Stuff

A small update on some random and not really interesting stuff:

1. Alex starts basketball in January, officially. They didn't have enough pre-k kids to do a full league but he will be getting an 8-week clinic wherein he will do drills and learn new skills. He's very excited. Oh, he also lost two teeth and got one fully in, and another is coming through.

2. Emma now speaks in half-realized sentences. Her single words are still mumbly and usually consist of only the first syllable, but by god, she can say, "OH NO" and "OH WOW!" with the best of them. She did so tonight when she saw our (fake) new Christmas tree with its fiber-optic light show. She also says "I love you" and (in context, sometimes its hard to make out) she says shoes, sock, purse, dog, arf, bye-bye, night-night, all done, down, up, bath, potty, toilet paper (it really sounds like tah pay), brush, diaper, bear, bug, butterfly, cat, meow, hair, eye, nose, book, no, and probably more that I can't remember right now. Which is totally awesome, don't get me wrong, but Scott and I had a conversation last night that went something like this:
Scott: I'm getting worried about Emma.
Me: Why?
Scott: She doesn't say words. She says sounds.
Me: She has at least 20 words in her vocabulary, that's above average for her age, she'll be fine.
Scott: Yeah, but I want full sentences.
Me: Scott, just because our son was a freak and spoke full sentences when he came out of the womb doesn't mean that all our children will be that way.
Scott: I can't accept that my daughter is not a freak.

3. I'm on break! On the first Monday of break I sent the kids to daycare so I could get all of our presents wrapped. Scott also took the day off and helped me out. Today I got the kids fed and out the door, did the last of my Christmas shopping, got our Christmas tree, exercised, got all the wrapping done, got the house picked up, took a nap (wow, that felt good), cooked dinner, took the kids to visit my mom, came home and sat for over an hour reading funny stuff on the web. I remember there once was a time that I read actual BOOKS, but I find that tha intarwebs are funnier. Sometimes.

4. Before everyone has a brain spasm about that last item (You're a teacher! How dare you say you don't read books!) I must mention that I have discovered a new series of books. All young adult fiction, since my fifth graders are the ones from whom I get the most recommendations of books lately. I started reading The Mysterious Benedict Society series while I had a student teacher and loved it. It's about four brilliant kids who use their different intelligences to solve problems and save the world. There are three books in the series and I'm on book two, and it's getting better as I go. I'm also about to start reading the Percy Jackson series, if only because I want to before the movie comes out. Oh, and I rediscovered the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House series, and since my aunt (Hi Linda!) bought me the set almost 20 years ago and I read them over and over so often that most of them fell apart, I will be looking to purchase a new set to give to my kids. No child should be without them.

5. I got a new camera! As soon as Scott and I sit down to watch the DVD on how to use the damn thing, I'll post new pics. I used it at school to create a thank you gift for my student teacher (I took pics of all my kids and had them each write a letter to her, then put them all in a photo album). I'm loving it so far, although I've only scratched the surface on what it can do. Scott also bought himself a new Droid and a 24 inch monitor to add to the 22 inch monitor he already had (some unfathomable thing that programmers must have, I guess - dual monitors for 46 inches of screen space).

6. I didn't get my dream job. I applied for the Highly Capable itinerant position that was available in our district and kicked ass in the interview. Did everything right, answered every question, I even knew one of the women on the interview committee and had an "in." Apparently, however, I just wasn't the right "fit." I imagine that they had someone else in mind when they posted the job - standard BS, we have to post it to offer it to everyone, blah blah blah. I am, however, keeping in touch with the teaching and learning supervisor and I have a feeling she might be my in the next time the job opens up. I WILL teach gifted kids someday. Even if I have to leave the district. I could go on, but dooce's rule of "Don't write about your job on your website" keeps flashing in my head, so I think I'll save the NCLB/"Summit" rant for the next get-together.

7. I'm still working on losing weight. I hit 80 pounds a couple of weeks ago, then took a break and enjoyed cake and pizza and a few other treats (that I hadn't touched in 8 months) and now I have to work off a few pounds I had lost. But dammit, I enjoyed that, and I don't regret any of it. :-) I also realized that I have no set time that I have to lose the weight I'm working off. I still have 50 pounds to lose, but it is so much easier to get back into my good habits now that I've established them. It is harder to exercise every day what with the weather, my foot (plantar fasciitis) and my back, but I imagine once the weather gets better I'll have even more motivation. So I'm taking it easy this winter and watching my patterns, and making sure my pants still fit. My cholesterol was 111 and my blood pressure was 110/65, so whatever I've been doing has been working.


