Food Update and Max Gets a Stitch

By staying in a hotel and having to eat out twice a day, we've easily managed to knock a few more eating establishments off the "must hit" list: (Yes, many are fast-foodish and/or chains, but we don't do much fine dining these days with the little terrors. Having your toddler run screaming through a nice restaurant tends to ruin the ambiance.)

In-N-Out: Doug got a 3x3 "animal style". I always stick to a plain old hamburger with no tomatoes or onions...and then try to scrape off all the tiny pickle bits from the special sauce with a french fry.

I'm not a big fan of In-N-Out shakes (though they're better than some) so after getting our burgers the other day, I made Doug drive across the street to Jack-in-the-Box for a "real ice cream Berry-licious shake". Ummmmmmmm! Totally worth it!

Last Thursday night Kristen and Wendy came to our hotel for a swimming party and we ordered Claim Jumper for dinner. (Doug picked it up for us and delivered it pool-side.) I ordered my old favorite the "Stuffed Baked Idaho". It's a baked potato with grilled chicken, steamed veggies, and Alfredo sauce. VERY yummy. (Also very easy to make for dinner at home...which I frequently do.) Then of COURSE Wendy, Kristin and I split the I'Declaire. Approximately one pound and one trillion calories of pure dessert heaven!

Over the weekend I got a little break from eating out when I and the boys went north to spend a few days with our awesome dental school friends, Ginger, Lee, Ani and Maggie. (Doug was at his Peds conference Fri, Sat, and Sun.) (There was one meal from Del Taco. )

Gin is an awesome cook and Sunday night made her delicious and famous Chicken Curry! For dessert, Devil's Food Cake with cream cheese frosting and ice cream.

Yesterday on the way home from Gin's, I got to stop for a visit with my cousin Wonderful Photographer Wendy. She graciously took us to lunch at another old favorite--Souplantation: all-you-can-eat buffet bliss for young and old alike! Doug was doing an office visit so had to settle for El Pollo Loco for his lunch.

Then it was back to Carlsbad for the last 2 days of our trip. We checked back in to the same hotel and went straight to the pool. Five minutes later, Doug was leaving the pool to take Max to urgent care. Max bonked his chin on the hot tub railing and split it open. We didn't know anything had happened until I saw blood dripping down his face and looked for the source.
Although I told Doug just to fix the wound with super glue but he refused and took him to a "real" Doctor who gave him one stitch. (He was frustrated that he didn't have the supplies to do it himself.) Max was very very brave and didn't cry until the Doctor told him he could not go back in the pool for one week. To comfort him, Doug bought him some Tofuti Cuties (non-dairy ice cream sandwiches) and some water proof band aids. And then let him get back in the pool.

On his way home, he surprised me with Pick-up Stix. Love those Cream Cheese Wanton's and Original Chicken. For dessert, we had some yummy chocolate mousse cake and a little of this:
My sister-in-law Laura just happened to be in town camping at the beach with her friend Hilary. And where Mrs. Dub goes, Miss Dub goes. Namely, Eden. The neice we had not previously met. I'd like to say she and Gabe did some serious bonding, but she was a little aloof what with him drooling all over the place and not being able to crawl.

That brings us up to right now. We will soon be on our way to my very favorite eating establishment of all time. Pipes. A little all-breakfast cafe that caters to surfers located a block from the beach in Cardiff. They have the BEST French Toast, fresh squeezed OJ, breakfast potatoes, Mexican Hot Chocolate, and omelets around. We visit every time we're here. I can't wait! HOORAY FOR FOOD!

P.S. We're now home! Pipes was great. All three boys did awesome on the flight. SWA is fabulous. It's sorta good to be home.

I miss California already!!!

We're HERE!

Let me start by covering the most important aspects of our San Diego trip thus far:

We've eaten chicken shishkebabs at Armenian Cafe, had a yummy picnic at the beach, gotten a Peanut Butter/Hot Fudge/Banana Shake and onion rings from Ruby's, and celebrated my mom's engagement with $1 Rubio's Fish Taco's. Picking up on a theme? I'll give you a subtle hint: It's food. Many of my favorite San Diego activities revolve around food. And we have many more favorite food places left to visit. But believe it or not, when we're not eating, we're still having fun. Here's some proof:

Tonight's sunset. Photo by Doug

Finally, we get to see the sun setting where it should...over the ocean.

Cousins: Max, Dania, Ashlin, Gabe, Kirra, Makaila, Sam

My sister Laura specializes in girls, I specialize in boys.

Max and Dani are two months apart and a LOT alike.

Sam likes to get dirty
Friends Sam and Maggie are exactly 1 year and 1 day apart.

Ani and Max met and fell in love in San Francisco.

Our great dental school friends the Akins hung out at the beach with us on Monday. The boys love our hotel. It has a pool and free breakfast. Both older boys are getting gnarly tans. (Notice I didn't say "wicked"? That's 'cause we're on the west coast.) Did I mention I'm happy to be here?

