I can't sleep...

And so now, at 1:00 in the morning I am finding myself pondering modern day religious persecution. Not really something that is going to put me to sleep. If anything I get even more fired up and it really doesn't help the 'I need to be drowsy' vibe I am trying to induce. SO. I have thrown in the towel.... And here I am thinking. I almost want to sit in the middle of a room and whine "Why can't we all just get along?"

What a day. Week even. If anyone has copies of the Articles of Faith- the cute little cards... please mail me at least five to keep in my purse and one extra to tape to my forehead. Maybe then people will understand that I, Miriam Elisabeth Grantham Stolle, am, as a matter of fact- Christian... Do you think it will work? No matter how many times I have said it, that big detail gets glossed over (eliminated really) and it goes back to soda (not caffeine oddly enough) and what others think I do and do not understand about my own religion. Nice eh?

Thank goodness break is only two days away!! At least this isn't persecution. More like a little bump in the day. Can you imagine being a pioneer?

Well- I may not know everything, we all know that's true... But I do know I believe in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I believe the Gospel has been fully restored. And yes, Joseph Smith was and is a true prophet of God- no matter how many times I am made fun of for that I still believe it.

PS. This subject- religion outside of church- is a fine line to walk. I think that's why there is a sign posted up at school specifically saying "Don't talk about the following thing:grievous law breaking...other people... religion... relationships... etc." What hair stylist haven't I heard talk about this stuff?

(Although, I agree with the sign... work is just not the place. Usually;)

A Good Night

On most Tuesday and Wednesday nights if you are looking for me I am at school...

Usually with nothing to do but stare at my mannequin and question myself as to whether or not I really want to give her another perm, highlights, blow dry or maybe a base color, retouch, or relaxer. Hmmmm. Cuts are out of the question because she costs $25 bucks to replace and I need her around at least another month before I can afford another one.

I don't like my mannequin. I really really don't like my mannequin.

She's boring, plastic, has sparkles in her hair, thread is some spots instead of hair, and a sign that reads "This mannekin's hair boiled 6 hours. No life louse is on this mannekin- made in China" and her head wobbles on her stand. And her stare is disconcerting. Really. "No Life Louse" - how gross is that? Just the idea. I don't like lice. And it's one of my biggest fears which is ridiculous because most people get it or have already had it. More than once. Myself included. But a daily reminder? Spare me.

So imagine my great relief when I showed up at school- and had a client request! (That means she asked for ME!) This is one of my favorite clients. Yes, I have turned her hair pink. And blond, brown, red, and sometimes all of those at the same time. And on purpose (except the pink.... but I fixed it, same day, in less than 10 minutes.)
-You are more than welcome to laugh at me- She's fun and forgiving and for whatever reason she seems to think I do a good job! (That's probably why she's a favorite!) So I gave her a cut, and set an appointment to color her hair on Friday (YAY!!) and as we were finishing.... Another CLIENT! WooHOO!!

I was so excited! What a great, rare day! There have been times when I have spent a full 8 hrs at school and my name never came up in the rotation simply for lack of walk ins... So this was exciting for me to have two previous clients come in. And the fun ones! I love cuts and colors! I don't know if I could have faced Botox Barbie (my mannequin) again tonight.

I'm Trying To WIN a CONTEST

So... If I put a link on here to a website I get my name put in a drawing for free food storage goodies...

www.shelfreliance.com is a website that has loads of food storage stuff. If I had all the money in the world I would buy all of their freeze dried fruit. The first time I had any was at Time Out for Women about a year ago... and I fell in love. YUMMO

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That's all. Take a peek if you are interested!

Cute Mikayla! Third Blog of the Night...

And here we have BIG SISTER!! She went with Randy and some students to the 'El Dia de Los Muertos' celebration held at the Cheekwood Botanical Gardens. As far as I can tell Mik LOVED it. She made all sorts of crafts, and played all day with one of her favorite friends- Jonah. Jonah's dad and Randy teach together and I do believe Mik really admires Jonah... she always wants to do what he is doing whenever they are together (He's a bit older and very patient and sweet to her.)

Mik is showing off her Halloween costume- Mommy never quite got around to the planned Snow White costume (thank goodness Mik was set on wearing her old one!) and so she wore her new fairy costume-the $5.99 special at Children's Place! She is also very proud of the pumpkin she and Dad carved because it has headphones!

All Grown UP (with pics!!)

Wow... On Sunday Rowan turned 10 months old! As most of you know I get seriously upset watching my babies grow up. Both of my kids have snuggled their way into the deepest reaches of my heart and I find myself wanting to make time stand still. Alas, this is not to be.

Check out my mini-man! What a cute baby and now all grown up! He can walk a teeny bit despite my lack of encouragement (I DO cheer him on when I see him do it... no DIScouraging I promise.) And he eats more than Mikayla sometimes. He has 7 teeth, handled the flu vaccine MUCH better than big sister (she cried for two hours afterward vs. Row's 2 minutes...oh, not supposed to compare my children huh?), can say 'hello' 'mama' and 'dada.' He waves with hello making it uber cute... the babysitter saw and heard it too and since she is a mother herself I know I'm not making it up. Sometimes I hear things my children say that no one else can...and then question my sanity.




There are more pics on my last post-but because I write to much it's on the older posts page.. oops!

And So It Begins

Here we are- WRESTLING SEASON! While I'm not super hyped up about it I think Randy is. He is at 'camp' this very minute getting ready to blast the boys out of bed for a milliion mile run. Ugh! Can you imagine?

On to happier things- Our babies! I dug the camera out of my bag and will now proceed to post pictures!

You'll find Mik and Row at Sam's sharing the cart- They both think this is amazing and love to maul each other the whole time they spend in the cart. You'll also see Jeff (cousin) and Mik being goofy, Rowan stuck under the stroller (trying desperately to retrieve his soccer ball), and the last picture is my greatest triumph...lawn wise anyway. I threw grass seed out on the lawn, pretty much disregarding that huge list of instructions found on the bag(I did fertilize) and I now have slightly less patchy grass!






Awesome eh? Oh, the scary lady is my anti-coupon sister Rachelle. In all reality she's one of the most photogenic Grantham children. Really.

I WILL Survive

Ah...life at cosmetology school has been more than interesting. Remember those good ol' days at BYU-I where drugs, sex and/or casual sex, pornography, homosexuality, stealing candy from babies, and ordering from Domino's on Sunday were your basic "No, that's not OK" items? I knew then I lived in a bubble and I was happy with it. Sometimes annoyed but still happy. I also knew that one day I would venture out of the bubble. And here I am- out of my bubble. This is what it's like now:

Lyle's School of Hair Design had a field trip to a hair show in Birmingham, AL. I bought my ticket and was getting excited to go

... BUT....

I was so nervous to leave the kids for such a long time -Sat, Sun, AND Monday. To top it off I'm also still breastfeeding (you really wanted to know that didn't you?) via a pump (you really didn't want to know that I'm sure) and I have never left either of my children for any extended period of time (I'm attached!) and (I love parenthesis).

