Advice from my 2 year old

Every now and then something will happen to let me know my children CAN hear me talking. Yesterday, while baking cupcakes, was one of those moments.

I was chopping chocolate with a HUGE knife while Brielle sat on the counter watching me. Hyrum was pulling everything out of the cupboards, focusing primarily on small appliances with CORDS. ("all the better to drag them with, my dear.") After pulverizing a cube of chocolate I stepped sideways to grab another block and tripped over a mass of cords tangled around my legs, in frustration I snapped "Hyrum, you CAN'T play with these!"
Brielle immediately grabbed my arm and started stroking it, crooning "It's okay sweetheart. You have this big knife." At first I thought she was cautioning me not to do anything rash =0) but then she continued..."and look! You have a nice big bowl! It's okay for Hyrum to have that. Let him play with it." I couldn't stop laughing, that's exactly what we tell her when she doesn't want her brother to have a toy. (well, except it's seldom a knife that she has.) So we decided to let Hyrum continue dragging blenders and panini makers through the kitchen.

It's nice to know some things are getting through.

Baby Take a Bow!

Though perhaps not very fashion conscious, our kid is proving to be quite savvy when it comes to finance. Instead of passing her penny she has decided to hold on to it, perhaps even adding an occasional nickel or dime (because honestly I can't watch what she eats ALL THE TIME!), until it's all worth much MUCH more. Obviously we've raised her right.

Winterfest 2008

A few weekends ago we went downtown to see the Seattle Winterfest. The kids had oodles of fun, there were lights and music everywhere, more food vendors than you could shake a stick at, and an old fashioned carousel.

However, the highlight of the festivities and the reason I dragged Russell down there was to see the gingerbread houses. Several different building and architecture companies created and donated some fantastic gingerbread creations.

When I was growing up one of my favorite things was watching my dad make OUR gingerbread house. He'd bake the gingerbread from scratch, and carefully cut out all of the pieces with exactness. We'd hold our breath while he assembled the walls, and then, the BEST part was watching him decorate it! Tiled roof, wreaths on the door, icicles hanging, jeweled windows, they were amazing. I'll have to dig up an old photo one of these days. Now thanks to Costco everyone can have a gingerbread house for the holidays. =0)

I can't believe that's all made of food! Crazy!

There was a comic book theme for the houses this year, not my favorite genre, but what can ya do? However I can find a reason to be grateful, this just means they won't be doing super heroes NEXT year! Me = uber positive!

Nothing says "Christmas" like Mario Brothers.

I love the rice krispy treat castle.



I wish the streets really WERE lined with Andes Mints!!


Santa is sick in this one so Batman is driving the sleigh. Try explaining that to your two year old!


The kids enjoyed themselves too.

This one was my favorite. I expect someone on Russell's side will create a house just as amazing this Christmas, in fact I'm planning on it. =0) (We're headed off to balmy Orange county in a few weeks, we're all EXORBITANTLY excited!)

My mom would like this one too since several of the details are made of licorice! Who says Red Vines can't be functional!!


Crazy edible details. Love it.

Brielle isn't too sure about this guy.

We poked around the Teddy Bear Suite at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. It's a room decorated for the kids and overflowing with gobs of teddy bears, as the name implies. Super schnazzy.




Brielle is checking Santa's Nice list. Oddly the names Brielle and Hyrum aren't on there. Interesting. Why is their Mother not surprised? =0)

Then a ride on the carousel, and it was time to go home.

We're so glad we live in Washington!

That's my kid!

So Brielle swallowed a penny today while Russ was changing her diaper. Russ told her to spit it out, she didn't, choked on the penny for a few seconds, then managed to swallow it despite Russell's probing fingers. Once it was successfully swallowed Brielle grinned at us. Obviously her parents were wrong, she CAN swallow a penny! We called the doctor and they suggested we just wait, and to pass the time we can chop up her poop with plastic knives (I kid you not, she told us to do that!) So now we're taking wagers for when this penny will reappear. All guesses are welcome, just leave them as a comment and the winner will receive one VERY shiny penny and maybe some truffles. =0)

MY estimate is Monday at 8 pm.

(The x-ray is not of Brielle, I just found it online)

A Boy and his DOG

We adopted a collie from the pound to keep for a month and then send to my mom at Christmas time. The dog was amazing with children! Hyrum and Brielle could do anything with him and he was the most gentle creature imaginable. Unfortunately we had a battle with housebreaking him (I had thought an 8 year old dog would have been housebroken, but I think he was an outside dog before he was picked up as a stray) and in the end we gave him back to the shelter. (they assured us a purebred dog like him would have a good home within a week or else we wouldn't have taken him back, after all, every dog needs a home.) Anyway now my children are pining and asking where their dog went.

I tell them we can get a dog when we get a house, and Brielle always replies "can we go buy a house at the store now?" Can't wait til we go to the house store.

Driving a truck across the dog's ear. I spent a lot of time "rescuing" the dog from Hyrum's attentions. He loved having a dog, it's too bad we're in a small apartment, and too bad I have two other un-potty-trained creatures to clean up after........

No Tag Backs!

Alrighty, I've been tagged multiple times in my life and this one I think I'll do, since my friends Heidi and Shay ganged up and both hit me with the same blog-tag. I'm supposed to share 7 random OR weird facts about myself, so here goes:


1. I've skipped through a jungle chock full of active land-mines and salt water crocodiles. (Angaur, Micronesia)
(Both of these pictures are on the island Angaur)

2. I've skinnydipped in the Ocean (California) as well as several other places. Sorry, no pictures of this. =0)

3. I've swam with sharks. (Belize) No cage.



4. I excel at Dolphin water-skiing. Best in my class actually. (Quintana Roo)


(that's not me, but that's what dolphin water-skiing IS, for those of you not familiar with the sport)

5. I've hiked the Narrows (Zion's National Park) which was exceedingly long and grueling since you're in water for most of the 16 miles. (a tricky one because you can't stop halfway, there is no way out.)

and Half Dome (Yosemite), which was terrifying at the end going straight up the rock. I was right at the very VERY top there!


This was the hardest part, and if you went too slow (like me!) then people would want to pass you and you'd have to let go of the cables so they could get around.

6. I love, love, LOVE to dress up! Fancy, funny, silly, you name it. (these pictures are from ages 17-23)

7. I love food. Cooking it, eating it, experimenting with it, fights involving it, even watching OTHER people cook it. (my FAVORITE thing to do is read, but pictures of me doing that aren't very fun, and baking is my 2nd favorite.)

Some pretty caramel apples Russ and I made.
(Kraft caramels, Ghirardelli dipping chocolate, crushed Oreo, White chocolate)

Pumpkin pie fight. With Jess of course. I have many, MANY more food fight pictures, and dress up pictures, and all sorts of wild and crazy adventure pictures, but it's a little tedious scanning all of my college photos onto the computer. Just know that I'm not afraid of a little mess. =o)

So now I tag Amie, Joy, Oprah, Shannon, Sting, President Monson, Brooke and Tammy.

Silly Daddy!