Bring on 2008 Baby

We just got back from Ottawa from an almost 2 week Christmas holiday. It was FUN! The girls will miss their cousins!

Every year, the Freezes have a Christmas pinata. This tradition started after Eric and Rixa gifted us a pinata on our cross country move from Utah to New York. After dropping our things in SF at our apartment, we drove to Ottawa for Christmas. Since then, we have had a pinata every Christmas and really any other time a pinata is appropriate. Bryn was second on the pinata list this year. She didn't do too much damage.

I asked Elle to give me her best pinata smashing face. This was the result.

The girls got matching pajamas from Grandma Cohen. I think Brandon was the most excited about it.

I love Christmas time, especially in Ottawa. It was so beautiful with all the snow.

Knit Alien

I love aliens, especially ones knit into a washcloth. I found this pattern somewhere online and decided to give it a try with some leftover cotton I had from last Christmas. I've made 2 pink ones and will make 2 white ones. They are killer washcloths.

Screaming

Right now the girls are screaming at the top of their lungs and running around the house chasing each other. I've considered telling them that it hurts my head, but they are having such a fun time doing it...I just can't. They can only scream for so long, right?

Toes

There was a freebate for nail polish from Rite Aid a few weeks back and Elle wanted to pick the color. She wanted the super bright pink...and I let her have it. I tried to encourage a different color selection, but after realizing I wouldn't wear it anyway...why not let her pick?

But why is pink such a popular color choice?

Both Elle and Bryn were thrilled to have their toe nails painted.

That is something I haven't done in a really long time.

And now that it's getting into winter. I probably won't do it for even longer.

My First Vote

Last night, I voted for my first time in the United States. Interesting experience. First off...where do you find information on these guys? The internet was useless...probably due to the Seneca Falls area. I probably needed to head downtown to different headquarters or something. I researched as much as possible, but my deciding vote was based mostly on pictures and how many signs people had. This is probably illegal (or should be).

Breadsticks

Elle was really hungry...and under some stress.

Luckily, we made some breadsticks.

And all was good.

Halloween

 
OK...so Halloween has been over for a while now, but I figured I should at least post some pictures. Elle was Tinkerbell and Bryn a black cat (with calico ears and tail). Bryn quickly figured out how to say "Trick or Treat", which came out as 'treee tee'. She rarely let people put the candy into her pumpkin. She likes the control I guess. Elle was mostly frightened which may have been in part because she was cold. All the candy is gone now, and we are somewhat surviving sugar and soother withdrawl...which happened this week too. Our friend just brought us over some Canadian Smarties...delcious...we are going to eat them all.

Too Many Girls in the House

 
Elle told us yesterday that there were too many girls in the house. Apparently she was right. Come March '08 the count will be 2 to 3. Now we just need to think of a name.

WAY Behind!

I realized today that I'm way behind. Brandon and I just recently downloaded itunes onto our computer. Why haven't I done this sooner? Not only can you find free itunes credits, but the podcasts are excellent...and free. There is so much to experience. Seriously...what was I waiting for??

29 Years Young

Yesterday, I turned 29 years old. That's pretty old...almost 30!! One of my friends turns 30 next month and said "I can't wait till I'm 30. I've earned 30!". I don't think I want to earn 30. Let me stay in the 20s. But...I guess I've earned 29 by:

1. Living in Guatemala as a missionary for 1 1/2 years.
2. Witnessing 'Delicate Arch' as seen on Utah's license plate.
3. Almost making it to Aspen.
4. Standing on the Canadian Shield.
5. Experiencing BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Arizona, Missouri, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kansas, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia and Alaska.
6. Seeing the world largest truck, fake fish, thermometer, and maple syrup bottle.
7. Hiking/Caving Gargantua.
8. Shopping at Mall of America.
9. Kayaking in the Thousand Islands.
10. Visiting Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump and Frank's Slide.

So...there are my great accomplishments in 29 years...or at least things I've seen.