AND to strain those nerves just a little bit more let me introduce problem number two- I soon came to realize that my hotel room was meant to be with my classmates... No big deal. Except I go to school with women AND men.

Blessings and curses come in threes right? Well so do problems! My ride approached me the day before the trip and let me know my classmates were bringing some things to smoke (not cigarettes) and thought I would want to be aware of this before we left. While I most definitely appreciated the heads up I also found myself at a loss of what to do. I don't even know the legalities but I imagine if the driver was pulled over, and the cop happened to find pot I couldn't claim "I didn't inhale" and expect the legal system to really believe me... And that I would be just as guilty for being in the presence of it... It's not like a breathalyzer or something similar can test for that right? Who knows? Don't tell me... I don't really care. Not going to be my problem.

All of these issues became apparent within a fifteen minute interval of time... the solution was obviously simple:

I decided that I would just skip the trip. I wanted to go, but there is no justifying any of those things.

And a room with men... puhleeeze. How gross and completely wrong and inappropriate is that? Even if I weren't married it's still not OK. Sheesh... My classmates had a very hard time wrapping their heads around that one. Very few grasped the reasoning behind my stance on the matter.

Oh Bubble Where Art Thou?

Long story short- Randy came with me. He knew I wanted to go, but he knew I couldn't. The relief I felt when I decided not to go can't even match the joy I had knowing that I could spend the weekend with him AND the kids AND go to the show! It was his Fall Break and we found a hotel for 25 bucks. TWENTY FIVE BUCKS! We left at 5 a.m. so that we only had to stay one night, packed our own food, and went to Birmingham! The kids loved it, Randy is my hero, and I learned some pretty wicked awesome things at the hair show (a convention of sorts where I can spend large sums of money and/or take lots of classes on hair and it's many surrounding topics- I opted for classes)

AND- we were well rested. While my classmates were out until 2 a.m., Randy, Row, Mikayla and I were holed away and asleep by 8:30 pm. They are my bubble. Self made yes, but a beautiful safe haven that I treasure. I love my family and I love that we can be our own little fortress in this world we live in. Without my family I don't think I could survive. I love knowing that I have to put my best foot forward for them each day. All of them are my motivators (you too Mom and Dad!) and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them. Families are what it's all about. They are what matters most. The best part of my day is leaving school to go home- to see my babies snuggled up in bed, or when Mikayla comes racing up to me for a hug and kiss, or Rowan putting his arms up in the air for a 'touchdown' and Randy with his big hugs (and sometimes dinner too!) This is the life!


As a side note- let it be known that while I may not do as my classmates do, or live like some of them live I truly enjoy them and have a genuine appreciation for all the help and friendship given me... I've met some spectacular people and learned so much. This world I haven't been a part of for so long, is still a good thing with good people. Different yes, but still good. I'm having a hard time adjusting but I'm happy to be with a bunch of people that seem to take everyone as they come, including myself.

PS Halloween costumes are already $5.99 at The Children's Place. Since I won't be able to beef up the costume box the day after Halloween this year (it's a Sunday) I figured at that price I could go ahead and do it today!

Hmmmmm....

Well, it is almost midnight as I type this out- it's one of those nights I keep putting off going to sleep because I know Row is about to wake up and will want something. Rather than pull myself out of bed which makes me grumpy I would rather face the music while semi-awake and not pulling myself from the comfort of my beautiful, fluffy, warm bed. It's just easier this way. Until tomorrow. Hmmmmm.

My sisters have been asking for an update. Most notably, Rachelle would prefer one without mention of coupons. "Beth that is so boring. Who cares about coupons? That's not funny. And when is Randy going to tell about changing Rowan and then wrapping him in a paper towel becaue there were no diapers?And then bringing him to you in the middle of your lesson? At church right?" (I'm still waiting for that story too!)The YW thought Row looked adorable in his 'diaper.' Not one realized it was a swaddling paper towel protecting them from Row's elements. Poor poor naked kid. And that isn't even the funniest part.

Either way... A brief relatively uninteresting update is most definitely in order. Maybe tomorrow after school I can even upload pictures.

Randy- plugging away diligently for Spanish II students, wrestlers, family, church, and whatever else. He's tired but smiles everyday and is more than grateful that he no longer drops Mickey off at preschool in the mornings. He's a little nervous that Mikayla has earned 12 dollars and won't spend any of it (see valid concerns below.) He is prepping for a pretty big conference that he will present at in a few weeks. I'm really excited for him. I hope it puts his name out there a bit for when he wants a curriculum position. I know everyone he works with loves him (how can they not?)and that Randy really enjoys teaching.

Mikayla- also plugging away diligently but for money instead. Someone (a cute not so red redhead that I adore) promised her that if she earned $100 dollars she could get a dog. With much confidence he pointed out to me that she only had $2.56 and that she likes to buy skittles. He was wrong. She may like money and she may like skittles, but she likes dogs more. Mikayla is earning AND saving money. NOT something we thought would happen. She doesn't falter and wants another "Noche". She has quit praying for our old Noche on a regular basis, but still puts a word in every now and then. We have witnessed a full fledged effort to earn money. Mickey has also let me know that our next Noche will look like the first. Curly hair is a must apparently. I'm going to let the handsome redhead deal with this!

Mickey has also become very insistent on helping Rowan by 'teaching' him to walk, talk, get into things, take things apart, and eat. This evening she fed him pizza. Some lessons end up with them rolling on the floor, one or the other screaming, or giggles and laughs all over the place! Mickey is doing once a week preschool with a group of friends- a Joy School type thing, has recovered from the loss of cable (Disney- you can be so wrong for the youth of America) and loves loves LOVES to read books from the library. She is working on writing her name and letters in a straight line and knowing all the sounds. Twice a week she gets special art lessons too. (Ok... I'm the art teacher so they aren't really special but Mik thinks they are.)

Rowan- the little man is huge. At almost ten months he is 20 pounds 4 oz. Again, he's only in the 50th percentile but still feels like the biggest little man ever. His head is in the 75th which doesn't surprise me at all. Most people at Lyle's love his big head and call him Dill Pickles (a cartoon character with an overly large head.) As a non-snuggler he spends time climbing on Mommy and Daddy, eating anything he can get his hands on, trying to play in the toilet, pulling Mikayla or Mommy's hair, and biting Mommy's shoulders. He hasn't slept through the night in months and wakes up so ravenous that I think he could eat a cheeseburger. At least the bun.... He has taken steps but it just isn't something we've been encouraging. We figure that if he is already putting metal in electrical outlets, been caught eating electrical cords, regularly pulls down the garbage can (yes, I've caught him eating out of it) takes apart phones, eats phones, tries to get into all cabinets, pulls down drawers, chews pens and markers, climbs out of the bathtub on his own (an attempt to escape Mikayla that put him half in half out of the tub... feeble really but still scary for the both of us), climbs up stairs then turns and 'lets mommy catch him' etc then he probably shouldn't be walking yet. Why add one more hazard?

More happy news

I'm an auntie again! Congrats to Abby who swears that now she has one boy and one girl she is done... Sounds like someone I know.