8. Aaaaaand...I'm done. For now. More later!

I've been kinda busy.

Yes, so I haven't blogged in for-EH-ver. I also haven't done much of anything to blog about.

Oh, unless you count being acting principal at school about once a week.

And, well, I guess you could count chairing the Math committee at school.

Hm...you could probably also include having a student teacher. And mentoring a colleague. And coordinating a school-wide assessment. Oh, and that other committee that I've been on for three years now.

All while juggling two kids, one of whom takes Taekwondo lessons 3 times a week and starts basketball next month. The other of whom...ok, well, she's pretty much perfect and aside from one hell of a stubborn streak, is an angel. So I guess I can't use HER as an excuse.

Anyway, I've been busy. And the USB port on this computer is still broken and Scott is hogging the laptop so I can't even post pictures of me 77 pounds lighter.
(Edited - here's one, at least.)

We did a "Biggest Loser" competition at school and I came in second place - I lost 11 pounds in a month and a half. The winner lost 26. I asked if we could count what I had lost prior to starting the competition. They said no. Can't say I didn't try. :-)

Scott has been really busy too. He even got yelled at for working all the overtime he has had to work to complete the two projects he's working on. He finally took vacation time - he has 11 days off. It worked out really well since Emma got swine flu this week and he was able to stay home with her the last two days. I'm not sure if it was really swine, because while she did have all the symptoms, she didn't cough much and she got over it really fast. Must have been a really mild case - or I just make kids with amazing immune systems (we haven't had to take Alex to the doc for an illness in two years, either). I got sick this week too, but I think it's more a sinus thing than swine flu. I wasn't sick enough to miss work, that's for sure. Or, wait, let me rephrase that - I didn't LOOK sick enough that people at work would tell me I needed to go home. I felt like crap the last two days, but apparently didn't look bad enough for germophobes to harrass. :-)

Did I mention I'm not a germophobe? I only mention it now because it's a fun segue into my next story.

Emma is anal-retentive. And detail-oriented. And focused. It's like all of the genes that make me a balance of "whatever" and "perfectionist" were divided evenly between my two children. Alex couldn't care less if his room was clean and when it comes to trying to get him to clean it, we have to sit in there and direct every. single. move. he makes. The focus is not there.

Then there's Emma. Who walked around the restaurant this evening after we were done with dinner and proceeded to pick up every single piece of trash off the floor. And every single piece of spaghetti that dropped on her booster seat. And every single piece of food that might have fallen on her shirt (but I swear, not many did, she's a very prissy eater. Who would rather eat with a fork than her hands.). And no, I did not discourage it. It was so cute to watch her toddle around the table, back and forth, offering my dad a piece of spaghetti here, a straw wrapper there, saying, "ga" when she handed them over (because they belong in the garbage, obviously).

In other news, our cats are much happier. They finally have free rein of the house again. Max didn't work out. Which is really sad, because he was a good dog, but it wasn't fair to him to leave him in the kennel for ten hours a day when he did NOT like it, and we couldn't leave him in the house because he destroyed things. Like our bedroom door. Which he tore a foot-wide hole in. I ended up taking him back to the shelter, where they promptly featured him as the pet of the week (and mentioned his separation anxiety) and he found a good home. It will be a long time before we get another dog, and it will be a smaller, FEMALE dog - they're easier to train, for one thing. I was working with Max every single day on obedience and trying to get rid of his problem behaviors, and it wasn't working. I'm thinking someday we'll get something Border Collie-sized, and maybe a puppy. But again, it will be a long time, because we don't have the time for training right now. For now, the cats are loving this, especially since they had to spend all day out in the garage so Max didn't try to eat them.

Anyway, as soon as Scott stops hogging the laptop I'll probably post some pics of me and the kids. Maybe. I make no promises. I'm busy. :-)

6 years

Our anniversary was on Sunday, and it made me realize that while I spend a lot of time talking about the kids on this bloggy thing, I don't give Scott anywhere near the credit he deserves. So this one's for him. And to avoid being TOO sappy, I'll make it a bulleted list. (But I doubt that will save it.)

