Dance Baby Dance! PART 2

For some reason the last video didn't load up correctly so you only got 4 seconds of it. Here is her whole dance. :) ENJOY!!

Dance Baby Dance!

**SEE PART 2 FOR VIDEO** I'm thinking Alissa is long overdue for dance class, although I'm not sure she needs much instruction hehe... Alissa and Jonathan both go nuts for the rollerskates song and I finally caught one of Ali's performances on video. It brings me back to when I was a kid, my mom used to sing this song to me. I think my little girl is destined for the theatre.

I love God's sense of humor -- I have a little girl who looks just like her daddy but acts more like me (sweet and innocent ;)) and a little boy who looks like me but is a little rascal like his daddy. Veeeeeery funny God, but you got my order backwards!! Ahh but I feel blessed and wouldn't have it any other way. I never experienced true joy until I experienced it through a child... what an eye opener.

So while I am waiting for this video to upload I might as well tell you the funny Ali story of the day. So Alissa and I play this little game where I say...for example.. "You eat lizard feet" and Ali would respond with her own little "You eat____" and this goes on and on with Alissa and I cracking up at our own clever little jokes. Anyways.. it's fun and I figure it helps her imagination (not that it needs help).. Reason I write about it today is she came up with one that had both of us laughing to the point of tears. I was so proud of her originality. So it went something like this: Mommy: "Alissa... you eat slugs and snails". Alissa: "Mommy... you eat KITTY FARTS!!" LOL.. I about died. Kitty farts? Gotta love kids.

THE PLAGUE.. PART 2

So I know everyone is just dying to hear about my little moth problem. Hehe.. Well.. since my last post we have only found one or two little moths and promptly turned them to squish-ka-bobs. I think my little moth nightmare is over, although I must confess I will never again look at them the same. I find myself examining the walls everwhere I go for the liitle buggers. I found a couple at the in-law's house and pointed them out. Now my poor mother-in-law is a bit freaked out and planning on cleaning out her drawers quick before it's a problem.

In other news... Jonathan got his chicken pox vaccine on the 26th of September. On October 6th he got a 102 degree fever that lasted two days with a rash at the injection site. GRRR.. I felt like a bad mommy letting him have this shot and then seeing him get so sick. I am really at a loss with this whole vaccine issue. I have friends swearing vax is the devil.. and doctors telling me its just fine. I research and just can't get any straight answer. Ordinarily the chicken pox vaccine would have been given to Jon at 18mths old, BUT I was concerned about the MMR vax so doc said "NO PROB!" he will just switch MMR and chicken pox so I can wait a bit and not need to worry about the MMR. Ooook.. now that I have gone through this with chicken pox, do I let him get the MMR at his 18 mth?!!? Any opinions would be welcome on this subject, because I am really at a loss as to what the best thing to do is.

Alissa update: Alissa got to use mommy shampoo and conditioner a couple days ago for the first time -- and since then has been going up to everyone she knows saying "FEEL MY PRETTY SOFT HAIR!!" It is too cute.

Oh! Sorry about the random thought process, but I have to tell you about the most fun I've ever had eating. Last week, I took Alissa, Jon, Bethany, and "GG" to a place in Dallas called Althea's (I think) Tea House on Jefferson St. What an experience! We had no idea what to expect, but we walk in to this old house and I swear it was like we all became characters in Gone with the Wind. The tables were set with real linen napkins (the frilly kind) and just every detail was really elegant. And maybe I have been living in a cave for too long, but I have never gone anywhere that served tea sandwiches. When they brough our lunch it was served on a tower where the bottom platter was big and had on it the tea sandwiches, middle rox was a bit smaller and had fruit and cheeses, and the top smallest plate had desserts. My favorite thing was when our tea arrived we were told we could chose our tea cups from those sitting on shelves all around the house. So we all picked the cup we wanted from a huge variety of china cups and saucers. I could go on and on.. let me just say it was great. Food was good, experience was better. Of course, it is definately not the place to bring a hungry man.. I think Matt may not have enjoyed the experience like I did.. in fact, unless your man likes to drink his drinks with his pinky finger held out this may not be the place for him. I am going to bring my mom out there this weekend. My one regret was bringing my little man.. love him to death, but not the right environment for a baby... especially one who is practicing to be the next quarterback (you would be amazed how far a strawberry can fly when hurled from his little hand).