If only I had a camera...

I looked down at my phone while at school today. There was a text with an urgent message: "I just thought you should know your daughter tried to cut her hair." Hmmm. At least it said "tried" meaning that she wasn't successful. No big deal. I went back to what I had been doing.

Not so.

Sideswept bangs will soon be found at our house. Too bad I swore off cutting Mickey's hair. This repair job will probably hurt her feelings. How do I explain that Mommy has to fix her beautiful cutting job? She was just trying to do what I do... and for some reason she is convinced that her hair will now grow long, "all the way down here" (down to her bum.)

And please, everyone who knows Randy, please pressure him to blog about a few recent inicidents: paper towel diapers, hair cuts with Mikayla, Daddy- you have two choices. Pick one., and more. Only he could share such goodies. The paper towel diaper during Priesthood is by far my recent favorite!

On a happy note- I bought 15 lbs of ground beef for 85 cents per pound.... Shopping at midnight pays. Kroger loves me.

Don't worry Mom, I didn't say "Hey, can I fix your mullet?" I was actually polite and asked within the appropriate realm of client consultation and was as professional as I know how to be... Promise.

Gross...

Just to let everyone know: antibiotics can really make for messy diapers. It's 2:00 in the morning and that is all I have to say on that topic.

P.S. I need male volunteers for haircuts. I seem to be giving every man in my chair the 'Randy.' I'd like to venture beyond that but I need some heads of hair to work with. I can only cut my mannequin so many times. I've developed a 'Richard' too. Now, I know of a family that has lots of boys... especially two older ones that can sit still in a chair.... Maybe you could persuade them to let me have a go? hmmm? I'll even come to you!

I actually cut a mullet off a man this week and I think I injured his ego... I could tell he felt like I was removing an actual limb. I did ask first so I guess it's ok. The mullet removal is referred to as the 'Donald.' I softened the blow by letting him know that it would make him look younger (which it most definitely did!!) The other man I did it too didn't take it so well. I don't think he was aware that he had been sporting a mullet at all actually. I asked that time too but I made the mistake of saying the word 'mullet.' Ooops. Apparently they exist but are not spoken of.... Mullets are a travesty. That's all I have to say about that.

Coupon Queens

This past week I was introduced to something new while at school. Maybe not completely new, but something I haven't always been very good about unless it came to diapers.

Coupons.

Last week I had been at Girl's Camp and met the "Coupon Queen" who showed us how she bought all the first aid kits for the girls and after using her coupons and rebates she MADE MONEY... at that moment I began to realize that I just might be missing out on something big... Then this week at school I walked into the classroom to find two students and one instructor surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of coupons. Nothing but coupons. To walk into the classroom and find these girls working away amidst all of these little annoying pieces of paper that end up at the bottom of my bag unused was a little surprising, unexpected and intriguing. I decided to ask questions.

"Whatcha doin?"

"What do you mean? Don't you be telling me you don't use coupons? Girl, I got three kids and I'm on my own. I have to look after myself. Let me show you...."

Seriously, it was the scariest lecture I have had so far.

And who said you don't learn anything in cosmetology school? I think this student is on to something. She saves on average 60% on her groceries. The numbers sound a little far-fetched to me but she proceeded to sit me down and teach. I learned about the coupon organizer, the benefits of triple coupons, stocking up, not purchasing without a list and coupons, holding out for a better deal and so forth. She would have made any enrichment leader proud. I was in awe. So much so that I have decided to embark on this journey as well. I even bought coupon organizer... it's blue.

Hmmmm

To be sitting in hair school, truly the most unlikely of places, among a few women who live on a budget much like my own (string bean), are as busy as I am, have children, outside obligations etc and to hear them talking about stocking up, saving, preparing.... it just made me think. Am I at church? Ok, I didn't thing that but I have to admit I kind of thought only LDS people did the whole food storage/let's be scandolously cheap/be prepared thing. So I was in a little shock. I REALLY must be missing out on something here... Two encounters in less than one week. Someone upstairs is trying to show me something... So here's to coupons.

Wish me luck!

PS Row has started his second and third consonant sounds. Babbababbabba and lalallaa. The babaaba is his favorite. AND when he is upset he just says mamamamamamma. He's smart and he's on to something too! Plus he knows I'll come running just on the hope that he does get what 'mama' means....

And we'll do a post soon for Mik-she turned FOUR!!

Imaginary Friends

So I (Randy) haven't read every blog left on this site, so I am not sure how often, if ever, Mikayla's imaginary friend "Chilanga" has been mentioned. Suffice it to say that, well, she has an imaginary friend and, yep, you guessed it, her name is Chilanga. We aren't sure where the name originated, but Chilanga has been a guest in our house for awhile now.

Yesterday Mikayla came to me holding her shoulder and said in a whiny voice, "Daddy, Chilanga just hit me." I asked her to nicely tell Chilanga that we shouldn't hit and that we should always play nice. After about 3 seconds, "Dad, she hit me again. Will you tell her to stop?" So, never knowing what to do, I looked about a foot to the side of Mikayla and said, "Chilanga, you need to stop hitting. Please try and be nice to Mikayla." Almost before I finished my sentence, Mikayla said, "Well Dad, she did it again." This is not an uncommon scenario, and it has been known to go on for a long time, so in a moment of frustration I said, "Mikayla, you tell Chilanga that if she can't be nice then she will have to leave our house and not come back." Yep. I threatened to kick an imaginary little girl out of our home. A real tough guy.

Not surprising, Chilanga began to behave and Mikayla walked off. She came back about 2 minutes later and said, "Daddy, my crap is kinda funny, but it hurt me a little." I was speechless, but full of laughter. Mikayla asked me not to laugh at her. I said, "Mikayla, I must have misunderstood you. What did you say?" Her response, "My crap just hurt me a little bit, but its kinda funny too." I again lost it. "Mikayla, I don't think I understand." I watched her as she mumbled something about her new friend crawling around on the ground and realized that she was talking about her new imaginary friend: a crab. Oh, how a minor mispronunciation can make an entire day so much happier.

6 Month Check-Up

A few things to note about Rowan:

At his 6 month check up he weighed in at 17 pounds 8 ounces (before his normal 8 oz bottle and after a huge diaper... I think I'm actually toting around an 18 pound baby)

His head circumference is 17 and 3/4 (I'm going from memory here... that number sounds large but it just may be right because we often get comments about how big his head is....)

I can't remember how long he is but it is in the affirmative that he is growing (he is about the size Mikayla was at one year.)

We were surprised to hear that he is 'average.' I guess that I am so used to a smaller baby, not that Mikayla was unusually small or anything, but Rowan seems so much larger. Apparently NOT.

Rowan is a very calm baby. I thought Mickey was calm but Row has proven to be a very mellow mini-man. These are most definitely Randy's genetics. We all know I am not programmed that way.

He has started to crawl. He started at 5 and 1/2 months wiggling to get things and about a week later it became his official mode of transportation. Albeit he is not on his hands and knees- he does have one arm down and is doing more of an army crawl. Either way, I am in deep mourning over his new feat. My life of ease is OVER. We all know that children who are mobile are dangerous.

