tone deaf

That's Cameron. But I love that he doesn't realize it! I hope that he never realizes it, because it might stop him from singing. The kid loves to sing. The problem is that he sings the same song over and over and over and over and over X 50 more overs. Let me clarify: he'll sing one song about 20 times in a row, then switch to another song which he sings another 20 times in a row, and so forth. Today I think he's sung, 'Called to Serve' about 50 times (NO EXAGGERATION), 'When Jesus Christ was baptized' about 20, and 'Popcorn popping' about 3. The kid is amazing at memorization. That is about the only good characteristic he inherited from me. I should say, I used to be good at memorization. Not sure if I am anymore. That's besides the point. The point is, I can't WAIT for the primary program in 5 weeks because Cameron is so ready! Besides one of the hymns, he knows every word of every verse of every song! I'm sooo sad I can't watch him sing (since I will be stuck at the piano, playing for the program!).

Other than primary songs, he also loves his Halloween CD and his Wiggleworms CD. Other honorable mentions are (are you ready for this?) Jason Mraz, and McFly. HAHAHAHA... He can tell which songs are sung by each artist. We'll be driving and he'll ask, "Can we listen to 'Sorry's not good enough'?" He knows some of the words to "Sorry's not good enough", "It's all about you", and "Sleep all day". In the song "Sorry's not good enough", McFly sings, 'Don't go changing, don't go changing....' and they sing it about 8 times in a row, building a crescendo on each phrase. We'll hear him start singing, 'don't go change it, Don't go change it, DON'T GO CHANGE IT!!' Anyways, I just love that he enjoys music. Especially stuff I like!

Okay, I couldn't help it: just see for yourself!

"Now, Harry...

you must know all about Muggles. Tell me, what exactly is the function of a rubber duck?"

As I was giving Alexis a bath this morning, I was looking at her yellow rubber ducky floating in the water and thought of that quote. I just love it! It makes me laugh so hard every time! Anyways, that's all! (BTW, anyone seen Stardust? I think he's the funniest part of that entire movie!)

Adorable

And Mother of the year award goes to...

Me. Of course. What a mommy day I had yesterday! It sucked. It was Cameron's first day of preschool but it doesn't start until 12:45. So it still feels like we have the whole day before I even get a break from him! Then, Alexis doesn't take an afternoon nap, so she was awake the WHOLE time Cameron was at school! "But that means you got to have quality time with your second child?" Yeah, I don't care. I just want a BREAK! That's one of the biggest reasons I wanted Cameron IN preschool! Anyways, my freakin' allergies have been driving me NUTS! See, I've never had allergies in my entire life. Never. EVER. So why this year? Who knows. The doc. said they are particularly bad this year. Yeah, no kidding? My face is RAW from constantly wiping and blowing my nose & wiping my eyes. My eyes are itchy all the time, they are always red and puffy. UGH! I'm whining. But it's my blog and I can do whatever I want!

And as usual, Alexis eats like crap. It's not unusual to have to give her 6-8 different food choices before she'll decide that it's worthy of her energy to shove into her mouth. I'm sooooooo tired of it. And it's not like I can say, 'If you don't eat this, then nothing else' (which believe me, I'm tempted to do) But she's only a year! I can't bargain with her. Instead I end up yelling at her and taking her out of her high chair because I can't handle it anymore. As soon as I do take her out, she's signing 'FOOD'. And then I scream. Like a little kid that didn't get her way. (see Shanna? I told you you're not the only one)

Blah. Then I decided to make 'House Special' Thai food. I got the recipe from Kyla and was told it was to die for! I spent A LOT of time on the meal. I cut up all fresh veggies, cooked the chicken, made the sauce from scratch, etc. (All the while trying to decide what the princess will eat) So how was the dinner? It was terrible. It probably didn't help that I read wrong and used 1 tsp. of curry paste instead of 1TBSP. Never again will I go off a recipe that only uses t or T. Next time I'll know to write in tsp. or TBSP. UGH! I just felt like the BIGGEST failure at EVERYTHING! I hate those days and I'm just so pleasant to be around, I'm sure. (sarcasm)