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

The problem with letting your son borrow the digital camera is that sometimes he messes with the settings and if you're not paying attention the only two pictures you take of his first day of school turn out crappy. The other problem is, you'll end up with a bunch of pictures of your butt.
As for Max's reaction to Kindergarten, he wasn't overly excited or scared...just accepting. I tried to get him to care when I left but he didn't. The only emotional person in the group was Sam who refused to leave the building and kept insisting--at the top of his lungs--that "I FIVE NOT FWEE!!!"

San Diego Here I Come

In the near future, the whole fam-dam will be boarding a plane headed for San Diego. More specifically, Carlsbad. And I can hardly think of anything else. But BEFORE that, we have the rest of the week to get through. So to get my mind back to the present, I'm going to honor Fabulous Photographer Jen's request for a little Gabe update.
Gabers is almost 4 months old and he's getting cuter by the minute. Since we haven't had his 4 mn. check-up yet, I don't know his current stats, but I do know he's officially too big for anything 0-3 months and is wearing 6-12 month stuff. He's not as chunk-a-licious as his buddy Jaren, but I think his thighs are satisfyingly squishy and he has a double chin when he looks down. (That's if you count his first chin as a chin cause it's not much of a chin. Doug keeps saying something about a missing mandible?)


Anyway, he's really freakishly adorable. He sleeps through the night, usually from 9-6 without interruption, he can role from his tummy to back, (he arches his back and just tips) he can almost fit his whole fist in his mouth, he does the back stroke in the tub, and he's picked up spanish. (He must be listening when the boys watch Dora.)
Most people think he looks exactly like a Mini-Max and he does. The cute brown hair he was born with has all fallen out and been replaced by blond fuzz. His first plane ride is coming up and he'll be getting his first taste of his future home...CARLSBAD. I'm sure he'll love it. Now to torture you with his cuteness, I'll leave you with this:

New Blog

I just discovered that my sister-in-law, Doug's older sister Kris, has a new blog: http://frisstillstanding.blogspot.com/
Aside from having a very unique perspective on things, Kris can also be darn funny. (She's my comedic muse.) If that doesn't peek your curiosity enough, I'll tell you that she's blind and busily raising two crazy boys. Ha! Now I've got ya!

Happy Happy Joy Joy!

I would like to gleefully announce the engagement of my mom, Fae, to her highschool sweetheart, John. They will be getting married in an undetermined temple in the near future! More details to follow!

Praise To The WOman

Please visit here for a few words on Em.

BAM!

I'll admit it. I'm highly suggestible and overly influenced by advertising. Last summer when we were staying in New York City, I saw a commercial for "Easy-Off BAM!".

Ya know the one where they dip a nasty old penny in the cleaner and it comes out sparkling and beautiful? I started having fantasies about buying a swimming pool full of the stuff and dipping the Statue of Liberty in it. Oh, to have that messy green lady all clean, coppery and shining! It would be an obsessive-compulsives dream come true! (Me being the obsessive compulsive.)In the suggestible department, I'm pretty much prone to believe anything anyone tells me. Especially if they're in a position of authority. Whenever we go out to eat, I narrow down my choices to two or three, then ask the waitress what she likes and pick that. No matter that "she" is really a "he" in drag and we probably don't have a lot in common. (Alright, so I've never actually been waited on by a tranny, but I'm trying to illustrate a point.)

So anyway, lately I've been thinking a lot about my skin, and I'll admit, it's mostly because of the barrage of skin care product advertisements out there and the fact that I found a white eyelash a few months ago. (The day before my 29th birthday, to be exact.) All of these signs lead me to believe that any minute, if I don't act fast, my face will resemble a California Raisin with the same texture as the bottom of my feet. (Before my once-every-five-years pedicure.)

Which is why last night I was SO excited. I've been very impressed lately with the Olay commercials. I mean really! Get surgically enhanced looking skin without surgery in just 8-58 weeks?!? Sign me up!!! (BTW, when did it stop being Oil of Olay? Who doesn't like the idea of slathering Oil on their face?)

So when we made the hour long trek to Costco last night, I knew just what to sneak into the cart: Any Olay brand skin care miracle.

When we got there Doug said, since we had a refund check to spend, we could both get one fun thing for ourselves, and then a few other necessities, being careful not to go over the $170 refund amount. PERFECT! I made a b-line straight for the drug store stuff.

And then I let out an audible gasp. $40 for a teeny tiny bottle of $*#& lotion? $8 an OUNCE? WHAT THE HECK!?!?! Here I'm used to spending $3 on Clean and Clear lotion for a bottle that lasts a few months, and I'm supposed to make the leap to $40??? When h-e-double-hockey-sticks freezes!

It was at this point Doug found me making retching noises and holding my stomach. "I c-c-c-can't do it! I can't spend that much on my face!"

Eventually, after contemplating a future full of leather face, I grabbed a two-pack of cheap stuff and threw it in the cart. No miracle creams for me. No amount of advertising can get me to forsake my deeply ingrained tight-wad tendencies.

My selfless sacrifice was hard, but I think it'll be worth the savings in the long run. I'm just going to have to stop watching commercials.