Rowan cannot sit up on his own, but if we place him in a sitting position he can hold it for almost a minute and then gracefully fall over and then begin crawling to the next toy or food.

As I type this I am listening to the beginnings of baby babble. Amamamamamaaaamamma warms my heart. Excuse me for a moment while I go pick up my son.

What A Man!

I still haven't put up my planned Father's Day post. However I wanted to give you an idea about how amazing and wonderful my husband is because the past two days he has gone above and beyond.... As I am typing this I can hear him blowing up a swimming pool for Mikayla's birthday present, he helped me make dinner for friends today, he cleaned the house this week, has been an amazing house spouse for the past two weeks, did all of the laundry, witnessed our son crawl for the first time and noted every detail so that he could tell me about it later, watched the kids so I could go to the temple, helped me study for my tests at school, let me practice my fresh new skills on him, made me mint chocolate chip cookies, and THEN, hold your breath, this last bit is amazing....

He woke up with Mikayla no less than FIVE times last night AND woke up with Rowan no less than THREE.

Apparently my muscle relaxers for my back and neck render me useless and I can actually sleep through my children screaming at the top of their lungs.... This is usually Randy's area of expertise (although if it his turn he takes it and he has never complained) and I get up and take care of things. And to top off that amazing feat Randy still woke up for church, helped get the kids dressed and ready and took care of them so I could teach my lesson for the Young Women.... What a man! I am so grateful to him for all he does for this family. My lesson that I gave today was on service and the more I though about service and what it means the more I thought about Randy and how he serves our family.

I know he worries about us and about providing for our needs and I know that sometimes he feels like it isn't enough. In reality, he does more than is required or even asked of him and he makes our life a truly happy one. I am also very grateful that he honors the gospel and the priesthood. There have been so many times that I have needed a blessing, comfort, and insights or even just a great shoulder to cry on. I know that because he lives righteously he has been able to provide those things for me.

And one last thing- I am so glad that he is mine forever. I absolutely cannot imagine life without him. When we were dating and even first married I did not realize how attached and how in love I could be.... I am so looking forward to eternity with him!

Highlights

Randy and I just debated about the proper spelling of 'highlights.' We didn't come up with a good answer. I think it is similar to the Kleenex phenomenon... you know... we all call them Kleenex but that is simply the most advertised brand name. The real term is tissue. Unless you are rich like Grammie and can buy the REAL thing:-)

This in from Randy- highlights. Hi-lites, hi-lights, etc are brand names.

Now for my point. We had a fabulous day:

Randy went to the park with the kids, baby-sat, brought me lunch, and came rushing to my rescue later on in the day. A rather dashing knight in shining armor if I may say so myself! I went to school, applied highlights to a very very thick head of hair (so fun and exciting for me!) left early for a meeting, was rear ended (sad) but was oh-so-proud of my little car (the Yaris took the beating well and the insurance company assured me that they would take care of everything so it should be a low hassle fix.)I missed my meeting but was able to take my achy back home and cuddle up with the babies and the hubby.

Really though, it was a great day. Despite the fender bender that really frazzled me it was a wonderful day. I couldn't help but think about my life and how blessed I am to be living it. Healthy husband and children, a home, the gospel, a bright red kitchen... Bliss!

Oh, and I have been married for FIVE YEARS today. More on that later! It will be a long, somewhat sappy blog about how amazing and wonderful my husband is, how fun it has been and still is... and more I am sure.

two/three crew

Hmmm. I barely understood the man, but apparently in man-speak a two/three crew is a cut. And I did it. And I was tipped. That's my happy thrill of the day. My very first walk-in client.

Row and Mik

We have had a red bandanna floating around our house since we were first married. I have no idea where it came from but I do know that it has served several purposes: stroller id at Disney World, fake sling, pocket insert for Halloween costume, rag for spit-up etc. This is a picture of the latest use:




Mikayla was wearing it one night when I came home from school, and then the next night she had me put it on Rowan. Aren't they CUTE?

Both of them are very popular at my school- each day my fellow classmates ask if I'll bring in my babies. I do at least twice a week. Rowan loves everyone and everyone loves Rowan and Mikayla is fascinated with all the hair styling/cutting/processing and asks questions. Ultimately she ends with, "Can I get my hair cut too?" or "Can I cut your mannequin?" She was treated to a manicure last night so I could sneak in an hour of school and have my kids with me (Rowan was alseep so it was ok!) Mikayla noticed a fellow classmate walking by and whispered as well as a four year old whispers, "Mommy, I don't like his tattoo. Jesus says we aren't supposed to have that on our body. It doesn't make Him happy." Hmmmmm.

I'm so glad she's been paying attention but I didn't know exactly how to respond. I'll give her some credit though, her whisper is pretty good and I know my classmate didn't hear her. It reminded me of a day we were standing in the express lane at Wal-Mart and a very elderly woman was ringing us up. It was very apparent the person had spent large amounts of time in the sun as a youth, young adult, adult, middle aged, young old and as an old old adult. Without sunscreen. She was the wrinkliest person I have ever seen.Cute but wrinkly. Mikayla stared for a full minute, open mouthed and openly curious with a dash of stress on top.

Finally she looked at me, looked back at the person then looked again and walked back to me. She then pulled my ear down with a terrified whisper said, "Mommy what's wrong with her face?" She was genuinely concerned that this little, mature lady might have something wrong with her. Now if only she whispered like that all of the time! Nah.. where would the fun be then?

Here are some pictures of Mik with one of my used mannequins from the school. She does 'cuts' for every person she knows. That means she takes the comb, pulls up some hair and chops away. She does this using her "zizzers." Mommy gets one, then Daddy, and all of her new friends from our new ward. I have no idea what I will do when the mannequin is bald but we should have a few more days of fun with it.She is starting to grasp that 'Mommy does hair' and that it presents a lot of fun new things to play with.



BIG NEWS OF THE DAY:
As of Wednesday at 12:30 in the afternoon I will be allowed to do cuts, colors, styles, nails, waxing, etc at school. Cuts are only five bucks, color is a great price and a really good product (surprisingly they use one of the top color lines in the US and Europe) too... so any and all who are willing to help me out I would really appreciate a visit at school so I can practice practice practice. And send your friends too. I'm slow but thorough. Just call Lyles' School of Hair and Nail Design 242-0858 and request Beth. PLEASE! I'll never get better until I can do more hair on real people with real hair (I like my mannequin but it just isn't the same!)and walk-ins are hard to come by because so many students compete for them. I won't even expect a tip! Just practice!

Welcome Home!

Well... since my brother bought a house and posted some pictures of his cute new place I figured that Randy and I should probably get around to doing that too.A few people have asked and so here it is! You can see our patch of grass... We ran out of money for sod but put in what we could. I'm pretty sure the neighbors aren't impressed. Yet. We need the crawling grass that grows in Texas. Does anyone know what that is called?