Luckily, I did have something to look forward to. Something I normally wouldn't look forward to. Book club. I've never attended a book club discussion before. Why could'nt I miss it this time? Because we were discussing 'Breaking Dawn'. No way I'm missing that! It was actually really fun! I drove my friend Tammy, so I'd at least ahve a friend to sit by who could protect me from any flying objects that might come my way after I piss everyone off with my opinions about the book. Surprisingly, people seemed (overall) to understand most of my frustrations with the book. There were some really good points made that explained some of my irritations with the book. I'll be anxious to re-read it, but not for a while. Anyways, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed myself and how much I voiced. I was hesitant to say anything bad about the book, but part of me wanted to be controversial. I know you all have a hard time believing that. Thanks to Melody, I was able to wear my 'Team Jacob' shirt! Hahaha... I got a kick out of it. I know no-one else cared, but I was so proud to be sporting it! We left around 10:30 or so and I was NOT ready to go back home yet. I've been home way too much and just wanted to be anywhere but here. So Tammy and I drove to Smith's and bought chocolate! Haha... It was so fun to blast the music, talk, laugh, and forget (even if just for a short time) that I am a mother. I got home and just sighed to myself. "Wow! I realllllly needed that!" I was prepared to get a great night's sleep and wake up as happy as I fell asleep. Well, that would've been nice, right? Both kids slept awful! I mean screaming, crying, more screaming, whining, whining and more screaming. I could not get Alexis to stay asleep once I'd put her back in her crib and finally gave up, just to bring her in bed with us. I swore, multiple times, as I got kicked in the face, jaw, head, shoulder, etc. Anyways, today is a new day, and I will try my best not to throw a tantrum. It's not looking good so far though. And it's only 9:50 am?!

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I miss...

So I got thinking about all the random food items that just aren't around (or available in my area) anymore! So here they are!

#1) Gobble Stix! It was like string cheese- only... well, turkey! They were
DELICIOUS! And I've never been a sandwich person, so I've never really enjoyed
lunch meat. But these were perfect!
#2) Flaky Flix I think my friend Ashwini
the one to get me addicted to these!
#3) Clearly Canadian. I remember
as a kid, going to the gas station and my mom would buy me a drink. This was all
I ever wanted! I MISS IT!
#4) Vienetta. Come on, how fun is this to
eat?!
#5) Am I making this up? I SWEAR there used to be cream cheese (by Phillidelphia,
who else?) that was specifically for TOAST! It was more fluffy than thick and
creamy, so it wouldn't squish your toast. We used to have it when I was younger
and I can find no proof that this product ever existed! Am I delusional?
#6) Shell chocolates!!! Again, this is just what Ashwini and I would call them! Belgian Chocolate Seashells.
And DO NOT let the crappy photo fool you. These are the most delicious
chocolates I've ever tasted! I've been told you can still find them at Trader
Joes. But they're sooooo expensive! And seeing as I have no self control, I'd
eat the whole freakin' box in one sitting.

Now it's your turn! C'mon, I know there's SOMETHING that you miss. So please share!

P.S. Ugh! Sorry the pictures turned out all skewampus, but I was way too lazy to go back and match them all up! (And yes, I did have to google search the word 'skewampus' to make sure I was spelling it right!)

Whoa!

Who else has played this? It's AMAZING!

Calling all sick, twisted freaks!!!

Okay, of course I'm speaking of Glenn Beck! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Glenn Beck! I am so sad to say I don't get to listen to him much anymore. We only have one alarm clock and the radio reception SUCKS! Anyways, he is so honest and blunt. I love that he will stick to his opinions, regardless of what others say. He has some pretty strong opinions, and maybe that's why I love him! Unlike me, he could care less if someone doesn't agree with him. He's respectful of other's views, but NEVER backs down. I love that! Anyways, I found this on a SITS blog and was sooo excited! I've been dying to see him live, but his shows are sooooo expensive! Recently, at the end of his Christmas show, he shares his conversion story. I've always been disappointed never to SEE him (only heard bits and pieces) talk about it. So here's a glimpse. That's good enough for me!



I totally started crying while watching this. Glenn doesn't get emotional about very many things, so it's very touching when he lets his guard down. We have had SOOOOOOOOOO many experiences in the last few weeks to show the Lord's hand in our lives. I could (and should) fill page after page of our blessings. The day after we decide to pay our tithing (which usually isn't hard, but this time it was!) we received a check for $240 that was somehow never given to Tyler when he worked at IBC. Over a year and a half ago. We've received money here and there for the most random things. Cameron got into preschool for only $20 a month and it's right across the street. The list could go on and on. Sometimes I think I don't give Heavenly Father enough credit. I sometimes wonder, "How's this gonna work?" And when it's all said and done, I look back and think, "Um, how do I EVER doubt?" As I watched this video, I was also reminded of how stupid I am. Why am I CONSTANTLY trying to prove myself to... who, myself? I rely too much on myself and don't 'cry out' enough. My greatest example of this is my dear friend, Tiffany. Her daughter (who is just a few weeks older than Alexis) has Lukemia. In every updated post, they are constantly recognizing the hand of the Lord in their lives. Not once have I read, "BUT WHY! Why us! It's not fair! Why are we being punished?!" Which I have to admit, I'm sure I would be guilty of doing to an extent. So, Tiffany, you are my inspiration. I am so blessed to have a friend like you.

