Happy Little Clouds

Watching Bob Ross painting clouds is quite possibly one of the most relaxing activities I can imagine.




 After the insanity of Christmas, nothing is better.

 

(Stori refused to wake up)

Our holiday was rather delightful, Elliot got a Lego Buzz Lightyear (translation - Elliot got to watch all giddy and excited while Mom put the Lego Buzz together), Astoria got the Cinderella kid doll she has been asking for, and you know what her response was the minute she opened it? "I thought I wanted the Tiana doll?"  Seriously child?

And I got tickets to see this:

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa !


But my hands down favorite part of the gift extravaganza? The card Elliot made to accompany the Waffle maker we gave Blair.

She may be the next Bob Ross.

i like candy

Candy is my favorite. Seriously.

Some facts about candy, and it's relationship with me and my family.

• No matter how many days a week I teach Zumba, I will never get rid of these flesh pockets sitting on my hips, because of candy.

• My three root canals, and myriad other teeth problems are not completely because of candy, but I have no doubt it played a pretty significant role.
  
• Elliot is having oral surgery next month... due in large part to my bad genetics, and of course, candy.
• When I was pregnant with Rousseau, I craved sugar like you would not believe. In fact during my pregnancy I had a very special dream once where I was able to take a private tour of a pastry shop, and I could eat anything I wanted. Best. Dream. Ever.
• I don't remember the last time I went through an entire day without eating sugar in some form or another; usually chocolate, but also cookies, Cherry Pepsi, ice cream, chai latte, various baked goods, you name it really...

(fun fact: Elliot is wearing a Slytherin shirt that used to be mine. Also, the shirt i'm wearing, Blair bought on the day we met. Brand New concert t-shirt. And Rou enjoyed some chocolate... obviously.)
 

 Elliot and I made a "Hogwarts Gingerbread House Castle". The marshmallow on the top, Elliot told me it was smoke from the chimney, but I still think it's Neville Longbottom after the incident with the broomstick and the remembral. We added a little more after this, but you get the general idea. Where was Astoria during all this you ask?

Passed out, probably not due to candy consumption, but then, you never know...

And we are still a good 4 days away from the sugar-fest that is Christmas.

I'm not promising anything, but in order to avoid the evil diabetes fairy that is probably waiting around the corner, something must be done.

Like I said, I can't straight out promise that candy and I are totally splitsville, but I need help. really. So, if you have any advice to offer? that would be pretty amazing.

I hope your Christmas is the best thing ever. Better than a backstage pastry shop tour (ooooohhhhhh.....).

Little Kid Things

Rousseau is saying words.

Uh-oh ("Uh-ay")
Thank you ("Da-day")
Mom ("Mom-eeeeeeeeeeeee")

My other kids say things too. Like Elliot. The other night I reminded her that if she was going to drink that juice, she needed to go to potty before bed. She responded, "I won't let you down, Mom!" Cute.

Astoria says words too, but she also thinks it's the most hilarious thing in the world to sneak up on me and LICK my arm. What? Nice one kid.

Candy Coma

Wanna know how I topped off my Halloween sugar rush? Oh with a POUND of fancy See's Chocolates.

Seriously?

What? I had a gift certificate, and I was in town. I wasn't going to let it go to WASTE was I? So much for sexy Zumba arms (a girl can dream...)

Obligatory Halloween pictures:







The sorting is my favorite part. This is where I steal all the Almond Joys and Butterfingers. I'm not that mean. They don't like those ones anyway. (Almonds and coconut for the pickiest 4 year old in the universe? Right.)


One of these things is not like the other...




Here I am dressed as, you know, myself.

Well, I had every intention of being the White Queen, and I was going to wear my wedding dress (not like it's being used for anything else) but the dress in in storage at my in-law's house and I couldn't get to it in time. Wanna know what's weird though? That Tinker Bell-ish dress? I wore that to a Halloween party when I was 17. What the WHAT? I'm sure I was drowning in it back then though. You don't get much size selection when you buy from the D.I.

Also I haven't done ten things in a while. Next time, next time.

Another also, Enter Gregory's contest, and look for my next book giveaway in a couple weeks.