Backyard:


Our grass, what little we do have, is failing to thrive despite water and fertilizer. I also noticed one of our little trees is dieing as well. So SAD!

The Best of Times...

Well... that's what people say we will think when we look back at what we are doing now and remember the 'good old days.' When I look at our beautiful kids and my wonderful husband I can't help but think they must be right. Life is stressFUL lately but we have a lot to be thankful for! Here are a few quick updates- please note that I FINALLY figured out how to upload pictures!

Randy has been pounding the pavement around Nashville trying to sell pest control. I think I am safe in saying that it hasn't been fun and not so successful (keep us in your prayers). As a family we are very grateful to him for trying his hardest. He is really relieved to be done with his first year of teaching and coaching, and having lots of fun with the kids during our new game hour before bed time. We only see him for a teeny bit each day but we all love EVERY minute of it! Who wouldn't?



Beth (me) has been attempting school. I've only been able to get two hours in a day because of our new schedule. Slowly but surely I guess. Cool happenings on that front- I went to my first hair show at the Nashville Convention Center. It was interesting to say the least. I did note that for a large grouping of professionals that are supposed to promote good, healthy hair there wasn't very much of it! I've never seen so many colors of overprocessed hair in my life. I loved it! It made me want to get a hair cut. So far I have resisted the urge, but it is only Tuesday. We'll see.

Mikayla- Is very excited about her birthday and for whatever reason asked me if we could leave the house and go shopping at the mall for a toy... Hmmm. She is also sporting a new hair cut (compliments of mommy) and I have officially decided that we are going to try to grow it out so it looks more like little girl hair.
Before:

After:





Rowan- As the little man of the house he is very active. He rolls rolls rolls everywhere. If he could have a theme song it would be from the wal-mart commercials when the smiley faces acted like cowboys and rolled back prices (circa a long time ago- anyone remember those?) Either way, he goes everywhere rolling and his knees are starting to toughen up a little. I hope crawling is in the far distant future. The less mobile the better! He also started baby foods and seems to like them. The first round didn't go too well but things have improved.





That's us in a nutshell!

My Real Life Zombie Story

So the following story happened about 3 weeks ago. It is, however, just as relevant today as it was back then...

I worked the late shift at my high school Prom a few weeks ago which wasn't too bad because the "late" shift ended at 11pm. I was gone by 11:20, so life was good. As far as Prom goes, it was a nice outdoor dance at the Carnton Plantation in Franklin, TN. (When I looked up the Carnton Plantation online the first picture I saw was a graveyard. That was weird. I guess it is an old civil war historical site, with a few ghost stories from over the years and one during our Prom). Anyways, Prom is not the point of the story. It is the next day..

After a night of watching teenagers acting like adults (kind of)and witnessing how awkward some people are when they try and dance (reminding me of, well, me at every dance I ever went to) I spent the next morning in Church listening to the good word. It would have been the perfect Sunday to have the ever-so-random talk or testimony shared about the Apocalypse or aliens coming to Earth to fulfill ancient Old Testament prophecy as found in an unknown spin-off Da Vinci Code novel. Enough of this palaver, let me get to the good stuff.

So I'm driving home from Church, feeling all good inside, when I turn onto Murfreesboro Road and see some dude standing in the middle of the road covered in blood. My jaw dropped and I slowed the car to a slow creep as I passed this guy. He is wearing shorts and shoes, no shirt, and has blood all around his mouth and covering his chest. He was just walking down the road as if it was a normal day and I could do no more than stare. When I finally passed the guy, I looked forward (yes, I most definitely took my eyes off the road at 3 mph) and I see another guy in the road with three huge slashes across his chest and blood all over. "No way!" Thoughts were racing at this point. Did I just miss some epic throwdown between these two? Again, they are walking down the middle of the road in the middle of the day, and nobody else is really out. What's that? Oh sure, I could have rolled down the window and asked if they were okay...if I wanted to die! No way was I coming close to these guys. I locked the car doors, then pushed the lock button over and over just to make sure it was really locked. So I continue down the road in disbelief and finally I see what looked like a mom and her two kids walking down the road. Whew. Something normal. Except they weren't! I drove past and craned my neck in an effort to remind myself what normal people look like and all I saw were three more people whose shirts and faces were covered in dark red blood. WHAT IS GOING ON!?!? Man, I am not hanging around for this. I put the pedal to the metal and start flying down the road. And that is when it happens. A massive crowd of people walk out from around a building just up ahead and they are all torn up and covered in blood. Now, once or twice growing up I played those shoot-em-up video games where you are the last person left on Earth and everyone has turned to zombies, so my first thoughts are "How fast do I need to be going in order to run these zombies over? Is it safe to throw it in reverse after the first hit for a second pass, just to make sure they are dead? Do zombies actually die? I need firearms, machetes, medical supplies, water, food, a change of clothes and some mace - where is the nearest WalMart?" In the end I went untouched down the road, but feared that I would go home and give Rowan a hug, only to be bit in the neck and become one of them. But it was okay. I got home and everything was normal, except for a thousand questions that needed answering and a sure night of nightmares awaiting.

Fast forward to Mr. Stolle's 2nd period Spanish class on Monday morning.

"So how was everybody's weekend? Did anything awesome happen?" The class responds with their usual answers ("Well ya, but i can't talk about it in school", "I babysat for 15 hours", "I just listened to my ipod all weekend long.") Then I notice a girl who has a pretty bad sunburn. "So Alex, you obviously did something outside. What'd you do?" She answered, "Well, I rollerbladed for 5 hours on Saturday with my friends. It was a lot of fun. Oh, and then on Sunday, I got to be an extra in a movie." "Well that's cool. What movie?" "It's called Deathstar. It is going to be on the sci-fi channel." "Really, sci-fi? So like aliens or futuristic technology gone wrong?" "It was a zombie movie. All of us extras were cast as zombies, so we were covered in blood and fake scars." Cue the light bulb over my head. "So, where was this movie filmed, Alex?" "Oh, we were in La Vergne, right off of Murfreesboro Road."

I was driving through part of a movie set! Given that it was about noon, I imagine it was lunch time and the extras were heading off to lunch. You think my freak out was bad. Imagine the sandwich artist in Subway who looked uo to see zombies coming in his store!

-----

And in some unrelated news, Beth asked Mikayla last night if she new a word that rhymes with "mom". Her answer was quick, "Cow." Hmmmm. I'll take on the zombies any day.

