Pill Poppin' Momma

Most of the day today, I've suffered one of the worst headaches of my life, along the entire right side of my face, down through my cheek into my neck. It got worse as the day wore on, and I forgot to take any medicine before we left for church. Immediately after sacrament today, we had to drive straight to Mary Ann's to have dinner with some of her friends that wanted to spend time with us. By the time we got there, my head was so bad it felt like one of my eyes was closing in pain, and my face was going to melt off if something wasn't done. Bryce fetched me some Tylenol, and I took three instead of my normal two, since I have a high tolerance for pain medication and wanted to make sure it worked this time. About an hour later, after eating, I was sitting at the kitchen table with Mary Ann's friends, making pleasantries, when I found myself kind of dozing off in the middle of sentences. My eyes were burning, and in general I felt like you do after childbirth when you are so drugged up that you hear the nurse ask a question, but fall asleep before you can even answer. At one point, everything even went white like it does when I'm about to pass out. In case anyone thought my slurring was due to sneakin' jello shots in the bathroom, I mentioned the unexplained drowsiness. I kept thinking, "There's no way Tylenol would make me dizzy like this." I think Mary Ann and I realized something at the same time, and I had a flashback of the pills Bryce had dumped into my hand. They were blue. Do you see where I'm going with this? Mary Ann checked the cabinet, and sure enough, it was Tylenol PM. I think I looked more sober than I was as I made my way from the kitchen table to the living room couch, where I promptly grabbed a pillow and slipped into a mini coma. When we got up to leave, as people were talking to me, everything seemed to be on time-delay, slow and with tracers. But doggonit, my headache was gone.

Once we made our way home and Fynn was asleep, I crawled into bed at 8:00, and slept like a drunkard until just a few minutes ago. I just had to get up to wash up, and now I feel the waves of semi-consciousness washing over me again.

But doggonit, my headache is back.

I just hope they don't send me to rehab. But if they do, I'll be sure to get some autographs from Britney and Lindsay for everyone.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SIR FYNN!

This morning after climbing all over the box, and having to fight Ewan for the right to open his own present, we finally persuaded him to open it. It was a Little People Noah's Ark. We are having his party on Tuesday, since everyone's off for New Year's Day.

I can't believe it's been a year. He's such a sweet little soul, always giving hugs and kisses. He loves his big brother so much, his face lighting up every time he sees him. On another day, I'll be doing a post about what's going on with each of them, but for today I just wish Fynn a very happy birthday and to say we love him so!

Sweet Relief

Do you see that empty corner? That's where the rabbit's cage was. He has found a new home with a young family and another bunny. I was so excited to see him ride off into the sunset, I sat down to blog about it before I even cleaned his mess on the floor. I think I need some champagne.

Are those some shoes...

...or are those some shoes?

And life returns to shades of normal

What a letdown, huh? It's over. Bryce took Friday off, so we've had this awesome five-day weekend, and then *poof!* it's over and he's back at work today. But I suppose it's okay; the last five days have just truly been so wonderful and fun, and made me fall just that much more in love with my little family.

Christmas Eve was nice. We headed over to my parents' house for pizza and presents. At home, Ewan and I left snickerdoodles out for Santa (though I've heard he prefers Coke and Funyuns. Go figure... The cookies were gone at any rate.) and we also left out some cheese for Santa Mouse. Miraculously, Bryce and I were able to get in bed at 11:00, but we couldn't sleep! I was so excited for the boys, and Bryce was wound up. We just talked and talked for hours. I think we finally fell asleep at around 2:30. The boys woke up at around 8:00 and Fynn had a fever, but after some medicine, he was able to enjoy his Christmas. Unfortunately, Ewan seemed to enjoy Fynn's stuff a lot more than his own, which I'll expound on in a minute. We headed over to Bryce's parents' house for presents, and were going to stay until dinner, but Fynn's fever popped back up quite high, so we all went home. Bryce and Ewan went back over there to have dinner, while I had a meal of Denny's take-out at home. Good grief, I can't remember the last time I ate food that greasy. But all in all, it was a good time, and I am so grateful for my family, both immediate and extended, and for this life we have. Unfortunately, I'm the type of person who - when things are going well - starts looking for the next upheaval or tragedy. But let's not get into that.

