No boys allowed!

So baby #3 is a girl! We just found out yesterday. We decided to wait until we found out what we were having before we told anyone that I was pregnant. It was kind of fun that way. Plus it seemed like the first half went pretty fast. I'm due the end of February and I can't wait to see if my genes can pull through this time.

Alarming

What is the first thing that goes through your head when you hear a car alarm go off? I'm willing to bet it isn't, "Oh no! A burglar is is trying to break into someones car!" Especially if it's 11 o'clock at night and the alarm has been going strong for a good 15 minutes.

So my question is, what is the point of car alarms? Are they really offering any protection to our vehicles? Or are they just one of those neighborhood noises that wakes up our children and annoys everyone within a 10 mile radius?

Bad habits die hard

Sadie started sucking her thumb when she was 4 months old. Being naive, first-time parents we thought it was cute and weren't really concerned. I seriously thought she would stop by the time she was one.

Well, here we are almost 4 years later and she is still sucking her finger. I say finger because about 6 months ago I put band aids on both her thumbs thinking that would stop her but she just moved on to her pointer finger. As of today though we are officially kicking this bad habit. Here is our solution:

This picture was taken early in the afternoon when the athletic tape was first applied. She's happy and excited because I told her that as soon as she stops sucking her fingers she can pick out a toy at Target.

She did okay until it got around bedtime because this is the time of day when sucking her finger becomes almost a necessity. Just as I was starting to pat myself on the back for finding a way to get rid of this nasty habit, I caught her sucking her middle finger!

So after pajamas were put on this is what became Sadie's fate:

I was not going to take any more chances! Oh and don't let the smile fool you. If you look closely you can see some tears remaining from the tantrum that was only calmed down by a reminder of the promised toy.

Do I feel a little bit guilty about tucking my daughter into bed with Michael Jackson fingers? Sure. But then I remember all the humiliation I am saving her from later in life. Not to mention all the money I will be saving in dentist bills.

Wish us luck!

Updates

Since it's been awhile, here's a quick update on the girlies:

Sadie:

• Mastered the times tables over the summer and has moved on to long division.
• Has taken after her Father and is working on her second novel.
• Is taking 3 dance classes, violin/piano lessons, acting classes and is in 2 different preschools. She is still bored.
• Planned and organized a food drive for victims of the recent fires in California.
• Was asked to sing a solo by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. She declined due to scheduling conflicts.
• Has developed a taste for anything organic and refuses to eat anything else.

Madison:

• Recently potty trained herself in 20 minutes.
• Has an impressive vocabulary and has become quite the motivational speaker. She has been making her way around the local preschool circuit speaking about the pressures of toddlerhood.
• Can run faster than most 7 year olds.
  
• Can name any classical song after hearing only the first 2 measures.
• Puts herself down for naps.
• After seeing her dance for less than 5 minutes, her dance instructor bumped her to the class where they use pointe shoes.
  

My least favorite word

I hate the word moist. Absolutely hate how it feels and sounds when you say it. However, I like my desserts to be moist and there really isn't a better word to describe a moist piece of chocolate cake. Sure you can combine words to make the same meaning but that's not productive. So my friends, can anyone be my thesaurus and come up with a better word?

Oh and what is your least favorite word?

Sisters!

What's the deal with blogging?

This last little while I have had absolutely no motivation to blog. There have been several cases where I have sat down to write a post but my mind goes blank. Lately I have toyed with the idea of getting rid of my blog completely. It's kind of embarrassing when you haven't updated your blog for a few months. So I have decided to weigh the pros and cons of blogging to help make my decision.

Pros:

• It's a great way to keep in touch with family and friends. However, so is Facebook.
• You can become a better writer.
• Comments are fun to read.
• It's a wonderful way to keep an online journal.
  

Cons:

• It takes time.
• When I am an active blogger I am constantly thinking of things to blog about. On some days it consumes my mind.
• I feel bad if I go a day or two without posting anything.
• Uploading pictures can be a hassle.
• Reading a post of someone apologizing for not posting for a long time is awful.