Confessions of a Mommy-aged Drama Queen

Today:
-Wake up early to pick up 2 girls I will be baby-sitting for the day
-Pack Mikayla in the car as well so the little girls feel more comfortable being around a stranger.
-Realize that one of the two is horribly sick, stare in horror as a sneeze leaves two giant snot trails going from the nose to her mid chest. Grimace and gag as I clean her up.
-Stare again in even more horror, as my own child vomits after witnessing said sneeze (she has been blessed with not only a gag reflex but one that actually makes her puke). In the car seat.
-Bring the girls home, realize that my home is not safe for a child that runs around jumping from one activity to the next to the next in 15 minutes and exhausts all my ideas for the day before the first hour is up.
-Leave my handsome man, Rowan and handsome hubby, Randy home and attempt the zoo with not one, not two, but three little girls. Two of whom are independent as all get out with a tendency to RUN.
-Trek it through the zoo, in jeans, thinking "oh my gosh, what am I doing? why do I baby-sit other people's kids? why did I wear jeans? If I keep them here long enough will they just sleep the rest of the day? ugh I do NOT want to go into the sorry excuse for a petting zoo. Where is my hand sanitizer? Exactly how much snot can one kid make? If I spray my house down with bleach will I still catch whatever she has? Again, why jeans? I'm not scared to show my ghostly legs albeit they are a little chicken-y.No one cares right?Oh, more snot... more sanitizer. Why do I always want soda?"
-Horror again as my daughter is slugged by another little girl. And the slug is immediately returned, fair and square I guess. I don't say anything. Mik gets beat up way to often and I figure one good punch for another is OK. This time. Especially given these particular circumstances. Alright I admit it, I was cheering her on. On the inside.
-Attempt to leave the zoo. For the twenty minutes it takes for me to find exit Mikayla screams. Loudly. The kind that make people stare to see just what kind of mother it is that is beating her child. Save it for Wal-Mart right?
-Realize that I am being followed by zoo security. Continue the trek to my car. Notice two unusually well dressed men near my car. With a black plastic tool case. My car door is ever so slightly ajar. UGH. I guess if you want cheerios and poopy diapers my car usually has one of the two but not much else. Notice more zoo security. Wheww... because I am being stared at by the men the ENTIRE time I pack all the children in the car. Oh, one kid threw the door open and marked up the car next to mine. Nice.
-Leave. Followed by cops. WHAT is going on? At this point I am convinced that they think I stole my own child and that they have a kidnapping on their hands. It was that bad. After three miles they left me alone. Mikayla was still screaming. All. The. Way. Home. "Mommy, I don't want to leave!" I was just positive people heard " I don't want to leave mommy! I don't want to leave mommy" and that was why I was followed, circled and scared to death by security and the metro police. I still haven't figured it out. And the men were weird- suits, Italian leather shoes (I made the Italian part up) and entirely out of place given we were at a ZOO not a boardroom. And WHY was my car door pulled open? CREEPY!
-Remember to use my blinkers, go five under the speed limit, and pray. I don't want to get pulled over. I don't know where the registration is or the updated insurance card...
-Arrive home. Two cranky four year olds, one incredibly amiable one year old, and myself all enter the house amidst a downpour. Electricity does go out. I am seriously wanting to plant all of the kids in front of the t.v. I never said I was a good baby-sitter did I?
-Desperately try to fill three hours. Did you know it only takes 15 minutes to make banana bread, even when I let two kids do their own individual bowls? Or that a movie can be re-started 25 + times and still not take up more than 20 minutes (curses on the dvd player that kids are almost understanding how to operate.) Painting- 15 minutes, dress up-0 minutes... wow.
-oh, well, the piano did get a beating. That lasted for the longest 20 minutes of the day. Excruciating.

I like kids. But I officially retire as Beth the Baby-Sitter. Beth's BabySitting Bonanza is officially closed for business. Well, I will still baby-sit the two 13 year old boys because we all know that they pretty much take care of themselves. Except for the one time one of them got arrested on my watch. But that's another drama for another day. And anyone who wants to trade with Randy and I so we can go on a date- but we get to baby sit first so we don't feel guilty for not ever getting to return the favor. I guess I'm not retired then. Just 'mostly.'

PS Yes, a child can make amazing amounts of snot. I have to give it to Mikayla, I think she only threw up twice. Good girl! And Rowan... Man I can just eat him up!! So cute and sweet and laid back (Just like Daddy!) Despite the day the girls had fun and that's pretty much what matters when all is said and done.

A Cut Above

So for those that do not yet know, which is most of you, Beth has recently enrolled in cosmetology school. I decided it would be nice to let the cat out of the bag now that she has finished her first 100 hours.

At her 100 hour mark Beth decided to tread into deep water. Her sister Ilana and her husband Nick are visiting and Ilana was somewhat lovingly coerced into becoming Beth's first human cut (we don't count mannequins as official haircuts because they can't get a horrified look on their face when they hear the stylist say "Oops!"). I am proud to say that my wife did a great job, despite the pressure of Nick and me sitting back with a bag of popcorn and a camera awaiting a tragedy.

Without any further ado, I present Beth's first haircut:

Before



During





After



Innocent Bystander

This would be better if...

If I were prepared with a camera at hand like everyone else who blogs seems to be capable of! Rowan is finally ASLEEP! So sweet and peacefully rocking back and forth in his swing. I shouldn't complain- he has been sleeping through the night for several weeks . But when he goes for a week waking up at night and being fussy for hours I tend to get a little fried, tired, freaked out... ahh frazzled is probably the best word. The past two days have been icky. I can't even count how many times I've had to remove 'poo' from not only Row but myself-why he must always inadvertently put his hand in it I do not know. However, maybe tonight will be good. I can only hope! Especially since I have to be somewhere at 8:30 in the morning. And surely Row has to be out of poo. One can only make so much right?

I'm a sucker for pretty things...this is a little long.

Lately I've been pretty popular-maybe popular isn't the best word really. Either way I've been invited to several 'parties'. Some are called 'spas' some just 'parties.' Last week I went to a Beauty Control 'spa.' SOOO NICE. Unfortunately I can't afford any of the products but I did enjoy the face wrap, shoulder warmer thing, and the whole spa-ness of it.... Somehow I even managed to say that I would host a party...excuse me... SPA at my house. And now I have no idea what to do because I just don't know people in general. Or too many people willing to come all the way out to my house to listen to someone convince them that they need to spend more on their face... (oh but it will feel nice!) grrrr... SUCKER.... anyone want to come on the 25th- It's a Saturday. I'll feed you!! And you DON'T have to buy anything. I didn't.

And THEN last night I went to an Arbonne party. This was a PARTY. Mikayla decided she needed to come with and it's a good thing too! Apparently it was DIVA NIGHT. We were each given a sparkly wand AND tiara. I was offered a margarita too-an actual first for me (I politely declined)

I told Randy to come pick me up in an hour so that I would
a)have a valid excuse to leave before purchase pressure
b)be able to feed Rowan, thus providing a 'need' to leave
c)prevent me from eating to many of the goodies (they were GOOD)

Ran showed up at the door, peeked in and saw a large grouping of middle aged women wearing tiaras and waving wands. Needless to say, he didn't knock. This left me open to purchase pressure. If you know me, you know I don't say no... AND I love pretty stuff... And somehow I end up buying pretty stuff.

Alas, there was no purchase pressure here either! You just got a gift if you scheduled a party. GRRRR.

Anyhow the nice woman sitting next to me had a beautiful little girl- with eczema, just like my beautiful little girl. And she quietly told me about a certain lotion that she could actually use for her daughter's skin. She didn't even know Mik had eczema! This was really music to my ears- Mik can't use soap, normal shampoos, sunscreens, etc. And I was sunk... It wasn't even the sales person... I am so weak... Plus the doctor sitting next to me 'prescribes' the diaper cream for her patients with severe, chronic diaper rash. Thankfully we don't need that.