1. Internet, Scott is a genius. In his infinite geni-osity (look, I made a new word!), he won't ever let you say that without a firm denial, but truly, the guy rocks in the brain department. I mean, when you look up "geek" in the dictionary, his picture is there. He's a programmer, for crying out loud - and half the stuff that comes out of his mouth when he tells me about work I can only smile and nod about. But he's very humble about it. And one of the most amazing qualities he has is that he will share what he knows in a very non-condescending, calm manner that makes you feel so comfortable with being a dimbulb. The #1 reason I married him was his brain.

2. Scott is also cuddly. I know, he won't even kiss the kids in public, but when we're at home all he wants to do is be close to me and snuggle. He gets sad if we're watching TV and I'm on the floor working out - he'd rather I snuggle with him on the couch. He'll hit the snooze in the morning and spend an extra 15 minutes in bed just so we can cuddle. PDA isn't his thing - but he is constantly displaying affection in private. The #2 reason I married him was his snuggledy-ness (look, another new word!).

3. Oh my gawd, can this man wield a hammer. I don't know how I got so lucky to find a man with handyman mad skillz, but the guy just installed an entire FLOOR without any help. He can use power tools with the skill of a master. There's something about Scott using a table saw that just does it for me. The #3 reason I married him - he's an awesome handyman. We're putting in french doors next.

4. The next thing that I love about him is also what infuriates me the most at times. The guy can't lose an argument. He's got such a rational, logical perspective and dammit, the guy is NEVER WRONG. I think there might have been one time in our 8 years together that I totally disagreed with what he said and he couldn't bring me around to his point of view. Because that's what he excels at - providing a rational, thought-out point of view that just makes so much goddamn SENSE. Even if I disagree with it, it still makes sense and I have to concede to it. Do you know what this does to someone who HATES being wrong? Yeah, really. Reason #4 that I married him - he keeps me grounded. And proves I'm wrong once in awhile.

5. I'm hypercritical. I know this. EVERYONE knows this. It's why most people don't like me. (Well, that and I'm antisocial at times, but I'm more critical than antisocial.) But for some odd reason, Scott not only gets this about me, but he LIVES WITH IT each and every single day. And he only gets outwardly pissed about it once in a blue moon. And then I feel REALLY bad about it, because he gives me some logical, reasoned argument about how I shouldn't react this way or whatever. Reason #5: The guy puts up with me. He's a saint.

6. He buys me flowers. 'Nuff said.

Those are just some of the reasons I decided to spend my life with this man. I could list so many more (including the fact that he changes diapers!) but I think he'll already be creeped out by the fact that I've posted this much about him.

I just hope that someday Emma is lucky enough to marry someone as wonderful as her daddy.

I love you, Scott. To an amazing 6 years of marriage - may I be lucky enough to have a lifetime more.

Easter

Busy weekend. Busy week, actually. Back to work last week and all, I was playing catchup for the first half. Then, wonder of wonders, I managed to get ALL caught up from a month and a half off of work PLUS get all my report cards done, all within 3 days. I kick ass, I'm not afraid to say it.

This past weekend Alex had a birthday party to go to, which just reminded me how much I don't like kids' birthday parties. Which reminded me that Emma's birthday is coming up. Dammit. I'm SO not in the frame of mind to do a big to-do, so I think this one will be a family gathering at our house.

Anyway, Alex's friend Geo turned 5 this weekend, and he had a mini carnival thing, with bowling, bobbing for frogs (they picked a frog our of the water and if they got the right number on the bottom of it they got a prize), beanbag toss, plus a clown doing face painting. They even rented a cotton candy machine. And I thought I was going all out by reserving Odyssey last year. Which we will be doing again for Alex this year - THAT was easy. Spend less than 100 bucks and you don't have to entertain OR clean up after a gaggle of little boys.

After the party we went to my parents' house and colored Easter eggs, which really involved Alex dropping one or two eggs into the dye, cracking another 4 or 5 "accidentally," and then getting bored and going off to do something else while Scott and I finished coloring. Which involved Scott writing dirty things on the eggs with the wax crayon. Typical.

Afterward (I told you it was a busy weekend, and this is only Saturday!) I took Alex to the Hannah Montana movie. It was awesome (the time with Alex, not the movie) because we went to a 7:00 movie, which is Alex's bedtime, so he was really tired and wanted to snuggle through the whole thing. And then we got an extra hour of sleep the next morning. WHEE! :-)

Due to my half-assery, the Easter bunny only visited Grandma and Grandpa's houses, so the kids didn't get anything from us. (Part of that stems from my being a regular Scrooge, but part of that has to do with my not wanting them to have more candy than they can choke on). On Sunday we went to my parents' to do an Easter egg hunt, then Scott's parents' to do dinner. Then we came home, put the kids to bed and passed out.

