Well not sure if I should post again, since I just posted yesterday, but... I feel I must give some serious props to my friend Heather who took these fabulous family and maternity pictures for me a couple weeks ago.

Here they are:



I'd put more, but since I have such a slow internet connection, I better leave it at these and go pay attention to my family!

Home Again

Well, I am back.

Great trip. I am a very sentimental person, and for some reason I am emotionally attached to various places.

My family has a cabin on a lake in Idaho. We went there first for a few days, just me and the kids since Charming can't take time off in the summer. Loved it. The kids spent so much time in the water playing with the sand and the neighbor's dog. Even with the sunscreen, their skin got some healthy color and their hair got all bleached out. So wonderful and relaxing. And not too hot.

Then we stayed at my mom's house. Not the house I grew up in or anything, but there is just something about mom's house that just makes it home.

But the best part of the trip was Grandma's house. Grandma lives on a farm-- not an animal farm, but a farm out in the middle of nowhere with gorgeous wheat fields surrounding it for as far as the eye can see. She lives in a circa 1900 or 1910 white farm house complete with wrap around porch. The thing I love the most about grandma's house is simply the feeling I have when I am there.

Growing up, my parents were divorced and we never lived in one place for too long. Grandma and Grandpa's house was one of the only constants in my life. We spent many vacations there, waking up in the morning to egg pancakes (some might say crepes) and games of rummy with Grandma and Grandpa. In the summers we would pick peaches and help Grandma can them. In the fall (or late summer) we sometimes went out with Grandpa in the combine or the wheat truck for the harvest. In the winter we would go sledding on old fashioned sleds down the big hill, and we could always expect to hear Santa's sleigh bells (that Grandpa shook) on Christmas Eve. Grandma and Grandma's house was a safe place. It was a constant.

When Grandpa died, Grandma did some furniture rearranging to get her through the grieving. It almost pained me to see the family room turned into a dining room, and Grandpa's tv chair, where he was so often snoring the night away, missing. It was like something sacred had been desecrated. I know I wasn't the only grandchild to be upset over it, but I can see why Gram did what she did. But the spirit of their home was still there, and I eventually was able to move past it.

We had a great time, me and the kids. We set up their kiddie pool and they played with my aunt and her and Grandma's dogs. It just felt so good to be there, that I did not want to leave. I wanted to spend another week, so I could sleep upstairs in the bed I had often shared with my sister in a room filled with toys, dust and old books. I felt at peace there. I can't explain it, I think her house is probably my favorite place. I hadn't been to her house for nearly two years, and I am so glad I was able to go visit Grandma at the farm for even just a few hours.

Wonderful.

Totally worth the trip.

Tell me about your special places. What are your "Grandma Houses"?

TTFN

Well, I am going on a little vacation to a land without the internet.

See ya in about a week!

My son, the sailor

When I was in junior high, my favorite anime show was Sailor Moon. My husband, knowing this, has in the past purchased Sailor Moon videos for me that are now in our collection that we let our kids watch.

E has recently developed a love of Sailor Moon. More specifically, he seems to really like Sailor Venus (seen at right). He often puts a yellow blanket on his head, like it is hair, and calls himself Sailor "Pena." He means Venus, but either he can't say the V or he doesn't hear/comprehend it on the t.v. show.

And so the following humorous dialogue that occured as we were getting ready for bed:

E: (wearing his hair) Look at me, I'm Sailor Pena!
Charming: I hope this doesn't affect him later on in life. That show has enough gender confusion as it is. (Mock femmy-man voice) Hi, I'm Sailor Venus...
E: (jumping on the bed) I'm Sailor Peni---s!
Charming: Oh, blog.
E: I'm Sailor Peni---s!
Charming: That's be a different kind of sailor. No worries.

Yeah, that's him. My son the sailor. Mmm-hmmm. My son, the Sailor Man-part.

