get Dallin a present still. Not sure what I want to get him. I love buying things for my boys, but I can easily go overboard. Ches said he ordered something online for Dallin. When I asked what, he just said it's a onesie. "What's on the onesie?" I asked. Of course he won't tell me. It doesn't seem to matter to him that it's not MY birthday!

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I am currently reading The Divine Ryans by Wayne Johnston. It's pretty good. I like it so far, but it wouldn't do for the church reading groups (I know there are several out there in one of those... like me... who are constantly looking for books to read in the group).

Aiden's favorite book right now is Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley. He discovered it at the library not long after we moved here (almost two years ago now!), and we check it out about twice a month. I really need to just buy him his own copy.

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I think I watch too much CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. I realized that a few years ago when I had a dream that someone had broken into my car, and I started to process the "scene". I even found a hair, picked it up with my tweezers, and put it in a small, yellow envelope. Of course, I was wering the fancy rubber gloves that they are always wearing! :)

Last night I had another CSI dream. This time I was an actual CSI, and there was a real crime (a murder or something. It's been long enough that it's starting to get murkey in my mind. And besides, I had another strange dream right after the CSI dream, and it had nothing to do with the first dream). I'm wondering if it is because I am watching too much CSI (although I only watch the original now!), or because that is what was on last night and was the last thing we watched before going to bed?

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Flames lost last night in overtime. We are sad, but still hopeful. The series is now tied 2-2. We're thinking of going to a local sports bar to watch the game one night. They have a gajillion TVs and will let you watch whatever game you want. And they have good food. It will be up to me to find the sitter, I'm sure, but maybe I'll get a date with my husband out of the hockey tournament! Woot!

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Ches is almost done with school! It's hard to believe. He is trying to finish up his research project, which is what he is doing instead of a Master's thesis. If all goes well with the research project, he has already had an offer to help him format it right to be published in The Instrumentalist.

That would be so cool! MY husband... published!! Of course, I would be a little jealous, too, because of the two of us I have always had the desire and goal to be a published writer. It would be okay, though. I think my pride in him would definitely outweigh the jealousy!

Anyrate... Ches' topic is something like Quality Literature for the Small Band. He found it very difficult to find quality band literature for his kids to play at festival when he was teaching in a small band program. He had less than the ideal instrumentation, and often odd combinations. The kids were very talented, so to pick out music that would accomodate smaller instrumentation was often way too easy. Besides being insulting, it's just not challenging, and how can they learn anything new? While we were in college studying things like band literature, we were pretty much always taught for the "ideal" group, but in small programs and small, rural towns, you just don't get those kinds of groups. So Ches is trying to make a good resource for these band directors as well as find out what kinds of things some directors do. He has surveyed band directors from around the country, and some of the results are really quite interesting so far. It's a good project. And I don't think I'm being biased at all (even if I really am!).

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Quote of the day:
Don't wreck a sublime chocolate experience by feeling guilty. Chocolate isn't like premarital sex. It will not make you pregnant. And it always feels good.
--Lora Brody

I Got Tagged By Kris!!

I AM: Extremely exhausted, but used to it.
I WANT: Financial security
I WISH: I could snap my fingers and have everything just the way I like it
I HATE: smokers
I MISS: my sister, Lura
I FEAR: something really bad happening to one of my kids
I HEAR: the dryer going and Aiden playing with a large pile of pennies on my bed
I WONDER: how some people really do seem to have all the luck in the world
I REGRET: past stupid decisions
I AM NOT: a good housekeeper
I DANCE: as much as I possibley can, without caring
I SING: for my kids and in church
I CRY: at every single stinkin' thing these days
I AM NOT ALWAYS: kind or thoughtful to the people I care about the most
I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: bread (sometimes)
I WRITE: because I love it and it gives me a good release
I CONFUSE: TV characters with real friends
I NEED: a loooooong nap... uninterrupted
I SHOULD: clean the kitched right now
I START: everything with good intentions
I FINISH: in my own time
I TAG: Laural, Lura, Mom, and anyone else who wants to do this one.