Marathons are Easy

Brandon completed his first marathon in Akron on Sept 29th. The girls and I dropped him of on a random street because we were late and he hurried to find the starting line and 4 pins for his number. He must have made it OK as we saw him running around Mile 3 looking strong. At mile 10 we gave him more sharkies and the girls were both screaming for madness. By the time we made it to the Kids 1 km Fun Run, Bryn had thankfully fallen asleep(no more screaming!). Elle was wishing she was asleep, but once she heard the music she started to dance with the cousins (the Andersons were there too). Both Bryn and Elle got free race T-shirts and goodie bag that had coveted colored band aids (which Elle pasted along her arm) and slinkies...along with a nasty brownie and other treats. It was a success! Elle took off running and shortly realized that she didn't know anyone around her and started to freak out until I caught up with her. She was sobbing and found it hard to sob and run simultaneously. I've never tried that. So...we took a break until she regained her vigor and we were off! Brianne won the cousin race followed by Braxton, Derek, Elle and then Carter. We made it back to the end of the race in time to see Brandon finish his 26.2 in style. He seems pretty much healed now except for a killer blister on his foot. At around mile 9 (I think) he felt a blister coming so stopped at an aid station and put Vaseline on his foot. That was a mistake and by the end of the race his little blister grew into a massive square of disgust on the bottom of his foot...gross. Last night he said he can almost ride his bike without pain. See...marathons are easy.

Red Lights

Riding to playgroup this morning I found out Seneca Falls was doing construction on my normal route. I made a mental note to go a different way home. It would require a venture across the main bridge to turn left at Seneca Falls' almost singular light to the '5 &20', which is the busiest road in SF. I wasn't looking forward to this as I'm always faced with a dilemma at lights. Brandon told me once that if you're the only one there and it's clear, to just go cause the weight of your bike wouldn't prompt a light change. Sounds logical. So, today I turned left when the left turning light was most definitely RED. No one was coming from any direction, nor was there anyone behind me. I thought it a safe move. As I continued west on the '5 & 20' a man yelled out of his Dodge Caravan, "YOU JUST RAN A RED LIGHT!". He was right, I had. Maybe he thought I was color blind? I'm sure he had my safety at heart, but I was annoyed. Why can't people mind their own business? It's not like I go around yelling, "You're fat and should exercise!". That would be for his safety...he was overweight. That's DANGEROUS!

This experience has concreted the fact that I will NEVER buy a Dodge Caravan.

Today I Became a Runner

This is a post extracted from Brandon's journal:

Today I became a runner.

When I was in junior high school I ran a mile in 5:55, but today I became a runner.

When I was a freshman in high school I went to a cross country team practice, but today I became a runner.

When I was a sophmore in college I ran my first race, it was a 5k, but today I became a runner.

Three years ago I spent $100 on a pair of shoes for the first time in my life (Mizuno Alchemy 5), but today I became a runner.

Two years ago I bought a $10 dri-fitlike t-shirt, but today I became a runner.

I ran my first 10k and 20k in 2006, but today I became a runner.

Last year I bought some shorter shorts at Walmart to run in, but today I became a runner.

I ran the Seneca Falls Convention Days race in back to back years, but today I became a runner.

I ran the Deuce, but today I became a runner.

My nipples have chaffed and been incredibly sore following multiple races/runs, but today I became a runner.

I signed up to run a marathon on September 29, but today I became a runner.

Last month I bought a new pair of running shorts (Pearl Izumi, 5 inch inseam, built in briefs, a pocket for GU) on clearance in California, but today I became a runner.

I have run 20 miles 3 times, but today I became a runner.

Today was my last "long run" before the big race. It was to be a fast 12 mile jaunt through the back roads of Seneca Falls. I put on my fancy shorts, fancy shirts, old school Oakley's, my worn "I took it all off for cancer" hat, laced up the mizunos and my runner specific socks, taped my nipples, and set off.

I was somewhere along Farron Road headed north, and running at "an incredible rate" when I felt something inside me...it was telling me that when I got back to the school I would need to visit the little boy's room then...

I realized that this was a feeling that I could not hide, and in a matter of 10 seconds, I had left the road and was like a bear in the woods between a soybean field and a row of trees along the side of the road. I looked around and grab a leaf from a near by oak tree. That didn't get the job done, so I reached for the soybean leaf, it was a little furry and wet, but I didn't care.

