My husband, hilarious

a couple of weeks ago I was at the gym. I have only been sporadically in the last 6 months, and I have only done the elipticals and a little yoga. I haven't been going at my regular pre pregnancy pre surgery time. So as I was going in I ran into one of my gym friends going out. She hadn't seen me for months,and didn't know I was pregnant. She came up to me and put her hand on my belly and said, "hey, congratulations! How many is this for you?"

This made me feel good. Can you guess why? I'll tell you. I started out a lot bigger with this pregnancy, and I feel like it is hard to tell that this is a baby bump when the rest of me is so bumpy as well. I would never ever assume someone was pregnant unless it was obvious. So, I was glad that she could tell I was pregnant, and not just getting fatter and fatter.

That night when I was telling Wendell about it, this is what he said, "now Sherry, think back. Were you wearing the shirt that says 'baby' across the chest and has an arrow pointing down?"

Very funny.;)

Terrible twos? I don't think so...

There is something so fabulous about a toddler. Sometimes I think I may never laugh if this little girl weren't around. No matter how you feel she can do or say something silly and just crack you up. There is nothing like it.

Things I love about toddlers:

1. They can talk. You don't have to guess why they are crying, or try to figure out what they need.



2. They can talk. Have you heard a toddler talk lately? If you haven't, go and find one right now. There is just no sweeter sound then a two year old telling you a story. Or frankly, just telling you what kind of drink they want in their sipper cup. They just sound so cute, dang it.

3. They break out into song spontaneously. It's like watching a musical. Have you ever watched Grease or some other musical and thought incredulously ,"yeah right, and then they all decided to sing about it." Well, if they were toddlers, they would. They simply don't need a reason to sing. It just comes naturally.




4. They break into dance spontaneously. They just don't need a reason to dance. They either hear music and break it down, or they imagine music with the same result. Either way it is hilarious. No one has taught the child to dance. They just move the way they feel like. Brenley's bootie dance (in which she moves everything BUT her bootie in an effort to shake it)is a classic. She has also been known to strike a yoga pose out of the blue. Her form is flawless;)




5. They have a fabulous little budding sense of humor. And when they do or say something funny and they know it, they are the ones who laugh loudest.

6. Their laughter. You have to love the laugh of a two year old. They don't even know what it means to be self conscious. So they laugh however they feel like it. They don't worry about snorting. They don't worry about laughing too loud. They don't worry about anything coming out of their noses. They laugh unabashedly. Completely without reserve. It is priceless.




7. Toddlers don't stink. They don't get B.O and they don't get greasy. Sometimes they smell like their last meal, but who minds smelling syrup or apples? You can pick them up and smooch them whenever you want and not have to worry about whether they have been running around outside or not. This may seem a little silly, but I have such a sensitive nose while I am pregnant, and little kids tend to have a little kid stink. A toddler does not. They are almost always sweet smelling.




8. They don't let you down because you expect almost nothing from them. Did they forget to unload the dishwasher? No, because of course you didn't ask her to. Is her room a mess? If it is you are likely to blame yourself. Did she turn her homework in late or lose a library book? Um...no.

9. They point out your flaws without meaning to. The other day Bren was cranky in church, and I pointed out that she got to go to nursery soon. She said, "no, no, stupid nursery." What? I couldn't believe it. We don't say that word at our house. Was she really saying, "stupid nursery?" Yes, indeed, she was. Apparently, in my opinion, the word "stupid" is not appropriate for people or things. But it is appropriate for dogs. I've been frustrated with the dog lately and have been heard to say,"stupid dog" without even realizing it. Yes, these are the things that toddlers pick up and point out. Point taken.


The list could go on and on. The toddler phase is my very favorite. Oh, everyone likes a tiny sweet little baby every once in a while, and it is exciting to watch a child grow and learn new things. I love all phases of a child's life. But no one can make me laugh as often when I am feeling gross then a toddler.

So who came up with the phrase "terrible twos"? I have never understood it, have you?

This sums it up

I found this on my cousin's blog and thought it was the perfect quote for a blog. Poor Lauri- pilfered again!



Dr. Seuss

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

I think I will put it on my side bar as a kind of disclaimer;)

Rain!

I LOVE the rain! Ever since I was a child there has been something magical about rain that can put me in a good mood no matter what is going on. Right now I have all of the doors and windows open so I can see, smell, listen to it wherever I am in the house.

I assume this has something to do with growing up in the desert;) I am pretty sure most of my friends, siblings, and children feel the same way. So here in AZ, on rainy days, everyone you run into is in a good mood. Unless you are here for 3 days only visiting from Seattle;) Of course this is just my very broad assumption. Am I right?