I'm so grateful for all my blessing. I'm so grateful to have such a wonderful husband. My sweet friend, Chelsea, was telling me yesterday how 'cute' me and Tyler are together. That we seem to fit and have found a good rhythm in life. I was so happy that someone else could recognize how much I love him. He is so supportive and I would be lost without him. I don't know why I've been thinking about all these deep things lately. There was a car crash in Monticello that Tyler was telling me about. A car was being chased, from Cortez, and ran the light in Monticello. It T-boned a car with 2 older women. It killed all 3 instantly. It made me think that almost exactly 7 years ago, I was hit broadside in what should have been a MUCH worse accident. The fact that I walked away with only a small Goose-egg and some back issues was a miracle. My legs should have been smashed at the least. The car that hit me (in the driver's seat) was doing at least 45 mph.

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BTW, that dog was Amy's, not mine! I think I was at her house more than my own those days! I think this is the first serious blog I've done, and I'm wiped out. So don't worry, I think it's back to dull posts here on out. Thanks for listening!

Slacker

Yeah, that's me. And it isn't even that I don't have anything to blog about. I have plenty! And each day I think, 'Man, I should blog about that' but I don't. I'm so tired! Tyler's crazy schedule's got me bummed and I've just been struggling to keep up with my basic routine! Anyways, I FINALLY sorted through a stack of random papers and came across this. I've been saving it to blog about and here it is. So I can finally throw it away! Seriously, I don't know why I thought it was SOOOOOOO funny, but I was crying! I'm sure I'm crazy. It's okay: I already know.

Mushi, mushi

Check it out!

What was your favorite part?!

Summer Fun

5 Minutes for Mom is having a Summer Fun Photo Contest. I was running out of time to submit something when I found this one. Probably not my all time favorite summer picture, but I still love it. I love the color, her facial expression and the 'summer' tablecloth!

If you want to play too, visit the link above. The winner recieves $500. Today is the last day. You have until 3 EST.

Breaking Dawn (contains spoilers and will probably offend many)

Well, I can't say it enough. I was sooooooooooo disappointed in 'Breaking Dawn'! I knew something was 'off' when I read the first chapter in the special edition of 'Eclipse'. I am SERIOUSLY warning you. If you LOVED the book, you may want to stop reading this now. Don't say I didn't warn you! BTW, these are not in order of the book. Just the order they came to me!

