Picking On Someone My Own Size

Every time - and I mean *every* time - my mom and I are in the same room, the discussion inevitably turns to height. There is a constant need to determine who is tallest, or rather, who is shortest, since that is the least enviable status. We will visit for hours without the subject coming up, but as soon as we begin to depart, the following scene takes place:

We will be saying our goodbyes at the door when Mom will turn to hug me, and will say, "How did you get so short?" I will argue that we're the same height, and then before you can blink an eye, our shoes are off and we are standing back-to-back, surrounded by various witnesses who are crouched down so that our heads are at their eye level. If my sister is with us, then she will be subjected to the same routine. Of course, we never come to a final agreement on who is the shortest, as there are usually many accusations of poofy hair, or some other obstacle to an accurate measurement.

(Yes, we could use a tape measurer and measure our individual heights and then compare them, but where is the fun in that?)

The last time Mom came up to visit, the brouhaha was just beginning when Jay announced he had finally had enough. (He has only had to deal with it for 9 years ... I've been dealing with it all my life, the lightweight!) Jay went to the garage and came back with a gargantuan level. We stood back to back, had the level placed across our heads, and had pictures taken of the result:

Huh. Turns out I *am* the shortest after all.

(Although, if you look closely, you'll see that Mom's hair is much poofier than mine... I'm sure it affected the outcome....)

School Holidays Make Me Happy

Oh, how I am loving President's Week! I never realized how much I would love breaks from school, but I think it's possible that I enjoy them even more than the girls do. I love having all my kids home, safe and happy under our roof. And I must admit, I really love the lack of a schedule. I stay in my pajamas until Cal's morning nap, and it is heaven! (Although the Girl Scouts who delivered our cookies and the neighbors who see me run out to check the mail in the morning might disagree.) It's possible that by the end of the week I will be happy to send the girls back to school, but I sort of doubt it.

Have I mentioned that the weather here has been gorgeous? I am sure that is contributing to my happy President's Week mood.

Another thing that is contributing to my happy mood is that our good friends, the Oler's, came to visit! It was wonderful to see them. We ran around Sacramento, battled the crowd at Fairytale Town, boogied the night away at a church dance, and ate way too many cinnamon rolls. I loved having them here. Dexter loved it, too... he has asked about them every day since they left. He hasn't added them to his prayer list* yet, but I'm sure that's coming.

(*Dexter's prayers almost always go something like this; "Heavenly Father, keep this day. Papa come back, Grandma come back, Daddy come back. Jesus Christ amen.")

Here are Joyce and I, ready to leave for the dance. Surprisingly enough, the theme was not "Polka Dots," it was "Dancing with the Stars." We might not have had Oscar-worthy ball gowns, but we did get to ride in the 'Rolla, so we were feeling pretty fancy.

I think we looked pretty cute, if I do say so myself. It was either those outfits, or these:

I think we made the right choice.

Happy President's Week, everyone! And in the words of Dexter, "Oler's come back!"

What We've Been Up To

Dexter in time out

(kidding! We have a much smaller castle for time-outs)

Dexter in happier times (must be the haircut!)

One of Cal's latest obsessions ... climbing into random containers

See?!

(nothing cuter than a baby in a box!)

Cal's also been throwing things away lately... things like shoes and much-beloved personalized water bottles. And of course we didn't figure out what was going on until it was too late and the garbage was already rotting away in a landfill.

*Constant Vigilance!*

Bea celebrating 100 days of school ... complete with the obligatory macaroni noodle poster board (not pictured)

Matchy-matchy, cuteness squared!

The girls are really into matching lately. It's a very sweet phase, I must say. I am so glad they love each other. Here's hoping it carries into the teenage years.

Top Ramen chest hair.

What more needs to be said?

Seems Like Just Yesterday ...

... that I was blogging about Natalie's first encounter with the tooth fairy.

Now, it's Bea's turn:

Congratulations, kiddo. Here's hoping (against all odds) that you won't need an orthodontist in the future, unlike your dentally-challenged parents.

Yeah, yeah, I know. Wishful thinking.

(P.S. - I feel I must apologize for the poor photos as of late. My camera has been out of battery juice since Christmas, and I have been too lazy to charge it. Plus, I'd have to find the camera first, so .... there you go. I've been using my phone instead, and although my phone is quite awesome in all other respects, the camera is seriously lacking. Or perhaps it's the oh-so-fantastic lighting in my living room, which is "enhanced" by the circa 1978 dark wood paneling. Could be.)

Out with the old ...

See these?

They're outta here!

(and so is the expense of formula!)

Hooray!

Now we just have to get rid of diapers, and trust me, I will be celebrating that day. I am seriously contemplating a party to commemorate the occasion... formal attire required, of course. When the day comes, we will have had 8+ straight years of diapers. If the end of the reign of Luvs isn't a formal occasion, then I don't know what is.

The Dark Side

From Director Jay Fear comes the thrilling tale of

Darth Dexter

Enjoy!

We Wish You a Fuzzy Christmas!

Christmas was wonderful! A day full of family, fun, and food ... what can be better than that?!?

Unfortunately, I won't be able to show you much of it because our camera was out of memory and the only pictures I took were on my new Christmas present (an iPhone!), which turned out pretty fuzzy and/or dark since I'm apparently a technology dunce.

Oh well. I was able to capture a few moments, but frankly I don't feel up to uploading them right now. Feeling lazy after weeks of Christmas prep and other responsibilities, I suppose. What I will show you is this:

Everyone's favorite present, the trampoline from Papa! There was much happiness all around when it was revealed (set up temporarily in the garage).

Later in the day, it was moved outside:

Then, it was placed in the hole Jay and his brother Jack dug out of the hillside over the last few weeks. (We had to tell the girls we were digging for a garden....)

Then, the enclosure was added (thanks, Jack & Chris, who did all the work!), and the jumping commenced!

We've only taken a break for Sunday, but you can trust that on Monday we'll be out there, bouncing again. It has definitely been the hit of Christmas! Thanks, Papa! Now we just need to get to weeding the backyard, creating a path to the trampoline, etc. By summer, I hope it is a place that the kids will gladly spend the majority of their days. :) I'm sure I won't be a stranger to the trampoline, either ...

Sometimes words aren't necessary...

(But close-ups are!)

Thanks, Macio & Aunt Kate!