Spy Guy

Simon has accumulated several nicknames over the past few months, but for some reason "SY-GUY" has become the most popular. Last night at the dinner table, Zack put his spy glasses on Sy-Guy and started calling him SPY GUY. Simon wasn't annoyed by the glasses on his face or by the rest of us laughing at him. He just kept looking from side to side, wondering what the heck was so funny.


The best thing about these glasses is what happened after they were taken off.. Zack got Simon to laugh for the first time. We've been waiting... and it finally came. Zack took off the glasses and made a few silly noises, and Simon just burst out laughing. It was so sweet. It's hard to get mad at your four year old for spitting in the baby's face when the baby thinks it's hilarious. We just can't get enough of our little Spy-Guy. He has made an already happy home so much happier.

haircuts for everyone

In between breakfast and lunch today, my kitchen transformed into a barber shop. All of the boys needed haircuts, including the little guy. As cute as the dark mullet was, it needed to go.


Simon loved his first haircut. Before I began, I wondered if I should wait until my assistant/husband got home from work, but then I remembered that Simon loves all things LOUD and obnoxious. He will go to sleep the minute the vacuum is turned on and he loves to sit next to me while I dry my hair. When Luke was a baby, I literally had to go to someone else's house to use the hairdryer... because he would FREAK OUT if I turned it on. Simon is quite the opposite and thoroughly enjoyed the sound of the clippers. After the mullet was shaved, each boy had a turn until they were all trimmed and handsome.

They clean up rather nicely, don't they?

All the Single Ladies

(and the married ones too.)

GIRLS NIGHT OUT
tonight @ D'Ana's
8 pm
bring something yummy to eat

and mark your calendars for MONDAY..

BACHELOR FINALE PARTY
at my place.

birthday girls

Two of my favorite friends had birthdays this past week. I was lame and didn't call either of them to wish them a happy day. But that doesn't mean I don't love them or that I am not grateful for their friendship in my life..

SUZANNE

Suzanne and I met in Spokane. We were only neighbors for 10 short months.. it's amazing how you can meet someone and they instantly become your family away from home. When they moved away, I wondered how I could cope in that cold city without them. It was hard, but we managed. It's been more than five years since then, and I still daydream about what life would be like to have them as neighbors again. Suzanne is such an incredible woman and friend. She is determined, energetic, hard-working, inspirational, playful, naturally beautiful, supportive and the best listener. I love talking to her because she never beats around the bush. Even if we've gone months without talking, we can pick up right where we left off. I've seen her twice since Simon was born... both times I ended up bawling my eyes out. I can usually fake my emotions in public and pretend that I am doing "well" for most people, but when I get around Suzanne, I feel like I can let loose and be myself... even if that means crying like a baby in a busy restaurant! She truly brings out the best in people because she is so comfortable in her own skin. She is such an amazing wife, mother, YW president, triathlete and friend. I feel truly grateful to have her in my life. The picture above was taken a couple of years ago when Suz and Jason came to Vegas for a quick visit. It's not often that you find a couple where the men get along just as well as the women do, but it was easy to do with the Poulsens. We love them and can't wait to have one (or two) of their girls as future daughters-in-law! Happy Birthday, Suzanne!

VALERIE

My only room-roommate in college is finally 30! Val and I met in high school and took our relationship to the next level when we went away to college. It took us a little while to get along... because we are both bold, outspoken and always right. But after a month or so, we realized it would be better to be friends than enemies. There's no use competing with Val because she's WAY funnier than me. She is quick on her toes, talented at everything she dabbles in, caring, sassy and so much fun to be around. Every time I see Ellen DeGeneres on TV, I think of Val... every single time. She has a way with words and casually feeds punch lines under her breath like it's nobody's business. Val and I have remained close since the good ol' college days. I love being able to call her late at night when our husbands are out playing sports. She and her husband bought their first home within walking distance of my parents. She is the ultimate homemaker and always has a recipe on hand when I need it most. She is such a great mom to two adorable daughters. She is an awesome photographer!

I have Val's creative photography skills to thank for many of my favorite family pictures:

And way back in the day, Val was behind the camera for our engagement photos.. which made it a lot easier for Aaron and I to be ourselves...

I love you, Val and hope you had a wonderful birthday. Welcome to the "30 and thriving" club... Everything is downhill from here!

