Hair-editary Trait

Both my husband and my daughter have a loose-hair phobia. Maybe not technically a phobia since they are not frightened of loose hair...they are disgusted by it.

I first noticed this in Mike when I had long hair. If I had a loose hair on my shirt, I would pick it off and drop it on the floor. Mike would freak out, get up, search until he found the hair, and throw it in the garbage. I thought it odd, but funny. (Is it just coincidence he finds short hair sexier than long hair?!)

Ever since Kaia was a toddler, and before she could even really talk, she would freak out if hair was in her food or on her person. She would hold out the piece of food, or her finger, and act as if there was a dead tarantula there that I must remove IMMEDIATELY or chaos would ensue. She could find the most tiny pieces of hair ever. If there was any sort of fuzz on her food or self, she'd find it. She is still that way. She hates to find loose hairs anywhere and will demand their instant removal, preferably to be burned or sent out to space, so she will never have to encounter them again.

I have seen both of them actually gag at the discovery of loose hairs in an unexpected place. They cringe when I drop it on the floor, where they could accidentally STEP on it, or worse, pick it up with their socks.

I am constantly surprised by what we pass on to our kids.

My Boys

Here's to seventy seven more.

Last week we all took a walk down to the park. Kaia has been doing all sorts of things by herself lately (taking the rent check to the office!) and so Mike and I were watching her go into the bathroom at the park to wash her hands. She came back out, grinned at us, took a drink at the water fountain, and started back up the hill. This summer she has grown so much. She's tall and thin and full of energetic movement.

"Look how long she's getting...." I say in awe as she strides up the hill.

"Yeah...." Mike answers. "Seven years old!"

I grin at him.

"How did we know?" He asks me. "How did we know after so little time together 7 years ago what we wanted so definitely?" He's referring to how I got pregnant (planned) only 3 months after we met again. (We knew each other in high school, met again 7 years after graduation)

"Cause we're that damn smart," I say flippantly. He grins at me.

All self-professed intelligence aside, how did we know? How could we be so confident in our brand new relationship that we were so willing to bring a child into it? That we immediately started planning our wedding and life together?

I have no clue. But what I DO know is that now, 8 years later, with two kids, two cats, a few dreams come true and lots of dreams as yet unrealized, is that there is no one I would rather be with. Mike, you bring out the best in me, and you balance out the worst. You love me unreservedly. You are the best Da Da ever. I love this life we've made.

I love you. Hugely, loudly, unreservedly. Happy, happy, happy 7th Anniversary, darlin'. I'll get the steak and 'tots, you download the movie! ;-)

Big Changes

Mike has a new job! He'll be working for a huge IT company here in the NW, and making over 20 grand more a year than he does now. This means so much for us. We sat down together last night and went over everything we want to do over the next year or so. Some of our goals are:

-pay off debt! We owe to credit cards, relatives, car loan....
-401k! This company matches 50% for up to 6% of his salary...so that means that we'll be putting about $400 a month into it, and they'll put $200. Adds up fast.
-birthdays, holidays, just because days. We are going to be able to buy things for other people now!
-buy land, and build a house, or buy a house on land. We finally decided that an acre or two is the right size for us, and we want a small-ish, one story 4 bedroom house. Since most 4 bedroom houses are big, we will probably be building. I found the plans online for one that I love that is less than 2000 sq feet. After we pay off all our debt we can start seriously looking into this.
-after we buy the land and build the house, I can get a new car! I am really loving the Mazda5. We are waiting until after buying the house so that can be our financial priority.

okay, I guess those plans encompass more than a year...more like 2 or 3. Also, in January, we are going to move to a different apartment closer to Kaia's school to save on gas money. Mike's new job has its own bus system, and they will pick Mike up, and he gets a free bus pass, so we still aren't going to get a second car for awhile. If we can find an apartment close enough to her school, I can walk her to and from school every day!