White Pants

With the exception of skirts on Sundays, and my stretchy workout pants on Zumba days, all I wear are jeans. Currently, every last pair I have either a) don't fit -or- b) fit and have holes in the knees from excessive wear.

Yet somehow here I am, a solid week after Labor day, wearing white pants.




weird.

I received them from a friend who was getting rid of some old clothes. Anything from this friend, being super hot and ten bazillion times more fashionable than myself, had to, at the very least, be tried on. I didn't think the white pants would even come close to fitting. Especially since earlier that day...

someone asked me when my baby was due.

guuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Even though i'm 80% robot and don't cry ever, even when we're watching Toy Story 3 or Up and Blair is sobbing next to me, this got to me hardcore. I cried in my car like an emotionally disturbed four year old. (something with which I have loads of experience)

So when I tried on the impossibly small white pants with no hope whatsoever, only to find them pleasantly closed, I decided I would wear them today just on principle.

No I am not pregnant. Thanks for asking.

So, dear lady who just happens to work at my FAVORITE bookstore, please try to have a little more tact next time I come in to buy charmingly used copies of Rebecca, or to order some more Steven Milhauser.

Thanks.

Recent quotes of awesomeness from my kids:

Elliot:

• "Mommy, don't call daddy a terrorist."
• "Please? just a few more minutes?" (in response to my efforts to wake her for school. I thought it'd be a few more years before I started hearing this. guess not.)
• (eavesdropping while she wishes on a star) "I wish that I can be big so I can be smart like daddy and exercise like mommy, and I wish that I can be big so I can drive a car"
  

---

Astoria:

• "I have Snow White poop. Because I'm a princess."
• (after giving her a kiss on the cheek outside on a breezy day) "Mommy! the wind blew my kiss away!"
• "You're the biggest Mommy in the WHOLE WORLD!"

---

Rou:

• "bababababababababadadadadadadaaaaaaaaa...." (you get the idea)

Thanks to Chelsey for the photos. You always save my bacon. Or something...

"I am a very fierce Tiger-Frog"

Playing with my kids is the tops, and Astoria comes up with the best quotes.



1. I am behind. 100 Years of Solitude was pretty amazing, but it took a HUGE chunk out of my reading time. I have 4 books to finish by Aug 30th. Guh. Blair was doing well for awhile, but gave up. Here's my feeling on it all: Reading is neat, and the summer reading list for me just fits in with my penchant for making lists as well as being the absolute LEAST competitive person I know (heh). So I'm moving forward with my fall/winter reading list as soon as I've finished up the summer ones. I think I also like having a list of books because I'm usually at a loss of what to read, and I've been referred to so many good ones that this way I can easily keep track of what i'd like to pick up.

2. THIS BAND. IN 3 WEEKS.

Blair is the best. Ever. Not metaphorically.


Something Corporate has been been on hiatus since 2005, and don't get me wrong, I love me some Jack's Mannequin... but SoCo is better. There. I said it. SoCo is better.




3. I like rain. I really do.

4. My AMAZING friend Katie C. sent me the coolest gift EVER.

Rainbow Brite Pencils, Magnets, and Post-its. She rocks.

5. So yesterday Blair and I just for fun re-watched the season finale of Glee. Blair IS Will Scheuster. No question about it. Then after that We (he) went through like 10 different episodes fast-forwarding to our (his) favorite songs. Blair is a huge nerd.

6. It's possible that Junior Mints are the best candy.

7. Watched Night at the Museum: Battle for the Smithsonian with my kids again last night.
THIS is my FAVORITE part of the entire movie.

8. My Mamma and Aunt Jeanette came to visit this past week. It was delightful! I do so wish they lived closer, and it also made me crave a trip with my own sister.

9. I'm having a couple 2for1 nights at my Zumba class this month, so if you're in town Aug 19th or Aug 25th, come shake it with me, and bring a friend!

...

10. Okay, I saved this for last because it is very very important. I need this. No, you don't understand. I really need this.


SO much so that I've seriously considered putting a "donate" button on this blog in order to raise the money.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World opens in 2 weeks, and I'm going to dress up. I've never dressed up at a movie premier before, so yeah. It's that big of a deal. When did I become such a gigantic nerd? Ugh. I blame Blair. And Joe Willis, of course. :)

I do like my daughters so very much

How have I come this far in life having never listen to Muse? Tell me this.