After half a clean up job, I continued on...I felt terrible like I should stop, but the runner inside me urged me to carry on, and my feelings soon changed from "oh, crap" to "what bliss." I couldn't believe how happy I was to be out there running after having the runs on the side of the road. Let's just say I'm not going to be eating any Clif bars an hour within the marathon.

Dancing

After hearing that Zac Efron would be staring in the remake of 'Footloose', Elle couldn't resist.

Hoodies

Elle and Bryn found the joy of the corner covers of our couch.

Candy Necklaces

A special thank you to Adelaide who sent via her Dad a candy necklace kit for Elle.

Hair Pull

Yesterday I found Elle straddling Bryn pulling out chunks of hair....3 times! What brought on these violent acts? Here are some thoughts:

1. Elle woke up cranky. She didn't sleep enough and wouldn't sleep anymore. This could cause ANYONE to pull out a younger sibling's hair.
2. Bryn has been particularly annoying. I hesitate to say that my child has been annoying, but she has. She is whining and is super cranky herself (teething!). So, perhaps Elle is just annoyed with all the racket Bryn is making. Pulling hair should quiet her down.
3. She watched Terminator 3 the night before.

Random Connections

A couple days ago I was checking out my cousin Edwyn's business, Orange Forest Media. I found the site through his facebook profile. Anyway, I was checking out his portfolio and launched Autumn Stringam's site. I've never heard of her before, even though she is from Southern Alberta. I thought I knew everyone from there! She wrote a book, A Promise of Hope that will be released in Sept this year. Her story fascinates me. I especially liked the book excerpts you find by clicking on "A Promise of Hope". The nutritional supplement she takes is called EmPower Plus. Very interesting....

Box Tops

This is one of my ways to 'stick it to the man'. I started cutting out Box Tops around the same time I signed up for upromise. Thanks to upromise.com, I have $2.82 set aside for my girls education. That should get them REALLY far.
I have a ziploc full of Box Tops. Having General Mills give 10 cents per box top to a school is refreshing to me(not sure why). So, I collect. Problem is...I don't have a school to contribute to...any takers?

Potty Mouth

I feel it fitting that after the Underpant Head post, you understand why Laura is to blame for Elle's recent desire to say 'pee' and 'poop' all the time. She'll add it into any story or song. My personal favorite is Itsy Bitsy Spider. It goes something like this:
The Itsy Bitsy Spider climbs up the garden spout.
Down came the rain and pee poo pee poo poop.
Out came the sun and poop pee pee poop poo.
And the Itsy Bitsy Spider pee poop poop pee poop pee.

Naturally, Elle thinks this is hilarious. I just hope she doesn't teach the other nursery kids.

Why is Laura to blame? Cause HER son Braxton taught it to Elle. Where did Braxton learn it? Undoubtedly from Laura. I rest my case.

Underpant Head

Pony pants make any underpant head look fantastic. The girls and I were doing laundry the other day and Elle came up with this on her own, completely on her own. How do underpants find their place on heads? Eric and Robert used to do it all the time when we were kids. They would try and get their underpants onto our heads. I just don't get it. Could it be a correlation between head and waist circumference? Or, just a fascination of hats, especially ones that normally go on your butt? However crazy it is, I took pictures of it. I can't get enough of crazy.

Ch ch ch changes!

I have a rare disorder called rearrangia. I'm constantly thinking of new ways to arrange things in my tiny apartment. By now you'd think it impossible to come up with any other permutation of our furniture....but you're wrong. I moved the couch were the piano was, the piano where the chair and bookshelf were and the chair and book shelf where the cedar chest and cougar were. I also moved the bikes and cougar to the playroom and the toys out to the front room. Since it is most definitely summer now, I need to be in a space where the air conditioner is felt...and that is the front room. So the playroom is now a TV storage room.
In a month when the sting of summer is gone, I'll change it to something new.

Weighing In

Yesterday, Elle, Bryn and "the cousins" weighed in...here were the results:

Derek: 60 pounds (exactly...he was sure we knew it was exact)
Brianne: 39 pounds
Braxton: 41 pounds
Carter: 28.5 pounds
Elle: 30 pounds
Bryn: 20 pounds

Brianne weighed herself again this morning and was a pound lighter. I think if you cut off her hair she'd probably weigh 10 pounds.