Mortified

This is going to go down as my second most embarassing moment. (Followed only by my having to read aloud all about erections in my 6th grade $ex ed class).

So I was at the Smith Meyer's today with my kids in their double wide stroller. I needed to buy a white sheet so I headed back to where the sheets were. In order to get to the linens, I had to pass through a bunch of tables with clearance stuff on them. As I passed by one of the tables, the stroller wheel tapped some kind of bucket that was next to the table and the opposite end of the table collapsed. All kinds of dishes and glassware slid to the floor and broke. In slow motion.

I was mortified.

MORTIFIED.

But the worst part is this: there was an employee lady doing some kind of inventory and when it happened she just looked at me. She gave me the dirtiest look I've seen in a long time, and did NOT SAY A SINGLE WORD TO ME.

Nothing.

What was I supposed to do? I just stood there. I really couldn't offer to pay for the stuff, since if the table's had been properly locked, it wouldn't have fallen down. I wasn't going to help pick it up since I am pregnant and had my kids with me. Another lady who had been looking at the dishes when the event happened, but made no attempt to save the table (since she was near that end) disappeared almost immediately after it happened, and I just stood there not knowing what to do.

And then I walked away.

This was a difficult decision, but I didn't know what else to say. Grinch lady didn't say anything to me, didn't indicate that I was to help, didn't smile and tell me not to worry about it, she just scowled at me like I was flipping pond scum.

iWait, t gets better.

I still needed to get the sheets, so I went to where they were. Another employee had come to help the crabby one and a man walked by and commented about the mess. The second employee lady said, "Well, the legs lock in place."

To which the man replied, "I guess they must not have been, if the table fell down."

And she commented back, "I don't know," in a sort of I-am-sure-they-were-secure-and-if stupid-customers-would-be-more-careful-I-wouldn't-be-on-the-floor-picking-up-broken-glass sort of voice.

Apparently Smith Meyer Witches One and Two were not having a good day.

So, anyway, I walked away. I felt bad about it, not bad about it, and kept looking over my shoulder the rest of the time I was in the store to see if I would be apprehended by some employee saying I needed to pay for the broken stuff.

What would you have done? I don't know if I did the right thing or not. It probably wasn't the right thing, but I really didn't know what else to do. I didn't feel like it was entirely my fault, and I certainly wasn't going to take more dirty looks from an employee who's only annoyance in my mistake was that she was going to have to clean it up, and not because she would be losing revenue. So really, what would you have done? Make me feel better here.

Spam and Extremes

So what is up with the email spammers? Are they just hoping they'll find someone who fits the demographic they are trying to target? Are they just dumb? I just have to wonder why they send me e-mails for certain male body part enhancements, or the most recent one containing (I assume, based on the title) pictures of black singles. This last one made me laugh as a.) I am not black and b.) I am not single.

Anyway. I wanted to share a bit that I found in the paper this morning. It was a teeny tiny article entitled "Breast called best infant food source." I thought the title was funny since this fact, I think, has been pretty well established already. And being a big proponet of breastfeeding, I read it, and was quite frankly, upset. It started out like this:

"Warning: Public health officials have determined that not breastfeeding may be hazardous to your baby's health."

WHAT? Hazardous? Shoot, I was bottle fed, and I seem to be doing fine...

It concluded with the following:

"A two-year national breast feeding awareness campaign that culminated this spring ran television announcements showing a pregnant woman thrown off a mechanical bull during ladies' night at a bar-- and compared her behavior to failing to breastfeed."

WHAT? Feeding your baby formula is like drunken bar antics?

Ridiculous. Who are these people?

Breastfeeding is a good thing, and I have nursed both my babies. I think it's great and I think more women should do it. But this is bad advertising. What about the women who want to, but for some reason can't breastfeed? Or the other mommies who simply choose not to? Can we alienate them any more please? Are we trying to damage women here, or are we trying to promote breastfeeding? This kind of advertising is not responsible at all, it is simply hurtful. How many mothers are going to be made to feel guilty about their choices or their inabilities from these kind of promos?