I'm sure there are lots more pros and cons but for now I'm going to leave it at that. I probably won't get rid of my blog but I don't think blogging will ever be really high on my priority list again. All I'm saying here is don't hold your breath for my next post. :)

Our little ballerina

Sadie had her Christmas dance recital this morning. Here are a few shots of her performance:

She gets so into it!

The candy cane train.

Singing carols to the audience.

Santa even made an appearance!





Proof that she enjoyed the candy cane Santa gave her!

Cutest picture ever.

I changed my mind

Here's a few things I use to like but don't anymore:

• Gum. I have always been addicted to gum until just lately. After chewing a wad for five minutes my jaws are bored and I have to spit it out.
  
• Staying up late. Even seeing my clock read anything later than 11:00 pm makes me physically ill.
• Ice cream. I use to love this stuff. I rarely crave it now and I would much rather eat a brownie or some delicious pastry. My only exception to this is if I am offered a chocolate malt.
  
• Lip Smacker's chap stick. I would seriously go through a tube of this a week in junior high. I now prefer a more mature looking container of lip gloss.
  
• The new Volkswagen Beetle. I was obsessed with these when they first came out. It's not that I don't like them anymore. It's just that I would never buy one. A van would be so much more practical, right honey?

A chocolate truffle for breakfast?

When Sadie asked for a See's mint truffle at 7 o'clock this morning I told her her no. She asked why and I said it was too early. She then asked why it was too early and I didn't have an answer for her. Seriously why do people frown upon eating things like candy, pizza and soda in the morning? Does a brownie know to add 100 extra calories just because it's before 10 am?

We're in trouble

Last night as we were sitting at the table eating dinner Blake attempted to have a serious talk with Sadie. It went something like this:

Blake: "Sadie, what do you say if a stranger tries to give you some candy?"

Sadie: "Thank you!"

Oh boy.

Top 10 things I hate about brownies

1. They take way too long to bake.
2. They leave crumbs all over my kitchen floor.
3. The box mix only comes in a 13x9 size so I'm stuck eating brownies for breakfast and lunch.
4. They are cheap so I can't resist grabbing a few boxes every time I go grocery shopping.
5. I blame them for me not being able to fit into my favorite dress.
6. I only crave them late at night after the kids go to bed. So not only am I up past my bedtime, I'm eating later than I should.
7. Whenever I make them my milk disappears.
8. After waiting forever for them to get out of the oven I still have to wait some more for them to cool off.
   
9. The baking time is never the same. Once I think I have it figured out I end up with undercooked or burnt brownies.
10. They taste even better with more sugar and more fat added to them. Examples: adding chocolate chips to the batter, melting Andy's mints on the top or serving a warm brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.
    

5th anniversary and balloons!

Instead of going for the traditional gift of wood for our 5th anniversary, Blake got creative and took me hot air ballooning! Here I am standing in front of the balloons getting ready for take-off!

A shot of the balloon that left right before ours.

Awesome picture of the interstate!

This is what our balloon looked like from the inside when you looked up.

Blake took all the pictures. I was too nervous to let go of the sides of the basket!

The pilot took this photo of us. Thanks Blake for a great 5th anniversary! I'm not sure how you are ever going to top this!

From the mouth of Sadie

Sadie was tagged by Josh. I wrote exactly what she said after I asked her the question. Enjoy!

1. What is something that Mom always says to you?
Hayley

2.What makes Mom happy?
Daddy

3.What makes Mom sad?
Mommy cries like a baby.

4.How does Mom make you laugh?
Playing computer with me.

5. What was your Mom like as a child?
Went on the potty like a big girl.

6. How old is your Mom?
2

7. How tall is your mom?
3

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Pink

9. What does your mom like to do when you're not around?
Scooter

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Running

11. What is your mom really good at?
Football

12. What is your mom not so good at?
Daddy

13.What does your mom do for her job?
Stomach

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Corndogs

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
I'm proud of you that you got better on your stomach.

16.If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Credit card

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Push me in the stroller.

18. How are you and your mom the same?
We have purses.

19. How are you and your mom different?
Piano

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Milk and rootbeer.