Slow Down, Baby

This post is a double whammy.

First, my totally unrealistic, but still fun to dream about Christmas dreams:

• Someone to come decorate (and clean, while they're at it) my house.
• Someone to pick out my clothes every day, because I have no sense of style.
• Enough financial stability to ensure that Blair would never have to work another stupid graveyard shift again.
• To magically have perfect teeth.
• For massive amounts of delicious treats to have a less devastating effect on my body.
  
• To somehow have enough time to just slow down and enjoy things, like holiday traditions.

Second:

Mary+camera+Picnik.com = A life which looks much more interesting



Kids on a trampoline + Zach Cowan + Leaf blower = Hundreds of delightful giggles

Astoria, Rousseau, and I spent Saturday with my dear Katie Cowan. It was so very wonderful. Even though i'm sure I WAY overstayed my welcome, (oh, eat all three meals at your house? don't mind if I do!) I had a fantastic time with many inappropriate comments regarding breakfast meats and possibly some hilarious quotes from the Little Mermaid.

ALSO, I finally got to meet the very delightful Ruth! We had a lovely breakfast (thanks Zach and Katie!) but alas, I didn't even think to get my camera out. Boo. Nevertheless, Ruth is just as wonderful as I'd imagined.

Ma petite chou

Voila! Puis-je present ma petite fille qui est une an aujourd'hui! Fantastique!

Je voudrais ecrire cette histoire tout en français, mais ma orthographie et grammaire est tres terrible.

See? All those years I took French in school has now been validated... or something.

Today is my little French woman's birthday. And to celebrate, she got an eye infection! Woo-hoo! The other girls wanted to join in the fun, so they got eye infections as well. How thoughtful.


Because we are SO high-class, we took the family to the ihop last night to celebrate. Hey, it's the only restaurant (that is not pizza) where the girls will actually eat the food.

Who is Rou?

• Rousseau Evangeline is lovely
• She has a delightful little smile, and will show it to you with very little coaxing
• She is the first of my kids to refuse the aboo (pacifier, binky... whatever you want to call it.)
• She will climb into everything the second you turn your back.
  

Evidence:

Cupboard, Dishwasher

Fridge, toy box...

• Songs she loves to fall asleep to: If my heart was a house - Owl City, The Moon-Atomic - Angels and Airwaves, and Don't Stop Believing - Journey.
• We had decided on the name Rousseau before she was born, which is fortuitous in the sense that Rousseau means "Little red head", which she is.

Bon Aniversaire littlest one!

Flying Milk

Ten Things!!

1. For the second time this month, a gallon of milk decided, of its own accord, to fly out of the back of the car the second I opened it, bursting open and spilling all over the driveway. FOR THE SECOND TIME THIS MONTH! Boo milk.

2. See this? it's a picture of myself, taken with my camera. Notice I did not say camera phone? YAY! Thanks to wonderful friends and family, and the amazing generosity of Katie Cowan. This girl has a camera.

3. Now that I have a camera, I can document all the glamorous things that happen to me, like Rousseau dumping out a box of cereal on the carpet. It's a rite of passage at our house.


And Astoria thought it was hilarious, obviously.



4. Today is one of those days where every time I think about teaching Zumba tonight, I feel like i'm going to barf all over my new dancy shoes...

5. Look! new dancy shoes!



6. I have a strange desire to make a Hogwarts gingerbread house this year. Awesome? Or just nerdy?

7. I have seen Blair for a total of 4 hours since Thursday. Welcome to basketball season.

8. I love the way Elliot says "Chilly"

9. It seems as though I will not be completing my book list by the end of the year like i'd planned. I'm still going to make a push for it, but the small amounts of free time I have can either be devoted to reading, or finishing my sister's Christmas present, and well, my sister wins hands down.

10. Note to self and others as well: Watching The Walking Dead right before bed? not the best of ideas.

December Winner

We have a weeener!

Gregory!!
(I hope your Amazon Wishlist is up-to-date kid. I'm kind of a stalker, sorry!)

Yay!

Here's the problem though. I kind of want ALL of you to win. I'm not joking. I get SO excited when I start looking for books for people, you have no idea. And it is my intention that sooner or later, if you keep playing, everyone will win! So do not despair dear friends. (or dear family members, who will PROBABLY get books for Christmas anyway. I'm nothing if not predictable.)

I have a host of other things to tell you about, but it will have to wait till I can get my monkeys... I mean children busy doing something other than climbing all over me (Rou), whining for jam sandwiches (Astoria) or begging me to play Lego Harry Potter with her (Elliot). Till then, farewell!

I ain't no hater... mostly

I have a complicated relationship with Christmas music (and Christmas in general to be completely honest, but that's a post for another day). Surprisingly, I am not the kind of girl that keeps the dial glued to lite FM 100 from the day after Thanksgiving on. No I'm more the type that seriously contemplates tearing off my own ears and flinging them on the first 8 bars of "Last Christmas" (I don't care if it's Wham!. It still makes me want to punch kittens).

Other songs on the ear-flinging list?
Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time (sorry Katie)
Baby, it's Cold Outside (also known as "Christmas Date Rape! Yay!")
The Harry Connick Jr. version of Most Wonderful Time of the Year. Blech.

Did that sound like a bah humbug? Sorry.

However, I do not hate Christmas music. I just hate sucky Christmas music. There's tons that I really love. Call me a sappy sentimentalist, but I'm into the pretty stuff. I could listen to Sufjan Stevens for hours. The Carpenters, and classic ones like "Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas" or "The Christmas Song" are great. I'm all about chestnuts roasting. But the hymns, and pretty instrumental ones are the best. Bring a Torch, Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming, and O Come O Come Emmanuel, and anything that is lovely.






This one. OH yes.
Just close your eyes and listen to it. The video doesn't really add anything to it.

See? I'm not a total scrooge. I just have standards.

I also like The Matches, December is for Cynics... but that has really nothing to do with Christmas. AND it's the Matches, so it doesn't count.

So what are your most favorite, or most hated Christmas tunes?


Did you enter the December Book giveaway yet? Do it! Nowish! You have till Friday, kids.

Christmas Present for You!

My book giveaway #1 was a success I think. (Ruth, I'm really REALLY hoping to give you yours in person!) Thanks to everyone who played! So... wanna play again? If this gets annoying just let me know, but seriously. I like books, and I like giving them to nice people even more.

Reminder:

1. Comment on this post if you'd like to enter
2. After you've commented, you get additional entries if you:

• a. Are a follower
• b. Send me a picture of you peeking over a book and a link to your current reading list
• c. Tell someone else about the giveaway (and then let me know about it)

3. I'll choose a winner (through a random number selector) this Friday, and hopefully get it sent out the winner before Christmas!


In other happenings, Elliot and I unlocked this piece of awesome:



I promise I am doing more with my life than playing Lego Harry Potter with my daughter, promise.
Look at all these lovely little things I have on my plate

• TONIGHT is Blair's first basketball game of the season. The Parowan Rams shall conquer Milford most triumphantly!
• Still teaching 6 Zumba classes a week, AND getting my first ever pair of real-life dance Nikes in Blair's basketball shoe shipment (YAY team discount!)
• If work had a face, I would punch it.
• My kids are amazing. Have I mentioned that already?
• Working on a top secret Christmas present for my favorite seester. Laura, can't you just live closer so I can kidnap you to Denny's again? Or Cheesecake Factory (ooohhhhhhh.... cheesecake...)

Anyway. Enter drawing. Win a book. And let's be friends.

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.