*In chapter 1, Stephenie writes, "[Charlie] was most disappointed with Billy, Jacob's father- and Charlie's closest friend." OHHHHHHHHHH, right. Because we didn't know who Billy was. Yes, I can see how we could forget a semi-major character in all 3 previous books. Hmmmmm. Then she continues with, "For Billy's refusing to put up the flyers in La Push, the reservation on the coast that was Jacob's home." Seriously? I HATE when writers (or anyone for that matter) insults my intelligence! Some people have made the point that, 'The Twilight book came out a while ago and someone might have forgot.' Hmmmm. It still talks about it in the THIRD book! Phew, I need to calm down.
*Also in the 1st chapter, I was not convinced at Renee's attempt of maturity. "You're not making my mistakes, Bella. You sound like you're scared silly, and I'm guessing it's because you're afraid of me. Of what I'm going to think." WELL DUH!!!!!!!!!! If she's been talking crap about marriage and men for Bella's life, how else do you think she's gonna feel? And then to change so abruptly to appease Bella?
* AGAIN with the typos. Really? I tried not to count, but I swear I got up to 5. Come on
*::Ahem:: Renesmee? I read a comment on my friend's blog that says it perfectly. And I quote, "I liked [the book], although I LITERALLY CRINGED every time I read the name Renesmee. Dumbest name ever. I can't believe she went with that one." HAHA.. I laughed so hard that she said she cringed, because I did too!
*Since when have the Cullens used 'nick names'? Jazz, Em, Rose.
*I don't understand why Bella is fine with drinking the blood. Yes, I understand that when you are pregnant, you crave what the baby needs. But this is BELLA we're talking about. Bella can't even SMELL blood from across the room without passing out. And then after she's a vampire, still no problem with blood. It doesn't make sense.
*Why does Bella have such a hard time recovering some human memories, but others are clear as a bell? I realize that even as humans, we have degrees to our memory, but it bugs me! She says, 'Already, the memory seemed dim, like I was watching through a think, dark veil...' '...it was irritating to try to see through the human memories.' But immediately after she says this, she starts thinking about if Jacob was okay. Did he hate her. Had he gone back to Sam's pack. Were the Cullens safe. What would she tell Charlie. It's like she has selective amnesia!
(Everyone hate me yet? Well, I'm not done...)
*When Bella was bit the first time by James, the pain was excruciating. She already knew this about the vampire's venom. She should have been somewhat prepared. Yet, she screams and is in absolute AGONY. It lasted, what, a few minutes? So now she endures this pain for 2 days. And doesn't even whimper once? Because she doesn't want Edward to feel even worse? I didn't think Bella was that strong. Is it just me?
*I was SORELY disappointed that everyone believed (so quickly) that Alice and Jasper abandoned them in their time of need. This is ALICE we're talking about! And all Carlisle can say is, 'Alice is free to do what she will. I wouldn't deny her that liberty'. What a slap in the face! Why was everyone so willing to believe her? How sad.
*Can't Edward hear Alice's thoughts? Even if she's VERY far away?
*I was bummed that the 'big secret' for Bella to discover from Alice's clues was to get LEGAL PAPERS for Jacob and Renesmee? Um, they're half-human. It's not like Renesmee couldn't swim across the ocean like the rest of them if she had to. Papers?
*I was sad that Emmett was such a jerk to Bella. Teasing them about having sex. Usually he was the 'lovable bear' big brother. I loved his relationship with Bella and felt this book really diminished that.
*ALLLLLL that build-up and there's no war with the Volturi?!?!?!?! I realize that Stephenie Meyer has talked about doing other vampire books that would include some of the characters. If she doesn't though, I'm gonna be mad! How can the Volturi just retreat? And why is it that big of a relief to the Cullens and co.?
*Lastly (I know, can you believe I'm finished?) I couldn't grasp Charlie's cool attitude towards the situation. He was fine, no no, happy to be on a 'need to know' basis? This is his one and only daughter who he's grown to love even more since she's lived with him. Whatever you say!

Okay.. seriously? I didn't HATE the book. I'll explain the things I loved about it, although that list is much shorter.
*I love Stephenie's chapter endings. They are almost always very eventful! I love being gripped RIGHT at the end of a chapter. She is AMAZING at that.
* Garrett's speech was so touching. I nearly cried.
*Jacob's devotion to Renesmee. (Even though I'm still in denial that it's over between him and Bella!)
*I still don't understand how Renesmee can live for hundreds of years (what with a beating heart and all) but I was happy they could all live for a long together.
*I TOTALLY cried at the end. I thought it was a perfect way to end the series. At first I didn't get it. Then when I realized that Bella was showing Edward her thoughts, I lost it! That was sooooooo sweet.

So there you have it. That's my perspective. NOW I WANT YOURS! And no, I won't be offended if you all LOVED it, because I know I'm the minority here. =) Also, if anyone has any insight into my 'issues' let me know! A GREAT BIG thanks to Michelle for explaining a few things. Because of her and her insights, there were 2 things from my previous list of complaints I was able to erase!

Phavorite Phriday Photo

Courtesy of Candid Carrie, I am posting one of my all time favorite pictures. (BTW, I do know how to spell... See Carrie's page if you want to participate) I love this picture because it is taken just minutes after Alexis was born. It shows her big beautiful eyes, her wrinkly skin, and her flattened nose! She's so perfect!

Random stuff about me

So I got this as an e-mail, but I figure I'd just blog about it. That way, I'm not sending it to people who are thinking, 'Why are you sending this to me? I don't give a crap!' Anyways, if anyone else wants to participate, great! If not, whatever!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 8:30

2. Diamonds or pearls? diamonds


3. What was the last film you saw at the movie theater? Batman. That movie is INSANE! So good, and VERY intense!

4. What is your favorite TV show? My ALL TIME fav. is Fresh prince (haha) but my recent fav's are Gilmore Girls, The Office, Friends and Seinfeld

5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Cereal


6. What is your middle name? Marie. Like half of the population of females.

7. What food do you dislike? coleslaw & creamed corn


8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? hmmm. probably my mixed CD courtesy of Kelly! I'm listening to it at least 3 times before I have an opinion. =)


9. What kind of vehicle do you drive? Nissan Ultima. Don't know what year! haha

10. Favorite sandwich? Turkey & Avacado on a croissant

11. What characteristics do you despise? hmmmm. I hate people that are know-it-alls. And those that give advice instead of just letting you vent. OOO! And me monsters! Yeah, I could go on for a while...