P.S. Want to know how we did staying in our spending limit? We spent just over $700 dollars and bought a new bathroom vanity for the upstairs bathroom. (We're doing a little remodelling before we sell our house next year.) Good thing I didn't get that lotion!

Itchy

Alright...sing with me now...
"HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY ANIVERSARY! HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY ANIVERSARY! HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY ANIVERSARY!"
(repeat ad nauseum.)


Today marks the 7 year anniversary of my marriage to Douglas in the
San Diego Temple. And although I could always use a good back scratch, I don't think I'm feelin' the 7-year itch. We're still pretty dang happy despite the fact that I'm full of all sorts of weirdness Doug only discovered after we were married. (There are some distinct advantages to short courtships and engagements.)

We'll be celebrating by taking our first trip over to Martha's Vineyard on Saturday. (with Gabey-Baby but not the other two.)

Doug is the BEST husband I've EVER HAD! Love you Sugar-Lips!!!

We're Home!

Turns out I'm a little bit of a wuss.

Yes, I know that I frequently proclaim to my husband that I'm "hard-core" but it's all talk. He and I both know I'm not the most athletic jock in the strap box. (I don't even know what that means.)

So it was with much trepidation I embarked upon one of our first Maine adventures.

After staying the first night in a hotel, we drove further North to Acadia National Park to a nice "Family Campground" (translate: has flushing toilets, a swimming pool, and grass.) After setting up camp, we drove into Bar Harbor (or Baa HaaBaa as the locals say) to rent....*drumroll*...
mountain bikes!

Now, it seems--in retrospect--that 74-89% of my college dates somehow involved out-doorsey stuff. Of course, some guys were more prone to dragging me up mountain sides than others, but hiking, biking, rock climbing, and even skiing dates seem to be popular favorites in Utah Valley.

In fact, I met my darling husband at The Rock Garden (an indoor climbing gym) in Provo while there with...another guy. (But that's a whole other story.)

This might lead you to believe I am, as previously proclaimed, hard core. Not so. (In fact, it may speak more to my acting abilities that I was able to disguise my out-of-shapeness and act like I was enjoying myself while hyperventilating my way up to "the Y"...) Although I do really really love rock climbing, and although I have experience doing lots of different athletic things, I'm not even remotely athletic or in shape as a rule. So I was scared to get on a mountain bike after probably 8 years of sluggishness.
(Sam's facial expression perfectly illustrates my feelings.)
But I supported the activity. Nay, even ENCOURAGED it. (I'm trying to shift my paradigm from "future mother of girls" to "current mother of boys".) Because THIS is what families with three boys DO. They go BIKING!
(This is how we started out but Doug and I had to trade 'cause that trailer was darn heavy!)
Despite my misgivings though, it ended up being really fun. Yes, it took us a long time to do a wimpy 3-mile loop, and yes I was totally worried I was going to eat it and dump Max into the gravel, but I SURVIVED. (and got sore in all sorts of crazy spots!)

( See! The above picture was taken post trip and I'm still standing upright with only minor support!)

I guess I'm a little hard-core after all!

Oh, the awesomeness

How cool does this sound;

"Yeah...I'm going camping this weekend.........in MAINE!"

Pretty cool, eh?

Wanna know what's even cooler?
I'm in Maine. And tomorrow I'm going camping. In Maine!

So, as this is the first time I've ever been this far NorEast, I'm going to share my first impressions:

MAINE IS EVEN BETTER THAN IT LOOKS IN "MURDER, SHE WROTE"!

Which was set in Maine and which I watched religiously every Sunday night with mom Faezer and sister Jenny for much of my childhood! [I've always loved a good mystery, and let's face it...Jessica Fletcher is awesome. I mean, a writer who solves crimes? What a spit fire. Pure GENIUS! (Mock this show and face my wrath.)]

So anyway, I'm pretty sure I've always wanted to visit Maine since then and now I'm here! And it just oozes New Englandishness. There are LOTS of super old towns filled with super old buildings and homes and they all have crazy unpronouncable names like "Junipero Serra". No wait...that was San Francisco. Like "Kennebunkport" and "Wiscasset".

ANYHOO--We've stopped for the night in Portland and tomorrow morning we finish our trek North to Acadia National Park where we will camp.

[For today's complete itineray, see Doug's blog.]

[By-the-way, Doug would like to request that you DON'T rob us while we're gone. But if you do, take some of the clutter on my desk with you. (And the dirty clothes that I'm pretty sure are under the boy's bunk-beds. And you'll find the most money in Max's Ritz Cracker jar on his dresser. It should net you about $8.63)]

I'll have more to report later, but for now I need to get some sleep. We're going camping with a 3-month-old. It may be the last chance I have for awhile!

G'night!

Oh Boys...

I decided the other day I'm going to publish a photo book called "Living With Boys". So I can showcase our growing collection of photo's like this: So it was with much happiness I read Hilari's post today. Maybe I should ask her to collaborate?

For The Birds!

Living where we do is kind of like living in an Aviary or Wild Animal Sanctuary. Our home is surrounded by trees and the trees are filled with all sorts of birds. I've seen birds in our yard that I've never seen anywhere else. Specifically, red, orange and yellow birds.

