Holiday Cheer, Muppets Style

Thank you Muppets!
I have already found some of my lost Christmas cheer thanks to you and all your silly silliness.
The kids and I were driving home last night and I turned on the radio station that plays Christmas music starting the day after Halloween.
Guess what was on?
John Denver and The Muppets singing The 12 days of Christmas.
Somewhere around the 6th verse Dubs let out a little giggle.
Then Dubs and Beano both laughed a little louder.
By the ends of the song everyone in the car was belling laughing, even Baby Cakes.
It felt so good!
Thank you Muppets, I knew I loved you for a reason!

Validation

Today I took all 4 heathens to Costco.

By myself

I know, I know, I'm just like Super Woman!

They are convinced we go there exclusively for the free samples.

Groceries? Who needs 'em?

They can spot an old lady with a hair net a mile away.

As soon as they see one they are jumping up and down practically dragging me and my cart over to the tasty morsel.

Even baby Cakes has discovered the hidden treasures that those shiny metal stands can hold.

Over the last few years I have worked very hard to teach my kids to be patient and quiet when they see the shiny metal tables and rubber gloves dishing out tasty treats.

If they are extra naughty and loud I have been known to leave the store without letting them sample even one crumb of the delicacies.

They really hate that so most of the time they are on good behavior.

They do still let me know as soon as one is in sight.

Then they have ants in their pants until I finally mosey on over to their afternoon snack.

Today a small miracle happened.

We rounded the corner to come face to face with a large tray of miniature granola bars.

Beano looked up at me with his big blue eyes and asked me ever so tenderly if he could please have a sample. I gave him and Doodle my consent and they picked up their snack as I grabbed one for Dubs and Baby.

But here's the thing. They both picked it up between their thumbs and pointer fingers, with their pinkies slightly extended.

Doodle proceeded to curtsy delicately as Sam bowed his head and they said in unison,

"Thank you!"

OK, OK, they did not really bow and curtsy, but for those few moments they were perfect children.

It could have been a commercial for free samples.

It was a truly beautiful moment.

They have also learned that if they tell the sample lady thank you sometimes they are invited to take another taste.

(Little do they know it's the big beautiful eyes, not the words, cuz it never works for me)

So after they said thank you the sample lady looked at me and said,

" Thank you for being a wonderful mother!"

What? Me? Well, um, thanks!

I tried to stammer some response of that sort as I pushed our cart onto the next isle.

But then I got to thinking, it was really nice of that lady to say that to me.

She does not know me from Adam, yet she took the time to say a kind word. Maybe she was the mother to 4 small children once and knows how seldom we busy mothers hear a word of praise about the work we do.

Regardless, it really brightened my spirits.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm really doing that great, it seems like a constant battle.

I think we all need to be more like that free sample lady at Costco.

When we see something that we think is good, we need to verbalize it.

We need to let our friends know when they are doing a great job.

We need to do more lifting of spirits instead of tearing each other down.

So this incident made me think about this video I had seen on my friend Lara's blog a while ago and I just had to share.

Warning: It is a tad cheesy. Just pretend it's normal for bearded men to tell perfect strangers how beautiful and amazing they are. And also, the moment when he finds her in the passport photo shop is priceless!

Happy watching!
P.S. I think you are all amazing and beautiful and I am in awe of all your many talents!

There consider yourself validated!

America's Funniest Home Videos

I was looking through old pictures this morning with the kids. There is a picture I have been hunting for to go with a blog post that has been writing itself inside my head for the past few days.

We ended up watching home videos for a about an hour instead. I still have not found the picture. Sad.

Then we stumbled across this video. I had totally forgotten all about it.

It was so hilarious we could not help but watch it 500 times. We were laughing so hard tears were streaming down our faces.

I don't really know if it's as funny as I think it is.

You know how it is, when someone makes a big deal about how funny something is and then you see it and you're like, "That was lame!"

Well this may be lame to you, but to me is was classic.

This video was taken August 14, 2007, nearly 2 years ago.

Beano had come in the house with a handful of bolts and screws and told me he did not want his training wheels anymore. When I went out side I discovered he had taken them off all by himself and that we was riding the bike solo.

He totally robbed his dad of the inherent right of the first bike ride ceremony. He did not get to talk and laugh with his boy as together, they took off the training wheels. He did not get to sit him down and show him how to stear or what to do if he were headed for a tree (or his mom). He did not get to run behind the bike holding onto the the seat, then let go to see the magic that was his boy riding solo.

Nope, none of that.

In the blink of an eye we went from sweet little 3 year old tricycle riding boy to big boy riding all by himself, no help from anyone. Literally.

The first few rides were a little rocky. In fact I was sure that at any moment he would get too frustrated and just give up, but he never did. We have about 10 videos of him crashing, then getting frustrated, then getting right back on. This experience was one of the first that showed me just how much stick-to-itive-ness this sweet little boy has.

He has the determination of a hungry bear.

P.S. I was very pregnant with Baby Cakes in this video, viewer beware!

The Future of Food

This little video is quite eye opening and frankly, scary. It really is a shame how much red tape and politics have taken over our food supply. Whatever happened to farmers planing seeds and selling the fruits of their labors?