12. Favorite item of clothing? My AE jean capris.

13. Where would you go on vacation? Tahiti!

14. Are you an organized person? I thought I was until I met Shanna! hehehe

15. Where would you like to retire to? Somewhere warm. Get me out of UTAH!

16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? Probably last year when Tyler surprised me with my BOSE iPod docking station! It ROCKS!

17. What are you going to do when you finish this? Go make dinner and try to finish reading Breaking Dawn

18. Furthest place you are sending this to? don't know who'll read it

19. Person you expect to send it back first? I hate these kinds of questions...

20. When is your birthday? Jan. 30th

21. Morning person or night person? I used to be a morning person, until Tyler got done with school. Now we stay up until 11:00 at the EARLIEST!

22. What is your shoe size? 7 (used to be 6 or 6 1/2 until I got pregnant with Alexis!)

23. Pets? No no no no no no

24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? My house is incredibly clean today! That's exciting, right?

25. What did you want to be when you were little? a vet

26. How are you today? BLAH + headache

27. What is your favorite flower? I really don't have one. Well, I would probably have one if I knew anything about flowers. I should go to a flower shop someday and have them show me around. Then maybe I'd find something.

28. What calendar day are you looking forward to? I don't know? Maybe whatever 'calendar day' Tyler gets accepted into the radiology program?

29. What are you listening to right now? Alexis whining for me to help her go down the slide

30. What was the last thing you ate? Some rasberries from Tammy's yard!

31. Do you wish on stars? Sometimes

32. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Hmmm, today? Probably gray.

33. How is the weather right now? Gray

34. Last person I spoke to on the phone. Tammy

35. Favorite soft drink? I guess Pepsi

36. Favorite restaurant? Cafe Rio! Their's is the only food I can't replicate to my satisfaction. Everything else I can pretty much do myself, so why pay good money? Oh, and Taco bell. I LOVE TACO BELL!

37. Hair color? Brown

38. What was your favorite toy as a child? My little Pony's and my dolls.

40. Chocolate or Vanilla? What kind of a question is that? I would like to meet these vanilla freaks... Do they even exist?

41. Coffee or tea? Neither

42. Do you want your friends to email you back? again with the stupid questions

43. When was the last time you cried? Yesterday. Watching Batman. Twice. Yeah...

44. What is under your bed? blankets

45. What did you do last night? Watched a dumb movie called, 'Over her dead body'

46. What are you afraid of? Everything. Oh, and spiders.

47. Salty or sweet? Both. Lately salty. GRRRRRR! I just realized I forgot to get Chili picante Cornnuts at Wal-mart today. UGH!

48. How many keys on your key ring? 3

49. How many years at your current job? 4 years as a mom, AN ETERNITY as a house keeper

50. Favorite day of the week? Don't really have one. But once Tyler gets a job, it'll be Saturday

51. Do you make friends easily? Not really (shocking, right?)

52. How many people will you send this to? BLAH BLAH BLAH

53. How many will respond? What kind of question is that?

54. Do you like finding out information about your friends? yup

55. Would you use a time machine? Sure. I'd steal someone's invention, go back in time and claim it as my own (like on Meet the Robinsons). Then I'd be rich, do a full body makeover and convince Brad Pitt to marry me. Okay, maybe not.

Do you ever feel like an Elephant in a world full of Hippos?

This post goes out to Cory Talbot, who is (almost) as cynical as I am.

First words

A few months back Alexis uttered the common first words of Dada (can you tell she's a daddy's girl?) and then a WHILE later, Mama. She hasn't said either in AT LEAST two months! Nothing. She's like Cameron was. Very boring sounds. The same sounds, over and over. Not really sounding like a conversation. Just one syllable 'di' or 'uh'. That's about it! But last week she started trying to say 'bath', and tonight she started trying to say 'stuck'! So here she is!

Genius!

A few weeks ago I asked Cameron to read the word 'it'. I showed him how to blend the sounds together and he did it without any problems. He then read 'so' and 'to' and 'on. I really didn't think anything about it. I mean, he is 4, right? Last night we were reading a book and I had him sound out the word 'dog'. He did this as if it was nothing. So we moved onto another word. 'Top'. And another. 'Ball'. And another, 'Bed'. I couldn't believe it. So I had him bring me a piece of paper and a pencil. I began writing down words for him to sound out and read (without my help). He proceeded to read 26 words! (all 3 letter of course) I was so excited, and as soon as he figured out what he was doing, he was too! Every time he'd read a word and look at me for confirmation, he'd pump his fist and say, 'YES!!!!!'. It was so cute! I can't believe how much he's growing up! What a smarty pants. =)