Bryners is ONE!!

A few days late, but Bryn is ONE!!! We had an excellent celebration for her at an Auburn Doubledays baseball game. Elle went potty 5 times in 2 innings and we left soon thereafter. Good thing it was free night! We made a most exotic Alaska King Salmon (cut out) chocolate cake for her. Elle decorated it herself. Elle chose a maple leaf and gingerbread man as her cake cut outs.

Bryn keeps trying to say she's 2...silly girl! Notice Elle's massive hair snarl at the back of her head. This was at 7am, but she can be seen with a similar hair snarl at later hours.

Morning Carols

For the past 3 days Elle has privledged me with a morning wake up 'song'. I'm not sure how she came up with this idea. But, if I'm still asleep when she wakes up, she'll come into my room and says something like "Mommy, I sing you a song to help you wake up?". I'll grumble affirmatively and she's off. There are a lot of octave jumps and random words you can make out like breakfast, pretzel, fruit snacks and vitamins. It's a classic!

Chocolate Giggles

Bryn gets the giggles every time she eats chocolate pudding.

Elle wanted to see herself on a video, so this is what she did...pretty original.

Lone Ranger

 
Yesterday, we sold our Ranger. As a tribute to the truck it was, I'd like to list some of it's great trips:

1. The East Exodus. Cross country pulling a trailer for our move to Seneca Falls. The 'Christmas Miracle' guadrail saved the truck from going in the ditch during a lake effect snow storm in Illinois.
2. Aspen anyone? After a few days at Moab, Kent, Paul, Brandon and I headed to Colorado to visit family. We were just one person shy of truck capacity.
3. Oh Canada! We drove the truck up for our wedding and honeymoon in Alberta. We found out how to jimmy the back window to get in a locked truck. I also got the truck stuck on a not so slippery patch of ice.
4. A-town. I can remember at least 2 trips to A-town in the truck. One includes Paul and Josh Mallett. The other was just Paul, Brandon and I. A-town is the truck's home town.

I know we had more great trips, but my memory is failing and I have 2 naked children running around. Please share your memories of the Ranger....I'm missing it already!

Goodbye Ranger! I hope Ray(or his son) is good to you.

T minus 4

4 more days till the Deuce!

Last night Brandon had me do a HME(Hard Medium Easy) Run. He did the same type of run earlier and it almost killed him. He ran a hard mile, medium mile, and easy mile twice with a warm up and cool down. So, he change it up a little for me:

5 minute warm-up
2 minute hard run
2 minute medium run
2 minute easy run
Repeat HME three times
5 minute cool-down

I didn't get out for my run until around 8:45 last night, but it felt great. My hard runs were around a 7:30 pace, mediums (9 pace) and easys around 10:30 pace. I've only got 1 more workout till the race.

Now to find the next race to train for!

Has anyone tried the mile workout?

The Deuce

Next Friday, Union Springs hosts the annual Deuce race. Brandon and Brad were originally going to run it. Brad has been in training under Brandon's coaching, but turns out...he can't run it! So, Brandon has taken on coaching me. This will be my first 2 mile race. I've got a little over a week to prepare.

Brandon had me start training last night with:
5 minute warm-up jog
1 mile as fast as I could(8:35)
4 minute walking break
1 mile as fast as I could(7:57)

It's funny not running with the Cougar. My body seems to run as though it's still pushing it. After the first mile, I decided to change up my form a bit, and ended up running the second mile 30 seconds faster. I'm not very fast..but that's alright.

My next workout:
5 minute warm-up jog
10 minutes at target pace (8:15)
5 minute cool down jog

My workout last night was very interesting. I don't think I've tried running one mile as fast as possible before; a very enlightening experience. So give it a try! How fast can you run a mile?

Champion

I've always wanted to get 2nd place in the Olympic Ski Jump, but I'd have to be crazy. How does someone get to the point where they say...Let's strap on some skis and go down a super steep jump and see what happens? There must be some smaller jumps they try out first.