FHE at BK

Last night we had dessert at Burger King. The kids have been working hard and definitely earned their ice cream cones. Zack is plugging away in reading and writing and I am so proud of him. Luke spelled the word STRENGTH correctly in a pre-spelling test... meaning he'd never looked at the word before I tested him. I was so surprised because sometimes I spell it wrong. Luke just amazes me. Ben is preparing to take the standardized testing for the school system (3rd grade is when they start making you do it.) I am not a fan of this because I basically think it's a waste of time.. not just preparing for the tests but taking them. Spending two days locked up in a room filling out bubbles seems ridiculous. But we're doing it anyway. The first day I had him take a practice test, I apologized and said he needed to spend about two hours alone, without asking any questions. Zack, Luke and I played while he was testing. At the end of two hours, he came out of the room, handed me his materials and said, "That was REALLY fun! Can I do more of those?" I felt so relieved and laughed to myself... it's easy homeschooling a teacher's pet.

So to the indoor playground we went. Aaron, Simon and I sat and chatted while the kids played. They came out every once in a while to eat their ice cream. As I sat at the tables, I thought back to when Aaron and I were in college. I was sick with Mono and didn't get out much. But a group of friends decided to go out one night for dessert and I reluctantly joined. When we got to the ice cream shop, I felt terrible and went to lay down at one of the tables. Aaron quickly noticed, ordered my favorite ice cream and sat next to me while everyone else socialized on another table. I had already made it clear that we were "just friends" but I came away from the ice cream shop knowing that he wanted to take care of me. It was a great night. And here we are, more than ten years later, eating ice cream one late night together. He has not only taken care of me all these years, but he's provided for and loved my four little children. They were hyper and silly and I felt happy and warm inside. I am so very blessed.

I know I keep saying this, but I love my daily habit of taking random videos. I only captured one video of our Burger King outing, but the 90 seconds recaps our experience better than I could ever write. I can't wait to have a year full of random, silly videos. Our boys will only be this young for a moment... before we know it, another ten years will have passed us by.

Pictures are always good too... (at least for my blog book anyway..)

I must give a little more explanation for Zack's socks. This kid is SO independent. He doesn't ask help for anything anymore. If he can't find something to wear, he improvises and wears the next best thing. Sometimes that's his brother's pants that fall down. Sometimes it's sandals in the middle of winter. And sometimes it's daddy's socks. A few weeks ago, he came home from preschool wearing one of his own socks and one of Aaron's-- all the way up to his knee. I didn't realize before he left because it was neatly tucked away under his pants. When I asked him why he was wearing such a big sock he calmly stated that he couldn't find another one of his, so he went to Dad's dresser. When we were at Burger King, Luke and Ben came out laughing at Zack's socks... this time TWO of Dad's. I sent Ben in with the camera to take a picture. Zack doesn't understand why it's so funny.

bulimic baby

Simon is not a spit-up baby. We've had a couple of those kind of kids. The kind that you can't hold without a burp cloth. But Simon has only spit up twice in his life. He has won the award for the best burper in the family and I think his burping abilities keep him from spitting up like other babies.

However, in the past week, Simon has developed a terrible eating disorder. He chows down a bottle, burps like a champ and then just when you think feeding time is over, he shoves his entire fist down his throat and throws up. This is not spit up, people.. this is the whole enchilada. A burp cloth won't clean up this kind of mess. He is seriously making himself puke so he can eat more. He's a full-blown bulimic baby.

Daddy was fortunate enough to experience Simon's self-induced vomiting while I was visiting a friend yesterday. I was so glad he now understands what I go through on a daily basis. Aaron doesn't think he's bulimic... if he was nursing it would be a different story, but what baby gags themselves for more formula? I don't think Aaron understands how serious eating disorders can be. Some babies will do whatever it takes to get rid of a few fat rolls....

sunday best

Everyday baby boy clothes aren't exciting... t-shirts, khakis and jeans can be mighty boring compared to all the frilly girl things you can buy these days. But there's something about a little man outfit for Sunday that just tugs at my heart strings. Here is our handsome Simon just before we headed to church today. Not pictured are his shiny black Sunday shoes...


And don't let that smile fool you. He is NOT happy with church starting at 9 am. And neither am I. The two of us just may go inactive for a couple of years until we get that 1 pm block back. There's no point to wake up early and get dolled up just to spend 3 hours walking the halls...

Raining at Red Rock Canyon

It was a cloudy day at Red Rock. We left early this morning to hike up to the waterfall. Simon and I stayed warm under my sweatshirt. Aaron would have carried him on the hike, but all I brought was a sling and real men don't wear slings. Our boys could have stayed there all day. But it started raining on us, and eventually we got cold and hungry. I wish I had a nice camera to capture how beautiful it really was.

