keep watch for when he PATS the candy in his hand

Yoda and Luke Take Over The Hallways at Daddy's Work

This picture was taken late in The Great Candy Gather of 2008, so both Luke and Yoda are a bit worse for the wear.

Yoda, by the way, discovered a Great Love of Nestle's Crunch bars when his guardians mistakenly let him hold an unopened one. It took him about 3 minutes to chew through the wrapper and discover the Yummy Goodness Of Heavenly Chocolate Crunchiness, and his rage when it was removed from his Iron Grasp of Desperation was epic. He screeched, he yelled, he GROWLED, he sobbed. He was soon mollified with a chicken nugget, but his now-much-wiser guardians watched carefully for the rest of the night to make sure no candy stayed in his grasp long enough to be in any danger.

Luke wore her mask on the top of her head most of the night, to no surprise of her mother, who had repeatedly told her masks were unnecessary and just got in the way. Luke, with much determination and purpose, took very little time to plow down the Hallways of Free Treats, until her bag was quite heavy.

Her hand looks strangely fake here. It freaks me out a bit.
Both kids had a great time, though Yoda took a dive into a table and bumped the bridge of his nose, and yes, there was a bit of blood. He's fine now. Some candy was consumed, some laughter heard, some tears shed - by both kids. Halloween is fun, but I am happy to be done for this year. Except for the next few days of course....more candy to be eaten, argued about, and gleefully sorted through over and over...and over.

Have I mentioned how utterly awesome I think my daughter is?

Last week we went to a local art museum where they were having a crafts day - Halloween themed, of course. Wrote about it earlier...

So at the front desk, they had a plastic witch's cauldron with a sign that read "Reach in if you dare!" It took Kaia several minutes and many promises on my part before she reached in....and took out a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. She was delighted with the whole idea.

This morning she told me her plan. She wanted to make her own container of candy, with the same sign, and carry it with her while she went trick-or-treating. She decided that she wanted the people who were giving out candy to reach in (if they dared!) and get a treat of their own! So this Halloween, she'll be walking around trading treats with everyone. The candy she chose for her scary bucket is gummy body parts - fingers, toes, tongues, and other such horrible things. Perfect for a Reach In If You Dare bucket!

Irreverence at its best

Kaia has a new saying. As far as I can tell, it's a mixture of "What in the world?" and "For heaven's sakes" But she uses it to mean "For heaven's sakes" (shouldn't that be for heaven's sake, not sakes? but that doesn't sound right..oh well, moving on)

So at times she will say "Oh for the world of heaven's snakes, dude!" yes, snakes, not sakes. I love it. It cracks me up every time I hear it. Sometimes I'll remember, and say it too. Cracks me up then, too.

Also, the other day she came out with "Oh, for the love of god!" I know I should probably teach her that out of respect for others' beliefs she shouldn't say it...but I didn't say anything. I'll have to confess it on Sunday.

How To Force Your Mother To Bathe You At A Time Other Than Planned

1. Refuse to eat any of the normal foods you like, causing your mother to resort to sharing her broccoli and cheese quiche with you, despite the fact that it's not even big enough for her.

2. Eat as much of the first bits she gives you as you can, encouraging her to give you more. This fills you up, and gives you ammunition at the same time.

3. Don't forget to drop several choice bits on the floor for a snack later.

4. Grab as much egg, broccoli, and cheese quiche in each hand as you can possible hold. Don't worry if some squishes out, this allows for more fun later on.

5. With each hand, grab a handful of hair. Slowly pull upwards, as if you are combing your hair with the egg mixture.

6. You may want to do this a few times, as there will be enough egg mixture stuck to your hands to last, and you don't want to waste any.

7. Remember the stuff that squished out? If you have been allowed to stay in your highchair instead of shrieked at and pulled out (as I am the second child, my mother's opinion is that if it's entertaining me, she's okay with it for a few more minutes), place your hands flat on top of the food. Briskly brush them from side to side, making sure to go off at least one table edge, allowing the food to cover your hands, then fall to the floor (see step 3) and your lap.

8. Step 7 is easier if you are able to drip your milk on the table first, making the food more slippery, and therefore more likely fall off the table rather than stick to the edge.

9. Enjoy your bath, and be sure to read "How To Avoid Getting Re-Dressed After An Impromptu Bath", coming soon!

Vote NO on 8!

"Daddy! Come look! See the house I designed? The family is in the living room. Here is the mother, and this girl is her wife. Here are their three kids!"


If you live in California, please vote NO on Proposition 8. There's enough hate in this world. Let's help there be more love.

A Ghost, 3 Bellydancers, and Yoda

We went to the art museum today, they had a Halloween crafts day. The kids wore their costumes, people were quite amused by Ben's portrayal of Yoda.

Kaia made a paper ghost, and played pass-the-witch's-hat which was eerily similar to hot potato! She also made a couple of Halloween cards. A couple of kids she knows from my moms' group were there, so she had fun socializing with them.

At one point, there was a belly dancing show. Kaia asked if she could go sit and watch. I told her yes, but couldn't go with her at that moment. About 5 minutes later I walked over and looked for her in the group of people sitting in folding chairs. At first I couldn't see her, then I noticed her in the second to the front row, sitting with a family, chatting happily with the daughter and mom.

I let her know I was there, then stood Ben on a chair a little further back so he could see the dancers. He LOVED them! After each act, he would join everyone in clapping, then started clapping during the acts. After it was over, we wandered away to watch Kaia work on her cards. He ran back to the stage, clapped and laughed, then watched the empty stage expectantly. When nothing happened, he indicated he wanted up on a chair, where he repeated his clapping and gazing, as if to say "Okay! You have an audience now, you can come dance!" It was so cute!