Lake Placid is an interesting place. Just walking around there makes you feel like a champion. It was absolutely breathtaking. The streets were full of bikers, hikers and just plain tourists. It felt like an outdoors playground. Every time I went outside I got giddy. It was gorgeous! I hope my girls gain the same appreciation for nature. To top it all off, Price Chopper was within walking distance from our hotel, and accepted coupons! Every couponer must go to Lake Placid.

Money Grows on Trees

I like free money. Who doesn't? That is why I get especially excited after a brutal couponing trip to have the cashier give me money back. This happened twice this week. At P&C, they gave me $3.42 and yesterday at TOPS, I got $1.10. I'm not exactly sure why it happens. Not all couponing trips end this way. It has something to do with using Food Stamps and coupons together. It must be a complex algorithm of buying the right products with the right coupons...if only I could figure it out, I could make millions.

There have been other times (without food stamps) the cashier had to hand over cash. The coupon amount exceeded the cost of the item. Result: cash in my pocket and free toothpaste!

Now to diverge, let me define a 'brutal couponing trip'. I most definitely had one yesterday. After story hour at the library (9-10am), we headed to the school so Brandon could watch the girls while I lifted weights. Bryn fell asleep on the way there, so Brandon was going to drive to Sauders and shop contingent on Bryn waking up. Elle fell asleep too, so Brandon just kind of hung out until I called him telling him I was done. When I got in the car, both girls were asleep. I thought...what a great opportunity! I'll just drive my sleeping girls the 20 minutes to a civilized town to do some grocery shopping! Just as we were leaving Seneca Falls, Elle woke up with a vengeance. Where was Dad???!!! She had been really excited to spend time with him and wakes up to find MOM driving the car??? That's just rude! Elle's screams quickly woke Bryn up and I had 2 screaming girls in the back seat. Elle wanted to talk to Dad, so I gave her the phone after I dialed Brandon's number. She didn't talk to Brandon, she kind of just screamed. While 'talking' to Brandon, she peed her pants, which turned her hysterical. Bryn was screaming too and was developing some sort of rash. Once at BJs, I changed Elle's pants and fed Bryn. Bryn's rash started to disappear. I had 2 happy girls again, but I was worn out. Somehow we managed through 3 stores and various potty breaks (I don't think I could have handled another hysteria)and we were home by 2 or 3 pm.

Then I got to shower!

Emotions

The Naturalization ceremony went on without a hitch...except for maybe one. After we did the "Oath", which was weird, a man sang the Star Spangled Banner. I've never been emotionally attached to this song, but I almost started crying. It wasn't because I was so glad to be a US citizen. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to become a citizen. But, during that song, I was overcome with the feeling that I had somehow betrayed Canada and it made me want to cry something I wasn't expecting.

I've been thinking a lot about this which has made me even more confused. My great grandfather was a US citizen as were his parents. My grandma was born in Wales. I have ancestors from Norway and various other parts of the world. So...how does becoming a US citizen invoke feelings of betraying Canada? Thoughts? Comments?

Oh Canada!

This will be my last post as only a Canadian Citizen. Soon, I will be an American. As far as I understand, Canada will always recognize me as Canadian, my homeland...for which I am grateful. But the US will only recognize me as American from here on out.

According to the US History and Civics Test study guide there are 3 benefits to becoming a US citizen. They are, in no particular order:
1. You can travel with a US passport, I guess that's a 'good' thing?
2. You can petition for relatives to come to the US and be permanent residents.
3. You can get a Federal Government job.

Also, my greatest 'right' will be to vote. I am mostly excited for that.

People have asked me why I've decided to become a citizen and I don't really know. I guess I don't see a reason not to. I plan on living in this country for the rest of my life. So, why not? Now, if I can just make it through 'the Oath'!

Waxy

Brandon and I endeavored on our first wax job yesterday. Brandon spent time online trying to figure out the best way to do it, and 'asked around'. So, we gave it a try and it seemed to work out alright. See for yourself!
We have spent a lot of time outdoors this week and I've loved it. The girls have too and we've even had a chance to use the Stanton Meadows playground without swearing 3 year olds around...now that's impressive!