Just before we got to the car, Aaron took Simon out of the sling. I so enjoyed looking at him from behind... (and not carrying him anymore :) He loved every minute of the hike. I would too if someone carried me. Babies have it so easy.

you're hunted!

I should have included this with the last post...
this is a love note Zack wrote for his dad.
(I didn't help him spell it, but I'm sure his older brothers did.)

Although this may not be interesting to anyone else, it's something that needs to be recorded for our family archives. A few months ago, Zack went up to Aaron with a finger gun and said, "You're hunted!" In Zack's NY accent it's one word that sounds like "Yuh-hunted." For some reason, the phrase stuck.. but to add dramatic affect, it has to be said in the deepest voice possible. It's become the saying for hide & seek. When you spot someone, you let them know they're hunted. It's also become the new NOT-IT game in our house. Someone (usually Zack) will start out by saying, "Ben, yuh-hunted" which means Ben is out... If Zack names everyone before he gets hunted himself, then he wins. What is more annoying about this "game" is that anyone can RESET the score at anytime. So it can go on for ten minutes... each of the kids resetting over and over and over. I refuse to play but the minute Aaron gets home from work, he hunts down all the kids and they love it. Zack has tried to think of new ways to win.. like hiding before Daddy can see him. Then he jumps out of hiding and announces "Dad! Yuh-hunted!!" A few days ago, he got a brilliant idea... to write a hunted note and stick it on Dad as soon as he walked through the door. Aaron took the note off his back and acted like he died as soon as he read it. Of course, all of the boys thought that was the BEST.thing.EVER. I basically rolled my eyes and pretended to be annoyed by all of their nonsense. There are some things about boys that I will never understand..

Sack learns his ABC's

My philosophy has always been "early to bed, early to rise." But these Olympic games are really cramping our style! How can we go to sleep when Shaun White is snowboarding like a maniac? We haven't been in bed before midnight this entire week- kids included. Poor Aaron has to get up early for work, but the rest of us are sleeping in and ready to do it all over again the next day. This morning I didn't wake up until 11 am. We had breakfast at noon. We went on a bike ride at one. And we started school at 2:30 pm. I love the flexibility that homeschooling gives our family. But I also feel irresponsible for being so out of whack with our routine.... the Olympics only come around every two years, right?


Zack has officially joined our homeschooling routine and I am so impressed with his sudden interest in reading! I always thought he was the silly one without a brain (kidding, sort of.) He has picked up quickly and is writing his own books... always titled: "Zacks Book By: Zack". He is doing an awesome job sounding out words. He knows how to spell everyone's name in the family and constantly writes messages to us. The other day he handed me a note that said: "Mom, Simon neds hs bky." I gave a binky to him and asked him if he would put it in Simon's mouth. Zack said he couldn't because he's the one who delivered the message. Apparently, if you write messages, you don't have to do anything else... hmm. Valentine's Day was extra fun for him. When you know how to spell LOVE and everyone's name in the family, the amount of love notes you can make is unlimited. I ended up throwing a lot of them away (because you can only keep so much junk around..) Zack found one of his homemade Valentine's in the garbage, taped it to another piece of paper and tried to write out DID YOU LOSE THIS? When he gave it to me, he said, "I didn't know how to spell THIS, so I just drew an arrow to it." I thought it was so cute. I scanned it in & was very careful where I threw it away the second time...


He struggles with S and Z.. he constantly gets them mixed up. When he writes his name with an S, we call him SACK. It's become a family joke because Zack's old nursery teacher used to call him Sack. Her native language is not English and it's hard for her to say the Z sound. Every day after church he would tell us, "I keep telling her my name is ZZZack, but she still calls me SACK!" I tried to explain that she has a hard time saying her Z's. He nodded his head and matter-of-factly said, "I know. Because she doesn't have white skin." Albino children can be so prejudice sometimes. We sure love our Sacky!

attack of the flying tomato

would it be weird to take this picture into my hairdresser
and demand to have hair EXACTLY like Shaun White?

Seriously, I am in love with his wild red locks.
And his moves on the halfpipe ain't so bad either.
48.4 say whuuut?

In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue

While learning about Christopher Columbus' first voyage across the Atlantic, we talked about how the crew must have felt out in the middle of the ocean. They hadn't seen land in a month. I asked my kids if they would have been scared on such an adventure. Zack piped up right away and said, "I would never be afraid. I would just bring some arm floaties!"

Ben loved hearing about the horses that came on the second voyage. Luke thought it was awesome that Columbus had a few criminals on board. He said that he would hire a murderer too... because you might need someone to kill any pirates they encountered on their trip. (Treasure Island has had a big effect on the way Luke thinks nowadays.) Little did we know, Columbus himself was a pirate!