Speaking of "GG" -- we recently replaced all of her kitchen lights and light defuser panels to brighten up her kitchen (we being Matt.. I had the bright idea, Matt got stuck with the labor). We also got rid of an old light fixture in her living room and replaced it with something more modern and brighter. It looks sooo much better now! We were concerned that she would get too gloomy her last month in Oregon before retreating to Arizona for the winter. Problem solved!!

Jonathan has a couple new signs: "Hot" (When he sees fire) and "Daddy".. last count he has 16 signs and 14 spoken words... ok, 6 spoken words that others can understand the rest I count but only I know what he is talking about. He is finally starting to get hair too! We thought it would never happen. :)

I will update again soon!

HASTA

My house has been invaded.

Of all the luck. You know, I used to think moths weren't half bad. Thought it was cute when Ali said, "Moth! Moth! Catch it mama!!" Yep. That was until they invaded my kitchen like THE PLAGUE. Let me warn all of you that if you see one tiny innocent moth on your wall -- he carries with him the power to make your life miserable. In other words: KILL IT FAST!! Here is the story:

It all began one sunny day when I was pregnant with Jonathan. The midwife we were seeing (Salem Clinic at that time before we decided we wanted to have the baby in Silverton and switched to Salem Nurse-Midwives) advised us that taking flax oil pills was good -- but buying pure flax and putting it in my food would be even better!! You see, studies show that flax oil (omego fatty acids) will boost your childs brain power if you take it while pregnant. Sounded like a good idea to us, so we went to Roths for the brain boosting flax. Well.. it was MUCH cheaper to buy the stuff bulk, so we grabbed a plastic bagged, filled her up, twisty tied it, brought it home... and promptly lost it behind our toaster and continued to take the more convenient pills. OK! Now, fast forward A YEAR. We start to notice that the one cute little "MAMMA CATCH IT CATCH IT" moth is now 10 cute little moths. Ok, no problem we think.. we just got a new security door -- the little buggers are sneaking in through the cracks attracted to the light. We moosh them (which is really messy business and sucks to get off walls btw) and think nothing of it.. until the 10 moths keep reappearing. I'll never forget the prolific comment my mom made when she came to visit one day, "Oh, you have moths.. better be careful".. thanks Mom. You didn't SAY "Better be careful because those little moths start out as NASTY WHITE WORMS and will get in to EVERYTHING you own!!" That might have gotten my attention. But I digress..

So finally I start clawing my way out of denial and realize I have a bit of a bug problem. Sooo.. I start to dig around to find out where they are coming from. Now.. my denial was not only in the fact that we had a problem.. but a big part of my denial was that moths don't begin life as moths. No folks.. those nasty white worms I mentioned above.. yes, lets call it what they REALLY are.. MAGGOTS!! *GAG*.. So anyways.. I'm digging and I see the corner of a plastic bag sticking out from behind the microwave.. HEY!! What's this?? My forgotten bag of brain-boosting flax!! (sorry Jonathan).. only now it is not a bag of flax!! Oh no no... now it is a wiggling mass of little white MAGGOTS!!!!!!! Soooooo... I of course dispose of the bag and promptly call Matt to share my woes.. he is pretty grossed out (he has had a thing about maggots since a meat incedent, but thats a story for another day). We both heave a big sigh of relief because we found the source of our little bugs -- problem solved. HA! Yet again I was soooo naive.