Mitchell has water day at school today. I am pretty sure they weren't expecting this much water! I love his school and their big water day production. When the girls went there I always volunteered for water day and everyone had a blast. Just two days ago I was feeling sorry for the kids and adult volunteers at water day because it would be so stinkin' hot! Who knew how wrong I would be? Well, other than all of the weather forecasters and everyone who paid attention to them;)



( I wish I could work my scanner. I have some really cute pics of me and my sisters playing in the rain as kids:)

Knott's Berry Farm

(Yes, I found my camera. Well, Wendell found it;)

I haven't been to Knott's Berry Farm since I was a kid. Last year we bought year long passes to Sea World and were able to go in May from the beach house, July from our yearly vacation on the beach, and October just for fun. This year we couldn't find the same kind of deal for any of the other amusement parks, and we didn't want to do Sea World again so soon. I started shopping around for the cheapest deal we could find so we could go somewhere from the beach house again this year. KBF was the clear winner. When I called about a group rate they told me that the local Burger Kings had coupons that made the price cheaper than the group rates. Anyhow, it was a great deal.


(Hot air balloons and snoopy skate. Mitchell's favorite ride. One word....whiplash;)


O.K , KBF is kind of like a ghetto Disneyland. But the rides were pretty fabulous. Camp Snoopy was great for the toddlers. I was impressed by all of the fun rides they had that were appropriate for the littles.




Brenley was fearless! The bigger and scarier the better. She was right at the height limit for many of the rides. Most of the employees read the line in her favor. Everyone except the keeper of the tea cups (sombreros) super dangerous! She got really bugged that she couldn't go on all of the rides that the big kids went on. This is just another example of how Bren is not like my other kids. Sometimes I think she must have been switched at birth. She and the other toddlers loved the the carousel the best, though. It turned out to be too much for my delicate condition, and Rachael was recruited to go on as many time as miss B wanted.




Some of the bigger kids were super fearless and went on really scary rides with the grown ups( I'm not ashamed to admit that one of them actually made me pee my pants;) I'm pregnant, people!) There were plenty of moderate rides that were really fun for the kids that were not quite as fearless.


All of the kids took pictures with Snoopy, but I am not sure any of them even knew who he was! Generation gap? When I was going to ASU I waited tables out in Scottsdale. One day I waited on Charles Schultz(creator of Charlie Brown/Snoopy) and didn't even realize it. One of my coworkers pointed him out, and when he signed his credit card bill it was obvious! Who wouldn't be able to recognize that signature after all of those years fighting over the Sunday comics. I think I kept it;)

MItchell's award ceremony

Yes, this is the ceremony that I had to miss, but luckily my friend Tiffany was there and was able to calm the boy down, pay attention to his accomplishments, and even take pictures. That is why I have chosen this as the first of many posts I need to do to catch up. My camera is still missing, so this is the only thing I have pictures of at the moment! So many end of the year accomplishments...





Mitchell said he and one other boy received the most awards, thanks to me. He got every award available to the students, and I got two awards as the Art Masterpiece instructor. I LOVE Art Masterpiece, and I will probably have to do a post just on that one day. This particular class was so cooperative, enjoyable, and appreciative. They always showed just how much they loved it when I came to teach them something new. All of the kids made me a card , and I got a lovely certificate, and an even more lovely gift card!




Mitchell won everything he wanted to win. He is a very dedicated hard worker. Because he is a first grader in a first, second, and third grade classroom, he has had some great opportunities this year. He has been able to be in the second and third grade groups for reading, writing, and math. This has allowed him to move at his own pace, which I love. He is a very competitive little guy, so having him in a class with older children just seems to give him more of a drive to excel. This was the case with our girls as well, which is why we love Montessori so much for early elementary. A love of learning is such a great thing to develop at this young age. We have always hoped the kids would be able to keep this love through the rest of their school years. It provides a great foundation. And that is the end of my unsolicited opinion on education;)

*update # 2*

The baby is just fine. I have been having a lot of contractions lately (normal for me, didn't even really notice) and that has made it hard to feel the little guy. And in the ultrasound it wasn't moving at all. But the heart beat was strong, and all looks well.

The cramping is compliments of a lovely large cyst on my ovary. I felt like it might be that because it was really on my left side. We are hoping it will rupture on it's own like the last one did. I should feel much better when that happens.

We weren't able to tell what the darn thing is. I get to call him/her "it" for the next four weeks. Love that. I thought I saw something, but I asked her and she said no. When she looked for it, the baby just wouldn't move and give us a clear shot. Modest little thing;)