We are AWESOME parents!

Well, we feel like we are anyway after watching these folks! Just a little background, apparently this is a clip from a movie called "Bruno" (the same guy that did "Borat"). The main actor poses as a famous fashion designer or something and dupes people into making fools of themselves on camera (I actually hear that both his movies are rather crude, but haven't seen either myself). Anyway, here he's interviewing parents for some sort of photo shoot involving children:

Apparently in the movie, the last mother says she would consider liposuction!

Living Nightmare

What are we doing wrong?!!!?

Both Eli (almost 3) and Amelia (almost 10 months) are waking up numerous times each night! They share a room (and share a wall w/ our neighbor) so we try to keep them quiet so they don't wake each other (or the neighbors) up. ...Sigh... We aren't getting more than an hour or two of sleep before one of them wakes up.

I think we need to put Amelia back in the living room and let her fuss when she wakes up (I'd get up w/ her only once half way through the night to nurse her, but that's all.) As for Eli, I don't know. I think tough love is the only thing that will help him remember to stay asleep in his own bed.

Any suggestions?

HE DID IT! HE DID IT! HE DID IT!

ELI WENT PEE PEE ON THE POTTY FOR THE FIRST TIME!
I'm so proud of him.

Halloween

We had such a fun Halloween. Seriously, Eli had been practicing for months. Quite a bit of his booty disappeared and found its way to Daddy's desk at work. Some more of it found its way to my thighs and luscious love handles. Ewwww...

And so the blessed holiday season begins!

Snowed In!!

What happened to Fall? My work sent us all home early yesterday and today campus is closed because it hasn't stopped snowing. The above picture is our apartment complex courtyard this morning...it was all grass two days ago!

My Body is a Temple!

So on Monday night for family home evening I gave a lesson about how our bodies are temples and we need to take care of them.

After the lesson, Eli wanted to have a ball fight. We have a bunch of plastic balls of the type you used to find in "ball pools" at kiddie playgrounds. You can wing 'em pretty hard at each other and even a smack in the face doesn't hurt. So Eli starts chuckin the balls at me and after a few accumulate around me I pick one up and wing one back at him. It smacks him right in the tush and he yells, "Hey! My body is a temple!!"

Touche, little man, touche.

I guess the lesson stuck!

Tori's note:
When it's too cold to go outside and play in the snow we just have "snowball fights" inside.

A Haunting Good Time

I LOVE Halloween!!!
Not so much the scary blood bath scenes, or the over load on high fructose corn syrup laced candy part of it. I love to dress up and have fun. This year we again attended a murder mystery dinner party and had a smashing good time!

Isaac was an Indian chief and I was his crazy voo doo lovin, witch doctor sister (Think Tia Dalma from Pirates of the Caribbean III).

Ah Japan, you make me laugh.

Sniper Prank on Japanese T.V., I laughed til I cried.

The Perfect Husband

(HT to Sylvie who posted this on her Facebook page...)

No Time Wasted

Obligatory post since this happened just around the corner from us...(incidentally I didn't know about it until Tori called me from GA to tell me what was going on!)

http://www.balloonboygame.com/

For Daddy who is at work.

Cowboy gone wild!

Just thought you might like to know a wide varitey of musuems are offering a free day THIS Saturday.

Check it out!

Sept. 26 is Smithsonian Magazine's Museum Day.

Anyone is welcome to print an admission card for you and a guest at hundreds of museums across the country. The admission card will be collected upon entry. So if you plan to visit more than one museum, you'll need to print more than one card. The card is good for general admission only. It does not include entry to special exhibits or IMAX screenings.
In Colorado, some 26 museums and even the Pueblo Zoo are participating. To see the list of venues go to SmithsonianMag.com and scroll down to "venues by state."

Ladies and gentlemen, it doesn't get any more handsome than this.

I have no idea why, but I'm really missing Japan today. Huh. Strange.

A Sensitive Subject

So, today at the park another little kid was pounding on Eli. Giving him the ole 1-2 combo. I heard Eli crying, walked over there and saw what was happening. I took the other child's arm and sternly yet calmly told him we don't hit. I asked Eli if he hit the other child but loud wailing was his only response. In the same tone I also told him we don't hit then removed him from the situation. I don't know what started it, it's possible Eli instigated it. And frankly, I don't care about that part. Kids are kids. (But of course they must be taught proper behavior.)

SO, my question is what do I say to Eli about hitting? Of course he knows it's wrong, but what do I tell him about how to react when other kids hit him? Later, in the car on the way home I asked him what happened and told him we don't don't hit. Then I told him if someone hits you, you push their hand away and yell don't hit me! Then you run and tell Mommy who hit you. Then I had him practice with me a few times. We giggled and then it was done. I hope a lesson was learned. But was that enough? I mean, no one wants their kid to be a victim. You also don't want them to hit back.

When we got home from the park I heard Eli saying, Don't hit me! to Amelia (who was across the room) with his hand up like a stop sign. I smiled, hoping it will stick. And praying I told him the right thing.

As for my discilplining someone else's child, I can't help but do it. It's the teacher in me. I firmly believe it takes a village to raise a child. I sure hope someone would have sternly told Eli not to hit. I want him to know it's not just me that's a meanie. Life has rules and other Moms, Gparents, etc. will enforce them too. Perhaps I'm alone in my thinking. Perhaps the other child's mother would have been mad at me if she saw me (maybe she did). She did come over and discipline her child.

Today will be devoted to happiness! Pushed aside are the things on my to do list. Pushed aside are the need-to-get-dones. Tickles, giggles, and laughter will be sought in their place.

post note:
*All 3 kids asleep for their nap within 5 min. Hallelujah!
*Was it a good day? Well, I'll let Amelia tell you. I found Amelia and Eli under a blanket "fort" we'd made laughing.

Wild

Imagine seeing this in person:

Deep Fried Butter

I know what we're bringing to the Labor Day BBQ! What are YOU having??

(I can just imagine my Mom and Sister cringing...)