So, about Ewan's presents. I don't know how much I've mentioned on here what a unique little boy Ewan is. He isn't your typical CARS! TRAINS! BALLS! CLIMBING! little boy, although he does like those things sometimes. But his favorite things are ALL types of music, he loves to identify and guess all the instruments, and reading. His favorite toy in a while has been that Little Einstein's baton. He is very sensitive and sweet, and extremely smart. Over the few years of his life, I've bought him cars and other boy toys, but they largely go completely unused on his shelves, gathering dust. He doesn't like to color, although he loves to paint and do Playdo. So anyway, when consulting Santa on what to buy, I advised lots of games and puzzles to help with learning to read, a few kid instruments. Some brain-teasing toys. He has actually shown a little more of an interest in trains after discovering Thomas, so I did advise a train set. Sure enough, come Christmas day, that was Ewan's set of stuff. But he was playing with Fynn's stuff. Constantly. He just didn't seem overly excited about anything of his own. Then today, in the chaos of their post-Christmas room, I looked around and realized all of the TOYS! were Fynn's. I had inadvertently provided Ewan with a completely "funless" Christmas. I didn't mean to, it just worked out that way. One thing he had asked for a few times was a "car track." So today, we took his Target gift card from Grandma and bought him a really awesome car track. I had to call Uncle DJ to come assemble it for me, but after it was all done, he had a blast, and so did I! The cars go really fast and jump a ramp. So a lesson learned for little ol' me and some good old-fashioned boy fun for my precious Ewan who is constantly surprising me.

Now we go immediately into planning Fynn's birthday party. His birthday is this Sunday, and we'll be having his party on Tuesday since most people are off. It's a dilemma because I don't ever want to cheat him out of a good birthday just because it's so close to Christmas, but what do you buy for a little boy who just scored so many treasures? It's a conundrum, I say.

When Fynn has a fever, he just lays on whoever will hold him, completely motionless but wide awake. For hours, if possible. You can see his little eyeball peeking at me here.

Ewan's loot. While nice, not FUN!

Fynn's loot. FUN!

Opening presents at Grandma's.

Calling his agent, because he's so stinkin' cute!

And oh, yeah, my awesome husband got me a GUITAR!

Dr. Seuss with a morbid twist...

Some of you may recall this post where I retched over the green eggs I made Ewan for breakfast. This morning he requested red eggs. Trust me, and avid watchers of CSI will surely understand this, red eggs are infinitely worse.

Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia!

We are so excited at our house! We've been tracking Santa all day. He's in Poland as of this writing, and the above subject is Merry Christmas in Polish. We are going to leave him some snickerdoodles and milk, and I don't know about Bryce, but I'm certainly waiting up to see if I can't get a glimpse of the big guy. Maybe even a picture. I haven't been this excited for Christmas in years. I hope you all have a very starry, Christmas spirity night.

A Perfect Day

I am actually a little embarrassed about part of what's going to be posted here, mainly because it seems so greedy and worldly, albeit totally fun. And also, I've never, never, never done something quite like this in my entire life, so there's that... It started when I decided for part of Bryce's Christmas, I would let him get some sort of video game system. I've never wanted one before, for many reasons, but I also felt too much like a tyrant by restricting them. I also I realized I can't shut Ewan off from the modern world, and that with limits video games can be fun, even beneficial for a kid of the 21st century. Even a 28 year old kid. Sooooo... of course Bryce wants a Wii, which there's no way we could afford outright. Now, Bryce and I are very careful about credit. Like, we don't use it, really. We've had credit cards before, but we've only used them on vacations, and a little for Christmas one year. But that's it. Our main goal right now is to be totally debt free. However, we talked about it and came up with a plan where he could get his Wii. Then that blessed man promised me something so wondrous and fabulous that I'm still reeling.

A shopping spree.

That's right, I got to go to Old Navy and spend the equal amount of the Wii he will buy (using the future tense as every time we've tried to inquire about the availability of one at any retailer, they pretty much laughed us out the door) on clothes. I'm even cringing that I'm admitting this on here. Please don't judge me! I recently posted this about how lame my shopping has been, and my style has left the building, but that I'm trying to get it back. But I was able to get some really good, classic clothes that I love and feel beautiful in, and it.was.so.much.fun. So fun that it is almost easy for me to ignore the nausea that creeps in every time I think about the bill. Almost. But it was a one-time thing, and the subsequent relief Bryce will feel when I'm not griping twelve hours out of twenty-four about my horrible wardrobe is probably worth it.