I love reading about his determination to change the world. He waited 6 years to get the finances to sail. I want my boys to grow up with the desire to do something they are passionate about... and I secretly hope that whatever they decide to do makes us all filthy rich!

psycho with a capital P

Did you know I am fascinated with murder mysteries? Not the made-up CSI stuff. I want to know about REAL LIFE crazies. I spend my time reading about their pasts and want to hear about their childhood. What made them this way? Did anyone see it coming? What do their family have to say?

This morning, I have been reading about Amy Bishop-- the neurobiologist at University of Alabama-Huntsville who shot and killed three of her colleges and wounded three others on Friday, Feb 12th. Bishop had recently been told she would not be granted tenure and brought a gun to a routine faculty meerting. Thankfully, her gun jammed during the shootings and the lives of other teachers were spared. Police arrested he on capital murder charges and she could be facing the death penalty.

The morning after the arrest, police in Braintree, MA, announced that Bishop "accidentally" shot her 18 year old brother in 1986. Reports say that she was asking how to load a shotgun when it fired, hitting her brother in the abdomen. She then fired a round of shots in the ceiling of her home, fled, pointed the gun at a motor vehicle to get the driver to stop, and was later arrested. Her mother testified that it was an accident and she was released on all charges. Reports state that the accidental ruling didn't sit well with the officers on scene.

In 1993, Bishop and her husband were questioned in the investigation of an attempted bombing of a Harvard Medical professor, Paul Rosenberg. A six inch pipe bomb was mailed to his home. He and his wife fled after seeing wires in the package. A bomb squad later detonated the bomb. Witnesses state that Bishop and Rosenberg had an argument before the attempted bombing. During the investigation, authorities searched the home of Bishop and found a draft novel written about a female scientist who killed her brother. Five years after the investigation, Bishop was cleared as a suspect in the attempted bombing. The case was closed and will not be reopened.

Another report states that in 2002, she got into a heated argument with a woman at a local IHOP. Apparently Bishop asked for a booster seat for her child and realized the last one had just been given to another customer. Bishop confronted the customer and demanded the seat. After a profanity-laced rant, Bishop punched her in the head while yelling "I am Dr. Amy Bishop.'' She plead not-guilty and was never convicted.

As crazy as this story is, what I find FASCINATING is that she is a mother of four children. Her husband claims he knew nothing about the fatal shootings at UAH, although he stated they went to a shooting range a couple of weeks ago. He stated that when he dropped her off at the University before the faculty meeting, he assumed they were still on for their Friday date night. After her arrest, she called him from jail and said, "I know you guys are obviously in shock." Then she inquired if their four children had done their homework.

This is what I spent my morning reading.... and now I must feed my kids. We were going to go to IHOP for breakfast, but I don't own a handgun and I'm afraid to leave the house. It amazes me that crazies like this are on the street and they can get hired at major Universities with such a background. This story definitely puts a new spin on the term "mad scientist."

have you ever....

Have you ever woken up to the sound of a child throwing up in his bed?

I have. and I was very grateful he fell asleep before he ate Oreos.

Have you ever spent the day washing this child's bedding only to have him throw up on it again just before bedtime?

I certainly have. Isn't it great that boys think sleeping on the floor is an adventure?

Have you ever washed an entire deck of cards with a load of laundry?

I learned today that the washer destroys playing cards more efficiently than a paper shredder.

Have you ever been scolded by a stranger about your rotten children?

I have!

We spent the afternoon at our favorite duck pond. It was perfect weather and the six of us were enjoying ourselves when a wrinkly, crabby lady came marching over to tell us that we shouldn't feed the ducks bread. We assumed she had a degree in Duckology as she gave us a lengthy lecture about how bread is empty calories for them. It won't hurt them, but there was no nutritional value in what our kids were feeding them. She brought out a special kind of duck-feed and scooped handfuls of it while she talked but she wouldn't share her feed with the boys. She insisted they stopped throwing their bread because the ducks preferred to eat it over her healthy/expensive stuff. Ben and Luke listened and ran off to collect pinecones. But Zack - who marches to the beat of his own drum and doesn't understand words like "empty calories" - continued to throw bread into the pond. This infuriated the Duck-Whisperer and she let Aaron and I know that our boys were the most terribly behaved kids she'd ever seen. "They don't listen! They don't respect! Why don't children have any manners?" I told her that some elderly women don't have manners either. My husband elbowed me as she stormed off, murmuring all the way to her car. I was glad she was gone before my boys started pegging the ducks with pinecones.