Right down the street, probably less than a block away we have an inlet from the nearest bay. It's sort of marshy and is full of ducks, swans, Blue Herons and pretty white Egrets. Aside from all the birds, we have about a million squirrels, $%#! ground hogs, racoons, neighborhood cats and dogs, and--down by the lagoon-- a coyote or two.


For the most part, this plethora of wildlife doesn't bother me. In fact, I usually love seeing cool new birds. And the squirrels keep me quite entertained when the leaves are off the trees. (They're quite the little dare-devils leaping around up there.)

There are only a few times I really don't appreciate the animals. When the $#@! ground hogs (which are being summarily caught and removed from our yard by a "pest guy") eat our garden, when racoon's get into the garbage, and when I come outside and find this:


I don't think the above photo quite does justice to the fact that overnight the entire back deck was assaulted by a bird poop firing squad. And this isn't the first time this has happened--probably the third or fourth. It's as if a flock of birds just up and decided they'd all take a simultaneous poop-stop while hovering above our house. What gives? (I had some close-ups of the grossness, but evidently D decided we had two many bird-poop-pics and deleted them.)

I guess this is just one of the hazards of living in paradise. Either that or some birdy doesn't like us.

Oh, Gary...

First you do the "Cash Call" commercials and now this. What kind of wrath have you unleashed upon Provo, you "Church Ball" producers!!!



For SHAME!

(Thanks for the link Dave! I'm laughing my head off if you can't tell.)




Gary Coleman Cited for Disorderly Conduct
TUESDAY JULY 31, 2007 05:30 PM EDT
By Tim Nudd
Gary Coleman Photo by: Enos Solomon / FilmMagic

Gary Coleman was cited for disorderly conduct in Provo, Utah, following a public argument with a female companion last Friday. Passersby called the police when they noticed the diminutive actor getting upset and hitting the steering wheel of his vehicle while involved in a heated discussion with a woman, the Associated Press reports. He calmed down when the authorities arrived and was issued the misdemeanor citation. The woman was not identified. Coleman, 39, moved to the rural Utah town of Santaquin in 2005 when he started filming the movie Church Ball. He is best known for his role as Arnold Jackson on the '80s TV series Diff'rent Strokes. He also ran for governor of California in the 2003 recall election.

Sammers

(On the way to the ward beach party. Stopped in the middle of a freeway exit.)

Sam peed on the shower curtain today. Actually, to be more accurate, he peed on the inside of the toilet, the outside of the toilet, and then onto the cloth curtain before aiming down into the toilet again. (And the last move was only because I was standing next to him and started yelling.) This is the same curtain I just barely put back up after its last pee encounter.

Why did he do this you may ask? (And I did)

"Because I wha my pee-pee's go UP!" (Because I want my pee-pee's to go up) he replies with a delighted little lift in his voice and spring in his step!

Later same day:

"Mommy, YOOK! I did my YETTOS!" as he points to the crayoned "letters" (read: scribbles) on my living room wall.

Oh Sammy-Boy! What would we do without you????? (Besides less laundry...?)

Woah. Book Review.

It's very quiet this evening. Shelly left late this afternoon so for the first time in two weeks, I'm catching up on the long list of blogs I like to read. (Some of you write way too much, btw!) Doug is snoozing peacefully in his chair with Harry Potter open in his lap and ESPN muted on the T.V. I'd almost forgotten what teenager-less life is like! Definitely less exciting but much quieter! (We miss you already Shelly!)

Sam is still wide awake due to an ill-gotten nap this afternoon and is staying busy by pulling out baby wipes and playing with Maxwell's toys. (He saunters out every 20 minutes or so to confess his misdeeds and be swiftly ushered back to bed by half-asleep dad in chair.)

For my part, I've had 5 or so ideas for blog posts I want to write swirling around in my head for the past few days and just can't figure out which one to start with.

I still haven't blogged our Palmyra trip, or the picture of our taped-shut (by Max with Scotch tape) fridge, but I think I'll delay those a little longer and go right for the drama:
I may or may not have offended half of my ward this last Sunday.

Doug and I were asked to speak. The topic was "Avoiding deception in the last days". When I learned the topic, nothing really leaped to mind. I had no immediate ideas or thoughts about what I could say.

After about a week of intermittent pondering, I had an idea. I could talk about the book I just finished! It was all I could come up with so I just went with it. I stood up and publicly blasted, by name, a book that is on the NY Times bestsellers list and may or may not be loved by half the congregation. And I'm about to do it again, just in case there was someone who ditched church who's favorite book this is, and can therefore join the ranks of "me haters."

SPOILER ALERT! If you want to read The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards, you should keep reading, let me spoil the ending for you, and save yourself some time. Furthermore, if you absolutely loved this book and recommended it to all your friends, please tell me why, exactly, so I can feel a little better about the lost hours of my life.

