Chuck E Cheese

In honor of the three day weekend, I thought it would be a great idea to take advantage of the time with Eric and do something fun with Mallory. I wanted to take her on some rides so my plan was to take her to Kings Island. After looking into it, I didn't want to drive an hour and then pay 35 dollars for her to go on rides that I didn't even know if she'd go on. So I did some research and realized the county fair was going on and it had some carnival rides. I approached Eric with the idea and his response? "I don't want to go to a county fair, there are so many drunk white trash people there." So we're not judging or anything, right? So we thought, were can we go that has rides indoors...yep, that is when we came up with the not so brilliant idea of going to Chuck E Cheese.

We had gone to a Chuck E Cheese in Colorado before and neither one of us remember the experience quite like the one we had here.

First of all, the prices are outrageous for what you get, but we ordered a medium supreme pizza ($17) (I ate before we left - Thank Goodness!) and the 50 tokens for $10.

While we were waiting for the pizza, we took Mallory to play some games. I cannot believe how many lurkers there were. There was a carousal that had 3 horses on it, and the kids would just stand around, wait for you to put a token in, and then hop on the other horses.

Then, WHILE we were playing games, kids would just come up and start playing them with you. There was a soccer game where you kicked the ball and this kid just came up and starting kicking in front of Eric (actually trying to push Eric back).

And then when Mallory was throwing these balls, this little girl thought she needed to throw them too.

Here are a few pictures of Eric and Mallory having fun.

After cashing in our tickets, we went to the prize counter and here is what we got for $10 worth of tokens:

a lollipop, a straw, a frog game (which she loves!- she calls it her homework), and stickers

The best part was that I'm pretty sure this was filled with more white trash than the state fair would have been. I saw more rat tails, tattoos, Mohawks, and flesh, than one needed to see in one setting (this is not to offend anyone I do know with one or more of the above - just the ones at Chuck E Cheese). Here is a little bit of proof:

Seriously, I thought when she sat down they are going to fall right out onto the table.

This guys shirt said "Exercise, Takes Motivation."

One of the few rat tails.

Needless to say, I don't think we'll be going back!

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The Watermelon and the Diaper Cream

So the other night I was feeding Jared in the other room and I kept hearing Eric tell Mallory not to touch the watermelon. After hearing that a few times, I then heard "now you can't have any watermelon." Thinking the only possible reason for that could be that the watermelon fell on the floor, I headed over to investigate. Yep, there the watermelon was on the floor. It looked a lot like this picture (I don't have the real picture because I knew if I were to even try and take a picture in the moment it would have created even more drama then the scene that already existed).

Then, tonight Mallory decided to put diaper cream all over her cheeks (the ones on her face). You would think that she did this when I wasn't watching her, but she was sitting right up against me. We were watching Big Brother, as you can see in the background, and I thought I had smelled diaper cream so I look over and sure enough she is squeezing it out and putting on her face. I asked her why she did it and she said "Because I have too. My cheeks were dry."

This is our new compromise with Mallory so she doesn't get too close to Jared when we are not right next to her. So she sits there and watches him.

Mallory loves her new homemade popsicles compliments of Maggie!

And two last little bits of humor. At Red Lobster tonight, Lisa was carrying Mallory back from the restroom (because she just had to go with Lisa - sorry Lisa) and on the way back, Mallory told her she had nice nippies - loud enough for many to hear. I don't know who it embarrassed more, me or Lisa. I guess if you are looking for the glass half full in that, she was giving a compliment...

Last, the other night Mallory was laying on my belly and she heard it gurgle. She laughed and said, "Mommy, your belly is peeing."

Have a great week!

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Happy Birthday Daddy

Today was Eric's birthday so I planned him, Ryan, and Dan a somewhat lame treasure hunt. It started with some iced coffee from Starbucks, then a muffin from Blueberry Cafe, hitting golf balls at the driving range, playing a new soccer game on the Xbox, playing basketball outside with their new Ohio State Nalgene and shorts, and ended with Red Lobster.