A couple days go by.. and I notice more moths appearing in my kitchen. Hmm.. thats odd I think. I decide to poke around some more. Apparently my little visitors are called "grain moths". They found their way into more then just my flax. They found my cereal, my pasta, my oatmeal, Matt's dark chocolate.. they found pretty much everything. That's right folks, I found little friggin nasty worms in my food. I REFUSE to think about how long they had been camping out in our stuff.. but they were there. And this realization brought on World War 3 in my house. About 5 fully loaded trash bags of "food", lots of elbow grease, moth traps, cedar balls, and countless dish washer cycles later... I think I might have won the war. I hesitate to be too confident, but if they are still there I might just have to call a professional.. or buy a new house. Would that be too extreme? :)

If you have stuck with me through all of that.. I'm sincerely sorry. But let it be a learning moment for you -- Moth's are the enemy. LOL. Keep your fly-swatters close and your dried goods sealed up tight. I NEVER want to go through this again. In fact -- I now know what I want for Christmas.. some kind of food storage containers or food saver.. or SOMETHING that seals out EVERYTHING. That's right, no more rolling up the bag of chips and setting it on the counter. I used to think other people were silly when they emptied their chips or cereal into baggies or an airtight containers -- they were the smart ones. Aaaaaaaanyways. I will update you on the moth saga, hopefully it is over. My kitchen has never been so clean. Hahaha... Good night!!!

<3

Quick video.

I love this one.. Alissa and Jon were riding all over the house on her little airplane. Too cute.

WARNING! WARNING!

WARNING: THE MATERIAL YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ MIGHT OFFEND YOU. IF IT DOES OFFEND YOU -- TOO BAD!!!!!!!!!

I want to talk a little about abortion. Thus the warning as there are many many people out there who are ok with babies being murdered..as long as it is their own mothers pulling the trigger. I would like to think that if you are reading my blog you are not one of these said people... but anyway, I digress. I am sick to death of people talking about choice. IF we had choice in everything we would not need law. We have laws to guide us in what is acceptable to a civilized society. We are a pretty screwed up society when murder is NOT ok UNLESS the person being killed is still in the safety of his/her mother's womb. SAFETY? What a joke. You and I and every other human being on the planet began inside a mother's womb. I was a baby when I was conceived as much as when I first laid eyes upon the world outside of my mother's womb. Weren't you? If my mother was not ready for me, I would HOPE she would not CHOOSE to kill me. Really people, a woman's right to choose?? What the heck are we THINKING of letting a woman decide that her own baby's life is so inconsequential that she can have it sucked up a tube and down a sink with nobody giving a darn about that baby. Why is this even a DEBATE?! If I CHOOSE to murder my neighbor, I GO TO JAIL!! If I CHOOSE to murder my unborn child -- I GET PUBLIC SYMPATHY!!!!! What boggles my mind is the number of woman who devote all of their time and energy into making sure woman keep the RIGHT to KILL their own children. Can we not find a REAL cause that can help humanity, instead of one that does nothing but spits in the face of God's creation? I am really worried about us all if we continue to let this happen as a society, as women, as MOTHERS. I am SO ready to take on these "Pro-Choice" IDIOTS who think mass slaughter of babies is not only ok, but it is CELEBRATED as a woman's RIGHT?!?!! My favorite is the arguement -- "But it's HER body!" BULL--ONEY.. the growing baby is not a part of her body, it has its own special genes, blood supply, its own little tiny BODY.. NOT the mother's. Cut me some slack and WAKE UP AMERICA.

You know.. I feel much better.

On to family things. :) Today we went to the indoor park and met up with Debbie and Spencer. I was soooo excited because Debbie joined the park so we can see each other more often. More than that, the kiddos can hang out. Alissa and Spencer get along just fine as long as there is lots of space to play..hehe.. so the indoor park is perfect. I really want them to know each other growing up, as I never lived around my cousins and would have loved to have that relationship.