Here goes:
My first hint as to the merit of this book came right on the cover. An endorsement from Sue Monk Kidd. (Who, as you may remember, after writing "The Bloody Mermaid Chair", has earned a swift virtual kick in the pants and eternal raspberry from myself.) ANYWAY,

The Memory Keepers Daughter starts with a very interesting premise. A (bone) doctor drives his in-labour wife to the hospital where he is forced to perform the delivery of not just one, but TWO babies. A perfect little boy and a Downs-syndrome girl. He looks at his baby daughter and sees nothing but pain and suffering for his family in the future. He gives the baby girl, Phoebe, to a nurse (who's in love with him) and tells her to take Phoebe to an institution.

Now, strip away the interesting premise and good writing and here's what you're left with about 170 pages in:
*A Doctor/Husband who gives away his baby, lies to everyone by saying the baby died, and consequently lives the rest of his life emotionally constipated because he refuses to tell the truth or do the right thing. Oh yeah, and then dies suddenly--and unsatisfactorily--before resolving anything.
*A wife who gets depressed after the "death" of her daughter but then stays mad at her husband until she figures, "what the heck, may as well fall into bed with this stranger I met at the beach last night and may as well keep hating and resenting my husband and sleeping around because...well...I'm unhappy and my life hasn't been perfect. Oh yeah, and I need a full-time job and career because I get no fulfillment as a wife or mother and need to find myself." (I may have paraphrased that a bit.) (She was definitely my very least favorite.)
*A spoiled son who thinks his dad hates him and consequently starts sleeping with the high school hussy and using drugs and hating the world.
*A nurse who, although is trying to do the right thing for Phoebe, kidnaps her and claims to be her mother, refuses to let Doctor/Dad see daughter, and doesn't contact the family to fess up until the twins are in their 20's and D.D. is already dead.

At the end of the book, I was just left feeling empty. Where was the valor? Where was the character who showed real moral courage inspired by something other than guilt and fear? Who was there to cheer for? Nobody! Except maybe Phoebe who is without guile. But then, it sorta felt like she was totally secondary to the plot despite being the crux of it. (Am I using crux right?)

And thus we see how this relates to my speaking assignment. Thesis Statement: You can avoid deception in the last days by not reading so much of this tripe that you actually start to think reprehensible actions like those of the main characters in this book are normal, acceptable, or even remotely justifiable! (It's always good to start with a thesis statement.)

Okay. I think I finally have this rant out of my system. I'm going to bed early tonight! (After I read a few more blogs...)

Seriously?

Seriously. A ten pound LOG of beef.

I mean, I know I'm partially to blame. I bought the grotesque thing. But COME ON Sam's Club! Give me a break! A slightly smaller size wouldn't hurt!

Am I the only one who finds this gross?

Happy Birthday Bam!!!

Our little Bammy-Boy turned THREE on Tuesday. For the first time in the history of our kids, we didn't have a "friend party". It was just the family and Shelly. (Who is practically family, definitely our friend, but not a three-year-old.) I have to say, it was a lot less stressful and it didn't matter that I stayed in my p.j.'s for the whole entire day. From now on, our kids will only get a friend party every other year or so.

Now, for a little bit about Sweet Sammers

Dad: "What's your favorite animal?"

Sam: "Zebwa!"

Mom: "Sam, what's your favorite food?"

Max: "Is it Wice Kwispies?"

Sam: "WICE KRISPIES!"

Max: "What's your favorite toy?"

Sam: "Yightening McQueen!"

Shelly: "Sam, what's your favorite color?"

Sam: "Dat one!" (points at Lightening McQueen)

About the cake: Sam wanted a Bob cake and I wanted to make a lake out of blue Jell-o. (Who doesn't like blue Jell-o?) So we compromised and WAH-LAH!!! We have Bob sitting in front of a pile of dirt in front of a lake! He loved it so we both won.

Life in Review

Alright, I was writing this post really late at night and didn't use spell check. (You've got to give me credit for getting Kleptomaniac right on the first try...!) (Of course, spell check wouldn't have caught the birthday error...) So anyway, here's the corrected version:

So Shelly is in town and we're having a blast. She is one of our favorite Young Women from San Francisco and we love having her here.

While she's here, we're teaching her valuable life lessons like how to braise chicken and make homemade ice cream. She's trying to teach us how to be more Asian. For example: did you know chopsticks can be used to remove waffles from the waffle maker? (I had no idea!) AND, (and I believe I've mentioned this before) Soy Sauce does NOT need to be refrigerate no matter what it says on the bottle!

Not only does she know all sorts of clever uses for chopsticks, but she also makes the boys very happy. She's been helping me out a lot and helping to keep them entertained. What a gal! Oh, AND she let Doug and I go on a date the other night. SWEET!!! (I almost said "SCORE!" but it wasn't that kind of date.)

She's made us all Face Book accounts (so we can be cool) and she and Doug sit around in the evenings customizing their accounts, watching funny videos on YouTube and being generally geeky.

We love Shelly.

Now for the Max update. When Doug finally made it home at a reasonable hour, (it took a few days) we sat Max down together to have a talk about the car incident. We told him he'd have to give it back and use his own money to buy one more to give to the school as well. He took it like a man and there were hugs all around.