After the spree and a nice lunch of pasta at my favorite chain-restaurant (so sue me, restaurant snobs), I went on a date with Ewan to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was very cute, and they did such a good job. The voices sounded EXACTLY like the cartoon I remember as a kid. Also, too many shows geared toward kids these days try so hard to appeal to the adults as well, that 90% of the jokes fly right over the kids' heads. Not so with this one, it was appealing for me, but not at the expense of the kids' understanding. And the best scene is when Theodore creeps into Dave's room after a nightmare and curls up right on his shoulder. (Reminded me of being a kid with a litter of kittens curled up all over me, tucked into various crooks and crannies of my slumbering body.) Unfortunately for Ewan, he complained of a bad headache for most of the movie, but he was able to enjoy it nonetheless. After that, we went home and had a pizza picnic on our living room floor.

Luckily, even after all those carbs and cheese, I do still fit in the clothes. Regardless, I don't need to be skinny to carry this, perhaps my favorite purchase.

Christmas Tag

I'm supposed to write twelve things that get me in the Christmas spirit. Here goes:

1. Watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
2. Snow. (Ha!)
3. The smell of fresh Christmas trees.
4. Santa Mouse, a book from childhood that Ewan has now.
5. Seeing the excitement in Ewan's face over things I was once excited about.
6. Egg-nog, not that I've ever had any of either kind (alcoholic or non-alcoholic), but the idea of it is soooo Christmas. I think I should try some.
7. Olives.
8. The thought of Grandma's house. (*Sigh*)
9. PRESENTS!
10. Memories of Barbies from Christmases past.
11. There's a song by Phil Collins that was playing one Christmas on my sister's new radio, and I don't know the name of it, don't remember the words, but every once in a verrrrrry long while, by chance, I'll hear it, and BAM I'm seven years old and opening my Barbie McDonald's and Hawaiian Barbie while listening to it. If I ever figure out which song it is, I am so putting it on iTunes.
12. Movies like You've Got Mail, Serendipity... anything that takes place during that time of the year.

Lame list, I know. And I'm only tagging one person, Ashley. And I realize there's nothing on here about the real reason for Christmas. I'm keeping my feelings close to my chest on that one. My words won't do it justice.

Ambivalence

The fact that the plug to my hair-dryer is dripping water for some mysterious reason has me simultaneously relieved that I don't have to endure that tedious task and horrified that sleeping with my hair wet while short will result in me waking up looking like Carrot Top with a bad dye job. Or something. Whatever, it can't be worse than this:
Again, click for the full effect. That first picture is 9th grade with one of my best high school friends. I can't tell you her name or where she works now, because then I'd have to kill you. And she'd have to kill me. Some may laugh at my hair in that picture, but I actually think it's kind of kicky. The second is me and Jenna, dressed up for some ancient cultural event at high school. Ugh, we walked around like this for hours. She was an ancient Grecian, and I was, well, someone in a kimono with an Amy Winehouse wig and giant moon on her head. The third is eighth grade. I am glaring at someone, my specialty. It's funny, that picture was taken with people who were not really my friends, much, just like last week. Why do I have so many of those?

After a long day away from home...

...Ewan peruses his latest mail from Santa.

For some reason, his hand looks freakishly large in this picture.

A mishmash of mishmashing

Today is an odd day, although in a good way. One of my visiting teachers offered to take the kids for a while so I could do some Christmas shopping, or whatever my heart so desired. I opted to keep Fynn, as his face sometimes melts off when left in the company of others, but Ewan was very excited to go play. Especially when he saw all the Thomas the Tank Engine toys, including the big train table. (What IS it about that show...? It's like...magic...or something.) So Fynn and I went to Target (but, of course.) We then came home and I cleaned the kitchen like a mad woman, and now Fynn is napping. So here I am with, like, nothing to do. It's FAB. I am aware my posting has been quite boring, and perhaps you are sick of seeing pictures. If so, boo hoo for you. Something crazy/charming/funny/sad/scary should happen soon, and you'll be the first to know. (On another note, I must say a public THANK YOU! from the bottom of my heart to the owner of the Gold Taurus.)

The other day, I was running around cleaning, and became aware that Fynn had been veeeeerrrry quiet for a looooong time. I was afraid of what I'd find, but all he was doing was sitting in the corner and looking at books. It was so sweet. Then he pooped. While just as important as reading, it was not as sweet.