Random Friday

I love the warm weather. They say it is going to drop about 10 degrees tomorrow, but it will still be 60, so I'm happy. I just wish I had more summer maternity clothes that fit! I'm already quite warm, and capris and t-shirts seem to be quite comfy right now. When it gets really hot out, I think I have enough t-shirts and stuff, but all of those clothes are too big right now. I kinda hate how much my body changes during pregnancy. It's just so stinkin' unpredictable. Although I kinda like how I look when I pregnant because I think I'm kinda cute. In some outfits more than others. I may be in tons of pain and discomfort, but darn it, I'm cute!

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Did you know that seahorses have a "body armor" kind of like armadillos? I didn't. Until I saw the Stanley episode about seahorses. Oh, and seahorses are great dads. I love watching Stanley. Playhouse Disney has some great shows.

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Speaking of great kids shows on Playhouse Disney... Bear in the Big Blue House will have all new episodes all next week! I'm so excited, I'm ready to do the "Bear Cha-cha-cha"! I didn't think Bear was even on anymore! Of course, here in Nevada it's on at 6:30 in the morning, and we aren't up yet. And I'm sure not waking my kids up that early (or myself) just to watch Bear. So today I'm thankful for the wonderful invention of VCRs.

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Tuesday night is Ches' final Wind Ensemble concert. It is also the debut performance of the Wind Symphony that we are both playing in (the community group that just started back in January or February). I'm really excited for this concert. We are playing some really difficult, but really fun music: Symphonic Dance No. 3 (“Fiesta”) by Clifton Williams, Trauersinfonie by Richard Wagner, Second Suite in F by Gustav Holst, and The Cowboys by popular American composer John Williams.

As we were rehearsing for the final time last night, all I could think of is "I wish my mom could come to my concert." You see, my parents haven't been to one of my band concerts since I was in high school because I went to college so far away from home. (Although my mom did get to come to Symphonic Band rehearsal at Ricks during Mother's Week, and she attended one of my flute lessons with me.) I would like to show my mom and dad that it was worth it to send me away to school, it was worth it to buy me a flute when we had no money, and it was worth it to let me major in something like music. I know that I'm not playing as well now as I used to, but this is still a major thing to me: that I am still playing. When I wanted a new flute, my parents bought me one my junior year of high school with one condition: that I keep playing. I had to play in college. I didn't have to be a music major, but I did have to play in something. I want my mom to come to my concert so I can show her what I have done with that one simple promise I made back in 1993.

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Where in the world did the "media" get the idea that nicknaming famous couples was a good idea? I mean, I kind of understood the whole "Bennifer" thing, but now we have "Brangelina" and "TomKat"... it's getting out of hand, and it's just plain stupid! Ches and I are Ches and Sariah, not "Chesiah" or something equally weird. I just wonder where the entertainment world comes up with some of things and how it catches on so well.

Besides combining a couple's names, the other phrase I hate is "baby bulge". Nowhere in real life have I hear of a pregnant belly called a "baby bulge". It just sounds so ugly to me! I like "pregnant belly", or "pooch" for when a woman is just showing. That might just be me, though.

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My very first CD that I ever owned was given to me for Valentine's Day by my boyfriend during my Senior year of high school. It is a two-disc set, actually, of "Les Miserables" with the original London cast (including Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean and Patti LuPone as Fantine). I don't have any fond feelings for the guy who gave this to me anymore, but I still love the CDs. It was something I had wanted for a very long time, so I was very grateful. I guess he did some things right when we were dating!

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Erica made me a "wicked awesome CD mix" (her words!!) for me quite a while ago. I was very excited when I received this CD and couldn't wait to listen to it. But our stereo is quite old, so it is really picky about what burned discs it will play. No worries, I thought. I'll just listen to it in the car. However, Aiden has kind of taken over the van's stereo anytime we're in there together (and I'm rarely in the van by myself), so I hadn't had a chance to listen to it. Yesterday afternoon, however, I got my chance! Ches came home to watch the kids while I went to get my blood drawn and run some errands, so I took the CD. Alas, my van stereo kept saying "error" and spitting it back out to me. AAAHHHHH!!!! I will try the CD player on the computer, next. And if that doesn't work, I'll find the discman and try that. And if that doesn't work, well, Erica, you may just have to make me a new CD! :)

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Quote of the day:
"Let it be."
-- Paul McCartney

Note on this quote: I did a bit of complaining in my Random Friday, but I think that there are really better things in life to worry about than what the entertainment media says or thinks! So today's quote is really just for me as a reminder that something just don't matter, so just let it be. Or, as Dr. Taylor (one of my professors at Ricks) used to say:
"Get over it."