I've had my car for over a week now and I LURVVVVE it. She's so much fun to drive, and I haven't been able to find a thing that I DON'T like about her. I actually fight to drive down to Scott's parents' now, when before I wanted to avoid it if I could con Scott into it. And, as usual, when Scott gets off the laptop (whenever that might be, he's working nonstop overtime lately) I'll get the pics off my camera, onto the laptop, then move them over. Because the stupid USB port on the desktop computer isn't working, so I have to take an extra step to get pics on my blog. Bah.

In other news, Alex has finally started "getting" the whole letters/reading thing. You can tell he's going to be one of those nerdy kids who always has his head in a book. (Gee, I wonder where he gets that. It couldn't be the certifiable nerd and geek he has for parents.) He is always sitting there staring at books now and he is finally making headway with recognizing letters. He's even started forming letters on paper and can recognize a few (A, B, S and O mostly). He and I sat at the kitchen table for 20 minutes tonight, singing the ABC song back and forth so he could figure out which letter went in which box on this workbook maze we were working on. And the thing that really makes me proud? He ALWAYS goes back and checks to see what a letter should look like before he writes it. He even said, "Show me what that letter looks like" a few times. It's clicking. YAY!

Oh, and we were reading The Great Kapok Tree tonight, and his comprehension skills amaze me. There was a part of the book that talks about how, if the trees in the rainforest are chopped down, there will be nothing to hold the soil and the rain will wash it away. So we read the page and I asked him what would happen if they chopped the tree down. "The rains will come and wash away the soil," was his response. I only wish I had remembered to have a discussion on the word "erosion," because I guarantee he would have used that word in conversation at school tomorrow.

Speaking of school, he informed me that Nyomi was breaking up with him. Apparently he's been with other girls. And he hasn't decided who his next girlfriend is going to be, although he's interested in Alexandra. Hehehe...

Emma is, well, Emma. Not much to report on her end, although she LOVES being sung to before bed. I always sing her a lullaby and rock her in the glider in her room after reading a story or two. She doesn't really like story time at this point - she would rather have the book in her hands and flip pages by herself, so she only has patience for one or two short books right now. But I make sure she's crawling around Alex's room when I read him stories so she at least hears it all. She officially said Mama and Dada. Once. And she makes animal sounds if you ask her what an animal says, and then say it yourself. SO different from Alex, who already had a 20-word vocabulary by now, including almost that many signs. But I keep telling myself that HE was the weirdo and that she's normal. 'Cause that's a healthy way to label your kids. ;-) She started differentiating her signs a little this week - now she does "more" AND "please" instead of just flapping her arms for all of her signs. Oh, and last night she started fussing because her toy wouldn't do what she wanted it to, and I told her, "Emma, stop it or you're going night-night." She stopped. It worked four times. Which I think is proof that she does understand us even if she isn't talking back, so all is well and good.

Anyway, it's late and I promised Scott some snuggle time. Sorry about the lack of updates for awhile, but it'll be a little sporadic for a bit. Night all!

Open mouth. Insert foot.

I have this uncanny ability to make things happen entirely based upon the expression of my own negativity.

So much so, that I KNEW that if I got on my blog and publicly bitched about my husband not taking hints, even though he doesn't read my blog he would somehow come through and do exactly what I wanted him to do.

Which makes me feel like an ass. Although a rather-good-at-prognosticating ass.

He came home late last night, which should have been my first clue. We got the kids in bed, watched a little TV, and for some odd reason he actually came to bed the same time I did, which should have been my second clue. So I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth - and there on the counter was the mecca of all birthday gifts: the jeweler's giftbag.

Not only did I get this, I also got these. And get this - he made his own card. It said, "The small one on the right is from Alex. The small one on the left is from Emma. And the big one in the middle is from me."

Then he got Alex and Emma to put their fingerprints on the card, flanking his own.

Now if that's not the sweetest, most romantic thing ever, I don't know what is. He literally put their fingerprints on the card. No one else will ever have a card like that. Because those are my babies' fingerprints. And yes, I just called my husband my baby. Which totally sounds weird, but we'll just look past that for the moment.