After the park the kids, myself, and Bethany drove to Dallas to pick up "GG". On the way we grabbed some burger king to eat at "GG"'s house. It's funny because I swear Jonathan eats more than Alissa. He chowed down his chicken nuggets while I had to encourage Alissa to eat 1/4 of a cheeseburger (with no mustard of course). GG asked Alissa if she likes tomatoes and Alissa replied, "Nope. I don't like matoes" and GG asked, "Have you ever tried one?" -- "Nope. I don't like matoes". Kids are awesome.

Speaking of GG's house I have to tell you about Jonathan's weird little food obsession. This boy is hooked on marion berries. Now, I don't mean he likes to eat one or two.. ooohhh nonono. He wants me to stand by the bush and pick berry after berry while he gobbles down as much as his little tummy can hold. We are talking about 5 heaping handfulls of berries. If you don't have children.. or its been a very long time since you have had a baby.. this might not affect you. But for all of the others out there -- guess what THAT diaper change was like?!!? LOL. Very interesting indeed. In fact after his first berry gorging, the next day I was changing his diaper and said, "What the HECK is that?!?!" Then it dawned on me.. the little man might just turn into a marion berry some day. At least he has good taste. Yum.

Guess that is enough for today. Until next time... Fight the good fight.. and buy Laura Ingram's book, "Power to the People" --> I haven't read it yet, lol.. but plan on buying at least one copy. Can't wait!!!!!! :)

Shame on me..

For not blogging more!! Hehe.. So much has happened where do I start.. hmm.. Jonathan update first: Matt and I were convinced that Jonathan is a genius (hehe) when yesterday he said a three word sentence!! Too cool!! He walked up to Matt, waved, and said "Hi Daddy up" lol. Does this count as a sentence? It was cute. He is learning new signs every day as well as words.. his new sign lately is "baby". There was a 18 mth old girl at the indoor park and Jon went up to her, waved, and gave her a big hug. What a ladies man. One problem I am having with Jon is his temper. When he gets angry he gets down on all fours and beats his forehead on the floor a few times, what the heck?! Just hard enough to hurt and then he cries harder. Yesterday he walked up to the wall and slammed his head into it.. he didnt like that much. I'm hoping this is a phase that will pass VERY quickly, I am ignoring his episodes so that hopefully they will disappear. Besides his self inflicted trauma he is a good kid and listens when I tell him "no" and stops what he is doing.

Alissa is still as sweet as ever. Lately I've been worried about her though. She is so mild tempered and.. well.. fragile.. that other kids tend to beat up on her. I just hurt for her when some other kids comes up and hits or pushes her, because she gets so upset. She looks at me and asks why the kid does this.. what do you say to a three year old? She doesn't understand why some kids are violent towards her unprovoked. Sigh.. 99% of the time it is lack of parental supervision and it makes me crazy. If you know your kid is prone to misbehave, why not WATCH them?! Grr.. I wanted to give one mom a piece of my mind at AC Gilbert house yesterday when her son (about 3 yrs old) came over and shoved Jonathan down for NO REASON and the mom did nothing!! Then the same kid pushed Alissa HARD out of his way on the slide so he could go first. WTH? Where was his mom?? Can you tell this is upsetting me?!! LOL.. its like I can't let me child play without me constantly by her side because of OTHER people unwilling to supervise their out of control children!!!!!!! OK.. rant over. Reason I bring this up, I have been discussing with Matt how badly I want to have her in private school because I fear that Alissa won't thrive in a public school. Not only do public schools spout a liberal agenda, but the classroom sized are too big and how can teachers supervise kids who are out of control and messing with my kid?? It is tough because I know I can't totally shelter her from the harshness of the world (although I would love to) but I want to soften the blow as much as possible. Would private school be the answer? I just don't know yet. I want her to go to a school where she can get an education without worrying about getting picked on. Anyways.. the debate goes on.. and can we afford it? YIKES.

Gotta run.. will update more later.