Seeing as I had my hands full with the little man, it didn't go exactly as planned, but I feel like I still get an A for the thought. We didn't have milk to make the Starbucks iced coffee, the Xbox wasn't hooked up so by the time they got it hooked up it was too late to play, and the basketball shorts didn't fit. Oh well, better luck next time.

Mallory sang "Happy Birthday" all day but wouldn't let me get it on video. She even picked him out a puppy dog card yesterday (she also told him about it right when she got home - she said she got him a puppy present that was a card). After Red Lobster they took a nap.

Jared also napped all day. How he slept in that position we'll never know.And another attempt at a family picture.

Happy Birthday Eric. You are the best husband and dad. We love you!

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Mallory Dancing

First of all, if you are a judging person you should stop reading now. There are so many other things Mallory isn't allowed to do that dancing on the counter just wasn't at the top of my list to get in a toddler battle about. I had the music going so I could Jared to sleep (again, don't judge the music) and Mallory and Natalie were jamming out. Unfortunately I couldn't get a video with Natalie too, but here is one of Mallory.

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Shopping Spree

Today Jared took a 2 hour nap in the swing - the first since he's been born. WOW- it's amazing what you can get done in 2 hours. The whole house was clean and Mallory got some much needed Mommy cuddling.



Once Jared woke up I mustered up the courage to take them both shopping by myself - just me - solo. After loading up everything in the car (which has become a 30 minute task in itself by the time you get the diapers, the stroller, the sling, etc. all loaded).



Our first stop was The Greene, an outdoor shopping mall. The weather was great so I put Jared in the sling and Mallory in the stroller. We went to Children's place and Mallory had a blast picking out clothes. I really did not expect her to have so much fun. It was quite the struggle to have her try on the clothes with Jared in the sling. Of course she didn't want to take them off once she tried them on, so she walked around the store picking out the rest of the clothes wearing the ones she tried on.



Unfortunately, when I went to pay I couldn't just hand them the tags because the pants had a security theft device that couldn't be removed while being worn. So the checkout lady was so nice and helped Mallory take them off so she could remove the device. I couldn't help but laugh to look down and see my daughter in her panties in the checkout line.



Next we stopped at panera for lunch. We splurged and got a strawberry lemonade. She was in heaven. New clothes and a smoothie (as she calls it). Jared slept through the whole thing and it was so nice to have some time to give Mallory the attention she needs.



On the way home I was feeling ambitious and we stopped at Target to get her shoes. Needless to say, I shouldn't have pushed it. Jared woke up and needed to eat. Of course the diaper bag was in the car, so no burp cloth or cover and here I was nursing on the discounted patio furniture. I filled him up just enough to get through the checkout line and finished in the car.



Overall, my first solo trip was very successful. Here Mallory is showing us her new "seat belt." No matter how many times we tell her it's just a belt or a pants belt, she keeps calling it a seat belt. Oh, and don't overlook that she is lifting up her belly to show us. :)

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We are "those" neighbors

Apparently we have become "those" neighbors. You know, the ones where everyone drives by wondering if the house is abandoned because the yard is so unkempt? OK, so it's not that bad, but with over 15 gardens and 38 trees (I don't know that those are the exact numbers- that is just what the next door neighbor told me - yeah, we are getting to that next), something is bound to go untamed when you have a newborn.



The yard is at least somewhat kept up because we've at least been paying someone to come cut the grass. However, there is a garden around our mailbox and up our driveway that may have gotten a little bit out of control. The funny thing was, I didn't even notice the 6 foot weeds until our wonderful neighbor pointed them out to us. Here is a little visual.









As I was walking to get the mail, the nice mid 80's couple next door was out doing their yard work. He came over and said "I don't want to offend you, but do you mind if I weed your garden?" How is one supposed to respond to that? I thought the proper thing would be to say thanks for the offer but I'll take care of it (probably the response he was looking for too). Then I thought, heck, I'm never going to get around to it, so why not. So I said "have at it." Then he commented that if he would have know it was ok he would have done it along time ago because now it's going to take a long long time. Well maybe you should have asked a long time ago and again, I did not ask you to do this.




