"No! Like this!"

As many of you know, Ciara loves for me to do her hair and make her pretty....she just doesn't like to keep it that way.  Usually within a half hour, any hair style is ripped out.  Litterally.

Yesterday when I got home she brought me an elastic and asked for a "pony"..AKA pony tail.  I grabbed her hair in one handful and started to make her pony tail.  She shakes her head violently to make me let go and screams at me!  "No!  Like this!"  And she grabs just a small section of hair from the side.  I asked her if she wanted a pony tail and she nodded.  I tried again.  Deja vu.  "No!  Like this" She yells at me as she grabs the same small section of hair.

Fine. 

I start parting it nicely and evenly when the head whipping begins again.  "NO!  LIKE THIS!"

FINE!

I grab only the section of hair and put it the messy pony tail. 

She is as happy as a clam. 

30 seconds later she comes over with another (non-matching) elastic and again asks for a pony.

Remembering our previous encounter, I asked her "where".

She grabbed a small section on the opposite side of her head.

In goes the pony and she has the most hidious, lopsided piggy tails I have ever put in.

Ciara couldn't have been happier!  AND  she left her hair in for a good hour and a half until she could show the kids!

Forgive the picture lighting.  We were in the car waiting for the kids.  I can't believe how bright the sun was yesterday!  So beautiful!

Baby Carlson

Sweetheart Mandy sent us our first glimpse at Baby Carlson.  She is 14 weeks.

Thanks for sharing Mandy!

I think we've finally done it

Or at least are in the midst of it.  No turning back now!

This weekend we decided enough is enough.  We need to stop being so lazy.  Ciara is big enough and understands the concept.  So we put her in panties!

To our ultimate surprise she has done wonderfully well!  She hasn't had any real accidents.  There have been a couple of little peepee drops in her panties from when she's running to the bathroom but doesn't quite make it but besides that, she's even woken up dry!  (We still put her in diapers at night, but it's a good sign that she hasn't been wetting herself even in her sleep!)

She has no problem with #1 or #2.  I've been saying that she's been ready...Shawn and I just needed to be ready too.  And it finally happened.

We did have one incident on Sunday.  Ciara likes to go potty by herself.  Especially #2.  She tells you to "get out, don't look, and lock the door!  It's kinda funny.  So we usually stand by the door and wait patiently.  This time, I had walked away.  Next thing I knew Shawn was bounding up the stairs in a panic (he was downstairs watching TV) and goes running toward the bathroom.  My heart stopped.  Ciara had tried to wipe herself.  And wipe.  And wipe. And wipe.  She had tried to flush an entire roll of toilet paper and flooded the bathroom.  I was relieved.  Shawn was furious.  When he came bounding up, my mind went to the worst.  He heard her fall or scream or something that I hadn't and she was hurt or worse.  What happened was it started showering from our vent into the basement.

It was easily fixed.  But we don't leave her alone more than a couple of seconds at a time.  Lesson learned.

Thank you for your prayers

Thank you for your prayers.  Melissa passed away Saturday afternoon.  In a way, it was a huge blessing.  The family never had to make any decisions on taking her off of life support and always wondering.  She passed away on her own.

I just wanted to say thank you again.

I love you.

Torture

Justin hates a few things in his little life.

Bath time, lasagna, and homework.

So imagine his evening when I make him do his homework (just like every day), make lasgana for dinner, and tell him it's time to take a bath!?

As I was shampooing his hair (if I don't do it, he won't!), he's crying and says, "Why are you torturing me!?"  LOL

I just laughed and told him because I love him!

After baths were complete, everyone was happy as can be...until next time.

I just love that "after bath" fresh clean look!

Mother's Day

Mother's Day came a few month early at my house.

Last night the kids wanted to color and paint so they got their supplies and went at it.  When I got out of the shower, they had each created a masterpiece for me.  Saying they were Mother's Day presents! 

This one is from my Katie Lady. 

This is Justin's.  The writing is a little hard to read, but it says, "I love you Mom".

And here is my CiCi's. 

Thanks babies!  I love you!!

Movies

I don't get to go to the movies very often, or at least not nearly as often as I'd like, but I have been able to go two weeks in a row!  Woohoo!

Last week Shawn and I took the kids to see The Princess and The Frog.  This took a little bit of talking into for Justin.  "But it's a GIRL movie!" He complained.  But after we pointed out a few of the non-girl movies Katie has gone through for him, he finally agreed.  Or maybe it was the ice cream bribe.  The world may never know.  LOL

I was so excited for it to be back to original 2-D animation.  There is just something magical about that!  And to top it off it had music!  The makings of another Disney classic!

But sadly, I was disappointed in the movie.  The animation was great!  The music...I just didn't really get into it.  It was all old time New Orleans jazz and every song felt the same to me.  Only one song stuck out and did I really enjoy (Dig a Little Deeper).  The rest were okay...just not very memorable.

I loved the premise of the story.  You have to do more than make wishes and hope your dreams will come true.  You have to work hard and make a lot of sacrifices to make things happen.  And there is a big difference between what you want and what you need.

I found the bad guy, witch doctor kinda creepy but the kids never made any notice that he bothered them..which is kinda surprising in some parts. 

I also really enjoyed the prince!  His little remarks and attitude made me laugh.  But the story seemed to drag.  I don't know if boring is the right word..maybe dull would better suit it.  I don't know. 