And THAT was our weekend in a nutshell.

kaput

who wouldda guessed??
5 minutes before this picture was taken,
he was running around declaring,
"My tummy is full of ENERGY!"
Daddy told him that if his tummy was full,
then he couldn't have any dessert.
Zack shook his head and said,
"There's ALWAYS more room for Oreos!"


Every once in a while,
our little ENERGIZER BUNNY
runs out of steam
and can't even stay awake for cookies..

I love being my Dad's daughter

How did Valentine's Day get here so quickly? I planned on writing something about my Valentine and why I love him, but he won't read it here anyway, so a card under his pillow will have to do. Today I am writing about my Dad, who was a Valentine baby 62 years ago.

♥ I have always felt close to my dad. As a father of ten children, I am sure it was hard for him to give each of his kids special (individual) attention, but I always got it from him. My mom said that when I was a toddler, I would pace around the house waiting for my Daddy to come home from work. The minute he walked in the door, if he didn't say hello to me, I would flop down on the floor and scream... so maybe I demanded his attention, but he always gave it to me. He is loved and respected by all of his children. We sing his praises and I think that is because he treated us like adults long before we were of age. He trusted us, respected our opinions and was our number one fan. He was always on the bleachers for our sporting events. He always had our backs. Although the story about me flopping on the ground screaming for attention might allude to it, I don't consider myself a spoiled girl. My dad gave me a lot of responsibility and expected me to earn my way through life. I worked hard as a teenager and saved my pennies to get through college. But looking back now, I realize I was very spoiled. If I ever asked my dad for anything, I knew he would give it to me. He has been my pillar of strength (spiritually, mentally and most definitely financially) all of my life, and I am sure my siblings (and mother) could say the very same thing. ♥

♥ I could share several experiences about my dad "having my back" as a child. And even though I know he is relieved when his children get married and have someone else to lean on, he has still always been there for us. He never intrudes, he doesn't give advise freely, but somehow he lets us know that he is still around. When my husband lost his job unexpectedly at the beginning of 2009, we were devastated. We had just spent our savings closing and furnishing a new home and basically didn't think about (or plan for) being in such a predicament. Of course, we knew we would get through it. It wasn't going to be easy, but we would definitely survive... In those first few days, I remember feeling scared and helpless. I wasn't sure what I could do for my little family. I prayed a lot and cried a lot and felt like somehow we would make it through. One afternoon early in January, I took the dreaded walk outside to get the mail. I had a pit in my stomach because we had celebrated the Holidays extravagantly, not knowing we would lose our only source of income days after Christmas. I felt so guilty knowing there was going to be credit card statements waiting for us. I opened the box and found a small envelope. My name was written neatly in my dad's handwriting. Inside was a white piece of paper with only a few words written in green pen: "Aaron, Janet and boys, we are thinking of you. Take care of each other. Love, Dad" Folded in the white sheet of paper was a check. It was enough money to last us several months. I hated getting money from my parents (thankfully, we were able to send it back to them as soon as Aaron had a job) but it was the answer to my prayers. I felt safe and warm and loved. I still choke up just thinking about opening that envelope. It doesn't surprise me that he sent it because that is the kind of man that he is. Stable, loving, dependable, unpretentious and giving. He is everything I think a father should be and I feel very lucky to be his daughter. I love you, Dad. Happy Birthday. ♥

I love Thursdays

My day-off-duty just changed to Thursdays. Aaron takes over dinner, clean up and bedtime routine (which usually means the kids get to stay awake until midnight..) I get to do whatever I want and it's an emotional lifesaver.

Since becoming a mom, sometimes I feel like a loser when I don't have anything to do on a night off. Granted, I try to plan a girls night at least once a month and that is always fun. But most of the time I just want to relax with a bubble bath and a good book.. it's amazing how much you can look forward to a little PEACE and QUIET! But after a few unsuccessful attempts at hiding up in my bedroom away from the kids (if you're home, they don't realize it's your night off) I have had to force myself OUT of the house every Thursday night. My struggle has been planning something fun to do.

After my date night with Zack a few weeks ago, I realized that I really need more one-on-one time with each of my kids. Simon and I get hours and hours everyday of bonding time. But I decided to make monthly date nights with each of the older boys... We scheduled them on the calendar because when they are written down and planned ahead of time, no one forgets. It doesn't have to be anything fancy.. it can be a quick trip to get frozen yogurt.. or a drive in the car.. just spending a little quality time together. I realize that I am around my kids 24/7, but it's different when it's alone time. Last night was a date night with Luke and it was F.U.N.