I gave him his very own ear of corn the other day. He devoured it, sucking, chewing, gnawing, moaning the whole time. And he was NOT happy when I took it away.

Ewan and I wrote a letter to Santa a few days ago from him and Fynn. I was amazed to open the mailbox today and find that Santa had found the time to answer their letter and they EACH got a response. Their little names were on there and everything. What a great guy, and so fast!

Okay, so this is random, but I love these toys. They are fairly new, as far as I know, and I just think they are so fun and old-fashioned. They are made of wood and plastic and there are different characters along with play houses, firetrucks, animal hospitals, etc. I bought the Hulk and Spiderman a while back, and recently decided I had to have that cop and robber. (For Fynn, of course, not me. Ahem.) And the four of them are going to fight lots of crime together. I have a very strong suspicion Santa got some more of this stuff... But who knows, I've been wrong in the past.

Matthew 18:4

Tonight were saying our family prayer, and I remembered to ask Heavenly Father to bless those who didn't have families, or homes, or food to eat. After I finished, Ewan asked me why some people didn't have good food to eat or water to drink. I explained that some people didn't have enough money, or that they lived in a part of the world with very little rain or dirty water. "There are lots of reasons," I said, "and we are really blessed to have the things we have. But remember that Heavenly Father still loves those other people just as he loves us." Ewan thought about that for a moment, and then, a little distressed, said, "But, just, Heavenly Father needs more power!"

Diddle Diddle Dumpling My Son John

In separate incidents, the boys each decided to remove both shoes, one sock, decided they preferred it and are still wandering around like this.

Also works on the Boogyman and dogs...

For a fool-proof way to get rid of monsters that are plaguing your children, you must get juice derived from the leaves of the daggery doop plant from Africa, grind it into a pulp, and mix in a spray bottle with water. (Or mix some mouthwash with water.) You must then spray your concoction everywhere monsters might linger. Under desks and couches, in dark rooms, the inside of a microwave, etc. All evidence of monsters should be gone within an hour. How does this work, you ask? Simple. Monsters just don't like the smell.

Who cares when it's so pretty?

Okay, so we just finished Pirates of the Caribbean At World's End. I read all the reviews when it was in theaters, and listened to friends talk about how crazy confusing the script was, and how it made no sense with too many tangents and tidbits to choke up the plot. And they were right. But, wow, I didn't even care one bit. It was so spectacular to watch. And I've always loved Bill Nighy, the fabulous man who plays Davy Jones. I think he is one of the most talented actors ever, but now he's also crossed over to my list of "Manly Celebrities Who Can SootheMe To Sleep Every Night Just By Talking," joining the ranks of John Cusack and Jude Law. But Bill up and shot straight to number one. (Although not in my heart; that prestigious holding stays strong with Ryan Gosling.)

If a picture is worth a thousand words...

...then I've just written a novel. Here are some pictures from our very eventful, and exhausting, Saturday.
As Sarah and Shannon both mentioned, we had them over for a little Christmas get-together. Our dog, Sugar, was banned to the laundry room (with a broken pet door). This was our view of her for the duration of the event.
The kids did a gift exchange, and I mentioned to Sarah, who was buying by proxy for Aubree, that Ewan would just die for Leo's Baton from Little Einstein's. I was right, as you can see from his face. He had to be resuscitated shortly after this picture was taken.

After being resuscitated, he began to conduct. (Side note, the kitchen is a work in progress.)

And conduct. In fact, I've been listening to that thing play Beethoven and Bizet for 24 hours now. He says Bizet is his favorite.

Fynn making his signature face. He cared far more for the packaging than he did for the precious little cars Shannon bought him. Um, I mean, that Natalie got for him.

My cute little owl, hunting for rabbit.

We then traveled to the Gaylord for their Christmas display.

Yeah, um, they had live reindeer corralled in little pens. While neat for the kiddos, I wanted to release them so badly. Ewan asked me where Rudolph was.

A simply beautiful shot Bryce took of this cool wall with water cascading down.

Unfortunately, we didn't think of having someone taking a picture of all of us. Next time.

They have cool little cities set up all over with trains going around. I recommend the Gaylord for Christmas time. It's so fun, and you can really feel the Christmas excitement going on everywhere. (But be sure to eat dinner first. I was having such a hunger melt-down, we left before we could see Santa. Which was okay with Ewan, because I think he's terrified, although in love with the idea, of him.) Of course, all the beautiful people in their fancy dresses had me more than a little concerned over the cookies and fudge I had consumed at the party...

