Shoe Drama

Aeva has a split personality. She is often called either Aeva Angel or Baeva Butt depending on her mood at any given time. Baeva has decided that she will only wear certain shoes. If you attempt to put on the "wrong" shoes you will be severely punished with crying, yelling and very large alligator tears. In fact, if she sees you coming at her with the wrong shoes she will be begin shouting "No! No!" and run in the opposite direction with an expression of fear on her face. Very dramatic! I will have to try and get it on video one of these times. Anyway, below I have placed a picture of the shoes that are good on any day of the week. We may indeed call these shoes her "favorite."

The problem with her "favorite" shoes is that in the next month or two they will be too small for her to wear. This is the moment that concerns me. I even took her to the shoe store and tried on the exact same shoes just one size larger...she still knew they were not the "ones" and begged for me to take them off.

These are the shoes that elicit the most fear from Baeva. They used to be Gracie's. They have the cute little lights on the bottom and I thought they would work quite nicely as a summer, play shoe. Denied. Aeva, I mean Baeva, starts into a seizure at the mere sight of them.

Optional shoes: These shoes can be worn only when approved. The black Sunday shoes are usually accepted as an appropriate alternative to her favorite shoes. The slippers are worn around the house, and the zipper shoes are way to big and make her fall on her face quite frequently. Still she will often prefer these over the above "devil" sandals. Above all, I simply find it quite amazing that a 22 month old could have such a profound preferrence of what the crap you put on her tiny, little feet. It makes me wonder what may lie ahead when hormones come into play. I will start my prayers now.

Swingin

Went to the park for a half hour or so this morning. Awesome weather! Gracie and Aeva had a blast "winging." Aeva would say "Wing! Wing! Push! Push!" Not sure I am loving her new vocabulary. She is able to get her point across very well about almost anything.

Aeva kept saying, Whoo Hoo!

Anybody else remember swinging when they were little? Can't beat it. Too bad my radondish buttocks won't fit in the swing any more. Believe me, I tried.

Indecision

Aeva has a daily dilemma of what to drink. Milk vs Juice. Today she figured out a compromise. What do you think? You got it. I'll have a little of both, thank you. No reason to given anything up unnecessarily. Besides, this is the perfect way to prevent dehydration at our scalding outside temperature of 50 degrees.

I think she learned this from my mom as she often has a cell phone in each hand. Too popular for her own good.

Osterooses

So, my family and I have been able to watch lots of wildlife outside our living room windows. Often we have seen HUGE birds that I have chosen to call Osterooses. This name comes from the fact that they are as big as an ostrich and sound like sick geese ("gooses"). They seem to flock around in the fields by our home. They don't seem to mind the cold and are always in pairs or flocks. You should hear the sound they make! If that is their mating call...I'm glad that I am not an Osteroose! I think I am going to attempt to catch one to see if they make good pets. My girls are dying for a pet and an Osteroose may be just the thing. Maybe they eat box elder bugs! Anyway, I finally got a few pictures that might be close enough that a "local" could clue me in on what these creatures really are. If no one knows, then they will be Osterooses forever.

Mrs Kelly Walker wins the prize! Apparently these lovely birds are called Sand Cranes. Once I knew what to call them they came right up to me and ate some old, moldy bread. I had Troy take a picture of me feeding them in my favorite black boots. All of my running has paid off! Look at my fantastically tan, firm legs! Anyway, If you ever need any more info on these fascinating creatures, just let me know. I have a few that I keep around for lectures, etc.

Tigers v Penguins....

Hello All...
It is soccer time again.... Come join us at the fields behind the church (we can give you directions if you don't know what we are talking about) as Gracie's Orange Tigers compete every Thursday night at 6 pm....