Why does out society have to take everything to the extreme?

There are many mothers out there, all of whom make different choices and have different parenting styles, but the common thread among us is that we are women and mothers trying to do the very best we can. This kind of media only serves to pit us against each other, kind of like the whole working mom versus stay at home mom debate.

It makes me sick. What do you think?

I killed a pregnant fly today...

... and I do not feel good about it.

I squished it and when I lifted up my implement of death (paper towel) there were squirmy maggoty things coming from its abdomen.

SO DISGUSTING.

I sort of felt bad, even though if one of her "children" had been an adult, I would have killed it without any remorse. And I am somewhat glad I did because I would not have wanted all those flies in my house...

And how was I supposed to know?

Weird Guy and a Meme

So, I was at the local McD's having an ice cream with E, and I realized there are a lot of strange people that take their kids to the playplace. There was the couple with all the tatoos, the woman picking her nose, and then someone really disturbing. He was probably in his late 30's early 40's and he was sitting with his daughters. Totally ignoring them. Why? probably because he was too busy listening to his Ipod and reading about Ashlee Simpson in his US Weekly magazine. I kid you not. He was reading US Weekly, and specifically an article about Ashlee Simpson. And he had a HUGE stack of papers in front of him, the top sheet reading: "Things to Do." Apparently pay attention to his daughters was not on that list. Would you think that was creepy and weird? I did.

And now a meme which I am stealing from the daring one.

Two for Togetherness
Two things you compliment your husband on while in his presence:
1. His handsomeness.
2. His good daddy qualities.

Two compliments you make about your spouse to your friends:
1. He is a great dad.
2. He is incredibly motivated and ambitious.

Two traits you married him/her for:
1. His sense of humor
2. His love and respect for me

Two days you cherished the most with your husband being together:
1. Our wedding day; we got married, we went to Universal Studios and umm... other stuff
2. The day E was born

Two material things you could give your husband if you just inherited a fortune:
1. A Mac
2. A Nintendo Wii
3. A big house in the rainy place (or would that be more for me...)

Two things you would miss the most if she/he left for two weeks:
1. His company
2. His hugs

Two thoughts that crossed your mind when you first met/saw your spouse:
1. Oh, this must be one of my roommates weird friends
2. He's pretty funny

Two favorite dates:
1. Our 3 year anniversary dinner to a nice Restaurant on Lake Washington, two days before Reenie was born
2. Probably our first non-date date when we hung out together all day just doing random stuff and getting to know each other

Two funny odd things you love:
1. How he gets so focused when he talks that he doesn't notice anything else
2. The creepy face he makes when I ask him to

Two places you have lived with your spouse:
1. Provo, UT
2.Redmond, WA

Two favorite vacations:
1. The first Christmas we spent with his family in New Jersey
2. Our "honeymoon" to Steamboat Springs, CO

In the News

Note: This was YESTERDAY's post, but blogger was being, umm, less than helpful...

So, I have decided that for at least the next 5 posts or so, that I will NOT be talking about my children. I love them, and they are darlings, BUT, I am going to use a different part of my brain on this blog for the next week or more.

So today, I will share some of what I read in the paper. First there was a classified ad for kittens which read: "Kittens- 8 mixed breed, 6-8 weeks old, male and female. $3 or best offer." The part that sruck me as funny was the "or best offer." If you are only asking 3 bucks, are you really thinking someone is going to try and haggle you down to a lower price? "Hmm, 3 is a bit steep how about $2.50?" Or maybe they were just hoping that someone would walk in and say, "Nope, this kitten is worth at least a hundred dollars. I won't buy her for anything less." I think they could have saved themselves on the ad price and left that bit off...

