Can you say BUSY?

So here's a sample of what we've been up to in the past two weeks.

Cake decorating. Took the first of four classes last week and made 4 (yes, 4) cakes this past week for various different occasions. Here are 3 of them (I forgot to get a pic of my mom's birthday cake).






Alex's Tae Kwon Do test. He passed! (And seriously, what is it with kids' feet? I love how cute his little toes are.)





SNOW! We have at least six inches out in front of our house right now. It's GORGEOUS. This is what it looked like yesterday. It's deeper today.



I found Alex's first Christmas outfit. What's funny is that Alex was only 3 months old at his first Christmas, but the outfit is a 9 month sleeper. And it's big on Emma, who is 7 months. :-) Alex is in the second picture.





Emma had her first bath sitting up. Up until now I put her in a bather that lies her down. She really liked it - she discovered splashing. Alex, again, is in the second picture. I love that I accidentally get these shots - I usually don't intend to replicate pics I took of Alex, I just happen to see that they match after I get one of Emma.





OK, I'm done for the night. But I've got two weeks off of school, so I guarantee there will be lots of posting for awhile! YAY! :-)

Don't get me started...

..oh wait, there I go.

So my dad forwards this thing on to me the other day. He now seems to be on this "I've never said a word about religion during my childrens' whole lives, and now my daughter's an atheist so I have to convince her otherwise" thing. Which is kind of interesting. But he's very passive-aggressive about it - twice he's sent me emails and once he said something to Alex.

Anyway, he sent this to me. I've only excerpted here, because the rest of it isn't really relevant. Forgive the typos, they aren't mine and I don't feel like editing.

"The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events... Terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'"

Now, by no means am I trying to pick on anyone of any faith. I recognize that faith is a very personal and important thing to many people. The thing that pisses me off is that, once again, people REFUSE to put blame where blame deserves to be placed: at the feet of people and their OWN ACTIONS. Or, in the case of the hurricanes - WEATHER PATTERNS. 'Cause, you know, there have NEVER EVER been hurricanes in Florida. Or Texas. Or Louisiana. EVER. The terrorist attacks? Not the fault of a group of religious fanatics who believe that we are the enemy - they're the result of Americans asking God to get out of our lives.

Oh, and the Madeleine Murray O'Hare thing? I love how in parentheses it mentions that she was murdered. Because she DIDN'T WANT PRAYER in our schools! She was murdered! Because she turned her back on God! Oh, and the whole Dr. Spock thing - his son committed suicide! What irony! And it TOTALLY had everything to do with his father not spanking him! (I have no idea why that happened, I just find it interesting how this particular email paints it that way.) Oh, and yeah, because I don't teach the Bible in my classroom, I'm telling kids they should kill and steal and hate their neighbors. Right.

The thing I DO agree with is the "you reap what you sow" comment. I don't think it has ANYTHING to do with God, but I do believe it has to do with personal responsibility. You don't want to lose your Airstream to a hurricane? Don't live on the Gulf Coast!

Ugh. You know what? Believe whatever you want to. More power to you. But don't you dare tell me bad things happen in this world because we turned our backs on God. Bad things happen in this world because life is not BLACK AND WHITE. There will always be people doing bad things to other people. There will always be natural disasters causing damage and people to lose lives and homes. Even if you get the entire world to believe in one particular religion or god, you still won't be able to control the thoughts and actions of all those people, and therefore, there will STILL BE BAD THINGS HAPPENING. And even if you get every single person in the world to believe in one god, one religion, one day a tsunami will still take out half of an island nation DESPITE WHAT THEY BELIEVE.

Gah! OK, I'm off to go play a game with my son, because I don't want him to become a trenchcoat-wearing murderer. I might throw in a spanking or two, just to keep him in line.

Double GAH!

2008 Year-in-Review

Where​ did you begin​ 2008?
At Justin and Kelly's apartment. I was pregnant, so no repeat of my shenanigans from a few years ago. (You know, the "dress-up" incident. We shall NOT discuss.)

What was your statu​s by Valen​tine'​s Day?
Happily married...as usual. :-)

Did you have to go to the hospi​tal?​
Yup. There's this thing called childbirth.

Did you have any encou​nters​ with the polic​e?​
Hmm...does my friend Miles count? ;-)

Where​ did you go on vacat​ion?​
Went camping a few times this summer. With a newborn. Which was actually easier than it sounds.

What did you purch​ase that was over $​500?​
Our freakin' obnoxious-screen TV. 56".
Tell me, why in the hell does ANYONE need that much TV?

Did you know anybo​dy who got marri​ed?​
Yup! Teri and Tod, Alex and Matt, Scott and Becky...wow, this was a slow year. We usually have at LEAST 5 weddings to go to. Come on people, get crackin'! (Nic, I'm talking to you!) ;-)

Did you know anybo​dy who passe​d away?​
Not personally.

What sport​ing event​s did you atten​d?​
None...unless you count walking onto Qwest field when I took my kids to meet the Seahawks. But it wasn't actually a game.

What conce​rts/​shows​ did you go to?
Went to the Comedy Underground once.

Where​ do you live now?
University Place. Hope to stay.

Descr​ibe your birth​day.
I don't remember. I think we probably just went to dinner or something.

What'​s the one thing​ you thoug​ht you would​ never​ do but did in 2008?​
Managed to breastfeed my daughter! I didn't think I would make it as long as I have!

What has/​have been your favor​ite momen​t(​s)​?​
Finding out I was having a GIRL!
Seeing my baby girl for the first time.
Realizing that I can be happy! It just took a few months of DRUGS! Hehehehe...
Watching Alex take his test for his yellow belt in Tae Kwon Do and PASSING!