I know it may seem as if I over-reacted, and I did, but I was mostly just shocked that he hid if from me for so long. BUT, after careful reflection and contemplation, I've decided he's NOT destined to be a sociopathic Kleptomaniac so I'm over it. He just better not do it again. He IS after all, an extremely sweet kid and a GREAT older brother.

As for the rest of the fam, Sammers is still an adorable bi-polar punk but we're hoping the "bi-polar" part will evaporate on his third birthday on Tuesday. (Just make his birthday checks payable to me.) He loves to play Cars, trains, and swords. He can go from ecstatic to devastated and back again in 2.5 seconds. Obviously, a very talented kid.

Gabriel, of course, is still an angel. An angel who spit-up three quarts of fluid all over me and every pillow on my bed the other morning...but an angel nonetheless. To redeem himself, he slept for 10 hours that night...in a row....without waking once. (All praise goes to "Babywise" so knock it all you want, but don't forget the 10 hours part.)
He's basically a perfect baby. (I can brag all I want. I've done my time with uncooperative tyrants.)

As for myself, I'm on a strict daily ice-cream diet. To keep my milk supply up, of course. It seems to be working just fine. Strangly though, it hasn't help with my weight loss. hmmm.

And Doug? He's still a hottie.
'Nuff said!

g'night!!!

Honorary Blogger: Shelly

Alright. Shelly here!

I'm visiting Ms. Emy and the boys here in Rhode Island. She is nursing Baby-beautiful at the moment, and the while original plan was for me to blog Emy things for her because she doesn't post enough, she has asked me to introduce myself instead. And she's going to write her shtuff bout' me later. Also, in the interest of having more enteries come up when I search my name on her blog, I'm going to force Emily to make her entry seperate from mine. =)

[And I know Adriane, who must be reading this, is already working on more entries about me for the same reason!]

So, my name is Shelly. I like any color that isn't an ugly shade. I love Dougy&Em's boys. I hate pickles. But enough about me.

Weather: hasn't been kind. I arrived early this Wednesday, and it has been mug-gy from the moment I stepped off the plane.

Interrupting giraffe: Sammy just said the cutest thing -"flyyyyingg saaauuucerr!!"- while playing with his CARS ~ I stand amazed.

---leaving for an adventure with Maxer---

I'm back. We went to the beach. I tried to get the name of beach, but it didn't go well. It was pretty intense. Like Indiana Jones at the age of 5 style.

S: What's the name of the beach?
E: I don't know that it has a name.
S: Okay, I was going to say, I'm very disappointed that you don't know the name - because in California, you know that names of all the beaches you go to.
E: Well... I'm not so sure it's a public beach for like, people to-
S: Don't make excuses for this state.

(ALSO-
S: But it's so... Can you feel this?
::stares blankly at me for a moment to signal that she thinks I'm cookoo::
E: No, it's in your mouth.)

Anyways, we had a big adventure, and climbed lots of rocks - I wasn't too thrilled about that, but hey, what can you do? When a beautiful little boy that you love asks you to do something, it's a hard to say no!

Back to the point. Emily has pimped out my room with everything I could possibly want. And her waffles are awesome. I've eaten so many, that I'm very large now. Okay, pretty much ready for nap time now.

Until next time,
Shelly

MAYDAY!!!

When I yell "MAYDAY" in the house it means come running because I'm having a child-related emergency usually involving one (or all) of the three p's: pee, poop, or puke. The emergency we're having right now is quite different and can't be helped with baby wipes and hand sanitizer. Therefore, I'm calling upon everyone within the sound of my voice to come to my aid.

Unfortunately, Gabe's not talking so I need your help.

Yesterday, on our way home from a weekend trip to Upstate New York, Max told me not to look in the side storage compartment next to his seat in the back of the minivan. (Following so far? He told me--unprompted--not to do something I had no intention of doing.) So of course, I immediately tried to reach back and see what he was hiding. He freaked out and started crying hysterically. Doug told me not to press the matter and we'd check it later. We got home late last night and after getting the kids inside, I went back to the car to satisfy my curiosity. (And to unload a bunch more crap.)


Hidden underneath a travel box of tissue and a travel pillow I found a small car. Specifically, "Nitroade" from the movie "Cars". This was a toy I'd never seen before. I assumed he'd lifted it from the friends we'd just spent the weekend with.

Fast forward to this morning. After talking to Doug about it, we decided I'd talk to him, but defer punishment until Daddy and I could talk to him together this evening.

So, I brought him into my room and had him sit next to me on the bed. I told him I'd found the car and asked where he got it. (Fully expecting to hear it was Kody's.)

Max: "I got it at preschool."

Me: "Preschool?"

Max: "Yeah. I got it at Wise Owl on the first day of school. Not the day we got to meet the teacher, the first day we had school."

Me: (long pause while I digest the fact that he's been hiding this for almost a year.)

Me: "Why did you take it?"

Max: "'Cause Sammy had a MILLION Cars and I didn't have ANY!" (Silly us...we'd been buying him the PIRATE toys he wanted.)