And yes, I cried. Not because of the jewelry (that would be a little materialistic of me, wouldn't it? Ah, screw it, what girl doesn't love jewelry?). But because of the card. Because of the teeny-tiny little smudges of Alex and Emma. And the ginormous heart of my forgiving, wonderful, sweet, loving husband.

He did good. And he's totally redeemed himself for not taking hints.

They really DON'T get it.

Now, after 8 years together, I have learned something interesting about my husband. It was something that I was convinced couldn't be true, but come to find out, it really, truly, clear-as-day IS.

MEN DO NOT GET HINTS.

I have learned this, rather annoyingly, actually, over the last 7+ years, and this time, since I HAVE learned this, I tried a different tactic.

I TOLD. I didn't HINT.

I said, "You better do something big for my birthday. I'm turning OLD, we'd better celebrate."

I said, "I've never been to the Space Needle. Let's go for my birthday."

I said, "I want a mixmaster for my birthday."

I said all of these things not once, not twice, but multiple times over the past month. He has TOLD me that I need to TELL him, not HINT, when I want something. So I TOLD him.

So today, the last Saturday, the last night we really have to go out before my birthday, I ask, "Did you make reservations at the Space Needle?"

Do I really need to tell you, dear readers, what the answer to that question was?

Well, actually, I do, because it illustrates my point.

He said, "I thought you wanted a weekend away."

...

A wha...?

Did I say ANYTHING about a weekend away up there? Okay, granted, a weekend away would be GREAT, but he told me to tell him what I WANTED, so I DID.

Oh, the other thing he said? A weekend away would be contingent on me feeling better. Which sounds very sweet, but in Scott-speak, is really just another stall tactic so he doesn't have to actually plan something by any particular date. Because I guarantee you that this weekend away is not planned in any sense of the word.

He is such a wonderful man. I couldn't ask for a better husband, father, man. But I think, after 8 years, I think I've learned to accept this part of him. I'm going to have to give up ever expecting to be surprised by a gift.

Even after I've hit him over the head with it.

Dammit, I think I'm just going to go buy myself some jewelry. I'll tell him it's his birthday gift to me.

Aaaaand we're done.

I have a herniated disk, which is bulging outward and pinching the nerve that runs down my left leg. I will be scheduling a neurosurgery consult in the next few days. Most likely it will require surgery. Yay!

Scott yelled at me today. I believe the exact words he used were, "You are the most stupidly stubborn person I've ever met." See, I've been working half days for the last 4 work days. On vicodin. And last week, on vicodin and prednisone. Driving all over town. On my feet for four hours at a time. In enough pain that often I had to stop teaching and just clench my teeth or let out little mewling sounds. (The kids' reactions were entertaining, to say the least.)

And see, me being the selfish person that I am, I kept telling myself, it isn't that bad, people are counting on me, I don't want to let them down, I don't want them to think less of me. My kids need stability in their lives, and I AM that stability. I have to be there for them, my coworkers, my boss, my school...well, honestly, for everyone but myself. And while that SOUNDS all warm and fuzzy and selfless, really the only reason I do that is because I don't want them to think that I'm a bad person, so I push myself to make myself look good.

Scott finally called me on it today. He was pissed off, too - rightfully so. I am damned stubborn. Anyway, I have a doctor's note that I'm excused from work for the next week so I don't end up in a worse situation. Right now the disk is just bulging, but it could rupture, which would be all kinds of fun. So I'm going to take hubby's (and doctor's) orders and stay off my feet.

And I'm about to go embark on my last nursing session. The doctor gave me percocet because the vicodin isn't doing as much for my pain as it could. The last time I was on percocet Emma had some side effects, so I decided that since I've been slowly adjusting to the idea of weaning over the last month or so, I'm just going to call it good. I hurt too much to sit up and nurse her right now anyway.

I made it to 10 months! Which is 5 times as long as I nursed Alex, and 10 months longer than some women make it, so I'm going to take that and be proud of myself, dammit.

I'm going to go lie down because my leg is spasming at the moment. And I'm going to cherish the last few nursing moments I have with my daughter.

Couples stuff

I rarely do these things, but I'm running low on material (and energy) this evening, so here ya go: more about me and Scott.

Did you go to the same school?
We both graduated from WSU. We met there. How we met is another story, one we'll save for later.

Are you from the same home town?
Not even close. I was born on the east coast, Scott in the south. If we consider hometown being where we spent the largest portion of our lives, then we were a lot closer than that.