Upon getting the full history of when and what owner's planted each tree (all 38 of them) in the yard, he went back to what he was going to "clean up." At first it just started with cutting out the weeds that were growing out of the green bushes. Then he asked if he could just take out all the green bushes (um...no- if you want to call the owner and ask him maybe you can).

Then he moved on to asking if he could trim the tree branches because when they take their walk they had to walk around into the street. I said sure because that annoyed me when I took my walks too. He couldn't stop there though, he had a better idea. Why doesn't he just remove the tree all together. Are you serious??? Did you just ask to cut down a tree in a yard neither of us own??

He kept talking and talking and would go back to "trimming" over and over again. So much that his wife said "enough with the trimming already." Then his wife commented on how great this other garden looked and and wanted to know what I did. Now really, if I don't have the time to upkeep the garden on one side, what makes you think I did anything over on this side??? And sorry, but I think this looks just as bad as the other one.

I honestly have no idea if he'll actually weed our garden, but if he does, I'll follow up with after pictures, or the court story when I come home one day and the tree is gone.

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Real Tears and the First Real Smile

Today were two firsts I noticed for Jared. First of all it made me so sad to see real tears in my baby's eyes, but to be followed up with real smiles made my day. I was talking to him and making kissy sounds (you know the stuff that you realize afterwards makes you feel stupid if anyone were to be watching) and he smiled back at me. I just love how you can see them smile with their eyes.



It's really hard to catch the smile on camera but here is the best shot I could get of his first smiles. He looks a little possessed and he's on a pink chair (if he's anything like his dad he will scarred by this in his future so nobody show him he was in a pink chair), but you get the point (and no it wasn't just gas because I was able to get the same smiles throughout the rest of the day).

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Potty Training

Mallory has been ready for potty training for a while and I have been putting it off because why on earth is anybody excited about potty training? Yeah, no more diapers, but is that so much better than frantically searching for a bathroom the moment you walk into a store? or worrying weather or not you are going to find a puddle of pee in the carseat when they fall asleep on the way home (luckily that hasn't happened yet)? or asking 20 times a day if they have to go potty? or changing clothes and the rug on the floor when they just can't make it there on time? Perhaps this isn't that bad of a deal when you think of the consequences of not ever potty training - I think they would get made fun of it they were still wearing diapers in kindergarten - so I guess all in all it's worth it.



I have been dreading this post because I feel like there is some kind of curse that once you post about something going well then all the stars will all un-align and everything will revert back to some kind of awful situation.



Regardless, I feel like the time has come to post. Two weekends ago we started potty training. To all of you out there that are expecting a second child - I strongly suggest you attempt potty training before having the baby. Seeing as you don't get to pick when nature calls for a 2 year old, rushing to the potty while holding a sleeping baby is not ideal.



Anyway, I had been given mixed advice on how to do this and decided to just go cold turkey to panties. Apparently Eric was not on board with this approach. I believe his exact words were "Why don't we do Pull-Ups? I don't want her running around peeing and pooping all over the furniture." First of all, Pull-Ups feel the same as a diapers and Mallory prefered going in diapers. Second of all, she isn't a dog running around marking her territory and from what I had heard, the accidents were mainly on the first day. So I stuck with my plan and went cold turkey and we also rewarded with jelly beans for pees and chocolate balls for poopies. We switched to grapes after we realized how many times she could make the one little drop tinkles.



Day 1, all morning long we only had one accident and everything was going great. I had an eye appointment so I got her a snack and her new water bottle full of water and headed off to my appointment - big mistake. I came back to six accidents (one of which was on Eric's pants and let me tell you how thrilled about it he was - but hey - it wasn't on the furniture!) and a diaper back on. Everything I had read said that you should never put them back in diapers once you've started this method, so I was a little upset. BUT- it all worked out so I can't complain now, plus we rain out of panties so there wasn't another option. So off I went to the store to buy 20 more pairs of panties. I thought I would entice the process with princess panties. We talked about how we didn't want to pee on the princesses and that actually worked pretty well. That afternoon we only had one more accident.