Verklempt

Perhaps it started with my previous post about a soldier surprising his daughters. Maybe it's the Christmas spirit. Or maybe I'm just PMSing. But I am so overcome today, that I can't stop breaking into tears. The good kind.

I sat down with Ewan to write a letter to Santa Claus. He was very nervous about it, and kept telling me that I had to do it, because he didn't know what to say. It was so sweet, almost like a school boy composing a love letter. After we sealed it and he put stickers all over it, we sat down to talk about Christmas and Santa coming. He asked me if Santa would bring Rudolph. I told him he probably would, but that we wouldn't see him. He wondered how Santa would get in without a chimney. We tossed around some possibilities, the window, the door, possibly walking through walls. Talking about possibly hearing the reindeers' paws on the roof overcame him to the point of jumping and down and shining eyes. I've been worried about how to bring that beautiful Christmas feeling into our home, but seeing his eyes, and his !GASP! at the excitement of it all, I knew he felt it, and I found myself choking up, literally. I started to cry (and that's when I found a convenient opportunity to throw in a plug for the true meaning of Christmas.) I think he was wondering why I was crying. We then looked at pictures of Christmases of yore. Meanwhile, Fynn is cruising along, holding onto the couch, and kept stepping away and taking two steps at a time before he'd fall. So of course I started bawling some more.

I don't get sentimental often, as it's hard to do without sounding like a blowhard and I don't like to expose myself. But oh, man, I have such a nice little life and a wonderful little family, and such a good husband. I knew from the time I was very small that being a mother was my calling. I used to mother my Cabbage Patch Kids like they were real. From the very moment Bryce and I met, we knew we would have this family someday.

I'm just not one of those people that needs to have a huge name for myself. The modern attitude for women is so much about accomplishing something beyond family. It's just not an attitude I understand. Not that I don't think women should strive for big things, I just don't understand those that feel like family isn't enough. I was watching a movie recently, and the main character had two daughters, and she was talking to someone about their talents. She mentioned one was an accomplished painter, and the other was of extraordinary intelligence. She then said, "But those are their accomplishments, not mine. I need something that's mine." I just don't have that attitude; to see my kids happy, finding things they enjoy and excel at will be the pinnacle of my life. Some modern women may think that is sad, or pathetic, but to me it's everything. Sure it will be nice to write a children's book someday, but if I don't, big deal. It doesn't matter.

Okay, okay, now alert the folks at Hallmark they have nothing to worry about, and let's go back to pretending I'm just a cranky old witch.

Proof that I DO have a soul...

CNN actually posts little snippets like this one quite frequently, but they are probably the only thing on the planet that make me literally bawl instantly every time.

Alas, why? A sequel in list form

Alas,

1. ...why does Fynn wake up every night at 11:00 and refuse to go to sleep?
2. ...why does the rabbit insist on training for the Metroplex Tortoise and Hare Benefit Marathon in his loud, shaky cage as soon as I am trying to rock Fynn back to sleep?
3. ...why does the dog insist on drinking water as soon as I am rocking Fynn back to sleep? "SCHLOP, SCHLOP, SCHLOP, SCHLOP!"
4. ...why does the cat insist on knocking over my large Nutracker soldier guy just as I am trying to rock Fynn to sleep?
5. ...why does Fynn take 20 minutes to get to sleep rather than the usual 5 on the only night I am rocking him with dripping wet hair?
6. ...why can't I sleep when I have a blog post in my head?
7. ...why do I think ya'll would care?

Good night.

WAIT! a P.S.: Alas, why did Fynn start crying again as soon as I was about to hit "Publish" and get in bed at a decent time?

Woohoo!

Fynn took two steps tonight! Soon the time will come when I can walk past him without him lunging at me from whatever he's holding onto, grasping onto my clothes for dear life, and risk dragging a rug burn onto his butt.

Way-back Wednesday

My turn! I took some old pictures over to Sarah's to get them scanned. But I was lazy and trying to make it easy on Sarah, so we scanned several together. I'll probably rescan them sometime soon, and it helps that Ashley has a scanner now, too. So here are three pictures from different eras of my life, click on them for easier viewing:
That first one is when my hair was literally 50% bangs, and I'm cuddling one of my many cats. Then there's me in eighth grade with some friends. Wow. And the third is me and my sister, Amy. That one is a more accurate representation, because I had to get thick bifocals when I was three years old, and wore them until 7th grade. Ugh.