Maddie's Purple Penguins play on Saturdays at varying times. Purple Penguins sound threatening.... don't they? Maddie's very first team were the Pink Unicorns so we are making baby steps. Please see the calendar below for times. Give us a phone call if you plan on coming and we can confirm that the kids are playing (no weather-induced postponements/ no isolated natural disasters/ no work-stoppages - both lockouts and strikes)

On a side note, can someone please let Carlos Boozer know that the Purple Penguins play with more heart than he does.... Ouch.... Sorry I am still smarting a bit from the Jazz game....and I just wished he would play some defense (at least as intense as our Tigers or Penguins). Glad to have that off my chest...

My World

So, I mentioned in my last blog entry that I would be creating a new world with all of my personal specifications. I have had some individuals that have expressed interest in joining my new world. They have also made some very appropriate recommendations. I figure I had better get all of this written down so that when I become "all mighty," "all powerful," "all intelligent," and "all beautiful" I will have my plan, engineering, etc all ready to go. So here goes...

Tiffs World:
1 - no dresses, nylons, girdles or anything in the least bit constricting to the body.
2 - no shoes - flip flops only. We do not want to be bothered with bending over. Too tiring.
3 - caloric intake - non existent. All calories consumed will fall of w/out any effort. A size 8 is simply standard, normal, and totally effortless. For all of you that are smaller than a size 8...you are no longer invited to be a part of my world.
4 - hair - effortless. Just specify what you want and it shall be granted. Oh, and it never gets dirty or messed up. Every morning your hair will look just as good as when you went to bed.
5 - makeup - absolutely not needed as our beauty will exceed all others.
6 - no big boobs allowed (this comes from all my years of being flat here on earth) - All boobs will have to be proportionally sized with the rest of the body. No plastic surgeons allowed (too expensive for my overhead).
7 - self cleaning houses - no dust or dirt allowed. In fact, my world will not have dust.
8 - no taxes (that ones for you Kel).
9 - all children will be born from eggs. No need for 9 months of fatness, swollen ankles, etc. I think a small colorful egg should suffice. Sit on it only if you are bored or tired.
10 - cooking - food will just appear as it is needed. Perfectly prepared and very, very tasty.

Age 2 = Angelic?

Sweet, little, matching angels! Oh, wait...one of them is not so sweet anymore. Yup, the almost two year old has become, shall we say, "less angelic" of late. She does not want to eat, she does not want to take her shoes of when she comes inside, she does not want her pants taken off when you change her diaper, AND she does not want to wear a dress! That makes Easter Sunday a little less fun. Nevertheless, we persevered and WHALA...3 memory filled photos. I hope you enjoy the pictures because they took me 30 minutes to get and yet...still not quite what I was going for.

The movie "Incredibles" was playing. She couldn't quite take her eyes off of the movie long enough for a photo.

Oh well, I should still get lots of credit (and slurpees) for trying to be a good Easter mother. Thank goodness for grandmas that make cute, matching dresses possible. If I were left in charge, they would be wearing sweats to church. In fact, when I make my world, sweats will be considered "Sunday dress." If you are interested in joining me, in my world, just leave your name in the "comment" section and my people will contact your people.
Happy Easter everyone!
p.s. We got some good Easter video. Troy will have to attach it...stay tuned.

The Magic Box

Every parent has seen the "magic box syndrome." Christmas morning...the boxes are what get played with instead of the toys. There must be something truly magical about being confined in a small place with the definite possibility of an older sibling trapping you in forever. Last night some friends came over and once again the box was a hit. One of the older kids jumped in but yelled "WAIT! You have to remember to let some air in!" We thought that was very entertaining as very few cardboard boxes are airtight. Either way, I could see how a little panic could set in. Tonight I am going to throw Troy in the box with the promise to feed him peanut m&ms at regular intervals. I will attach more pictures if I can make it happen.

By the way, what's up with all of the animals on the edge?

Fairy Tale Friday

A few weeks ago, Maddie's 1st grade teacher sent home a paper saying that they were starting Fairy Tale Fridays in her class. The teacher asked for people to sign up for a Friday when they could come into the class, share one of their child's favorite stories and then coordinate an activity that went along w/ the story. I thought I would get it done and not have to worry about it. We were assigned April 3rd as our lucky day. After much thought we decided to share the story "Big Pumpkin." We then decided we would act out the story in a play for our activity.