Anyway. It is rather apparent that I need a real camera.But maybe it's for the best. Most of the pictures I take of these girls are a blur, which fits since that's pretty much how they look in real life. Elliot in the last week has finally got a hang of potty training, and is even dry through the night. Whew! I was seriously starting to get concerned that she would be the only kid in preschool still in a pull-up. Thank goodness she finally got it all figured out. Since i finished her blanket, she's been telling me that when she grows up and is a mom that she is going to make me a blanket too. Sweet. I like her.



Last night in sorting laundry, I started a box of newborn clothes that Rou no longer fits into. Not fair. Can't she just stay tiny for a wee bit longer? She scoots all over the place, hunting for paper to shove in her mouth. She still won't eat ANYTHING but what i can provide for her, but she will eat paper. Nice.


Also, the more I hang out with Stori, the more I realize that she is more like me than I previously realized. She is obsessed with books. Not just interested. OBSESSED. I hear the phrase "weed it, mommy, weed it! Oh Pweese mommy, weed it!" more than almost anything else. (except maybe "can I? can I?" it's adorable) We probably read at least 15 books a day, minimum. It doesn't matter what i'm doing, she will find me, shove a book in my lap, and insist that I read it to her. The funny part is that halfway through the book she usually takes over, pausing only when she encounters a word she doesn't know ("mommy, what does this says?"). She can read more words than Elliot, easy. I also was an early reader. She dances whenever she hears the smallest snippet of music, and is not only fiercely competitive, she has a bit of a mean streak (also a lot like me).

In summation: I think my kids are pretty awesome.

The Good, The Bad, and The Disney.

I have had many extensive conversations with myself on how this blog post was going to go down. Lists always seem to win. But first, I want to tell a sad story. This does not go on the list because i would prefer it to be a happy list. We stayed in Phoenix for a couple nights to visit my grandparents before heading on to CA. While there my car got broken into, and my purse stolen. Lame lame LAME. I'll spare you the list of all the things that were inside, because A. what a downer, and B. it's not going to do any good. Let's just say everything was in there. And now I'm going through the ridiculous process of calling a billion people to prove that I am, in fact, myself. But just as we tried our best not to let the incident ruin our trip, i will try not to let that story ruin this blog post.

So, onward!
1. Elliot and Astoria did amazingly well, considering how completely dramatic they are. I think we only had three complete meltdowns, and it was nothing a peanut butter sandwich couldn't fix.

2. Astoria LOVED It's a Small World. Yay, at least I have someone on my team.

3. Met some characters:

Love this picture so much. Cinderella looks a little tipsy, and Elliot seems to be getting a little too comfortable there.

4. Monster Faces!!!
5. Blair, the fantastic guy that he is wore the baby backpack about 75% of the time. What a trooper. We also made a deal that we each got to go on one "big kid ride" while the other one took the girls. Blair's pick: Tower of Terror. Mine: California Screamin' (I freaking LOVE fast roller coasters)

Blair and the Cheshire Cat. This picture was followed by an intense discussion on how Disney basically destroyed our favorite childrens books (Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan respectively). As horrible as those adaptations are, we're still total Disney kids. This is actually the 5th Disney trip Blair and I have been on in the almost 7 years of knowing each other.

6. Elliot's gastrointesntinal sensitivities scored her a free T-shirt. Um... Yay?

7. The crowds were really not bad at all. Longest we waited in any line was I think 30 minutes. Advice to anyone going this year: The BEST times to go are mid-week (we did Tues and Wed) Preferably during the school year. And we rode the teacups and the Pooh ride each about 5 times. Score.
8. CAPTAIN EO

I can hardly describe the awesomeness.