The best way to describe it was it felt more like a Don Bluth film than a Disney film.  Now don't get me wrong...I love a lot of Don Bluth films...they just don't usually compare to Disney..with very few exceptions like Thumbellina.

The Princess and The Frog was okay...just not great.


This weekend I had the opportunity to have a date with the hubby!  We decided to go and see Sherlock Holmes.  I was a bit nervous about this one...not because I didn't want to see it...I did, very much.  But because Shawn had made it clear that he didn't.  He is a Sherlock fan and has read the books.  And according to the previews he saw he said it didn't look like "his" Sherlock. 

When we decided to go to the movies there were really only 2 movies that even stood out.  Sherlock Holmes and Avitar.  Neither one of us wanted to see Avitar (which I hear is a good comparision to Pocahontas) so we apted for Sherlock. 

When we sat down I leaned over to him and asked him if he can just try and enjoy it for what it is.  He said he'd try.

The movie was great!  It was funny, it had action, and the story was really good!  I loved the chemistry between all of the characters!  I knew he was enjoying it too because outside of laughter he didn't say anything. 

About half way through the movie he leaned over and said, "I really like this movie".  I was so happy.

The movie was definately left open for a sequel and I can't wait to see it!  I definately recommend it!  I don't think there is any language and no sex, but there is one scene (from the previews) where he is handcuffed naked to a bed with a pillow covering up his goods.  The scene is brief and is actually quite funny.

So there you go...My movie reviews for the new year!

Enjoy!

A Special Request

Monday a longtime family friend was in a car accident.  She grew up with Shawn.  I'm not sure what you all remember about Shawn's best friend Adam growing up (and Rhonda's old boyfriend), but it is his sister.  Her name is Melissa.  I can't remember her married name, but her maiden name is Kelsey.

She recently moved to St George with her husband and 9 year old daughter.  They had an exchange student with them and Melissa and their little girl was driving him to the Las Vegas airport so he could go to New York.  No one is exactly sure of the details but she was distracted (possibly text) and didn't notice a curve in the road.  When she finally noticed, she over corrected, flipping the SUV several times across several lanes.  The little girl and the exchange student did not receive any injuries, but Melissa has been in a coma since.  She broke several bones and had so much pressure on her brain that they had to cut open her skull and will need a lot of reconstructive surgery.  She possibly has brain damage and may be paralized on one side.

The family thinks that she has responses when her father is talking to her, but the doctors say she doesn't.  It is recommended to take her off the life support in a week if she does not wake up.

I don't know what to do except to ask for prayers.  Prayers for Melissa as well as her family.

Gingerbread Houses

I have never been a big New Year's Eve kinda girl.  I usually spend it at home falling asleep on the couch as we watch movies. 

Last year we tried to make it a party at my Sis's and although the night started out with a lot of fun, it didn't end on such a great note!

So this year we decided to spend it with my Aunt and her family!  They have a tradition of making gingerbread (graham cracker) houses every New Years Eve and my kids were really excited!

We had a great time!!  The kids had lots of fun and got pretty creative with their "houses"!  Katie ended up making a present!

We stayed up way too late, or should I say early and laughed til we cried, played games and just enjoyed each other's company!

It was a wonderful way to ring in the New Year and I hope it becomes tradition for us!

Looking Back on 2009

I realized after reading my Mama's comment that I didn't list any personal things for 2009.

For me, 2009 was one of those indifferent kind of years. Nothing horrible, nothing extraordinary. Just life.

I have to say that I will always think of 2009 as my year with Jenn! We have spent so much time together and I have loved every minute of it! I will miss her so much!! I love you Sis!!!

California. We had a multi-family vacation to California this year with my hubby and kids, Jenn and her hubby and kids, and my Mama. We shared lots of laughs, visited with family, burned at the beach, and of course rejoiced in our kid spirits at Disneyland! It was wonderful!

New Job, New Boss, New Friends. I've had the opportinity to grow and learn new things. Although I'm still at AmEx, I'm doing a completely new job. It took a little while for me to become comfortable with the process, but now I can call it home. I love the people I work with and have been able to gain some new friendships!

My hubby and kids!  We have shared so many happy moments!  I love our tickle fights and cuddle time!  We have played a lot of games and shared a lot of laughs!  2009 brought a lot of new and first things for our family. 

Katie is growing into such a beautiful little lady.  She is gaining confidnece in your friendships (including boys - I'm still not used to that!  She was invited to her first non-family sleepover and it was from a BOY!  No way, Jose!)  She is doing great in her dual language class, although I wish she'd show it more at home.  And she is now learning how to play the piano!

Justin has matured a lot this year and has started Kindergarten.   With that comes new friends, homework and reading!  He is growing into such a capable reader!  I am very proud of him!  He is growing at home too!  He is showing more responsibilties, taking care of his own things and room without complaint and is very helpful around the house.  Now if I could just get him to bathe without a fight!

Ciara is...well..Ciara.  Or should I say CiCi!  She's very much two!  There are many joys and frustrations that come a long with that!  We still haven't conquered the potty training thing, but that's just as much my fault as hers!  She's a very spirited girl and I am excited to see more and more of her personality!

I'm looking forward to 2010 and so far so good!