Family Bed

Last night we had quite a bit of trouble getting the boys to sleep. Somehow, after 11 pm, we all ended up in mine and Ches' bed... but it wasn't normal sleeping positions. Aiden was the only one under any covers, Ches was laying vertically across the bottom, I was laying with my feet on Ches' legs and kind of curled around Dallin, and Dallin kept switching around where he was, although I think he finally ended up on his stomach with hi little bum up in the air, head towards his dad.

As I was falling asleep, I kept thinking, "I wish I could remove myself from my body and take a picture of this. I bet it'd be awesome."

I once read a magazine article or something about this photographer who would go into celebrities' homes and take pictures of them with their families when they first woke up in the morning. (The photographer had permission to do this. This wasn't some crazy paparazzi thing.) They were all shot in black in white, and they were just beautiful. I remember one being someone in a yoga pose, someone elsein bed with husband and dog, and my favorite was of Emma Thompson... husband and daughter all in the same bed, daughter was jumping around in that "wake up! Wake up!" thing that young kids do, and it was kind of a close up of Emma Thompson's face. She was smiling and kind of holding her messy bed hair out of her eyes. She had on no make up, but that first morning picture was truely a piece of art.

At least, I'm pretty sure that's about how the picture went. Mostly I just remember thinking, "That is the coolest portrait I have ever seen." It seemed to capture her as she truely is... and not as this big star that everyone thinks they know.

So we were in bed last night (until Ches woke up at 1 am and put Aiden in his bed and I immediately woke up and put Dallin in the crib), and I wished and wished I could have taken a picture of my little family, asleep on one bed.

And I wished that we had a king size bed.

Sariah Says

Sariah in Vancouver has the BEST post today. Well, it was for me, anyway. So go check out the pictures of President Gordon B. Hinckley and read all the captions. Some of funny, some are just endearing. I love these photos because they really seem to capture the soul of Pres. Hinckley. I am truely grateful to be living in a time where we have him for a prophet. And I have missed seeing pictures of his beautiful wife, too!

Pictures

I posted new pictures (FINALLY!!!) on Flickr. If you aren't one of my contacts, email me and I'll make you one. Otherwise... I know some of you have been wondering if I'd ever use Flickr again!! :)

Phone Call

The phone rang a few minutes ago. Like I do with most calls, I checked the caller ID to see if it was someone I know, or at least an area code I know. If the caller ID says "Unavailable" with no number, or if it is an unfamiliar area code, I let the machine pick it up. I figure that if someone actually wants to talk to us, then they can leave a message. If it is someone I actually like, I will pick up the phone as they are leaving the message and talk to them.

As I was saying, the phone rang a few minutes ago. I checked the caller ID, and there was actually a name AND a number. You know what the name said?

TONGA.

So... uh, what? The entire country of Tonga got on a conference call and decided, "Hey let's call Sariah's universe"? I didn't answer the phone because I don't speak Tongan, and I was afraid. So I let the machine get it. I guess Tonga doesn't like answering machines because no message was left.

I'm still wondering... who is Tonga? And why did Tonga call ME?

Another Holiday, Come and Gone

It seems as if holidays come with all this great anticipation, but once it actually gets here, I almost always feel let down. It's not that it's a big bust or anything. It's just that nothing seems to ever live up to all the hype or to the "memories" you have from childhood. And even those memories are hardly real. Just blown-up incidents in your brain.

Our Easter was actually pretty quiet. We started by my taking the kids to an egg hunt sponsored by the UNR Alumni Association. Ches had to work all day. We got there just in time, and Aiden was all ready with his basket. I even remembered the camera to take pictures! All the preschool-aged kids were lined up, someone (with the authority to do so) yelled go, and I said, "Go Aiden! Go get eggs!!" I wanted to stand back and let him at it, like I thought all the other parents would.

Boy, was I wrong. EVERY parent (okay, except for a small few who seemed to be of the same mindset as me) charged in there with their kids and started getting eggs! Aiden was not at the front of the pack, so the place was practically wiped out within 30 seconds and he had NO eggs in his basket. I had to rush in there (Dallin in my arms) just to make sure Aiden wouldn't get trampled. He was scared. Seriously, these other parents were brutal. Aiden eventually got one egg because a parent was throwing eggs into her kids' baskets, saw that Aiden didn't have anything, and threw one in his. Aiden was not the only kid to not get any eggs. We finally found some college-aged-looking girls who had grocery bags of eggs that they were throwing out on the ground for kids who were still searching. They eventually just started putting eggs in kids' baskets, so Aiden got two more, then his friend, Kaely, gave him one from her basket.