Alas, why?

So, as usual, my latest Anthropologie catalog is flawless, a fine work of art. But, I ask again: Alas, why? Why the model's hair so crazy? (Not on the front cover, inside.) Is it supposed to be artistic? Because I find it wildly distracting and detracting from the sheer heavenly, fairy sewn perfection of the clothes themselves. So I guess, actually, the catalog is not that flawless.

A Tinkling Chandelier, An Owl That Hoots

Tonight was the ornament exchange for our Relief Society. We did the whole "pick numbers, you can steal three times" deal. (What's that called again, I'm blank?) Anyway, Missy picked this pink chandelier one, which I loved. It didn't match her tree, so she said I could steal it. She even protected it for me. Since I love all colors on my tree, and eclectic things, I swooned when I was able to keep it. It's pink, with very light purple and green beads. Love it.
Someone else had this owl ornament, and for some reason lately, I am loving owl stuff. I have this necklace I wear all the time. I had to find out where it was purchased, so of course Shannon, Erin and I all went immediately to Walmart and I found one just like it. (That's right, Bryce. I did.) I bought a second one for Rhea, whom Erin had taken it from. Rhea loved it, so I will take the other one I bought to church for her on Sunday. Is this not the cutest dang thing you've ever seen in your life? The picture doesn't do it justice. (On another note, as you can see in the background, I still have that *%#! rabbit.)
And just because I love her so, I end this post with a picture of my prettiest of pretties, the lovely Batgirl, a-snug under the tree:

He was one of the wise men...

Okay, so I'm in Primary at church. I have the 6 and 7 year olds. My class is mostly girls, and one in particular, we'll call her Bree, comes up with the funniest ideas and random thoughts. I always have a story Sundays after church. This Sunday, we were talking about tithing, and I don't remember what sparked the question, but one of the girls asked, "Why do some people not believe in Jesus?"

I answered, "Well, we live in a world with a lot of different people. Some have never heard of Jesus, and others just believe something different." I didn't know what else to say; I didn't want to get too complicated for them to understand. Then I saw Bree, all wide-eyed and shocked, lean over to the girl next to her and say, "Yeah, some people don't believe in Jesus, but there are even some who don't believe in Santa Claus!" Said with the greatest degree of urgency and drama as was needed in the event of this catastrophe.

A Plethora o' Pictures

I sat down to post some Christmas pictures, but when I got into it, I realized there were some others I hadn't posted. So enjoy the abundance.

Any day now, he'll be going green and walking on his own.

George finding any warm place he can.

Really didn't want his picture taken.

Cousins

Pirate CheeseBeard

My fairy ornament, she of the "put a tree light up her butt, and her wings will glow." I had to include this because it looks like she's just sitting there on that branch.

This is as crafty as I will ever get. I've made all our stockings over the years. Fynn's is by far my favorite, with its little motorcycle under his name. I think I was smoking crack made from scrapbooking paper when I made Ewan's, three years ago. Can you say overkill? I think I'll redo it next year.

Yeah, that's been a problem.

Concentrating.

This may be my favorite picture of him EVER.

Taken by Bryce.

Our fat tree. The reason the ornaments are all wonky is due to that little guy in green a few pictures up. I need a better picture of this tree...

Duh

I love it when stuff like this is in the news.

Dear Lady at the Library,

Thanks so much for your concern over my baby on this cold day. But I don't think I need your advice. I happen to think he can handle being out in the cold. See that? What he's wearing? That's called a coat. I assume you don't know since you aren't wearing one yourself. I wasn't aware that when the temperature dropped I was supposed to shut my kids inside the house in isolation and turn the heater up to 208 degrees. It's 40 degrees outside, not 40 below. Please, next time, save your nasty looks and ugly words for someone who needs the advice. Hey, while you are here, why don't you go inside and check out a book on manners, or baby care? Have a lovely day.

Love,
Kelli

In which he looks exactly like Uncle DJ

DJ, Troy, Ewan, Bryce, Grandpa (March 2006, the best picture of DJ I could find. But trust me, he looks like him!)

OH.MY.GOSH.

You have to see Waitress. Have to. I'll come to your house and make you. This is my favoritest movie I have seen in longer than I even know. Adrienne Shelly left a beautiful legacy with that movie. That's all I have to say.