Who is smarter?
Scott is far smarter than I am but won't admit it (he doesn't think he's smarter than anyone, which just goes to show that common sense and intelligence often have an inverse relationship). I think we're both smarter than the average bear but I go around telling people that. He doesn't.

Who is the most sensitive?
Ahem. Next question.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
We like El Toro and Casa Mia. I like Bella Nina's too, but Scott doesn't like it as much.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Vegas. We're hoping to go to Hawaii sometime this year. We should probably get on that.

Who has the craziest exes?
Hmm. Well, Scott only has one ex, officially anyway. And she's pretty normal (aside from the whole "accusing MY ex of sexual harrassment" thing, but that happened before I knew any of the three of them, and that's another convoluted story that I won't get into now). I had 2 serious boyfriends before Scott - one is still a good friend and the other...well, I guess he kind of qualifies. He needed treatment for depression and chronic fatigue, and after we broke up he got caught sleeping with his best friend's wife (the one with 8 kids). So yeah, I guess I win.

Who has the worst temper?
Ahem (cough)...yeah, that would be me. Twice, maybe three times, Scott has lost it since I've known him. And losing it, at the most, constitutes punching a hole in a door. And it's usually me that caused him to lose it. I, on the other hand, think nothing of shrieking and screaming and self-righteously protesting until he calms me the eff down. And god dammit, he's always RIGHT.

Who does the cooking?
HA! Ha HA! Cooking? What's that? I try really hard to make Scott do the cooking. I CAN, I just don't ENJOY it, and therefore avoid it.

Who is the neat-freak?
One of the biggest problems my mother has with us is the fact that neither of us is a neat freak. I'm very organized, and I live in a state of organized chaos. You need something? I will find it. Fast. But don't expect to come over to my house without at least a day's notice, because you will be subjected to clutter and dishes in the sink. We do a thorough cleaning about every two weeks, usually when someone is coming over. But my words to live by are "A clean house is the sign of a wasted life."

Who is more stubborn?
We are each masters of the stubborn. I'm always convinced I'm right, Scott always IS right. I'm scared that we have unleashed this on the world in the form of our (very cute) children - I'm not sure the world can handle that much mule-headed determination and self-righteousness.

Who hogs the bed?
He says I do. I say he does. I win. Because I said so. Dammit.

Who wakes up earlier?
See, this one, if you know Scott, is really just a funny (and unnecessary) question. I have taken to answering his, "I'm going to get up to catch the bus tomorrow at 4:30" statements with a "HA!" Because I can count on the fingers of one hand the amount of times he has gotten up at 4:30 in the last 3 or 4 months. Even though he's supposed to be saving gas and money by commuting the hour and a half to work. I get up at 5 a.m. Every morning. Except weekends, when I'm usually up at 6ish with the kids.

Where was your first date?
Our first official date was to Basilio's. But we had already begun "dating" by then, since our situation was a little different. Again, not going into it now. Maybe later. :-)

Who is more jealous?
This is a question I'm not sure about. Yes, a *little* jealousy is healthy in a relationship, but neither of us is a very jealous person. We both recognize that just because we're in a committed, loving relationship, it doesn't mean we're DEAD. We obviously have the "you're not allowed to..." lists, but those consist mainly of the obvious. So I don't think either of us is more jealous.

How long did it take to get serious?
We started dating in October, I realized I loved him in November, we were engaged the following June. And before we got engaged we talked about it for 2 months, bought the ring, then he waited a month to propose. So basically I was always serious. I think he was the same.

Who eats more?
See, to look at us you would think me, but he actually eats twice as much as me. He just has this nervous energy that I think burns all his calories (he fidgets and shakes his leg a lot when he's sitting still, and I think that accounts for the skinny-lankiness of him).

Who does the laundry?
Someone cannot ever remember that he is not supposed to put my shirts in the dryer for longer than 20 minutes, so someone is no longer allowed to do my laundry. He does his own, I do mine, Alex's and Emma's, as well as the towels, sheets, etc.

Who's better with the computer?
Um...maybe you should ask the software developer.

Who drives when you are together?
Scott has this thing about all things being equal. I definitely hear about it if it's been longer than twice since I drove last. I don't mind driving, I just like someone else to do it if I don't HAVE to.

Love This!

Turn off your alarm, come back to bed, and snuggle for another hour and a half.

Then go do a puzzle with our son.

All before 7:30 a.m.

God, I love that man.