Here's a little hint - They all jump

I need you all to talk me down off the ledge. This is a very dangerous, life changing ledge. The recovery from jumping off this ledge takes months at least.

I was tempted this morning to cut bangs.

I learned recently that "girls with bangs" is something white people like, and I think I could get really chunky ones that would look good all the time.

But I know I'm just lying to myself. And I would NEVER do them.

But, isn't it worth a shot?

this is a dangerous ledge.

Things I Hate The Most Part (A)

• Finding dead birds in my yard by almost stepping on them.
• Dead Birds in general - they give me the jibblies.
  
• The stupid Cat who keeps killing the birds and leaving them where I can find them.

Three Noses?

Here are some pictures I found today on my other camera from baseball game and family reunion and this morning.

This was at the Owlz game, unfortunately that night ended in a rain out. And excessive vomiting of carrots.

This is Anna and Ellyn meeting again for the first time. Ellyn is roughly 2 months younger, Anna is a twerp.
This is Anna bundled up for camping in Heber - onesie, socks, sleeper, 12 month sweatsuit, Red Sox beanie. She slept really well.


This was this morning after her first nap. She doesn't actually use that kind of pacifier, but I keep it in her crib hoping she'll just pick it up. Here, it is still a chewing apparatus. Notice the usual paci is cast disdainfully aside.


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Crawling and Trawling

Anna started scooting in earnest yesterday, she could scoot to China and win the Olympic scooting event if she wanted...but she doesn't. The best angle is from the side where you can see her move her knees and toes but I realized that if I ever tried to video it from the computer, she would just come toward the computer. Alas, what can you do.

This also gives you a good taste for the color of her room and the hurricane that blew through it.


I also started trusting her to sit up on her own this week, it turns out she's already pretty good at that.

Back to School

I found that my diploma arrived this morning, it was sitting on our porch. Then I realized I didn't get the mail yesterday and it might have possibly been there for 2 days. Probably not though.
This is the first fall that I have not been getting ready for school and I kind of miss it. I like the part in "You've Got Mail" when they discuss bouquets of sharpened pencils. Buying school supplies, going to new classes and learning new things have always defined fall for me and I believe there is a feeling in the air that defines 'back to school' for me and I feared I wouldn't get it this year. Fortunately, today I was driving around and decided to switch CD's. The random CD that I chose to put in was titled, "From Jethro, Aug '07" I thought nothing of it but when the first song started playing it instantly took me back to that going back to school vibe because this was the very mix CD I was listening to last year when school started again. I remembered driving to school and hoping for parking, looking for Beetle in the halls or giving her a ride to her car, I remember dreading my first class (because the prof was ridiculous). It was great. Thanks J-ro.

Recipes that Don't Work - part the first

Just thought I'd give you all a heads up about some recipes that don't work.

- Improvised Muddy Buddies -

1 box of Crispix
1/2 cup of Butter
something close to a cup of chocolate chips, possibly semi-sweet but there might be some milk or dark mixed in there.
1/2 cup of Peanut Butter
1 teas. vanilla
1 1/2 cups of Powdered Sugar

Pour the Crispix into a bowl only just big enough to contain it all without spilling.
Microwave butter, chocolate chips and peanut butter for 1 1/2 minutes, then realize that the original muddy buddies recipe only calls for 1/4 cup of butter. Try to pour out the extra melted butter and add more chocolate chips because you're not sure you put in a whole cup in the first place. Add vanilla. Microwave continually until it smells scorched.
Pour mixture over cereal, stirring as much as possible, spilling handfuls because you didn't pick a big enough bowl in the first place. Eventually give up, leaving huge conglomerate chunks of weird chocolate and cereal mixture. Pour the mixture into a plastic grocery bag because you don't have any quart size ziplocs.
Discover that you are out of powdered sugar... Scramble around for something similar in density and sweetness...not cocoa...not granulated sugar...not cinnamon...Hot Cocoa Powder! Find a half empty Stephens Chocolate Raspberry Cocoa tin and pour it in the grocery bag then shake until well coated. After pouring it all back into the bowl sprinkle some granulated sugar on top hoping that it will get rid of the bitter aftertaste.