Green floors

I'm trying to become more 'green'. Luckily for me, I have a fancy pants Chariot Cougar 2 so I can cart my girls pretty much anywhere within a 5 mile radius. This includes NYCC, Aldi, Walmart, P&C, Eckerd, Kinney, Real Deals (the best dollar store in the world) and more importantly..the Library! For distances under a mile I prefer using the stroller attachment, otherwise I hook up Zed(my bike). Why not save the environment and money?

Yesterday I washed my kitchen floor using a Mr. Clean sponge. It was disgusting! I didn't realize how much dirt was on the floor. Thanks to my favorite chloroform sponge...I have a sparkly white floor!

Elle is getting ready to go to see Ms. Mary at the library for story time. I need to distract her for another 3 hours until it's time to go...any ideas?

Boots are for WALKING!

It is official today...Bryn is walking. It is her favored mode of transportation. She doesn't do it that well...but she is always trying to walk. She made it across the kitchen floor. She doesn't really crawl anymore except when she falls down and she needs to stand up again. It's interesting to see how Bryn is walking at 10 months, while Elle started around 12 months! Bryn seems more interested in climbing and exploring things, while Elle loved to explore people (and still does)...interesting! Brandon says...that's a huge generalization...and he's right.

America

On May 8th I will become a US Citizen. This has sparked some interesting feelings and thoughts. On my way to the interview last week, Brandon asked me what political party I would register to and I had no idea. So...when we got home, I checked the 2 main parties on line and was disappointed. They both sounded the same to me! I checked both of their platforms and thought...hmmm...aren't they both saying the same thing? I don't think that is what they want you to think...there must be SOMETHING to distinguish the two parties....so I ask you, what makes a Republican, Republican and a Democrat, Democrat? That may not have made sense!

We went to the MOST - Museum of Science and Technology in Syracuse this week. In this picture you see Elle, Adelaide and Emma playing with the ball suction thing with Bryn watching close by. We all went to the zoo together after and we're ready to sleep by the time we got home.

We hit up our first hike this summer. Brandon and Brad had to get something upholstered in Clyde for the business, so we decided to find a park nearby with a trail. The trail left something to be desired and we quickly realized that Elle needed new sandals. So....we headed to TCP for some killer sandals for $3.50.

Laura is a couponer.

Underwater

When I was younger I stopped swimming lessons after my teacher tried to force me to dive. I don't have any official swimming training or experience unless dolphin/little mermaid in-water dive/jumps count (which they should). Today I tried swimming laps for the first time ever. I did 5 there and backs...however far that is...and I almost died. I'm determined to learn to swim this time. Brandon and Brad have been swimming for a few months now and have given me some tips. Swimming is in my genes. My Mom is a swimmer...so this should come naturally right? So...what's the deal with swimming? I don't know...but I better figure it out soon, or I'll drown.

Easter Canada!

Trips...trips and more trips! The girls and I spent a couple weeks up at my parents in Ottawa while Brandon had lab and lecture finals. We spent most of our time blowing noses and coughing, but managed to have a good time. Elle was in heaven with all the cousins running around and Bryn quickly learned how to go up stairs. One of the main reasons we went up was because Grandma Ellingson came out from Alberta. This was the first time I have seen her in 2 years! We celebrated by going out to eat at more places than I've gone in a year and Grandma eating skor blizzards. We've been adjusting back to normal and enjoying Brandon's break in school.

So...since Brandon has 2 weeks of no school...what should we do? Any suggestions? How would you spend these 2 weeks?

Pittsburgh, PA

We got back from visiting Pittsburgh yesterday. It was a blast! I love the forested hills. Among our adventures were the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium. Even though it rained the whole time, I was impressed. The Aquarium is amazing and if you're lucky you can pet a sting-ray. We weren't lucky. We did go on field trip day, and I'll try to remember that next time I think about going to a Zoo on a Friday.

Elle got her hair done at LEAST once a day, so she was in heaven. Bryn was good friends with Ruby (the dog) and Elle was too, eventually.

Cake at 9pm

Last night I went to our ward's Enrichment RS birthday party (165 years!). The original plan was to leave Elle (sleeping) with Brandon and I would take Bryn so Brandon could study for his board exams that started today. Elle threw us for a loop when she fell asleep around 4:30pm and woke up at 6pm ready to take on the world. So, I got to take both girls with me to Enrichment. I struggled to balance a crock pot of Chicken Noodle Soup and Bryn while directing Elle into the Church. Elle preferred homemade soups, salad and buns to Scooby Doo in the pitch dark room with the other kids. Can I blame her?