He wanted to go to Taco Bell for dinner. I can't complain about spending $4 on dinner. Taco Bell obviously isn't luxury, but we were the only ones inside and it was great. Luke and I talked for over an hour. I asked him how he liked having a new baby and if it seemed like life has changed since Simon was born. He said he loves having a baby around about 98 percent of the time and it's hard about 2% of the time. I loved his estimation because that's exactly how I feel.

On the way home, we picked up a few items for the ward Valentine party (which happens to be tonight.) Walking in and out of the store, we held hands. I wondered how long it had been since I held Luke's hand. I am usually carrying a car seat or keeping Zack from getting hit by a car. It was nice to be out with my mellow Luke.. just what I needed. I think he had an okay time too-- at least 98% of the time, anyway.

I love this kid..

We came home to a sleeping baby and three hyper boys (Aaron included as one of the rambunctious ones.) Then we all curled up in bed to watch the premier of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains.. another reason to love Thursdays.

ps. Did you know I applied to be a contestant on Survivor? If they have a season 21 (or beyond) I would jump at the chance to go. Could I sleep in a jungle and leave my family for 39 days? definitely. I would do anything for a million dollars. and I think it might be a great way to lose the baby weight....

I heart P!NK (never the color, just the singer)

The "things I love" posts are keeping me from documenting my real life... #1 late night UNLV basketball games, #2 my brother and his family visiting #3 Luke's birthday party #4 making heart-shaped cookies with the kids, #5 a trip to the store to buy Valentines where I went down the baby isle and opened a bottle, a jug of water AND a can of formula before I paid for it because the pacifier just wasn't cutting it, #6 my sad decision to stop nursing (thrush got the best of me and basically ruined my life) and other such things.

But I only have a few more days of this nonsense.. Those of you who know me well, know that I love Pink. I am always in the mood for her music-- when I am cleaning, driving, taking a bath, and especially when I am angry and feel like throwing things. I think she has raw talent and I love an artist who isn't afraid to step out of the box and do something crazy. My love for this rebellious rocker has rubbed off on my kids, especially Zack. When he hears her on the radio he says, "I love Pink. Never the color, just the singer."

Last week, we tuned into the Grammy's. We didn't watch the whole show in it's entirety, but we watched P!NK's performance several times. If you missed seeing her hang upside down while showering the audience with her talent, you must watch now.. Is she an acrobat or a singer? apparently both. And that's why I love her.

and here she is singing my favorite song on her latest album
(she wrote this song to get her husband back...)

We love Red Rock Canyon

Vegas isn't just about slot machines and neon lights.
Just a few miles from our house is a breathtaking canyon.
The drive is beautiful and peaceful....

Red Rock Canyon is one of our favorite places in the world.
We are so fortunate to live so close.

There is beauty all around...

We love AI at our house

I've loved American Idol since season one. But this is the first year my boys are watching with me. I love counting down the time until it starts. We thoroughly enjoyed last nights show and can't wait to see more of Ellen as a judge..

The boys and I already have our favorites. At the top of the list is Tyler Grady.. He totally rocks.


I also love miss peacock earrings = Lilly Scott. If she doesn't win, she will make a career for herself.


I want to know where can I download Didi Benami's new single?? She brought down the house with Kara DioGuardi's song "Terrified"... which I am sure earned major brownie points with the judges..

And we LOVE Andrew Garcia. Straight Up now tell me that he doesn't make it to the top 12..

update on the circumcision

Many of you are asking WHAT we decided to do. Not that it's any of your business, but I will tell you anyway... :)

Simon is not yet circumcised. I still don't want to have it done, but my husband does. Somehow I ended up at the urologist office with the baby. I really shouldn't have gone. It was a terrible experience.. I cried all the way home. And not just because I spent my day at a doctors office scheduling a surgery that I don't want done. (I've done my research people. Circumcision is basically as stupid as Chinese women wrapping up their feet and breaking their bones to become more sexy.. It's a silly, pointless tradition that we've carried on because our father's did it..) But I was at the appointment anyway because I respect my husband and his opinion.

The CHILDREN'S urologist didn't have a changing table in the entire office. During our one hour wait before the doctor was ready to see us, Simon had a blowout. I took him to the bathroom and found no changing tables. I came out and asked the nurses whose brilliant idea it was to open a children's doctors office without a changing table. They escorted me to a back room with a few filing cabinets. I cleared them off, put his blanket on top and changed him there. Classic. Then I bathed him in the back sink because my 30 baby wipes weren't enough. The water was freezing and Simon screamed as loud as he will when his skin is chopped off. After his bath, I dried him off, threw away his outfit that he was wearing (it was cute, but not worth it) and dressed him in a onesie too small for him.