We gathered costumes for a witch, pumpkin, ghost, mummy, vampire and a bat. Then I set to work making some pumpkin shaped sugar cookies to hand out to the class. Anyway, to shorten the story a bit... I woke up the morning of and my small brain started calculating... There are only 8 weeks left in school...that means only 8 fairy tale Fridays...there are 21 kids in Maddie's class...WHAT THE CRAP!? This activity is totally OPTIONAL?! I signed up for something OPTIONAL!?? I felt betrayed. Then I remembered how much fun I had had planning this w/ Maddie. I remembered the cute smile on her face and how excited she was that morning when she left for school. I remembered that you can't take home made treats to class. Again, WHAT THE CRAP!? I had just made 6 dozen home made sugar cookies (in the shape of pumpkins) that I couldn't give away!? Ok, back to feeling betrayed. I had to call the school and beg for special permission to break the rules. Ms. Whittle must have heard the insanity in my voice and said I could bring the cookies "this time."

Anyway, here are a few photos that one of the first graders took for us. He was our designated camera man. Not too shabby considering my camera only works half the time.

The cast. From left to right (Pumpkin girl, Witch Maddie, Mr Ghost, Mr Vampire, Ms Mummy - also know as the famous Bailey Dunn, and Mr. Bat).

Overall, a few lessons learned. Fairy Tale Fridays are awesome. All little kids have a desire to learn. Maddie makes the best witch I ever have seen. Taking extra time to do things with your kids is always worth it! I had a blast.

Still yummy?

Ultimate laziness or what? One of the last few snow storms was accompanied by a lot of wind. It blew the snow all over our deck. The girls awoke the next morning and saw the opportune time to partake in a small, nutritious snack. They opened the door, bent over and started eating.

Who would have taught them such a thing? OK, their mother has been known to eat snow in the past BUT only when there is a good amount and I can assure that there has been no pollutants. After the above photo, the girls grabbed cups and began filling. Again, the snow is only 1-2 inches deep...needless to say, Gracie found a box elder bug in the bottom of her cup. Now that is the ultimate sign of spring...a bug in your freshly collected snow. Go ahead, eat it up!

Full of Hot Air....

On Saturday Morning we woke up to a little commotion out in our front yard.... What a surprise.... A Hot Air Balloon being launched from our street....

I really like Hot Air Balloons so it was fun to watch. We talked to the people outside launching the balloon. The couple doing the running around were the ones paying for a ride. The captain was the one yelling at his customers. When I go up I would like to be the captain.

We asked Gracie if she would like to go up in a Hot Air Balloon. She said she would like to go up ballooning but only when she was an adult... 17 years old. For those keeping score at home Gracie has also committed to liking oranges when she is six years old (she is currently four). Currently oranges are on her "not to eat" list.

Maddie also had some age related predictions she made when she was younger. She consistently told my sister Kati that when she turned five Kati would be a "kitty grandma"..... This is a very random and cryptic prophesy that really we do not understand even to this day.... You see Kati does not own or take care of any cats. We do not know what a "kitty grandma" duties and responsibilities are, but are sure that Kati is doing her very best. We are proud of you Kati.....(now a "Kitty Grandma" of 2 1/2 years).

Here is a minute of Hot Air Balloon video from our porch.

Random

I have been working a lot this week. Makes for a boring blog. Did a little looking back at some pictures and found a few that I had forgotten about. I thought they would be worth sharing...some more significant, important and perhaps even intelligent blogs will follow...

WOW! I make cute kids. I will even give Troy some of the credit (I certainly don't have big, brown eyes).

I am looking forward to a little of this in the upcoming months (assuming the snow storms will one day stop)!

There will always be something fascinating about a roll of toilet paper.

But nothing is as fascinating as having a baby sister...

Then again, what about Bob? He made us smile.

Our little bag lady makes us very proud.

Hogle Zoo in the winter. What could be better?

Kati has never invited me to bath with her, hmmmm.