I'm still upset at the behavior of these other parents. Way to let your KIDS do an Easter egg hunt! Way to show your kids how to be kind and step back so the kids in the back can get an egg! I saw kids with big baskets and buckets FULL of eggs. I don't think we'll be going back next year.

Late Saturday night, after the kids were finally in bed, the Easter bunny made a run to Wal-Mart to get treats for Easter. Advice for the Easter bunny for next year: Don't wait until 11 pm Saturday to go shopping for Easter goodies. The good stuff is all gone. We will try and find some sales around town this week to make up for the Easter bunny's failure, I think. The good news: This is the first year we got gifts in our basket! In our house, we only ever have Easter chocolates and candies. However, the Easter bunny felt so bad (s)he found "A Bug's Life" on DVD for only $14, so the whole family got a treat. Aiden got a little basketball hoop that should stick to walls with suction cups (turns out it sticks to the window only) and has a foam ball. Dallin got a soft book of Noah's Ark with three little finger puppets that also stick into the book.

Sunday morning was nice, and we all ate lots of candy for breakfast. I had gotten some of those really yummy huge muffins from the bakery at the grocery store, but some people would just rather eat candy on Easter morning. We got the boys dressed in their nice, new Easter outfits, and just as we're about to head to church, Aiden had an accident. Oops. So he ended up wearing pants that totally didn't match. Oh, well.

I made a yummy Easter dinner after church of ham, mashed potatos, a macaroni/tuna salad, deviled eggs, rolls, and brown-sugar glazed carrots. However, I was so tired from making dinner, I wasn't really hungry anymore! The leftovers have been nice today, however.

And that, my friends, is the low-down on my Easter. Pretty quiet, pretty boring, but it was actually nice to just be with my family. I love my husband, and I love my kids. Who needs all the extra bells and whistles, anyway??

We Got Our Camera Back Today! And It Works!!

Random Friday

We were flipping through the channels the other day, and on (I believe) the E! network was a show titles "The 10 Secrets of Quick Hollywood Slimdowns". The premise of the show was to give us, as viewers, the chance to see how celebritites are able to get and stay soooooo thin.

Well, I don't need a show to tell me. And I don't think there are 10 secrets. Here are my observations:
1. Starve yourself.
2. Cut out all enjoyable foods in the entire world and eat really small portions of the yucky, bland foods, but insist that you love it and you feel great.
3. Smoke. You'll kill all your tastebuds, so then you won't notice that all you are eating is yucky, bland food and not enjoying food like a normal person.
4. Have a personal trainer that is at your house every single day and making you workout.
5. Work out at least 4 hours everyday with said personal trainer.
6. Stay out late drinking and partying (helps you to actually be unhealthy and lose weight, I think).
7. Have a personal clothes stylist, hair stylist, and makeup stylist that will always make you look good no matter where you are and where you go.

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I just got off the phone with a friend and she scheduled a Get Together for Creative Memories! I'm so excited!! (For those of you who don't know, I have recently become a Creative Memories consultant and am trying to get my little business off the ground). This is my first definite yes. Now I'm a little nervous, but that's okay. Yay for me! :)

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First quote of the day (yes, today we get two):
If there's anything that can match the heights of mother-love, it's the depths of mother-guilt.
--From and essay by Katherine Lee in the collection The Imperfect Mom

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Dallin laughed at something on TV this morning. I think it was the first time he out-right laughed at something on TV. We were watching The Big Big World on PBS and the two little marmasets were hopping around making a lot of funny monkey noises. He just laughed and laughed at that. It was the cutest thing to see.

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Aunt Marisa mentioned recently that I should write a book called "The Wit and Wisdom of Aiden". Her favorite Aiden quote? "When we are llamas, we will eat grass."

Talking to a friend of mine this morning I think it's not just Aiden. It's three-year-olds. I mean, take FeatherSky's son, Jaedin. Still loving the whole hippo comment in church. Or ABQ's son, W. I can't get over the hot dog comment! So maybe I will write a book with the title Aunt Marisa suggested, but it will actually be a compilation of all the three year olds I know (or have known). Hmmmm. I should think about this some more. I've always wanted to write a book. This could be a good start! You know, a sort of "Kids Say the Darndest Things" for the new millenium.