Day 2, only two accidents, one of which happened because she couldn't get her pants off in time. Great job.



Day 3 was a school day and I was nervous of the outcome. However, to my surprise she was only wet after her nap which was ok because we put her in pull ups (which by the way are NOT easy up and down like they adverstise).



From Day 4 on Mallory got to the point where she was now telling us when she had to go potty (which was good for us because it is easy to get distracted and forget to ask her).



To this day, Mallory makes it through the day and her naps without any accidents. We still put her in diapers at night and most mornings she wakes up dry. Lets hope by posting this that I am not cursed by reversion of the progress we have made thus far.



So to refresh your memory: Potty train before the baby comes, don't leave them with a full water bottle on thier first day, and use a healthy treat because they try and go a lot!

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A Real Parade

As many of you read in previous posts, we have been let down by certain parades in the past. This time it was a real parade, you know, with more than 5 things. However, this one didn't go uneventful. First of all, it had been raining off and on all day. Eric didn't want to go because we were going to get poured on and it wouldn't be worth it. I really wanted him to go though because she gets so excited and I wanted him to be able to enjoy watching her excitement.



The parade started at 4pm and we were rushing to eat our food we got at 3:30 so we could get to the parade on time. The road down to the parade was closed so we had to walk (about a mile). Jared had fallen asleep just before we needed to leave, so luckily he stayed back with Grandma while Eric and I took Mallory to the parade.



Well, have you ever heard the saying, "don't rain on my parade"? Well, our parade didn't get rained on, just our mile walk down there. It didn't just rain, it poured (so of course I heard "I told you so" the whole way there). So we were walking as fast as we could (try pushing a stroller at speed walking pace and hold an umbrella at the same time). You might think we were walking so fast because of the rain, but it was actually because we were running late and the parade had already started. So here we were walking along side the parade the whole way down there, but we had to walk faster than the parade was going in attempt to get to where they were actually throwing candy. Needless to say, we made it down there only missing a few things. As soon as we got there, the sun came out and it stopped raining.

Mallory with Eric.

Mallory really liked the cheerleaders.

The cow ride.

She got really excited about Snoopy. I'm not sure how she even knows who snoopy is.

She was very serious about her waving.

I didn't realize we had left all the candy in the stroller cup on the walk back. About half way back I realized she was eating it. She had picked the biggest lollipop and was going to town. I asked her what she was doing and she said she had sniped some candy.

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Diet

So I'm sure this caught your eye because your typical diet is not something I need. However, Jared was having some pretty bad nights and I wasn't able to pinpoint if it was triggered by food, so in my desire to find out, I ate the exact same thing for 5 days straight. After having 5 great nights, I slowly starting adding things back in one by one. This diet was egg, soy, dairy, wheat, gluten, dye, and corn free. I'm sure you are all now wondering what the heck I ate. I will tell you I was overwhelmed at first, so I came up with a meal plan to make sure I had something to eat and that it had enough calories so I didn't rot away to nothing. Here is what I ate. It was 3700 calories (upped from 3000 the first day when I realized it wasn't enough) and 108 grams of protein.



Strawberry Banana Rice Protein Shake

4 pieces of turkey bacon

hash browns



Allergy free Cinnamon sugar donut

Simply Natural Fruit Rollup

Sunbutter Rice Krispies



Turkey, Ham, Salami

Sea Salt and Vinegar Kettle Chips

Watermelon

Lemonade



Peanut butter on Rice Chex

apple

Annies Fruit Snacks



Chicken, Rice Pasta, Cucumber, Olive Oil and Vinegar Salad

Lemonade



Strawberries, banana, walnuts



You would think I would have gotten sick of eating this but surprisingly I didn't, and it was nice not to have to think about what to eat.



The bad news is that in adding things back in, corn and wheat both caused him to have really stuffy noses and uncomfortable nights. I have yet to be brave enough to try dairy and soy because I fear the night I will have to endure, so for now I have continued to leave those out. Stay tuned to find out the results for that.