All in all, it was a great time...even with the 3 potty trips ending in Elle saying "I go later!" and Bryn being dragged over carpet by an 'older' child. The program and dinner (which I guess was formal dress...do biscuit smeared clothes count?) ended by 9pm with a grand finale of cake. I got the girls home by 9:30pm to find Brandon already in bed. It took me an hour or so to wear off the late night sugar intake and get the girls to fall asleep. By the time I got to bed I wondered...was this fiasco worth it? I'm not really sure. I did 'win' our table's centerpiece.

Imagine

Last night we had a movie party. I was singing along to 'Match Maker' when I suddenly felt some hunger pains. Luckily, Elle sensed this and said, "Mommy, food?" to which I responded affirmatively. She reached back to the wall and pulled me out some imaginary food. How convenient!

Elle is going around the house shopping. I wonder what imaginary things will appear in the house today.

2 Weeks of No POSTS!

Yikes...it's been almost 2 weeks since I lasted posted on this bad boy. The girls and I enjoyed a most excellent trip out to Ohio to visit the cousins. Elle was in heaven and I don't think she stopped running the whole time, except to sleep (which wasn't often). Bryn thinks she can stand up and walk now, which doesn't always work well and she's had lots of 'bonks' to show.

Elle just discovered my calculator (HP 48G) and somehow managed to get it beeping. She's very good at pressing buttons and looking the part. Do I sense a future math nerd? I hope so!

Snow

We have an insane amount of snow here right now and I'm loving it, except that it has delayed my Ohio trip. Elle and I went out earlier to check it out. It isn't that cold, just super snowy. Bring it on baby!

Hair Gene

I don't know how it happened, but Elle loves doing hair. I rarely do her hair, but when I do she loves it and has started doing her own hair which is hilarious. I captured a few of these times on camera this week. She even took on the huge task of a lion's hair....not an easy one to work with.

Maybe she'll be able to teach me how to do my hair someday.

Zit Nose

Yesterday was my first personal encounter with a nose zit. I kept pressing on my nose to figure out why it hurt, but was confused. Finally I asked Brandon, is it possible to have a zit in your nose? "OH YEAH, and they hurt like crazy when you touch them!", he replied. So...I decided to investigate and sure enough, I have a little zit. Luckily it is near the bottom of my nose, otherwise it could be embarrassing. I'm not a zitty person...so I wonder...where did this zit come from? Has anyone else experienced a nose zit?

If anyone is interested in the deals coming up this week...here are the ones for TOPS...they have triple coupons this coming week!!!

TOPS
Hormel Fully Cooked Entrees 6.99/2 (BOGO) – (2*$1 coupon)= 2/$4.99
Birds Eye Veggies 2/$2.50 - $1 coupon = 2/$1.50
Campbell’s Select Gold Label Soup 2/$4 – (2 * $1 coupon) = 2/$2
Arnold Country Bread 2/$3.39 (BOGO) - $1 coupon = 2/$2.39

Triple Coupons
M&M’s Dark Chocolate Candies (big bags) 2/$5 – 2*(.75 coupon *3) = 2/.50 or .25 each
Keebler Fudge Shoppe Cookies 2/$2.89 (BOGO) – 2*(.55 coupon *3) = -.41 (FREE)
Hungry-man Dinners 3.53 – (.75 coupon *3) = 1.28 each
Furmano’s Crushed Tomatoes 3/$3 – (.55 coupon *3) = .45 each can
Hot Pockets 3/$6 – ( .50coupon*3) = 3/$4.50

The list might not make much sense...but anytime you can get cookies for free...you'll find me.

Piano Bums

I often find myself trying to fix our old piano. Maybe it's that 'engineering' gene. It's a blast to open it up and see how everything works. If I had the equipment, I'd probably take the whole thing apart. This piano encounter was special because of my bare bum helper. I was tinkering with the sustaining pedal and looked over to see Elle hard at work jabbing the piano innards with a flat head screwdriver bare bummed. I just had to laugh.