And then there were a couple articles about the "day of the devil" which apparently was yesterday, 6/6/06. Some 700 people on BetUS.com wagered $2 that the world would end, and a spokesman for the site stated, "come rain sleet or snow or apocalypse, our clients will recieve their winnings." But probably not if the world ended, right? They should have just bought a couple of candy bars instead of placing their bets, I think.

A movie about the devil's child came out yesterday too, and some expectant mothers fought tooth and nail to keep their own babies from being born on the day of the beast. One woman went into labor Monday and by Tuesday still had not given birth. She had this to say, "We were going to try to get it out before midnight or I was going to keep my legs closed. I don't want her to have that stigma for the rest of her life. When she gets older, her friends would say that anything bad would be because of her birthdate." Who thinks like this? Give me a break. Since I and many other people were blissfully unaware of Satan's day yesterday, I really don't think her friends would say stuff like that. If they were good friends anyway.

I just don't get into speculation and superstition. It's a waste of time.

Although I will say, when I was 19 I was a little nervous on New Year's Eve of 1999. I was at a party and shortly after midnight the power went out. Of course it was rigged by the kids that lived there. Good for a laugh, and then guess what? The world didn't end and all fall apart.

So while I am not too worried about end of the world, I think I may be placing an offer on some $3 kittens. Think they'd take $1.50?

Princess Reenie

Today I want to write about the cutest girl in world, my mini twin, my Reenie Bean.

She is so similar to me in so many ways that it just blows my mind. Take sleep for example. I LOVE my sleep. I love naps, I love going to bed, sleep is my good friend. I have a hard time falling asleep at night however, despite my love for sleep. When Reenie was days old, she too had difficulty falling asleep, often staying up until 1 am. And she still struggles with falling asleep at night, and like me, she wakes up a bazillion times.

But she clearly likes to sleep, and she loves her naps. Today she was watching Bob the Builder with E and I told her in a few minutes we were going to read stories and have our naps. I walked out of the room and the next thing I knew, Reenie was in her bed, tucked in with the door closed. Not asleep yet, but still in bed, ready for a nap. (Which usually last for two to three hours) Who is this person? She is AMAZING! Of course, one difference in our sleep patterns is that I take awhile to wake up in the morning, whereas she pops up ready to immediately go sproinging off the walls.

And it isn't just sleep. The kid is persistent like me, she's emotional like me, and when she thinks you aren't understanding her she gets frustrated like me. And yet, she is so different than me. She is so much more adventurous than I am. She likes Daddy to swing her upside down, she tries to jump off the back of our couch, she does somersaults in church... She's much funnier than I am too. And she always has a smile for everyone, whereas I think I am a little more umm... not having a smile for everyone (though I do try...)

She is just an awesome kid. A handful of energy, and yet helpful, cute and funny as all get out. She loves her big brother and all his big boy toys, and still loves girly things too. Like wearing her "pitty" dresses and carrying her baby named "Lady." She knows where mommy's baby is and likes to blow on my big pregnant belly and laugh at the flatulant-like noises. She loves to sing (like me) and will climb up onto the piano bench and demand that I "sit down" next to her so we can tickle the ivories together. She loves playing outside, she'll swing for hours and she loves her "Elmo" shoes.

That's her. My Reenie. My Bean. She's going to be two soon, and I am so glad she's a part of our family. I don't know how we ever lived without her.

What Have I DONE?

I CUT OFF REENIE'S CURLS!!!!

I was just thinking she was getting a little shaggy and that maybe she needed a little trim. I thought I would still leave some curl, but apparently I did not.

I mean she still looks cute, but when I went to stroke her sleeping little head, there were no sweet curls!

I hope they grow back...

Because it Tastes Good

E was picking his nose the other night and eating the boogies. I asked him how it tasted, he said "tastes good" and laughed.

A couple nights later, Reenie was putting her feet in her mouth. I asked her why she was doing it, she replied, "tastes good."

Then today when I offered E some water instead of juice, he informed me, "no, I don't want any water. Water is yucky. It tastes gross. We don't drink water."

Well, at least they know what they like.