I guess those good old days are gone.

This video is about an hour and a half, but well worth the time.

Here is the link to watch online if you can't get the video to play.

So now the question is, what are we going to do about this?

*Visit local farmer's markets this summer and support your local farmer.

* Know the legislation about food and be involved.

*Write letters to your congressmen about hot food topics.

*Get invloved and make your voice heard.

It's our future.

Some of my favorite lines were (these are paraphrases, not exact quotes):

"Let's watch the American children for the next 10 years before we buy into this Genetically Engineered food." -China

"Our Children are NOT lab rats!"

"This is a Nation by the people and for the people. We have the rights and means to take it back!"

Do you ever look around your house and think, "Where on earth did all this stuff come from?"

or

"I can't keep track of all my stuff"

or

"Why can't the kids keep all their stuff out of my nice clean living room?"

I have these thoughts all the time. We are bombarded with stuff.

Sometimes it makes me crazy.

Sometimes it makes me want to just throw it all away and just be content in my space with my family and my good food.

As you all remember our camera was involved in a fatal accident a few months ago.

We still have not replaced it.

Our alarm clock broke about 2 months ago.

Still no new alarm clock.

My bread mixer choked a month ago too.

I may never buy a new one.

Now our projector we use for watching T.V.s and movies has died and the warranty has expired.

We have decided to wait at least a year before we consider buying a new one.

We will be T.V. and movie-less for a year, at least.

And you know what, we are OK with that.

We just don't NEED all that stuff we have convinced our selves that we can't live without.

Cause guess what, we really can.

People have been around and happy for thousands of years without cameras or mixers or alarm clocks.

The sun will continue to rise and we will continue to breath without them.

I know, I get weirder by the second, don't remind me.

Watch this video, it may change the way you think about stuff too.

99 Balloons

Check out this video I found about an amazing little boy, Eliot. I just hope you are not wearing makeup, if you are, I dare you not to cry.

TRIPLE DOG DARE YOU!!!

When you are done go find your kids and cuddle them for a long, long time and kiss them a lot.

They are truly all little miracles and I love mine dearly!

No Words

This is my nephew Josh and his cute Fiance, Tiffany. They are going to school in Cedar City but decided to make a trip home this week end just to see me and my kids.

Wasn't that nice?

Josh's parents live here too and I'm sure it was not sheer torture to see them, since they were here, but we all know he came to see my kids. After all, my kids are the

cutest and the funnest.

No offence Laura, Steve, Mike and Lisa. It's just one of those facts of life we have all accepted and we have moved on.

Let's take a closer look shall we?

Notice anything unusual about this photo?

Besides the fact that they are not her parents.

Besides the fact that Doodle looks exactly like a mini Mr Bird, complete with crooked smile and steel blue eyes.

I'll give you a hint, look at Doodle's teeth.

Got it?

Lots of little baby teeth that are getting too small for her ever growing mouth.

Now take a look at this picture that was taken less than 2 hours later.

That's right! Doodle lost her first top tooth!

Her tooth has been loose for a while, but just barely. The last couple of days it has gotten loser, but still not loose enough to pull out. This afternoon we were watching General Conference. Doodle was playing with her tooth as she sat next to me (more like on top of me) on the love sac.

She kept wanting me to wiggle it. Now mind you I have a weak stomach when it comes to things like this. I very gently wiggled it, making sure it would not go too far and, heaven forbid, come out in my fingers.

*gag*

Then she wanted me to try to pull it out. Again, very gingerly I gave it a weak tug. Then Beano who had come over to see the excitement piped up and said with a sparkle in his eye,

"Let me try!"

I thought surely he was not strong enough to do any damage.

Boy was I wrong.

He got a good grip on that tooth and yanked with all his might. Even as Doodle was screaming he held fast to that tooth.

The next thing I know Doodle is up like a flash and running in the bathroom for a tissue. She put it to her mouth and a strange look came over her face.

She moved the tissue away from her mouth and said with a thrill in her voice, "Beano pulled my tooth out!"

Then she said, "Thanks Beano! But I'm never letting you do that AGAIN!"

Sure enough, in that bloody (*gag*) tissue was a tiny baby tooth.

Suddenly her whole babyness flashed before my eyes. I felt so sad. My Doodle is growing up. I remember when she got that cute baby tooth. It was her third to come in and now her third to come out (she has lost her 2 bottom teeth as well, her grown up teeth have already come in down there).

She just will not listen to me when I tell her to stop growing.

Doesn't she know life only gets harder? She should want to be my little girl forever.

But alas, my baby girl, my only little princess is growing and changing.

I wish I could describe how that feels.

There are just no words.

Now for your viewing pleasure, enjoy this clip of Doodle trying to learn to talk with a gap in her teeth. (Don't forget to scroll all the way down to the bottom of my blog and turn off the music so you can hear the video)

Are Horses Vegetarians?

OK, I can admit when I'm wrong. Take a look at this one of a kind horse!

I thought I'd never see a horse eat a cheese burger! But do you blame him? I would not want to live my whole life without one either!

Go patches!