Another HUGE benefit to this new job is their medical benefits. We pay NOTHING. No paycheck deduction, no co-pay, no percentage. ALL our medical comes at no cost to us!! I'm sure you know how awesome that is without me having to go into details.

Add in a year raise, yearly bonus, discounts on more things than I can imagine, and you get one happy Michael, and one happy me!

Hours of Fun

Mike and I taught Kaia how to play Monopoly today. Mike and Kaia played while I occasionally coached Kaia. We have the .com Special Edition, so instead of streets there are internet businesses like Yahoo! and such. Oh...not all of them are internet based, I guess...the railroads are replaced with Communications...something...Sprint, Nokia, AT&T, and ...one other one...

Anyway. It was a LONG game, but Kaia had fun - and she won! She did have help, but she played well. The hotels - I mean, the offices - you see below are hers, and the one right before Free Parking is the one that helped her win. Mike landed on it and didn't have the $950 to pay her rent, so he went bankrupt (almost all of his properties were already mortgaged).

Birthday Prep

It's Michael's birthday today, and we are busy (sort of) getting things ready for it. Kaia got him a pack of gum, a Hershey's bar, and a Kit Kat, since to her, candy is the best gift ever. She is also going to draw him a picture.

Being the horrible instant gratification person I am, I made Mike open his presents from me early. I got him a Sigg water bottle (and one for Kaia and me too) and a T-shirt that has three robots on it and says "Fulfill Your Inner Robot". He liked both things (yay me!)

Today I am baking him a cake - yellow with chocolate frosting, his favorite. The cake recipe is one I've made before, but with spelt flour last time (the shortbread cake, John!!) This time I am using cake flour, and if the smell is any indication, it will be delicious! I am trying a new frosting recipe, though my other one is going to be hard to beat. This frosting recipe is from the cookbook in my 101 things list. (find a cookbook and make everything in it.) I'll let you know how it tastes. For dinner we are having steak fried in butter (our favorite way!), peas, and mashed potatoes. I also bought some red wine! Should be good times, albeit good times with a 6 year old and a 6 month old.

All right, I better get back to work, I have a house to clean and frosting to make. Anyone feel like doing that for me while I nap? No? Well then, here I go......to make me some coffee!

Two of my favorite phrases from the Taboo game last night....

"Amphibian hoppers...the young ones..." Mike trying to get Shane to say "tadpole"

"Rubber rounds" Mike couldn't say "tire" Not sure what the word that he was trying to get Shane to guess was.

Women are from Venus, Men are from Alpha Centari

The simple phrase "Let's clean the house." Seems clear, yes? Apparently, this means different things to men and women. Or my man and me, at least.

To me, it means dishes, pick up living room, clean bathroom, do laundry, etc.

To Mike? It always seems to mean disappear into the office and spend a couple hours taking things out of bins and trying to find homes for them, fixing a chair that has been broken for weeks (but that was okay, because we don't use it)and install our new DVD burner. These are all things that need to be done, yes, but don't fall under MY version of "let's clean the house".

Ah well. I love the man dearly, so put up with these strange differences in our personalities. After all, he puts up with with my odd ideas too.

Proud of My Man

I can't believe I haven't brought this up yet, I guess since all my readers know me, so already know, I didn't think it was necessary, but I have changed my mind.

My husband, rockin' smart guy that he is, has graduated! and managed, even with two kids and a wife, to graduate magna cum laude!! He has a cumulative GPA of 3.75 and in his department (computer science) a GPA of 3.85! My man is awesome, isn't he? He was really worried about this semester since he was taking some hard classes and Ben came right at the beginning of it, but he did really well, two A's and two A-'s, which raised his GPA!

He is SO HAPPY to be DONE DONE DONE. I am SO HAPPY he is done too!! When we told Kaia she no longer had to hear the words "Sweet, I have homework to do right now", she practically cried she was so excited.

So yeah. He's graduated, has a job, and we are moving to begin anew in three weeks.

YAY, us!!!!!