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Did you know?

I have learned so much being a parent, I thought I'd make sure everyone else was as knowledgeable as I am.

Did you know:

1) You can eat a piece of raw turkey bacon and not get sick? I turned around the other day and Mallory was eating it out of the package. Unlike 90% of most turkey bacon, this was not pre-cooked. Luckily we were not up all night in the bathroom as I was anticipating.

2) Getting one good family picture is nearly impossible. Mallory has needed a picture for school for weeks now and I cannot get one no matter how hard a try. Either one is screaming, crying, or their eyes are closed. This is the best one we can get.

3) It is impossible to have an infant and not find spit up on the floor, couch, or bed. Even with a burp cloth, somehow there are always hard spots you walk or sit on that you don't know how they got there (Don't worry, I clean it up and sanitize it when I do find it, so don't be afraid to come to my house for fear of uncleanliness). Don't mind the crazy picture, it's meant to show the spit up I noticed on the floor while I was looking at the pictures.

4) Apparently the best way to eat soup is to drink the broth first. However, you don't just drink the broth. The best way to do it is to take all the noodles, veggies, and chicken out and set them on the counter first.

5) Some kids will pick the tomato right off the plant and eat it like an apple. Who knew? But how cute is Natalie?

6) If one kid is getting to be with a parent, the other one must do the same thing. Mallory has a Daddy hold Jared radar. She senses when he is about to hold him and immediately wants to be held.

7) Some kids are just cuter than others. I don't think they get cuter than this. Future Rockies player?

8) It's ok if water gets in their face as long as they are the ones doing it. If even one drop gets on their face when you wash their hair it's the end of the world. Maybe this is just Mallory, but seriously, you should hear the commotion when I get water on her face.

9) No matter how many times you tell them not to drink the bath water they don't listen.

10) Kids say things that make you laugh.

Me: You are so pretty.

Mallory: Yes I am.

Me: Mallory can you hand Mommy her phone please?

Mallory: I can't right now because my hands are full (as she is holding nothing).

Me: Mallory please don't pull all your toys out of the bathtub, Mommy just cleaned.

Mallory: Sorry Mom, I just have to, but I still love you.

Me: Oh you think so?

Mallory: I think so.

Her latest phrases are "Not Yet", "Where am I supposed to sit?" and "Please wait."

11) Sleep deprivation makes you do crazy things. A few examples include buying two bottles of shampoo instead of a shampoo and conditioner, getting out of the shower with shampoo in your hair, forgetting to boil the honey and water before pouring it on the baklava (yeah that turned out soggy), putting your clothing on inside out and not realizing it until half way through the day, going into public with spit up down your back because you didn't know it was there, and my favorite is seeing Eric putting on my t-shirt and not realizing it until it was on.

12) Last, you will try many things to get a baby to stop crying, including dancing, singing, humming, shushing, bouncing, putting them in the car seat and swinging it all over the house, sitting in the 100 degree humidity, and even playing rap music. Again, I wonder if all parents do this stuff or if it's just us, but nonetheless, picturing other parents (even the most proper of proper) taking care of a baby is enough to humor me. I mean, come on, doesn't it make you laugh to picture Eric holding a tiny baby trying to bounce him to sleep while singing "Alphabet Parade" into his ear?

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Red Lobster

I forgot to post this story a while ago, but during our visit with Grandpa, Ryan brought the story up again and I couldn't help but post it. About 4 months ago we were eating at Red Lobster when this occured. Now why anyone would think this was funny to do to a 2 year old is beyond me, but it never fails that something like this happens when we are at restaurants.

While waiting for our table, Mallory was enjoying looking into the tank of all the live lobsters. This older man came over and said hi to Mallory, then stuck his hand near the top of the tank and pulled out his hand quickly while yelling "Owe!" To Mallory's horror, the man was missing two fingers. She was so scared she quickly went to Eric for comfort. Seriously? Who does that to a sweet innocent two year old? I guess she won't be sticking her hand near a tank anytime soon.