Me: "Did you take any more?"

Max: No. I thought about taking more, but then I thought one would be enough.

Me: Did you feel bad that you stole something?

Max: No, because Sam has a MILLION! (In the mean time, he has acquired a few of his own.)


So, we talked a little bit more and I told him we'd talk with Daddy about it later. I was completely shocked. Mostly by his lack of guilt and remorse! (Yes, I know he's five but I'm still feeling guilty about stealing Jenny's gumballs when I was that age, so the least he can do is feel a little shame!)


Doug and I just don't know quite how to handle this. Max is almost six so we both think this has the potential to make a big impression on him...and we want it to be the right one.


Here are some of the things we've been discussing:

Taking away his "Cars" cars,

Making him buy more Cars using his own money and giving them away (to the preschool? a homeless shelter?),

Taking away other, more loved toys for an indeterminate amount of time,

Grounding him from TV, (but of course that punishes me too!)

etc., etc.


Of course, he'll HAVE to return the car to his preschool and apologize to his teachers, but unfortunately, that'll have to wait until school starts again next month. What we want is to impress upon him that honesty is important without having to be incredibly mean in the process. He is only five after all.


So that's our conundrum. After being home for about 5 minutes tonight, Doug got called in to the hospital for an emergency. So the punishment has yet to be determined. (It's almost 11 and he's still not home.)


That's why I need YOUR HELP! And fast. I don't want the little punk to think he's gotten off scott free.


So that's my Mayday. If you can figure out away to solve it using wipes and hand sanitizer, all the better.

ME ME ME ME ME!

Over a month ago Naomi tagged me to do a Meme. Now Diane has tagged me too. I'd better get on it, eh? Try not to fall asleep. (You might bang your head on the keyboard.)


What were you doing 10 years ago?
Living in Carlsbad with Faezer and preparing to move in with Ang and Lesley. I'd just finished sleeping through my freshman year at UVSC and needed a little break. You know...to sleep some more.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
I was in New York City with Doug and boys while he did his orientation. I'm sure I was sweating and wishing I didn't have to wear a bra. Kinda like right now.

Five snacks you enjoy:
(I'm going to assume this means the unhealthy kind.)

1) Ice cream (multi-weekly)
2) Chug chocolate milk (I enjoy this almost every time I grocery shop.)
3) Wendy's Frosty (fort-nightly)
4) Chili Cheese Fritos (road trips)
5) Plain M&M's (rarely)

Five songs that you know all the lyrics to:
Woah. Where to start...a good chunk of my life has been devoted to this important pursuit.

1) "Somebody" by Depeche Mode (but really...who doesn't?)
2) "Head Over Feet" by Alanis (plus all the other songs on Jagged Little Pill)
3) "Oh L'amour" by Erasure (plus all the other songs on Pop)
4) "Mysterious Ways" by U2 (plus all the other...well, you get the idea.)
This decade?
5) "These Words" by Natasha Beddingfield

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1) Hire someone to snip all the yucky stuff off the chicken breasts before I cook them.
2-5) Buy some stuff.

Five Bad Habits:
1) Some might say I'm "cluttery" or "messy" but I say "artistic"!
2) I sleep as long as possible whenever possible.
3) I'm a sugar addict.
4) Evidently I squeeze the middle of the toothpaste tube.
5) Using multiple colors in my blog posts.

Five Things you Like doing:
1) Reading
2) Sleeping
3) Throwing pots (not at all the same as smoking pot.)
4) Sleeping
5) Traveling

Five things you would never wear again:
1) NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, PERV!
2) tank tops (unless it's over a swimsuit, duh.)
3) Thrift store polyester shirts with someone elses name stiched on.
4) the 58 bikini's I used to own
5) pegged pants (As if anyone needs their butt and feet to look bigger.)

Five favorite toys:
1) iPod
2) cell phone
3) laptop
4) creme brulee torch
5) ice cream maker

Now for Diane's Meme:

4 places I've worked:
1. KFC (age 15-16) The grease has just recently been completely purged from my skin cells.
2. UVSC Testing Center
3. Adams Design Group in Carlsbad
4. UVSC H.R.

4 Movies I can watch over and over:
1. Better Off Dead
2. Sneakers
3. Say Anything (Ahh, John...*sigh*)
4. Room With a View

4 Places I have been on vacation:
1. England and Scotland
2. France
3. Hawaii
4. Mexico

4 TV shows I enjoy:
1. Arrested Development
2. The Office
3. Veronica Mars (Curse you to HECK for cancelling this show, CW!!!)
4. NCIS

4 Places I have lived:
1. Salt Lake City, Mapleton, Riverton, and Provo, UT
2. Carlsbad, CA
3. San Francisco, CA
4. Warwick, RI

4 Places I'd rather be right now:
1. Vinaka Cafe, Carlsbad
2. Cheesecake Factory, San Francisco
3. Iceberg Drive Inn, Utah
4. Serendipity, New York
(or sleeping in any of the above locations.)

I tag: All of you. Yes, that's right. Every single person reading this boring post. I defy you to out bore me! Now go blog!!!