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I had a dream last night that I was on a plane (I don't know where I was travelling) and some old friends that I haven't seen in over 10 years were on the plane. We hung out, then some of us drove to New York City (my first time!) and we weren't there literally five minutes before we ran into some of out other old friends that live in NYC now. So then I got to hang out with them, too.

That would have been cool.

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Tomorrow the replacements come for my BIL's unit in Iraq. That means only a few more weeks until he is home in the States with my sister and their son. How exciting is THAT??

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One of my favorite songs that I have on my mp3 player is "I Miss You" by Incubus. Except for the one line with the blaring F-Word (no, I don't have the edited version of this song... obviously), I just love this song. It's so beautiful. It makes me think of when you are first in love with someone and it's the first time you spend anytime actually apart.

Ches and I had been married over a year before either of us went away overnight. I spent a weekend in Virginia, visiting my parents. It really wasn't that long of a time, but I couldn't believe how much I missed him. I didn't sleep well at ALL, and it was weird to not hear his snoring. Who would think that I would miss his snoring? But now, anytime he is gone overnight, I can't sleep because I can't hear his snoring or at least his loud breathing.

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Second Quote of the Day:
The way to know life is to look at many things.
--Vincent Van Gogh

I Want to Be

Profound
Thoughtful
Kind
Popular
Comfortable (financially)
A good mother
Intelligent
Responsible
Reliable
Loved
Loving
Compassionate

I think I have a lot to work on.

Random Friday

I think Spring has arrived! Yesterday was a beautiful day. It was in the low 60's with a slight breeze. Very sunny. I took the kids to the park and we had the BEST time. Dallin especially liked the swing. Aiden made lots of friends, and he climbed up really, really high on the jungle gym. He was still too scared to go down most slides, but that's okay. Baby steps. We are going to another park today.

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Kid's joke of the day:
What did the pirate pay for his earring?
A buccaneer!

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I have decided that when we buy a house someday I want to be within very short walking distance of a park. Then it won't matter if we have a huge backyard or not. If we don't live very close to a park, then I want a huge backyard. So now I have these "requirements" for when we buy a house someday:
1. Within short walking distance of a park
2. A good back yard, fenced-in
3. Room for a flower garden in the front yard
4. Must be on a cul-de-sac
5. A full basement (doesn't have to be finished. We can do that)
6. A full attic
7. A living room and a family room (although if we have a full basement, the family room would go in the basement)
8. A music room with a piano and ample shelf space for all our music and CDs. And we can leave all our instruments in there without having to trip over anything. And we can teach lessons in there.
9. Cannot be haunted

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When we were kids, we had lots of wierd little car games that we made up. One of our favorites had to do with bridges, tunnels, and overpasses. Whenever we went through a tunnel or under a bridge or overpass or some sort, we had to hold our breath. We said it was for good luck. I don't know if it ever brought us any good luck, but it sure was fun! It was also a challenge, at times. When we were visiting our dad in Norway one summer, we were pretty excited that we got to go through so many tunnels. However, these were looooooong tunnels, and my dad thought it'd be hilarious to slow the car down. I don't know why he liked watching our faces go blue as we're madly gesturing "Speed up!! Speed up NOW!!" He really enjoyed that, however. Anyrate, we would come upon a bridge or whatever and yell "hold your breath!", then breath in very loudly, puffing up our cheeks with air. After we had passed under it we couldn't just let go. Oh, no. We had to blow out all the air from our puffed up cheeks with a loud "psssssshhhhhhhh" sound. It was all part of the ritual.

I have passed on the knowledge of "hold your breath!" to Aiden. He gets really excited at this one section of I-80 here in town. We get to pass under lots and lots of bridges and go through one tunnel. I don't think he's actually holding his breath yet, but he makes all the right sounds!