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Grandpa Confusion

So we kept telling Mallory that Grandpa was coming to see her, but no matter how many times we told her it was a different Grandpa than was at the beach, she was still confused when she went downstairs in the morning to see Grandpa. Although this wasn't the snack giving Grandpa Foster, it didn't take her long to warm up to Grandpa Holway and Cathy. We attempted to get pictures but you know how that goes. Here are the best of them.

Grandpa Holway, Aunt Lisa, Mallory, and Natalie

Mallory in her new princess house from Grandpa and Cathy.

I saved this one for last because it shows the true spirit of a Grandpa. If you can't get them to take a picture the way you want it, join in and do it their way.

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Little Old Man

As you can see, Jared is losing his hair. The best part is that he has lost all his hair in the front...

But still has hair in the back and this little piece that sticks up on top. Reminds me of a little bird or a little old man.

Ok, so he's way cuter than a bald old man. But you get the point.

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Free Dog!

Free wheat colored, 16lb, pure miniature schnauzer. Disclaimer: No returns for pooping on the floor, waking up sleeping babies, barking at outside noises, chewing up the bathroom trash, or running away.

He will give you all the adventure and fun you've ever wanted. Picture this: stepping outside onto the porch to relax on the nice porch swing with your baby. As you open the door, the dog runs out and quickly runs into the next yard. You immediately run back into the house, attempt to put on the sling with a screaming baby so you can run off to find your now missing dog. You find a house with someone outside (generally where he runs off to) and think, YES!, I didn't have to go far. Unbeknownst to you, they just thought it was the neighbors dog. If the neighbors dog is in your yard...you should stop him! That's just plain good neighbor etiquette. Anyway, you continue on your search in the heat and humidity with a 15lb baby slung to your chest with a black sling. Again, who needs to work out??? A half a mile later, you find him pooping in some one's yard. He couldn't have done it when you didn't see him so you wouldn't feel guilty about not cleaning. Nooo, but of course you have nothing with you to clean it up, because why would he poop in the middle of the day when he never does that. So you pick it up with your hand...haha ok, gross, you don't do that. For now you leave it, and since you didn't think to bring a leash on your search, you thought you add to the adventure by having to scream your dog's name the whole half mile back to get him to come. In attempt to get him to stop marking, you give him a little tap on the bottom with your shoe, just in time for him to move and pee all over your leg. You finally get him back to the house, only to walk back another half mile to clean up the nice present he left behind. The nice aroma from the heat on the walk back just makes you remember how much you love this little dog. Oh, and don't forget that when you get back home, you'll be happy to walk in and find that in that time you were gone, the dog puked all over the floor, walked through, and tracked it through the house. Now you get to start the adventure of a bath while holding a 1 month old, of course after you've cleaned up the mess...

Now if this hasn't convinced you that you want this dog, I don't know what will. You won't find another companion as adventurous as this one, all for the low low price of free.

If you take him now within the next 30 minutes, I'll even include the stand at your feet and eat anything you drop for free! Ok, apparently I've been watching QVC too much, but seriously, these are the days that a dog makes you want to pull your hair out!

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1 through 20

I don't know if it's because I was a math major, work with numbers, or it's simply a "mom" way of looking at things, but throughout my day I feel like I'm constantly quantifying our life. Here is the Holway 1-20.



1 - The number of chocolate balls Mallory is allowed to have in a day and the average lbs Jared
gains per week.

2 - How many times per day Roscoe is supposed to get fed and the average number of days
between washing a load of diapers.

3 - The average number of times Roscoe wakes up Jared each day by shaking his collar (and the
average number of times a day I consider getting rid of a dog).

4- The average number of hours I spend a day pacing around bouncing an almost 15lb kid (who
needs to work out when you have a kid to lug around all day?)

5- The number of times a day I have to remind Mallory we never touch Jared with anything on
the head.

6- The number of feet Mallory can hit a golf ball.