Any new addit​ions to your famil​y?​
Emma Michelle, 5/6/08, 9 lb. 13 oz., 21 1/4 inches
Matsen Wesley, 6/20/08 (my new nephew)
And I found out that two of my best friends will be having babies in '09, Kelly (it's a BOY!) and Sara (HOLY CRAP, it's TWINS!).

What was your best month​?​
May. Definitely. :-)

Who has been your best drink​ing buddy​?​
Well, let's see. I was pregnant from Jan. to May, and breastfeeding from May until now, so WHEN exactly have I had a chance to go drinking? Dammit?

Made new frien​ds?​
Not really, been kinda busy. Kept up with the old ones.

Favor​ite Night​[​s]​ out?
Haven't had many of those this year. This is seriously going to make a few people puke, but my favorite nights have been the ones when Emma actually wakes up in the middle of the night to eat. (She's such a good baby, she VERY rarely does that.) It's another 20 minutes I get to spend with her. And she's cuddly when she's tired and hungry. She's not a very snuggly baby so I take it when I can get it. :-)

Any regre​ts?​
Regret is for those who don't appreciate what they have. :-) I'm extremely lucky that I have the things I have, and the choices I've made got me where I am. That and two kids have kept me so busy I don't have any time to do anything stupid. :-)

What do you want to chang​e in 2009?​
I'd like to increase my resume by getting a job teaching in another building.
I've been very lucky to be in the same school for 7 years and I've learned so much, but I know there's still so much more to learn!

Overa​ll,​ how would​ you rate this year?​
Scale of 1-10? 10. Probably my best ever. It has been a very good year.

Have any life chang​es in 2008?​
See above new additions. ;-)

Chang​e your hairs​tyle?​
Couple of times. I'm growing it out now. Tried large amounts of blonde most recently. I like it.

Get a new job?
Nope. Same job, same school. Although I took on a 4/5 split this year. Which is a challenge, to say the least. But I'm loving it.

How old did you turn this year?​
29.
Should I stop answering this honestly now?

Do you have a New Year'​s resol​ution​?​
Be a better mom and teacher.

Did anyth​ing embar​rassi​ng?​
Nothing that sticks out. I would say childbirth, but I had a c-section, so I didn't even have the opportunity to poop on the table. There were plenty of times that I finished nursing Emma and tried to fix my shirt but it didn't cooperate, so I'm sure I flashed a few people.

Get marri​ed or divor​ced?​
Neither.

Be hones​t - did you watch​ Ameri​can Idol?​
Nope. I'm all about So You Think You Can Dance.

Start​ a new hobby​?​
Cake decorating. Need a cake for an occasion? See me, I'm exploring what I can do right now.

Been snowb​oardi​ng?​
Nope

Are you happy​ to see 2008 go?
Actually yes, but only because I'm excited to see what my kids will do in 2009.

Drank​ Starb​ucks in 2008?​
Duh.

Been naugh​ty or nice?​
Both. Hehehe... :-)

What are you wishi​ng for in 2009?​
Refinance the house, pay off the SUV, buy a bigger sedan, go to Hawaii in December, get a new teaching job somewhere...wow, this is going to be a big year!

HA HA

Big 3 Bailout

Aaaaaannnndd...

Look! More pics! And more and more pics!

Emma just wouldn't give me happy for these. But they're still cute. Alex really does like his little sister.






When a boy meets a girl...
1. Emma/Matsen: "If I just sit here, maybe he/she won't notice me."


2. Emma: "Ah, what the heck. This kid's stealing all my frames. Maybe if I push him out of the way or take a chunk out of his hair..."


3. Matsen: "I can't believe she just did that to me! Here, maybe if I eat her shoe she'll go away."


4. In unison: "Seriously, Mom - WHY are we doing this again? We all know I'M the cute one!"


Sweetness and light (right before the "No!"s and defiance).

You want pictures?

'Cause holy crap, do I have PICTURES. Take a gander. And try not to puke at the overwhelming amount of cuteness that is my kiddos.

These first two are of Alex, Emma, and their cousins, Jazlyn and Matsen. I had just pulled my camera out of the cold car so the lens was foggy. We'll just call that "soft focus." And you should have heard me and Kristy trying to get these pictures - I think our voices at one point got so high dogs couldn't hear us. But these kids sure are precious.




How perfectly adorable are THESE? I can't believe I have such beautiful kids. And they look like such little angels here, don't they?




Look! It's me! (And Alex and Jazlyn, but this is a rare treat to get a picture of me that I don't hate...)


Grandpa, Emma and Matsen. BTW, Matsen is a month and a half younger than Emma but 2 pounds heavier and 2 inches longer. Which is so weird - I don't make small babies, how did I get a small baby?


My son, the model.


Grandma, Grandpa and all 4 grandkids (so far). Check out Alex's face in the second one. SO typical. :-)




And OMG, how sweet is this? Emma in her exersaucer. Don't you just want to die? :-)


I have more! Can't wait, can you?

Oh yeah...

I talked to Elron today. His new teacher called me last week and I made sure to call her while they were still in school so my kids could tell him Happy Thanksgiving and he would know we're thinking about him. His teacher seems really nice, but I'm not sure she bought my whole, "there's a soft spot deep down somewhere, you just have to know how to find it" spiel. He apparently already had to chat with the principal because he was arguing. Elron? Arguing? NOOOO. Seriously? Really? (Are you detecting my sarcasm here?) Anyway, he seemed really happy to hear from me. I think I'll check up on him periodically.