Don't Enjoy!

Inauguration

So I just returned from my first ever trip to Costco as a member. Wow. I feel so grown up.
I feel like I've been inducted into a Mother's of America program where you pay this company where you take your kids so that they will misbehave, you can spend a lot of money for a lot of extraneous items and where you can stand in line after walking a half mile around the store.

I managed to only spend $75, (on 7 items) but that was for 2 meals that we're having friends over to share with us.

I don't know what to say about it but it was a rather bizarre outing for me to do with only Anna for company. (She was just interested in eating my new membership card).

Are You Smarter Than a Cat?

In addition to the myriad of canines on our street, there is next door an exceedingly bold cat. He climbs over our fence and poops in the backyard. He climbs on cars - I even saw him exploring an open trunk. He left a dead robin on the sidewalk in front of our house just long enough for me to see it and get totally grossed out.
I appreciate cats who wander and eat all the mice, but I'd rather not have them playing (read: pooping) in Anna's future sandbox. So Ben and I have decided to face the challenge - and teach that cat not to mess with us.

So far in my research I have found some hopeful home remedies

• Spray with water - cats hate being wet, so get them wet at every chance
• landscape with pricklyness - mulch with pinecones, lay chicken wire down on top of the soil
• use cat deterrent plants - Lavender, rue(?) and Pennyroyal(?)
• put mothballs, ammonia or cayenne pepper out (some of those might be lethal)

So I'm thinking first of ways to make it less appetizing to jump our fence, maybe some gothic spikes or something

give us your suggestions, or pinecones, if you have them.

The Generals Agree

We moved into our house last night. I don't know if I have much to say about it.
it still smells like dog. (that might be psychological, before I knew that the previous owner had a dog, I didn't notice any smell)
I can't believe we are actually homeowners
It's hard to get used to the idea of having two bathrooms.

We painted all yesterday morning, we turned Anna's room from a dark blue-grey into a pleasant sage green with one cream wall
And we turned the master bedroom from a puky brown to a less puky brown with one cream wall.

We are running out of cupboards in the kitchen and are thus looking for a stylish bar/hutch that won't break the bank.
Right now I'm waiting for the Sears guys to come deliver and install the fridge and laundry appliances.

All in all, I'd say we're pretty dang happy.

Here's a picture of Anna to keep y'all happy

ps. I still can't find the box of bathroom stuff.

I'm on Fire and I Dance!*

CARNIVALE
was the theme for Ben's summer work party at Thanksgiving Point.
It was great, we could go anywhere in TP for free (or discounted movies) so we went to the Farm Country and got some pictures of Anna with baby goats.
then she tried to eat a cow

Then we went over and got the party started. They had carnival rides, clowns and booths everywhere with free food and drink (churros, cotton candy, snowies, coke products, popcorn)

almost as soon as entering, there was a baby conference with Maliya, they are two weeks apart and both very 'petite' though Anna was a little jealous of her head of hair.Then we all went around and found a baby friendly ride - the COW TRAIN!
Then Anna got sad because we wouldn't give her any cotton candy or churros. Or hamburgers, or cookies.
There was a lot of food, and we had fun hanging out with some of Ben's old friends who he got jobs for, and their babies. Which led to ...Another Baby Conference! Anna, Maliya and Daniel, in age order.
Then the camera ran out of batteries, so we left. Actually, Anna was ready to go, they weren't giving out naps at the party.



*if you can tell me where I got that line, you will get a pat on the head.

Anna's Video Diary

As Anna was playing on the floor this afternoon, I thought I should get some video of her attempts at crawling, she's getting her legs beneath her but forgets to move her arms, so it's pretty slow going and a lot of face plants.

My attempts at getting it on video were thwarted as Anna saw the computer on the ground and her desire to type took hold.


So this video is her crawling over to the computer


The second video was actually taken entirely by her, she pushed the play and stop button herself.



The third video was started by her, but she moved the mouse so I had to push stop. It's not totally interesting, but you get some good close ups of her hair and eyes.

Silent Plea

If someone wanted to buy our computer this week, so we don't have to move it to our new house, that would be great.

$200-$250

Thanks