New Do's

Don't they look great? Max, especially looks like a new little man. As for the before pics, I work with what I'm given.

Grateful

Our plans for Thanksgiving did not include going to Idaho. But, the closer the time came, the more I wanted to be present for Max's adoption finalization (the judge waived us having to be there in person) and the more homesick I was to go home.

I'm so grateful that Marcus booked us last minute flights, he's the man. It was a blessing we made our short connection and our flight made it in with the bad weather.

I'm so grateful we spent Thanksgiving with family.

And I'm most grateful for sweet, laid-back, handsome Max. He is a delight and he is officially ours. And next month he will be eternally ours. Awesome!

And I'm grateful this cat lived to see another day.

It Never Gets Easier

It was Ranch Rodeo time again. I have decided after living here 3 1/2 years it has never gotten easier to have family come and then say goodbye. In fact it seems to get harder each time. I have been completely homesick for 3 whole days. Sweet Lizzy and Max.We stuffed Damon boy full of sugar induced, gluten filled food. I better have established favorite Aunt status for a long while. Jenny Jo gave Max his first haircut!Papa Max and Grandma Becca with the kiddos.First snowstorm of the year. Wish I would have remembered to take a picture of the whole group, I didn't even get Wes, Jack and Debbie. Thanks for coming fam!!

When all else fails, distract.

When Zannah is doing something she shouldn't and you catch her, she begins talking to distract from the obvious. She does this umpteen times a day. For example, I catch her dumping soap out and she starts talking with hand gestures and throws some fake laughes in there like she is telling you a really funny story. In her mind, she now thinks you have overlooked her mess and everything is fine in the world.

I walked in the kitchen yesterday to find her crawling up onto the countertop to get to Max's formula, her latest obsession. We make eye contact and she instantly says, "You sleep good last night mommy?"

I start laughing and say, "What?"

She asks again, "You and Daddy sleep good last night?"

Now I'm laughing and I can't find the gumption to be firm with her. Clever little turkey.

Scary Story

Memory Monday~

Year 2000. Junior in highschool.

Background: Story takes place in the Malad Elementary which is an old two-story building. Malad Elementary rumors include: strange noises, lights seen flickering on and off at night, and a little girl dressed in white supposedly seen by teachers and janitors.

Jason, Alex, Bryan, Dusty(I can't remember who else) for easiness sake we will refer to them as the boys, approached the girls at school and asked if we could help them with a video project for one of their classes. We would do a "Dixie Chicks" music video and the boys would direct and film. My mom works at the Elementary and therefore could lend us the keys. The Elementary Auditorium was a must because we were super professional lip-synchers.

We met up at the school that evening. Lex tagged along in order to get some homework done in the quiet, aloneness of my mom's office. As I recall the girls consisted of Nicona, Sylvia, Tammy, Heather and myself. We wore our matching "Girls Kick *$#" shirts of course. Bryan and Dusty left to pick-up Kenny, who also was joining our free concert.

Tammy and Sylvia (who were doing their hair in the bathroom) came running and screaming onto the stage that they saw a little girl in white at the other end of the hall. The rest of us went out into the hall and saw nothing.

A little while later the little girl was seen again at the end of the hall. Because some of us hadn't see her yet, and were nervously certain they were joking, we linked arms and went to check it out. Sure enough, at the opposite end of the hall, was a glowing little girl in white. She just stood there looking at us. She then turned and seemed to disappear into the wall.

Chaos insued. We ran to the office where Lex was doing homework. Girls were screaming, crying, and threatening Jason and Alex that if this was a joke, they were dead. They promised it wasn't, and seemed reasonably scared themselves. Lex didn't believe us. Lex began to mock our story. He even whipped out his pocketknife and yelled, "Bring it on Little Girl!" Bravely or stupidly, we decided that we all would walk down the L-shaped hall and peer around the corner one last time to see if she was still there. We had to prove to Lex we weren't crazy.

With thumping hearts, wet armpits, and some wimpering protests, we linked arms and started down the hall. We peeked around the corner and there she stood. The ghostly being started walking towards us and we were done for.

Screaming and running as fast as we could, we bolted out the front doors and straight to our vehicles. Lex out ahead of the pack.

Before we left a mile of rubber on the pavement, we hear Jason laughing as he tries to explain that it was all a joke. The little girl was Bryan's niece. They had dressed her up in a white dress and put baby powder on her to give her a "glowing" appearance. When she seemed to disappear into the wall, she was really walking under the stairwell and hiding.

Brilliant. The boys had concocted the perfect practical joke. Totally unsuspecting, they lured us and our vanity in like a fly to a manure pile. The icing on the cake was unbeknownst to us, Jason had recorded the whole affair. Nicona in tears, Lynsey giving the same threat over and over again, Sylvia's blood-drained face, and Lex speedily dodging in and out of the crowd to be the first out the door. It also recorded Tammy punching Jason in the face or at least the sound effects.

The cherry on top occured the morning after, when this video was played for the entire highschool to see during 1st hour announcements.

(I can't remember every detail, so some names may be wrong. I should pull out the video and rewatch it, but I still get the willy-nillys just thinking about it.)

Our 10 year reunion is coming up this next summer. Wouldn't a brilliant revenge idea be fitting?

Just Pull My Teeth Out Already

I've decided that if you are potty-trained that means your mom is a saint. My mom is a saint 5 times over. If Zannah goes to Kindergarten in panties I'm going to tattoo saint across my forehead.

In three days, I have asked sweetly, patiently bit my tongue, ignored, demanded obedience, thrown toys across the room, locked myself in my room and cried. And prayed alot.

Bless her little heart, Z has some serious will-power. She holds her pee and poo from 7 in the morning until naptime when the pull-up comes on and then again after naptime til bedtime.

Candy doesn't tempt her. Balloons, park-time, popcorn, Curious George: all things she loves on a daily basis lose their bartering power once she figures out what I'm asking for in exchange. Who is this girl? She seriously says "no thank you" to candy when I ask if she will sit on the toilet and try.

It may sound like she isn't ready to be potty-trained yet (I don't buy it), and maybe after a few more days I'll throw in the towel, but I have a few teeth left to yank.


Quote of the day: I was telling Zannah that it was bedtime and she needed to get her blanket and bunny. And she responded with, "Yes sir!" That has Marcus written all over it.

Halloweeny Time

Z and her buddy Tyson were Salt and Pepper. This is the best picture I got. They look so happy to be alive. I didn't get a picture of Max's first costume, which was a navy marine. He spit up all over it. I'm happy we put him in the banana outfit, maybe this will be a when it's your "first halloween" costume tradition. I participated and lost in a pie eating contest and shamed our family name. Cool whip pies are disgusting.