BUT- I now have what I hope will be a wonderful sunscreen (and the lotion) for Mik and Row and I won't have to cringe every time I use it, or have to wipe it off after 20 minutes because Mik is crying from the burning!! YAY- and it was only a few more dollars than the grocery store stuff. Weak or not- sun protection, here we come!!

Oh, and I'm having a party for that too. grrr. It was a really pretty gift. And it smelled nice. But don't worry. That one is a 'web-in-ar' or 'web-inar.' Whatever. I invited my sisters. Bless their hearts. It's online! I'm not so sure how that will fare compared to the 'spa.' That one was super relaxing. I'm done after this. At the first party I at least said no to the products. That's a first. At the second I obviously didn't fare as well, but I truly have no guilt about that one. Skin cancer on both sides means a little spf for a little cash is worth it. ( Dad, I do listen- thanks for grounding me every time I got a sunburn)But- No. More. Parties. I'll gladly attend for the food, but I won't buy anything and I won't host one either. I CAN say no... it'll be my new mantra.

A Picture is Worth...A Good Explanation

So, I finally found the camera. As I perused the pictures, I found a few things that may be of interest. Due to Mikayla's recent Permanent Marker Fame, we shall begin there:Could Mikayla look any more dejected? For an explanation, read Beth's previous entry. As for the next picture, this is Mikayla's cousin. He found an old afro wig and modeled it for the rest of us, as many of our visitors over the years have done.

The last set of pictures is of your truly. As an Assistant Wrestling Coach, sometimes I come home with souveniers. On this occasion, unfortunately, I was wrestling a kid whose defense is somewhat lacking. When I shot for his legs (always going for a slam) he didn't try and avoid me. He just bent his knees and I ended up getting a close up of one of them. Maybe he is better at defernse than I thought. Mikayla didn't notice the souvenier for a few days, but when she did she insisted on patching me up.

Yes, I AM scared of my mail box and I really don't like markers

We have had a great week. I (Beth) have been experiencing some fun adventures that I will dish on some other time, Randy has been anticipating spring break and bemoaning students that make bad decisions, Mikayla has been learning more about cause and effect, consequences, etc., and Rowan has been cooing, bubbling, and eating some oatmeal cereal- more like applesauce with a dash of oatmeal- and we have all been having fun. Especially me and of course Mikayla. Let me tell about Mikayla's recent antics:

Friday morning. I had had a late night before, but a strong rather pervasive odor woke me up. As I rolled over to look at Mikayla I made the connection: permanent markers. My beautiful daughter had found the ONE marker I somehow did not put away. This happened to be a marker I bought at the Chinese flea market (who can turn down a pack of 24 for a $1?) and I have no idea if it is toxic or not, the smell was so strong it lasted for several hours and to top it all off my daughter was pretty much wearing the marker.

Let me describe because no picture will ever do this justice: a FULL facial- eyebrows, beard, 'stache, cheeks, lips, complete left arm, both legs below the knee... get the idea? Ahhh. True beauty. I promptly placed Mik in the tub, proceeded to be horrified as my entire tub turned blue and as Mik started to cry while she scrubbed her now red and itchy skin... apparenly the marker burned her sensitive skin. And worrying that Row might cry any minute because he hadn't had breakfast yet.. Sad day. Ran promises to post pictures soon.

AND she had not only made herself beautiful but she also nailed my new upholstered glider. Permanent marker really is permanent. Sad day again.

On a good note, I hadn't cleaned the tub in two weeks so it had just enough soap scum to prevent the blue from really sticking- so my bath tub is looking ok (let's hear it for semi-lazy housewives!!) after a good scrub, Mik's skin calmed down after a few hours, and Rowan (such a cute little man) found this all funny and was smiling and cooing the whole time. WHEW!! And to Mik's relief- mommy doesn't really spank. Instead Mik just couldn't watch any tv or cartoons for the ENTIRE day. This somehow turned out to be the harshest punishment ever created for a three and 1/2 year old that had just checked out three movies from the library the day before. She even told the next door neighbors.

And yes, I am scared of my mail box. Mostly what comes out of the mailbox- bills, weird mailers, and oh yeah, more bills.... Could the doctors just all get together, bill me once instead of 10 times, and get it over with? (don't respond to that David)But I do love the beautiful things from the grammies and grandmas of the world! And I do like catalogues. So maybe my mailbox isn't that bad.

Sweet Honesty and Innocence...from a 3 1/2 year old

On Sunday night Beth, Mikayla and I had a nice family dinner. Beth finished and went upstairs to wake Rowan up. I sat with Mikayla at the table while she finished her food. This is where is gets interesting.

Mikayla was in the middle of an extreme run-on sentence, probably saying something about dogs or princesses, when she let out a healthy mid-word belch. She didn't continue her sentence. She didn't say excuse me. She sat there with a stunned look on her face. A puzzled look. She was absolutely perplexed about something. After staring off into space for a bit, she bowed her head and looked down at the table. Something had obviously troubled my litle girl(even though burps are nothing new to her). She slowly got a hint of a grin which grew. And grew. And grew and grew and grew. She began to snicker, but tried to cover her face while she did. I had to ask, "Mikayla, what is so funny?" She looked up and said, "Dad, when I was talking I burbed...AND tooted!" I am not sure who laughed harder, but to this day I think of her little awe-struck face as she contemplated her newest life discovery and I laugh just as hard as I did when I heard her innocent little confession.

As for honesty, today I sat with Mikayla in the car for a bit. I was in the driver's seat and she crawled up to sit in the front passenger's seat. As we sat there talking, Mikayla began to giggle. Before I could ask that dangerous question ("What is so funny?), she said, "Dad, your tummy is fat!" And she began to laugh. I tried really hard not to laugh. We had a little talk about how even though Dad thinks its kinda funny, we shouldn't tell people that they are fat. She sat and pondered a moment and said, "Dad, your tummy is filled!" I couldn't help it. I just laughed.

Randy

You don't want a picture of this...

Well, I have to admit I probably lack official blog etiquette so if the following story offends please accept my sincerest apologies. Most of our funny stories are probably a bit much for the entire world to read, and frankly just too embarrassing to let the rest of you read so this is probably as bad as it will get. I think.

Needless to say, there is nothing like having your child let you know just how gorgeous you really are. Let me share a sad story with you. Once upon a time I gave my 3 and 1/2 year old a bath- not necessarily a daily thing but one which has an established schedule. First we wash the hair, then the body parts, then the weird parts like toes and fingernails and then the obligatory play time. Finally she'll call out, "Mom! I'm done! I need help to get out!" Well today we followed the schedule, not even one deviation. And then the shout,"Mom!" but alas the following words came instead, "Look Mommy! I have big scratch marks like you!" No one could deny the glee in her voice either. Ugh!