When I finally saw the doctor, and told him I was scheduling a circumcision only so he can match his brothers. He told me it was completely unnecessary. As a urologist in Vegas, he stated that 50% of his patients are uncircumcised. I told you so! He also said that it's a COSMETIC surgery... only for looks. The rumors about sanitation are not true- however uncircumcised males are more likely to spread STD's.. a problem I hope our boys won't deal with :) So WHY are we doing it? The copay at the office was $50 because he's a "specialist". I felt like I had just wasted my time and money for someone to weigh my baby and confirm that what we are about to do is stupid.

We scheduled the surgery for Feb 15th. Because Simon is over 10 lbs, he has to be put under anesthetics. He can't eat for 12 hours before surgery. He has to go to the hospital and will probably be released the same day. Total cost of the procedure= at least $3500. Our portion would be only $500. What about this scenario sounds logical? Do you think I should schedule plastic surgery at the same time? Simon's nose is a little wider than his brothers... they might make fun of him if he doesn't get a nose job.

On the way out to the car, I called Aaron (crying) and scolded him for not being at the appointment when he is the one who wants it done. Then I hit myself in the face with my car door. (I don't know how... it just happened and my cheek started bleeding.) After Aaron realized that Simon is going to be put under, he agreed to put it off until he's older and weighs more. This was our compromise. We canceled the surgery for now and will probably do it in another six months or so... I am hoping Aaron will do a little research by then and realize that it's a pointless procedure. But I don't think that will happen...

So that's the update. Simon's penis is currently perfect and scar-free, but probably not for long. I wonder if the Duggars circumcise their boys.... ?

I love the Duggars

I could write 19 pages of reasons why I LOVE the show 19 kids and Counting. But dinner is on the stove and my husband will be home any minute.. so let me just say this: Michelle Duggar is my idol. She is soft-spoken, positive, selfless, encouraging and all around fabulous. I realize that I don't know her personally, but I feel like I do. If there is a house I could visit for a day, it would be the Duggar home. Their children are respectful, funny, smart, well-rounded, talented and all so lucky to be a part of such an incredible family. I honestly think (if I could afford it and stay mentally/emotionally stable) I would have 19 kids of my own. The show gives me hope for the future and proves that even though children are sheltered (and homeschooled) they can turn out somewhat normal. What I wouldn't give for one of my boys to marry one of the Duggar girls! Anyway, I know the show can rub some people the wrong way, but it's my fave. Congrats to Michelle and Jim-Bob on baby #19-- Josie born premature at 24 weeks. I know I am a more dedicated and soft-spoken mom after I watch Michelle at work. If she can handle 19, I can totally do FOUR!

baby love

Simon is three months old today. He is 13 pounds even. He purrs like a kitten when he's finished eating and snores like a baby bear when he's asleep. He is a champion burper-- you would never believe the loud (adult-like) burps that come out of his body. He sleeps 8-10 hours per night.. and doesn't fuss a bit when I lay him down in his crib. He loves to be held. He is the most CUDDLY thing I've ever owned! He's lost most of his hair on top, but has an awesome mullet in back. He falls asleep in the pink bumbo as soon as he sits in it. (He pretends he's tired when I know he's just too lazy to hold up his head.) He smiles a lot but we're anxiously waiting for a real laugh. His brothers fight over who gets to hold him and who gets to sit next to him in the car. He has gorgeous blue eyes and the longest eyelashes I've ever seen on a baby. I would totally put mascara on him, but I'm afraid of the wrath of my husband. (no, Aaron doesn't hit me, but he has pinched me really, really, really hard.)


I am in love with little Simon. Sometimes in the middle of the night, I wonder if he is real or if I just dreamed him up. He is so beautiful (and so masculine at the same time.) I hate to say that I love him more than my other boys, but there's no doubt that I appreciate him more. He was definitely worth the 3 year wait.

i LOVE my 60 second video clips

why didn't I think of my "video a day" idea earlier? I love the short clips we have so far. They are all neatly tucked away in a computer file, each labeled with their own date. I am not sure if I will continue to put them on my blog because uploading can be a PAIN... and there are some videos (like my husband and I taking a personality test at 11:00 pm) that Aaron doesn't want the world to see... (and if I don't keep some things private, he'll divorce me.)