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You know, I mentioned in a comment not too long ago that we didn't study Dr. Seuss in high school. Sorry, Lura. I had forgotten this one little thing:

Sophomore year we had to write a paper about an American author and two pieces of that author's literature. I had a couple of ideas, and I went with a comparison of the symbolism in "The Red Pony" and "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck. My other idea was to do Dr. Seuss. My best friend that year was Deborah, and she couldn't come up with an idea, so she did the Dr. Seuss one. I helped her do some of the research (heh. That meant we sat around the library and the computer lab taking turns reading Dr. Seuss books out loud and laughing a lot). I always wished I had actually done that paper because while I enjoyed the Steinbeck stuff, Dr. Seuss was so much more interesting. Oh well. Incidentally, I believe we both received "A's" on our papers.

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I hope Mitt Romney is able to run for president of the US. The more I read about him, and the more interviews and "discussions" I see about him, the more impressed I get. The big question remains: Is the United States ready for a Mormon president? In every article, in every discussion, that seems to be the main topic. Everyone seems to like him (Republicans and Democrats alike) or at least think he'll be a great leader, but no one is sure about the "Mormon thing". We shall see what happens.

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Quote of the day:
Happiness is the best facelift.
--Diana Krall, quoting Joni Mitchell
(thanks to the May 2006 issue of Reader's Digest for this one)

More!!

Dallin has finally caught on to some sign language!! Much rejoicing and dancing. He can now sign "more". We've only been working on it since he was 6 months old. Hmph.

Anyrate, we're really pleased. At dinner, he now signs for more rather than screaming. Oh! The joy this brings me! Now we can move on and maybe he'll start doing more signs. I can't remember what we did next with Aiden, but it'll probably be more more food signs. Maybe "eat" or "drink". Dallin can start drinking real milk in a few weeks, so maybe we'll push "milk".

Aiden picked up sign really quickly and used it all the time. He doesn't anymore, but I'm hoping we all get back into it more now that Dallin has started. Of course, we sign just about all the time with simple words, trying to get Dallin to pick up on something. "More" was our first big word, and I'm just so happy he finally got it!


Our camera is in the shop, so I don't have pictures of Dallin signing. Instead, you get to see Aiden signing "cold" after a bath when he was 16 months old. I have to say, my kids are so adorable (and no, I'm not at all biased!!)

Having Children

My sister, Lura, sent me this through email. I thought it was funny, and realizing that it is becoming quite true. Tell me, Julia (since you have the most kids, besides Mom)... have you found this to be so? :) Enjoy!

Your Clothes:
1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy.
2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.
3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.

Preparing for the Birth:
1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.
2nd baby: You don't bother because you remember that last time, breathing didn't do a thing.
3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month.

The Layette:
1st baby: You pre-wash newborn's clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau.
2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.
3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?

Worries:
1st baby: At the first sign of distress-a whimper, a frown-you pick up the baby.
2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.
3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old how to rewind the mechanical.

Pacifier:
1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.
2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby's bottle.
3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in

Diapering:
1st baby: You change your baby's diapers every hour, whether they need it or not.
2nd baby: You change their diaper every two to three hours, if needed. 3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.

Activities:
1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.
2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.
3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.

Going Out:
1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home five times.
2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.
3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.

At Home:
1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.
2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.
3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.

Swallowing Coins:
1st child: When first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays.
2nd child: When second child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for the coin to pass.
3rd child: When third child swallows a coin you deduct it from his allowance!!

Ugh, Drivers!

I consider myself a pretty fair driver. Well, actually I'm pretty good, but there is always room for improvement. And I still make dumb mistakes every so often, but who doesn't? I think most of driving is just common sense, and maybe most people don't actually have common sense. I'm starting to really believe that for a few reasons:

1. Turn signals. They have a purpose, people! Use them when you are going to make a turn. Or switch lanes. Especially in heavy traffic. I shouldn't have to go into specifics on how to use your turn signal, but I will on an individual basis. I'm so sick of wondering if someone is drifting into my lane or switching lanes. Either way, I don't think they noticed my big, white van was already there!

2. Emergency vehicles. When an emergency vehicle is coming along with flashing lights and a siren blaring, PULL OVER! I don't care if you are on the opposite side of the road on a 4-lane road. You are still supposed to pull over. Duh. (Yes, I just said "duh". If you are going to act like a middle school kid, I will speak like one, so there.)

3. 4-Way Stops. You must wait your turn at a 4-way stop. And you do NOT wave on someone who is going straight when you are making a left-hand turn if they got there after you. That is just an accident waiting to happen. Just use all the right of way rules, and we'll be fine.

