Me

ALL ABOUT ME TAG

1.WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Yup. One of my ancestors- Christiana. My full name is Christianne.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Three hours ago. And then again, like two seconds ago- while reading a little history about me that my parents wrote. I am way too emotional...and NO I am NOT pregnant....it's just how I am. Isn't Randy lucky?

3.DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Eh...if I am not in a hurry...when am I not in a hurry?

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Pastrami...add a little sauerkraut and you're good to go!

5.DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Hmmm...do I?

6.IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Umm, is that not a weird question? Of course I would!

7.DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Never

8.DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Unfortunately, yes.

9.WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No. But para sailing would be fun.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? D. None of the above.

11.DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? That's the beauty of Crocs.

OK, indulge me while I take a total tangent...more evidence of what a slacker mom I am: I hate shoes. My feet are claustrophobic and I have a hard time finding shoes that fit my D width. So Crocs, it is. This has obviously rubbed off on my kids and they hate shoes as well (Anyone who knows them can attest to this.) I usually buy slip-on or velcro shoes for them, and they each have a pair of Crocs. So at the beginning of this school year, I bought Tyler a pair of 'tie' shoes. It was then that I realized he had never learned to tie his shoes. 7 1/2 years old and he couldn't tie his shoes. It took all of 2 minutes to teach him, but, still. I am such a slacker!

12.DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Just call me Sheera. This past Christmas season, we were driving around looking at the lights, eating our Arctic Circle ice cream cones. We came across an SUV stuck in the snow on the side of the road. Randy stopped to help and a man came out from his house to push, too. They were pushing and pushing and the car would not budge. Randy motioned for me to come help. I hopped out of the car and kicked off my Crocs (they were too slippery to get enough traction.) I stood there in the snow with only my socks on and gave the car a good push. Up and out out it went from deep rut, and back into the road. Randy has never been so proud.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Mint n' Chip...but it has to be the flaky chips- not the chunky ones.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their hair. I have this thing for hair. I know it is not obvious- I hate doing my own. But I am kind of weird with my kids that way. I hate their baby hair growing out. It is so uneven..I can't resist taking scissors to it.

15.RED OR PINK? Roses? Red. Baby clothes? Pink....or blue. :)

16.WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My lack of motivation sometimes.

17.WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My parents

18.WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Jeans and no shoes. That's me.

19.WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Pizza and root beer, of course. It's Friday night.
20.WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Lion King 2

21.IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? A brand new box of 64.

22.FAVORITE SMELLS? a new baby, Downy, chlorine, and Cabbage Patch Kids.

23.WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Jill

24.FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Gymnastics, and anything my kids are playing.

25. HAIR COLOR? Blond

26.EYE COLOR? Blue

27.DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No. But I should always wear my glasses.

28.FAVORITE FOOD? Anything I don't have to cook.

29.SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy Endings, by far. I hated the end of City of Angels and Pirates 3.

30.LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? American Gangster (edited, of course.)

31.WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Reddish-pinkish. I know there is a name for it, I am just not that savvy.

32. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer between June and September, and Winter between November and March. I love camping and being outdoors, but I also love hoodies and snowmen. And I am learning to snowboard. Hailey and I both went for the second time yesterday. Hailey's class went to skiing/snowboarding for the day. We had a blast! I stuck to Little Cat and she was brave enough to ride the gondola and board down the whole mountain! It was a blast!

33.HUGS OR KISSES? Both. Big bear hugs and slobbery smooches.

34.FAVORITE DESSERT? Strawberry shortcake

35.WHAT BOOK(S) ARE YOU READING NOW? That's a negative. I was reading my history that my parents wrote (OK, so I guess that is a book, but or all intents and purposes, it doesn't apply to this question.) Even in 1st grade my least favorite subject was reading. Can you see why I hate that the schools make the kids read every day? I mean, my kids read on their own. I don't think it should EVER be a requirement. That takes the enjoyment out of it.

36.WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? 101 Dalmatians

37.WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? We don't have TV, but I stayed up 'til the wee hours of the morning gabbing with my friends.

38.FAVORITE SOUND? My kids laughing.

39.ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? The Monkees

40.WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Italy

41.DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I can beat Randy at Indian leg wrestling. He has never won me.

42.WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Ames, Iowa

I TAG:

Brit
Jenny
Celeste
Tanya
Anyone else who hasn't already gotten this one.

Words of Wisdom...

...from a six-year old.

Lately, Nathan has been full of tidbits of really useful knowledge. Every time he says something beyond his years, I ask him where he learned it. His reply: "Hannah."

As I was loading Emma into the car, he found his old helmet:

Nathan: "This doesn't fit me anymore We better give it to Emma."
Me: "That's a good idea, Nathan. Thanks!"
Nathan: "When she wides my scooter, she needs to be careful. Se needs to wear a helmet so she doesn't break her brains."

Tonight at dinner, out of the blue, he gave us a lesson in fire safety:

Nathan: "I know one thing about babysitting. If there is a fire, we don't have time to put our shoes on. We have to go out with baro feet."

Hannah is a good little teacher, wouldn't you say?!

Nightly Ritual

Around the time Emma was born, Randy began a nightly ritual with Nathan. Here was a toddler that was used to being put into bed and going to sleep. Albeit, sometimes there was some crying involved. I think Randy was jealous of me rocking Emma, so he decided to start rocking himself Nathan to sleep. :) I am happy that they have this time together. So almost every every night, he takes Nathan into his room and disappears for quite awhile. One night as he emerged, only half awake, I couldn't resist the picture opportunity.