Andrea and John sent the kids' birthday gifts. (Before you say "wait, their birthdays are long past!" be aware I still haven't sent her kids their gifts either!) They gave Kaia a Star Wars version of Monopoly, which made her almost giddy with excitement when she saw. She of course has claimed Luke Skywalker as her own. She and Mike are in the middle of their first game. Ben got one of those little ducks on a stick with flappy feet. This one has a clown hat and a bell. We've unoriginally named it "Ducky" and he has spent VERY little time without it. Sometimes Ducky is out in front, sometimes he trails behind, but almost all day, if Ben came in to the room, Ducky was with him!

The Simple Things

This morning I bought 3 packs of baby wipes. I set them on the table, all of them still unopened. Ben was ecstatic when he realized they were within his reach. The fact that they were unopened, and therefore he could not joyfully and chaotically fill the house with wipes was a momentary setback, but after he took all three of them down he had a blast playing with them. For 10 minutes! Then he carefully put all of them back on the table and grinned at me.

wow. I am exhausted. I drove down to Vancouver Friday night to see Tania, Chloe, and Kathy. Because I had a school function to go to first, I didn't get there until 1:15am. In the morning I had meant to sleep until 8:30, but woke up at 7:30!! Very strange. I visited with my mom for a bit, then headed down to Tania's. It was awesome having all three of us together again. (the last time was right after Ben was born, and I was too tired to really remember much!)

Though I give Kathy a hard time about still living where she does, I do understand her (many!) reasons. But it would be so cool to see her more often, and more so, to have all four kids grow up together.

I left there at 7:30 or so, and stopped by the store to get coffee and snacks, then headed out of town. I got home at 10:30pm, and headed to bed. As usual, Ben woke up before 5, then again before 6. I think I may miss class tonight, since it goes until 10, and she is reviewing things I know. Going to bed early would be so marvelous.

I decided to keep up with the 3 days a week work out, and not worry about increasing yet. There is a class that does weights, step, and yoga on Mondays and Wednesdays (which I've done twice. yes, it is brutal), then a spinning class on Fridays (which I have not tried yet. I am sure it, too, is brutal). Ben is getting used to child care there, and likes all but one of the girls who watch over them. He doesn't dislike the one, but she's not as snuggly as the others, so he doesn't calm down as fast (though it still only takes a few minutes).

I am really cold too. We can't have the heat on in the living room during the day because of the type of heater it is (it's on the wall and gets VERY hot). I turn it on at night, but it's definitely getting colder as winter nears.

All right. That's enough mindless chatter for now. I think coffee is in order, both for the exhaustion and the cold.

bits 'n pieces

Ben got his 7th tooth 2 days ago.

Kaia's still working on her joke telling skills:
Kaia: What do you have if you have 3 pairs of shoes?
Me: umm...what?
Kaia: EIGHT SHOES!!! HA HA HA!!! Get it?!!?
Me: ummm...honestly, no...
Kaia: Because, you have 3 pairs, so you have 6 shoes, but then someone comes and secretly puts two more shoes there! So you have eight shoes now! Get it?!!?

Ben slept last night from 7:30pm to 5:10am!! From what I can remember, this is the FIRST TIME EVER!!!! WHOO HOOO!!!! (do it again tonight Ben!)

We ordered the kids' costumes today. Yoda for Ben, and Luke Skywalker for Kaia. Spent more than I really should have for costumes, but I really don't have the energy to make a Luke Skywalker costume.

I have worked out 3 days a week for the last 2 weeks. Not a long time, I know, but a very good start!

long overdue post

Wow. So life has gotten busy in the last couple of weeks! Here's a breakdown of my week -

On Sundays I work at the hospital for 4 hours.
On Mondays and Wednesdays I have Math class.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have Spanish.
On Wednesdays I go to the farm to get veggies. (only 4 more weeks of that I think)
Three to five days a week I go work out at the gym.
When I can, I do homework.
Monday through Friday I take Kaia to school, then pick her up in the afternoon.
Monday through Friday mornings I take Mike to work.
Tuesdays and Thursdays I pick Mike up from work after picking up Kaia from school.
Every night I cook dinner, usually from scratch.
I make bread 2-4 times a week (sometime I make the dough in the bread machine).
I try to do at least one mom's group event a week, though it usually works out to about two a month.
Add to this cleaning the house, cooking other meals, grocery shopping, and taking care of Ben every day!

We also just got our new really cool health insurance, so I am busily making and going to chiropractor, doctor, and dentist appointments for all four of us.

Now, I am by no means saying I am busier than most people. On the contrary, I know I am not. However, I am much busier than I used to be! And you know what I found out?! I like it! I am happier and far more content now than I was just a few weeks ago! I am looking forward to changes in the next year, but I am okay (for the first time in years) with exactly where I am now. This pleases me.

What plans, you ask? I'll tell you! (even if you didn't ask!)

This January our lease will be up. We are all looking forward to renting a house closer to Kaia's school and Mike's work. Here are our requirements in a house -

• 4 bedrooms, or 3 bedrooms and a close-off-able den/office
• I'd prefer only one story, but it's not necessary
• A big back yard!! Room for: a garden, a kids' play area, AND!! fully fenced, because...we are going to get a dog! We're going to search the shelters until we find the perfect one - small or medium-ish, good with kids, young enough to grow up with the kids, good with cats, and hopefully not too yappy.
  

Over the next year or so we will also be saving up for a down payment for when we are ready to buy a house, and continuing to pay off debt.

I will continue with school, and will be ready to apply for the Ultrasound Tech program starting in the fall of 2010. Mike is working with a couple different people on games. Kaia is still LOVING school, her teacher, and her friends. Ben is getting bigger and more interactive every day!

Life is good.