ANYWAY, the most mundane videos are my favorite because they show my kids' personalities like nothin' else. A staged video is exactly that. But when they get the camera into their own hands, the truth comes out.

The following clip is Zack's personality to the T. In a matter of seconds he can go from being happy and silly to annoyed and assaulting. Luke was obviously egging him on, but that is also true to life. I love all 40 seconds of it..

Then there's the filmage of Luke's nostrils. I can't even tell you how hard I laughed when I first watched this. It might not be funny to anyone else, but it is totally Luke. I am so glad I have this little diddy. "Look at it! Look at it!"

I love Dennis Quaid... and Ellen

Yet another clip of Ellen telling Dennis Quaid what to say. It is so healthy to laugh as hard as Ben and I just did. Ben suggested that it might even be funnier if you couldn't hear Ellen.. and he really hopes that the delivery guy finds out that it was just a joke. I can guarantee he did.

and if you missed this last time I posted it, here it is again. I can't decide which one is funnier...

I love when my dishes are in the wrong place in the cupboard...

because that means that someone else cleaned the kitchen. I am grateful for a husband who knows when I need a helping hand (but doesn't necessarily know where things belong.)

I love sunshine. Luke loves sprinkles.

We spent the majority of Luke's birthday outside. It was a beautiful, sunny day. After living in places where winter doesn't end until May, I am so grateful for the sunshine. And being at the park in the middle of a school week is awesome-- because we have it all to ourselves...

After the day at the park, it was time for dinner... homemade pizza and breadsticks. Daddy came home from work and Luke opened his electronic drum set (a present Santa bought him for Christmas, but he was satisfied with what he opened, so we snuck it out to the garage and saved it for his birthday.) He was thrilled. And I am thrilled because it came with headphones = no noise! After presents we had cake and ice cream. The boys helped me frost (and decorate) the cake.

Zack didn't sleep in the tent because "everyone keeps keeping him awake!!!"

that's a FIRST.

I LOVE celebrating birthdays!!

I grew up in a large family. My father is a civil engineer. I know it wasn't easy raising ten children on his salary, but he was always smart with his finances. My mother never had a job nor a penny in her purse. As a girl, I knew we didn't have a lot of money floating around our house. As a woman, I feel grateful for my "poor" upbringing. I believe my parents raised their children to be responsible, frugal and non-materialistic. I hope I can do the same with my boys.

Even though we didn't have a lot of money, birthdays as a child were always special. If it was someone's birthday, everyone in the house was excited because that meant we were going to have cold cereal for breakfast. I realize it's such a silly thing now, but we didn't buy Lucky Charms or Cocoa Puffs often. After our sugar-coated cereal, we opened birthday presents. The presents were never wrapped in pretty paper.. instead they were brought to us in brown paper grocery bags. Inside the brown bag were items that we needed, hardly ever something that we wanted. I often got socks, deodorant, new underwear, contact solution and so forth. Talking about it now, it almost seems sad. But I never remember feeling sad about it. I honestly thought that's how every family celebrated. (In fact, for Aaron's first birthday after we were married, I wrapped items he needed. When he opened contact solution he laughed. I wanted to know what was so funny.)

I honestly can't remember a single present I received for my birthday as a child... not a single one. But I remember the attention I got. If my parents could afford it, they would take me out to dinner somewhere special like Chuck-a-rama. If money was tight, my mom would make our favorite dinner at home. In the evening, my mom would read stories of our childhood from her hand-written journal. Then we would go around the room and say what we loved about the birthday boy/girl and why they were a special part of our family. We always had a homemade cake with mismatching (and often not enough) candles. And best of all, we got to pick our favorite flavor of ice cream. I always chose mint-chocolate chip.

But this entry isn't about me (why do I think everything is always about ME??) Today is Luke's special day. Last night as we were talking before bed, I asked Luke to tell me what he would like to do for his birthday. It usually takes him forever to make up his mind so I gave him several options... museums, circus circus, the rainforest cafe.. He thought about it for a minute and then told me his "perfect birthday" agenda: cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate for breakfast, a picnic at the park for lunch, a few games of chess, jumping on the trampoline with his brothers, and homemade breadsticks for dinner. Ice cream and cake were optional.. and if it wasn't asking too much, he would like to put up the tent in his bedroom like we did last year. I think it sounds like a perfect way to spend the day.

the birthday boy eating breakfast in his new Snuggie
(which came with warm snuggie socks too!)

as soon as he opened his present from Grandmother (a Batman helicopter)
he handed it to Zack and said, "Oh!! You're gonna love this, buddy!"
If you can't tell by the look on Zack's face, Luke was right..