Notice the slobber on his shirt...I think it's Nathan's, but I can't be sure!

Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom!

Emma is turning into quite a little two-year old. My favorite: Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! This will continue nonstop until I say,"What?" And then she jabbers something incomprehensible. It is not so much her saying it, but how she says it. Randy says she reminds him of this:


She is a little bossy at times and hasn't figured out yet that throwing herself on the floor, screaming doesn't do anything for me.

But she has figured out how to make us laugh. At the dinner table she loves to throw her arms into the air and wave them around while making a high pitched Indian call. The other kids love to do it and she follows suite.

And her newest gag is this:

Funny kid!

She comprehends everything we say and I can understand a few things she says. She can say Mom, Casey, dog, and a few others. Her grunts, squeals, and nods along with taking me by the hand accomplish everything she wants.

She has been pretty grumpy this week and a friend of mine asked if it could be her teeth. I said, "No way, she has all her teeth already." I checked and was surprised to see 3, two-year old molars coming in. By this point, the worst is over. Poor baby. Had I figured that out sooner, I would've given her Motrin. Shows how much I've learned having six kids!

Wii Workout

Nathan is an avid Wii player. I let him play sometimes in the afternoons while Emma is sleeping, so I can get some things done- you know, a built-in babysitter. He can beat me in just about any of the games. I usually play a few with him and get back to work with my chores. Yesterday, I was downstairs doing some tumbling scheduling and phone calls while he played. It got awfully quiet, so I came up to check on him....

Now watch this and see why he was so pooped:

What a Wii workout!

You Can Tell a Lot...

...by the contents of a woman's purse.

My good friend Mindy tagged me. The game is Purse Tag. I am supposed to take a picture of the contents of my purse and list each item beneath it. Just call me Mary------Poppins, that is:

1. Scriptures and Hymn book
...just hum your favorite hymn

2. Stand a Little Taller
...for a little extra inspiration

3. Together Forever DVD
4. Plan of Salvation and The Restoration
...when the opportunity is just right

5. Scrapbook of my family
...a little bragging never hurt anyone

6. Book of Nursery Rhymes
7. Puzzle
8. Magna Doodle
...to occupy the wee ones

9. Can of Lysol
...you never know what is on that shopping cart

10. Date book/ Calendar
11. Coupons clipped from Sunday's paper
...always on top of things

12. Large stack of cash
13. First Aid Kit
14. Cell phone
15. Headlamp
...for emergency purposes only

16. Wallet
...to carry all that cash and receipts to be recorded

17. Hairbrush and elastics
18. Fingernail clippers
...always primped and proper

19. Adult pain reliever
...I never miss a beat

20. Children's ibuprofin w/ measuring spoon
...I would never want to overdose the little ones

21. Toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental floss
...always brush after every meal

22. Camera and Camcorder
...to capture every moment

23. Early Phonics readers
...gotta have 'em reading before kindergarten

24. Sippy cup and bottled water
...eight glasses a day...don't spread those germs

25. Stuffed animals
26. Blanket
...to comfort and hold

27. Littlest PetShop toys
...entertain during doctor's appointments

28. Binky with attacher
...avoid the 10 second rule

29. Bib and place mat
...for those lunch dates with my agent

30. Hand sanitizer
...germs are bad

31. Super Glue
32. Duct Tape
...you can fix anything

33. Seven diapers and package of wipes
...one for every day of the week

34. Changing Pad
...stop the spreading of germs

35. 100% fruit leather
36. Whole Grain pretzels
...always a healthy snack on hand

What?! You don't think I carry all that with me at all times?! Aren't you prepared for everything? You caught me. I'm not really prepared for anything. This is what my purse really has in it:

1. A bunch of miscellaneous receipts
...the idea is to keep track of expenses- hey, I didn't throw them away!

2. An old shopping list
...if I keep it, I can use it again this week

3. A used Kleenex
...if you are careful, you can use it again

4. A lid to something
...as soon as I throw it away, I'll find what it goes to

5. A Dum Dum wrapper
...from the last trip to the doctor- the stick is on the floor of my car

6. The little strip with holes in it from the side of my bank receipt
...what is that called?

7. A wallet
...it s being utilized so efficiently, wouldn't you say?

8. Some coupons to the craft store
...only two of them were expired!

9. Some loose candy hearts
...not even the kids will eat the Brach's ones...the bag fell apart some time ago

10. A half-eaten bag of Sour Patch Kids
...they are not in the picture because Emma got to them before I snapped the picture

Now you know the truth. I just hope nobody Car Tags me....

Thanks, Gals!

So I had given up for the night when I decided to do the rounds on my friends' blogs. The stories, the humor, and inspiration rejuvenated me and I decided to give it one last try. I started all over again and reloaded my page. It still wasn't right. I checked the news and looked at my laptop sitting by me (that is how intense it was earlier- I was trying to edit on my desktop while referring to an open window on the laptop..) LOW AND BEHOLD! There it was! So now that it is done, I really don't understand what I was doing wrong, or why it was hard, but I'm done! And I'm told next time will be much easier...Thanks, Jenny for your help!

Tomorrow- purse tag!...First, I have to go clean it...I can't let anyone see what it really looks like! :)