9. Dinner at the all-you-can-eat barbecue place in Frontierland. Ohhhhh so delicious.

10. Spending a week with my favorite guy and the three best kids a girl could possibly hope for.

Be Nice

I am not a very neat person. So I really don't have seizures or anything when my kids have toy explosions in the living room, or decide that it's a good idea to eat popcorn in my bed.
I am, however, a reasonably nice and polite person. So it stands to reason that all my kids should be the model of affability right?
Not so much.
Astoria is... well, (how do I say this nicely?) A bully? A terribly violent and sadistic bully?
No day is complete without an episode involving Astoria grabbing Elliot by the hair, pulling her down to the ground, ripping the toy she was playing with out of her hands, then run away top speed. This is not a joke, nor an exaggeration.



Maybe it's a middle child thing? I don't know.

I know that at times I put some unrealistic expectations on her. I mean she is, after all, only two. But because of the fact that she is so ridiculously smart, I sometimes forget that she is not the same age as Elliot. For example, Astoria is obsessed with letters. OBSESSED. Her favorite song is the ABC song, she reads every letter she sees no matter where we are, and she can even read a couple words by sight (to, we, me, go, and jump). It's pretty amazing. But even though she has the literacy skills of a four-year old, her emotional level is still definitely TWO.

So we've tried time-outs, spankings, taking away privileges (like toys and treats). Nothing seems to be sinking in. All I can really hope for at this point is that is just a phase, and that someday her, uh... assertiveness will turn into positive adult traits, like confidence and determination. But as for now, i'm just trying to figure out ways to keep her from getting us kicked out of nursery (again) or the play room at the gym (again).

sigh...

The French Woman who Lives in the Jungle

I know i'm not exactly the greatest at posting things frequently... but this time I actually have a legitimate excuse.

Her name is Rousseau Evangeline Einfeldt

Statistics:
Girl
7 lbs. 10 oz.
18 1/2 inches long
Beautiful.
Lots of dark red hair, and dark eyes
Little mole on her left knee. (it's freaking adorable)
Name is pronounced roo-SO e-VAN-gel-een
She was named after Jean-Jaques Rousseau, a French philosopher, and incidentally, the character Danielle Rousseau from LOST. Evangeline is a poem by Longfellow (As well as a character in the film Nanny McPhee... though I probably shouldn't be admitting to that :) )


Enjoys:
Milk
Spitting up on her parents
Her loving sisters
Angels and Airwaves

This picture would be great if it weren't for the fact that Elliot was a little less than diligent in keeping Rou's head up. ")

The birth story is as follows:
She took her sweet time getting here. I was induced on December 8th, (4 days after the due date) and while the pitocin definitely got things started, it didn't do much else, except make me throw up. As with my other two girls, I chose NOT to get an epidural (a topic which I have VERY strong feelings about, but probably should not go into at this time. Let me just say that bragging about natural childbirth is like bragging about being a vegetarian or running marathons. Yes it is awesome, and yes you should get a gold star... but as much as you'd like it to be, it's not for everyone). Once She finally decided to come out (10 hours later) it was very very quick. I pushed once. Did you read that? ONCE! It took less than 2 minutes. Wow. I attribute it all to prenatal Yoga and Pilates. ;)

For the last 3 weeks we've been enjoying our little french woman. Elliot is beside herself with happiness. We are constantly having to tell her to stop touching, patting, and trying to pick up the baby. But it's better than the alternative i guess. Astoria loves her, but is a little bit more concerned with the baby cutting into the attention she feels she needs. Blair loves his little cat-napper, and is happy to hold her after spending the first week of her life so far away (I took the girls to SLC with me for a week after she was born).


As for me, i'm tired (obviously) but recovering nicely. I've been to the gym only once so far, but i am really antsy to get back in the habit. I'd also like to fit into my clothes again someday. I'm back at work, but only a little.





My iTunes alphabetical adventure is now to Believe by Yellowcard.

Sand in my Hair

I took the girls outside (or "ah 'sie?" as Stori calls it) for a little Father's day photo shoot. Elliot is helping me paint and put flower stickers on a picture frame for daddy, and i thought we'd play in the backyard to get a few cute pics. Of course i forgot that Stori hasn't napped yet today. oops. She wasn't the most cheerful of kids. But I got some decent ones anyway. It took me over an hour to get one where they were both smiling.
Wanna know how I did it? I laughed like Goofy (uh-yuck) Astoria thought it was freaking hilarious.