4. Car Stereos. If I can't hear my radio over yours, that means your stereo is WAY too loud! I don't care how much you love your (c)rap. Keep it to yourself. I especially don't like the pounding bass (I've had quite a few migraines recently, and that doesn't help at all), and I don't want my kids to hear some of the language coming from your car. Oh, and when you come from work in the middle of the night, could you please turn your stereo down so all your sleeping neighbors won't wake up? Thank you.

Okay, that's enough complaining for now. I know I have tons more, but that will have to wait for another time. I'm tired of complaining. Go back and read my previous post for something happy!

I Am SOOOOO Smart

I have these really great memories growing up of the cool things my mom would make us kids do. I say make, because honestly, how many kids do you know actually wants to go places like the Oil and Brine Museum in Smackover, Arkansas? (Nope, I will never forgive you for that one, Mom!) Most of the time, we got to do really cool things... we went to cool museums (although Mom always read EVERY word of EVERY display. That can get annoying!), we went to historical sites (even just stopping at the stupid roadsigns on the side of a highway), toured old houses, and we've even been to a battlefield or two. My mom was always all about education and exposure to many different kinds of cultural events. I've been to just about every kind of concert there is (except a rock concert), plays and musicals, Indian pow-wows, air shows, art shows, multicultural fairs, Renaissance faires... and so much more. I have to say, my mom (though embarrassing) is the coolest mom ever.

One of my favorite memories is from the third grade. My mom was a single mother, going to school to get degrees in English and theatre. She was attending a college about 2 hours away (if I remember correctly, which I probably don't), and if she wanted to attend something on campus, it was a pretty big deal to get to an event.

One day, Mom took me with her to class because she wanted to take me to a play that evening on campus. The class we attended was a literature class, and I believe it held mainly freshman or underclassmen. Mom talked to the professor ahead of time to make sure it'd be okay to bring me to class. He was a bit apprehensive at a young child attending a "boring" college class, but Mom explained that I was very well behaved, and would probably just sit and read a book the whole time. Oh, and my favorite book that year was Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, which they happened to be studying for that particular class. The professor allowed me to come.

I remember just before class my mom and I eating sandwiches from a vending machine. I thought that was the coolest thing ever (I must have been way too young to realize how disgusting they really are!). When class began, I sat in the desk next to Mom (in the front row, of course), and started to read my book (Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary. Still a favorite of mine today). Partway through the class, the professor was getting frustrated with the students because they just weren't answering the questions right or something. I don't know, as I was busy reading my own book.

Suddenly, I remember the professor saying, "Come one! This is so easy! I'm sure this little girl knows the answer to the question!" My mom nudged me in the side, and I was a little confused. "Huh?" I asked.

The professor repeated the question (of which I don't remember now), and I promptly answered, then went back to my book as the professor yelled, "Yes! Exactly!" It was fun to be so smart back then. I thought I was pretty special being able to outsmart a bunch of college kids!

After class, my mom and I headed to the theatre to see the play: Threepenny Opera. The only thing I really remember from the play was the song "Mack the Knife" (and it was not long after that that McDonald's actually rewrote the song for their own commercials. It was a giant half-moon headed guy, and he sang "It's Mack to-niiiiiiight!!").

The other thing I remember is this scene with someone in jail, and his pregnant girlfriend came to visit him. She sang some song and did this elaborate dance number. I leaned to over to my mom and whispered, "She's not really pregnant. If she was, she wouldn't be able to do that!" I was an "expert" on the subject as my third-grade teacher was very pregnant at the time, and she couldn't do much but sit with her feet up on a chair and let us give her shoulder rubs as she read to us. My mom kind of chuckled at the comment, and we went on to watch the rest of the play.

Afterwards, we went backstage and Mom introduced me to several of her friends who were cast members, including the pregnant girlfriend. Mom told her of my comment during the play, and the girl laughed and said, "No, I'm definitely not pregnant. It's just a pillow, see?" She showed me this round pillow with ribbons on the ends to tie around her waist, then lifted her shirt a little to show me her very flat stomach.

Again, I felt soooo smart! I knew the difference between a pregnant woman and a woman pretending to be pregnant!

I also have such good memories of that little excursion with my mom because it was just Mom and me. I had so much fun, and Mom always made me feel special by doing things with just me. She did that with all my siblings... found things to do with each person individually. Like I said, my mom is the coolest mom ever.

Thanks, Mom.