Bryn has pink eye today, at least we think that's what it is. Elle claims she has it too, but shows no signs.

Naturally

I finished and sent my application for Naturalization today. It's surprising how easy the Naturalization application is compared to the permanent resident one. According to uscis.org, I should be a naturalized US citizen within 6 months. That means I could vote in the next election! If only I could become President...

Elle is still awake and in her birthday suit. She's wearing jumper pjs that require her to take it all off to go potty. I'm impressed she actually did it. I'd be inclined to just warm up my pants a bit.

Fly Away Stanley

Bryn has officially started crawling. She has been doing backward crawling and push ups for several weeks but today she moved forward for over 2 hand strokes. To me...that is crawling, baby!

We just got back from Brandon's b-ball game. It was pretty boring. The highlight was when Elle said 'go pee' and then we went to a 'strange' potty and she went pee on it. Unfortunately I didn't have any fruit snacks to award her with. She has moved on from the 1/4 piece salt water taffy to one fruit snack piece of 'Superman' or 'Cars' variety, her choice. I usually sneak a piece too.

Loaded Questions

Today a friend of mine asked me a loaded question. That makes twice in 3 weeks. Both questions were about Elle.

What am I teaching Elle right now?
Numbers? Spanish? What am I'm NOT teaching her? Amidst colors and shapes comes what I'm really trying to teach my girls. Kindness, love, compassion, gratitude, happiness and how to be self-sufficient contributors to society.

What is Elle like?
Funny? Beautiful? How can I describe my little girl? I think she's hilarious, absolutely adorable, obedient and smart, but what is she really like? I don't know.

Anyway...questions questions. On another note, we got a new couch yesterday for 20 bucks. It's orange brown and super comfy. Goodbye futon! Elle got a potty balloon from Adelaide today.

Pull-Ups

At 7:30 this morning I thought I was doing great. Both girls were dressed (mostly) and I had already finished a load of the girls clothes in the washer. Determined to have another successful day of laundering, I stopped by the washer to change it on my way to put a plate in the kitchen. It was going to be a fast stop. I hurriedly started the transfer, when I noticed little white pearly squishy things. What's this? I thought. Not deterred, I continued the transfer, only to find more and more of the squishy pearls. By this time I'd figured it out...a diaper of some sort had made it into the wash. About 2/3 through the load I saw the culprit. A pretty Cinderella Pull-Up about 10 times it's original size sandwiched inside a 'pretty dress'. The entire clean-up took less than 5 minutes, but it reminded me to convince Elle to use our cloth training pants instead of the 'Princesses'.

Potty training has been going fairly well, which I attribute to a few things:
1. Bryn uses the potty too...so Elle thinks it's cool.
2. Candy as incentive. Elle loves candy, but rarely gets it....so when she successfully goes on the potty, she gets a small piece of candy (1/4 of a salt water taffy). It used to be a full taffy, but she had 4 in 20 minutes the first day. She really wanted the candy!
3. The Princess Pull-Ups. Cinderella, Ariel and Jasmine belong on girl's crotch.
4. She is very independent. She can do this all by herself and insists it so.
5. 'Pretty dresses'. They allow easy access and are fun to dance in. Elle is particular on which dresses are pretty. The dress her Grandma made last year is considered the prettiest followed by a hand-me down from Brianne, a cousin.

I'm sure there are more reasons, but Bryn is on the potty and Elle is putting tinsel on Bryn's head.
The plate is still by the washer.

First Post

Another successful couponing day! My husband thinks it's hilarious that I get so excited about getting things for free...but I can't help it. Today I got toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, deodorant, multivitamins, mouthwash, toothbrushes and cold lozenges all for FREE!!! My excitement motivates me to hauls the girls out into the snow and to various stores every Monday.

Elle likes to 'help' by holding the coupons, which usually ends up with me picking coupons off the floor. Bryn is usually pretty chill and occasionally lets out a squeel if she's too hot or something. Today we did the entire couponing trip in 4.5 hours and we are now home watching Dora save Diego from the prickers and thorns. I can't wait for next weeks deals!

On a completely different note, as this is my first post on my Guacasite, I'd like to mention what this site is for; I don't really know.