Black Appled!

As I reflect upon it, I realize this post would not be possible without Shannon. First she told me about this website, which she knew I would love. It's under my links on the right sidebar, under "Websites I Love" called Inside a Black Apple. (Coincidentally, I remembered my sister Amy had told me about it a while back, but I never got around to looking at it, until it was conveniently linked on Shannon's blog.) You really must go look at it, this girl is so creative with the cutest clothes and she has an Etsy shop with adorable handmade pretties. (And everything in her shop is seriously on my Christmas hinting list. Hint, hint.) I frequently look at it and drool over all of her sold-out items. Shannon also told me about her beloved Swap-bot, which is totally fun. It's mainly for people who craft, but since I don't, I found plenty that had to do with writing stories or letters. So, the two of those websites culminated in perfect harmony today, and I was so excited I had to share immediately.

I signed up for a pen pal swap, where you are assigned five people from all over the globe to write, and in turn you get letters from five different people. I've received letters from Belgium, Germany, America, and Greece. My Greek pen pal has by far been my favorite. I'm writing her back immediately after this. She totally rocked my world today by sending me a fabulous letter, from which I can tell she and I have TONS in common, and she included a little postcard from Black Apple! It's so cute, and it actually reminds me a little of Bryce and I, in our younger, slimmer days. The letter arrived with my Anthropologie catalog, and call me a nerd, but they looked so pretty together after I had opened the letter and laid it down on the catalog, that I had to take a picture. I just love the way letters look with the stamp and handwriting. The warm colors of the catalog and the postcard just looked so 1800s, or vintage, I guess, and made me swoon. I was born 200 years too late, you know.

*Sigh*

Warm weather rant and Christmas Cleaning Fairies

I'm fed up. It's 80 degrees outside! Give me a break. I'm sorry , but no, Jimmy Buffet, I don't want to spend Christmas on Christmas Island. How am I supposed to feel the Christmas spirit when I had to go grocery shopping in a bikini* to ward off the heat? I mean, yeah, there's good will toward men, peace on Earth, yada yada, that's all fine and good. But I want SNOW! ICE! COATS! FROSTBITE! Sledding on a chunk of plywood attached to the back of my big brother's Chevy truck!* Or something equally as ridiculous and fun. The fact that I literally have not owned or worn a coat in over a decade speaks to the sad state of Christmases lately. I had hope on Thanksgiving, but alas, it's lost. I can accept there won't be snow, fine, but good grief, give me at least some rosy cheeks and the need for hot chocolate! (*Disclaimer #1 * I did not really shop in a bikini, that would be horrifying. But I wanted to. Disclaimer #2 * Sledding on plywood attached to the back of my brother's truck really happened, on the icy streets of Grand Prairie. I was probably 12 or so. And it was awesome.)

On another note, after a very busy week where I had something going on every day and had no time for house work, I was having a major breakdown on the phone to Bryce over the ridiculously filthy state of my home, and how I wouldn't have time to clean it properly. Then Mariah, our sister-in-law and Mary Ann, Bryce's mom, pulled up out front. While I was glad to see them, I was distressed because my house was so icky. But oh my gosh, they CLEANED MY HOUSE! Seriously. Mary Ann dusted and scrubbed my bathtub, Mariah vacuumed everything and made my bed, they put up toys and dirty clothes and I was able to clean the kitchen. My house looks awesome, and my major crisis was averted. Thank you so much, ladies. Now the house will be clean for our tree we're going to pick out tomorrow. I am so blessed to have the family and friends I do, and I hardly deserve it.

Good friends

So I go weeks without posting pictures, then I post a jillion within a few days. We visited the Granadas today, who are some of oldest and dearest friends of my sisters and me. I love the Granadas so much, they are literally some of the best people in the world. Every single one of them, the salt of the Earth. I called Grace to tell her I was coming to visit, for the first time in way too long, and I got lucky because Cristina just happened to be in town from Utah. Cristina is my younger sister's best friend, and a very good friend of mine. Grace is also one of my best friends, but she refused to let me take her picture, and the camera was put away by the time Cristina came around. But Grace took pictures of me and the boys, so I wanted to post one.

Don't stick forks in electrical sockets

Fynn was born with SO MUCH HAIR, as you can see above, and since day one we've had fun sculpting it in different ways:

Exhibit A: Two months old

Exhibits B & C: 11 months old (I just couldn't decide which one was cuter.)