I'm pretty sure she was referring to my 'stretch' marks... Which I have to say were NOT there until three days before Rowan was born. That's one more reason I should have been induced sooner. So... no pictures of this one. I thought it would be nicer to spare you.

This is for Alex...

Obviously I'm about as good as Randy is at keeping up with a blog...sorry about that everyone! Let's catch up shall we?

It's established- we are now a family of four and really beyond that not much new has happened.

Life is one tired blurrrr really. Randy is FINALLY done with wrestling season. I am so proud of him- they had HOPED for two of their boys to go to state and instead they took NINE! And I heard the head coach say that he really thinks the team held up as well as it did because of Randy. Apparently he is an amazing coach, great motivator, etc etc. (We all knew this though didn't we?) And, now that he no longer puts in 70 hour weeks I feel like we can breathe. Of course the season ended right as Rowan started sleeping through the night and I'll admit that there were several nights I was just dying to wake Randy up, hand over Rowan, then go back to bed. Lucky for Randy I didn't.Partially because I was determined not to ruin his sleep life and felt really sorry for him and because I breast feed more often than I give a bottle. Randy had been so tired that I thought his eyes might be permanently red, scarlet even. They were pretty scary for two months because he was so exhausted. I saw the whites of his eyes for the first time today! We thought Vandy was hard... first year teaching,coaching, and a new baby all at the same time are just as tough.

Rowan has evolved into what Mikayla calls "Chubbies." He is LARGE and I will find out exactly how large on Monday. At two weeks he was 9lbs 12 ounces. That isn't an astronomical weight but I can't but help compare him to Mikayla who though normal, was still a tiny dinky thing... and the fact that she didn't weigh 9lbs 12 oz until she was well over two and a half months old. Some people comment that he must be following Randy's footsteps (I don't think that is Roo's favorite comment) but in reality it's mine. I was 9 lbs 10 oz at birth! My poor poor mom!

Rowan is currently cooing, making noise, and had a brief experiment with formula due to Mommy being gone and Rowan having a small freak out... We have been suffering diaper consequences for the past two days (NOT pleasant!) and hope to not have to go that route again. He is much more vocal than Mikayla was. I don't mean he screams and cries but he talks and coos and smiles all the time. He is a happy "Chubbies." But as Randy pointed out: this is about the time we were taking Mickey off of oxygen and really, who would be cooing and smiling when a plastic tube is taped up their nose?

Mickey: WOW what a fireball! She is the sassiest little thing ever. We are talking hands on hips, struts down the runway (also known as Mommy's bedroom) and a tendency to find my make-up or even just drawing markers to decorate her face... She does a pretty good job too. Red marker makes it to the lips, blue to the eyes, and usually a purple accent on the cheeks. And I guess its good someone around here wears makeup because I sure haven't been! It's fun to watch her but sometimes I wonder where it comes from, just WHAT is she learning at preschool with other little girls, and how long will this last? I mean- do girls come pre-programmed prissy? Am I in for castles, princesses,glitter and make-up forever? How am I going to teach her what is fluff and what isn't?

We have been trying to teach her to speak sweetly and use her manners. One day I was reminding her that she shouldn't yell at me. "We need to speak sweetly..." I was interupted with a very frustrated shout as a crying Mikayla informed me, "But Mommy I don't speak sweetly. I speak Spanish!!!!" and then she fell sobbing into my arms. WOW again...

Thankfully she is an amazing big sister- very possessive as a matter of fact. My boss held Rowan while he was in his carrier. As soon as Mikayla realized this her lips started to tremble, tears started to spring, and she finally said, "You have to give him back. He's my mommy's." Then she looked at me "Mommy, we have to go home. And you have to take Rowan." So far she has been ok with grammie, grandpa, poppa, grandma, and aunt meredith touching him but if anyone else attempts she generally starts tearing up, pulling my hand, and letting the person know that Rowan "is not yours, he's mine. You can't have him." Needless to say, the love is there. She still isn't a huge fan of me but at least Randy and Rowan are in good standing! Dang, she's cute!

Randy is snoring as I type this- I think insomnia is creeping in again for me!! Randy is amazing. Let me publicly announce that he is amazing. Amazing. AMAZING! I can't even describe it. I am so excited that he still likes me, loves me, and puts up with me on my bad days! He even went to a mall, bought me not one but TWO complete outfits today! He gently explained that he knows what I look good in, and can tell if I'll like to wear something... instead of just what's comfortable (I always find myself in jeans and a t-shirt no matter what.) New clothes aren't why I love him but I will fully admit that it's a nice perk! Randy is currently catching up with his grading, plotting how to beautify our hugely eroded lawn, and spent this very evening baby sitting so I could chaperone the stake dance. He survived, and Rowan did not have a freak out (his first was because he apparently face planted right onto Randy's collar bone and really bunked his nose.)

Me? hmmm. I enjoyed a week with my parents who babied me, cleaned my house, bought me a shelf for my garage, baby sat so we could go to the temple, and painted. So NICE. I've been reading, and drumming up the energy to enter the real world of organized mommies with schedules and daily activities for the kids. I'm not doing so hot yet. Let's face it- I love to sleep- but I am getting much better. I have been napless for a few weeks now! I also really like my new calling with the Young Women in our new ward. They are so amazing- I don't think I was ever that sweet. Really. I am thorougly impressed with their love for each other, the gospel, and families... So GREAT!

It's Beth this time...

I finally asked Randy to show me how to use our blog, so maybe everyone can hear from me a little bit more! I have a few disclaimers: I'm not usually as funny as Randy (nor do I have a knack for being in weird places or being witness to weird things such as arrests and taserings), and in general I think my kids are the cutest in the world.I also think Randy is pretty cute too- especially as he changes diapers at three in the morning!

We had our second baby on January 1, 2009. Rowan Elias Stolle at 20 and 3/4 inches and 8 pounds 4 ounces (OUCH!) Let it be known that there really are prizes for the first babies of the year. I have no idea how Rowan was the first at our hospital since he was born at 9:57 a.m.(There were 22 more children born in the following 4 hours) Thankfully, he was the first and we were given a huge stuffed bear that Mikayla quickly claimed as her own (it's bigger than she is!)the much needed diapers, free photography, and clothes for a six-nine month old- great seeing as Rowan is already into 3-6 month sized clothes at the tender age of 3 weeks and a weight of almost ten pounds....

Now that I have been through two labor and delivery sessions I have come to some official decisions.... Epidurals are useless I think. Rumor has it that they work, but apparently not for me. My cute little nurse anesthesist tried, but for whatever reason it just didn't pan out to fulfill my visions of a painless, easy delivery. Do those exist? I've also learned that I should not take it personally when my cute Mikayla informs me, "I don't love you right now. Maybe later." I'm guessing the addition of second children doesn't always improve relations with the first child.

I've also learned that preschool twice a week for Mikayla as a Christmas present from my Mom is the best gift ever!! Mikayla loves it, and twice a week I don't feel guilty for laying in bed and taking a nap every time Rowan takes a snooze!!

So that is my first official post... Maybe more will come. I hope so!

The Stolle Family Proudly Presents: Rowan