That was exhausting...I need a nap!

Germans

Do you know what I love? German pancakes. Why do I love them? I'll tell you.


They're breakfast food (I love breakfast)

They're quick and easy to make

They're full of protein, (in case you're hypoglycemic and get cranky easily)

They look really cool, (I mean really cool)

and they got a thumbs up for authenticity from a REAL GERMAN.

That's right ladies and gentlemen, my GERMAN roommate said she made similar GERMAN pancakes using the same recipe when she was growing up in GERMANY. (Did you catch the German-ness in there?)

"You had a REAL GERMAN ROOMMATE???" you ask in dismay.

"Why yes. A 76-year-old German roommate." I coolly reply and launch right into my story:


It all started in a little house on 9th East in Provo. I was trying desperately to break up with a boy I had been dating but was finding it very hard. He only lived a block away and kept coming over.

It was imperative that I leave the neighborhood as soon as possible. It took some convincing, but I finally talked my roommates, P.B. and Anna-Banana, into coming with me. Since a new semester was fast approaching, vacancies were scare. Especially three in the same apartment. And then I got lucky.

The Old Mill had an apartment with 4 private rooms all available. In it's hay-day, (the 70's?) The Old Mill was probably the hippest place to live in Utah Valley. It had long since past it's prime when we found it, but still had a few features to recommend it.

For one, each apartment offers four private rooms, and each room has it's own private toilet and vanity area. There are also two indoor pools in the complex complete with Jacuzzis. Oh, and of course, lots of single guys!

Anyway, the three of us took three of the available rooms and hoped the fourth would remain empty. After all, who would want to move in alone with three extremely tight friends?

Unfortunately, someone did. It was with great sadness that a month or so after we had settled in, our manager--a girl our age--left a message saying the last room was filled. It had been rented by a man living in Orem for his 75 year old mother.

The conversation went something like this:

Her: "Um, I, like, have some bad news. Your new roommate is 75."

Me: "Wait...what?"

Her: "Yeah, like, her son called me and I, like, thought it was for his daughter but he wanted it for his mother."

Me: "WHAT? ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?"

Her: "Uh...no. I assumed the guy wanted it for his daughter...turns out it was for his mom."

Me: "They can't do this! This is STUDENT HOUSING! You HAVE to be a STUDENT!!!"

Her: "She is a student. She's taking a Book of Mormon class at BYU."

Me: (stunned silence)

Now for the collective reaction of Michelle, Anna and I:

The Five Stages of Grief:

Denial (this isn't happening to me!)
Anger (why is this happening to me?)
Bargaining (I promise I'll be a better person if...you don't give me a 75 year old roommate)
Depression (I don't care anymore)
Acceptance (I'm ready for whatever comes)

Only we probably skipped stage five.

So here we were, faced with the unthinkable. We imagined parties cancelled, boys booted, and every other horror that could be inflicted by a stringent old German woman. They say the best offense is a good defense... (I think someone says that...no clue why) so we prepared for her arrival by making inappropriate signs and hanging them all over. (To scare her off I suppose?) I remember one in particular that Anna made. It said "Eh! to big breasts!"

(rebellious, huh?)

Then the day of her arrival...well, arrived. The three of us sat in the living room waiting sulkily. There was a knock at the door and I got up to open it.

When I opened the door I saw a tiny, shriveled little woman with dyed blond hair and thick Coke bottle glasses staring up at me. I couldn't help it. I was in complete shock. I started smiling as I said "You must be Ursula!" and I gave her a big hug. She was the cutest little German woman I'd ever seen. She replied looking up at me, "Oh! Sank you! I vas so vorried!!!"

As it turns out, Ursula was the ideal roommate. She went to the temple everyday and attended religion classes at BYU. She said she'd had enough cooking in her life, so she ate out for all her meals. When she was home, she stayed in her room studying. When we apologized for being too loud she'd say "Oh! I didn't hee-ah! I vas doing my studies vith my headphones!"

It even turned out to be a boon to our social lives! Guys thought it was fascinating and wanted to come over to see for themselves! (One particular boy didn't believe us so he marched down the hall and opened her door...despite our protests. He saw Ursula sitting on her bed with huge headphones on, slammed the door and ran back down the hall in complete shock. What a dummie.)

So, that is how it came to be that one night Michelle, and I were sitting down at the table for a dinner of German Pancakes when Ursula came in. We begged her to join us for dinner (she always turned down our invitations to socialize) and I told her what I had made. She tried a tiny slice, asked the ingredients, and said, "Yes. Theese iz just like I had vhen I vas a girl!"

And there you have it. Why I LOVE German pancakes.

Fun with Friends

Boy Fest 07 concluded on Saturday with the departure of our friends. We'll call them the Bouncers to protect their identity. (You know, bounce...like spring.)

Between our two families we had one five-year-old boy, one four-year-old boy, one almost three-year-old boy, one almost two year old boy, and one baby boy. So obviously we had a very calm and peaceful visit with no fighting or rowdiness. Regardless, it was great to have them and much fun was had by all.