7 - The number of loads of laundry per week (more in the winter or during potty training) and
the average time Mallory wakes up each morning.

8 - The number of times I go outside to sit on the swing each day in attempt to get Jared to stop
crying.

9 - The time we try to get Mallory down to sleep at night.

10- The number of diapers Jared goes through in a day.

11 - The number of times per day we hear Mallory say she needs a snack.

12- The average number of times I walk up the stairs each day and the average time Eric is gone
each day for work/school.

13 - The number of years from now that our student loans will be paid off.

14 - The number of vitamins Mallory gets per week. Her new vitamins are two times a day
(thankfully because she likes them so much she thinks they are candy and constantly asks
for them).

15 -The number of years before Mallory will graduate high school.

16 - The number of toys Mallory feels is necessary to get out to play with at one time.

17 - The number of years we will have been married when we turn 40!

18 -The age when Mallory can have a boyfriend. :)

19 - The number of times a week I dream about opening a pre-school. (one day I will!)

20 - The number of times a day I ask Mallory if she has to use the potty.

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Unsolved Mysteries

I feel like I am constantly wondering what or why about things I'll never know the answer to. Here are a few examples.

Why do people feel the need to false advertise? Wouldn't a happy lifetime customer be a better goal than a one time purchaser? You tell me if the one on the left "looks and feels" just like regular underwear. To me it's just a diaper with a pretty design.

What the heck are these? Every time I sit on the porch swing I wonder what these are. I have a feeling it's nothing cool and they are just going to fall one day and get caught in the lawnmower.

Here is the picture of the two tomatoes (yes, I only got two good tomatoes off my plant because it got frosted early on).

Oh wait, that's right, something ate one of the two tomatoes. Nothing touched it up to this point. Were they just waiting for the perfect ripe tomato?

So I want to know who ate it and had the audacity to waste half of it! What causes something like this? Is it a spider, a mosquito, or some other bug? There were five but this was the only one that really swelled and stayed red after one day.

Last, why do people give the dumbest answers on Family Feud. Name something wild people do at a party. Answer: Wears a lampshade on their head. Really? If you were going for $20K do you really think that's something people would say???? This is why I am not meant for daytime TV.

Although there are many more, I won't waste anymore of your time. Have a great week.

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Mallory's First French Braid

It only took a chocolate ball, two jelly beans, and two attempts to get Mallory's first french braid. My guess is that it maybe stayed in until lunch time...I'll find out when I pick her up from school today. She is growing up way too fast!

And Jared's just way to cute not to throw in a picture of him. (5 weeks)

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The TuTu

About two months ago, MiMi and Grandpa Foster sent Mallory a box of goodies, one of which was a tutu. With everything so crazy I didn't have a chance to have her put it on. Last night, after 2 days, I finally convinced her to put it on (she thinks you put it on to jump on the bed). Anyway, I captured these pictures and now she asks to see her "crazy" picture anytime she see the camera.

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Life Skills

I turned around from changing Jared's diaper and this is what she was doing... but don't worry, she saved one for Mommy because she was sharing. So there you have it, two life skills all in 5 minutes, pumping and sharing.

...

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The Ducks

It's a big ordeal now for me to take and pick up Mallory from school since it involves getting Jared out of the car and then getting all her stuff and her back in the car - and did I mention this is all being timed because you have about 30 seconds of a stopped car before Jared starts screaming. With that said, this is a real challenge, especially since Mallory has to do the buckle on the car seat herself. Now that I have prefaced the situation, I can move on to the real point of this story, the ducks.



Yesterday the joy of picking Mallory up came with rain. It didn't rain all day, I swear it was just the 5 minutes I had to pick her up. I was parked in the first spot so I had her stand just outside the door so she didn't get wet while I put Jared in the car. I kept hearing her let out her high pitched squeal but I thought it was just because she stepped out too far from the awning and was getting a few drops on her. As I came around the front of the car to get her, she was running in circles because there were two little ducks following her. I couldn't help but laugh, seriously, where did ducks come from in the 30 seconds I took me to get him in the car??

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