A chish!

Chloe caught her first fish today. We went to a stream that is in walking distance to our house. I strapped Alivia into our beautiful Mei Tei, and Tony and Chloe walked along in front of me. She was hurrying along in excitement, holding on to his hand, and he had his pole slung over his shoulder. Put that image in black and white, and you have a Hallmark card for sure! Seeing those two together made me so happy my heart physically hurt.

Down by the stream, Tony knelt down, and Chloe stood in front of him. They held the pole together, with his large, callused hand over her tiny, smooth one. She was yelling at the stream "Come on chish! Where are you???" I stood back and rubbed the little red peach fuzz on the top of Ali's head and watched them fish. Within minutes Tony yelled out and I heard Chloe yelling in excitement. Tony guided her hand in reeling in the line. Then a small squirming fish popped out of the water on the end of the line. It's very appropriate that it was a teeny baby fish. Tony held it, pulled the hook out of it's mouth and let Chloe touch it. She laughed and said "Ewww iss goss!" Then we all said bye to the fish and Chloe helped throw it back in the water. She was a little sad that she didn't get to keep her new little friend. We talked about the fish needing to go back to it's mommy and play in the water.

Back at home that evening, Chloe couldn't stop talking about her 'chish'. She was so proud! I asked her where the chish was and she said "Chish went home! Chish need mommy and daddy!"

It was so very sweet. I know sometimes Tony feels sad that he doesn't have his little boy to teach. But being able to play wrestle with Chloe, and help her reel in a fish, or teach her to swing a bat, that makes it all okay. It's the moments when he is laughing and high fiving a two year old over her catch of the day that make both of their eyes shine. I've always thought the most influential person in a girl's life is her Daddy. She will learn so many valuable lessons from him, way more important than her ABCs, manners, or following directions. Or going to bed on time, or eating her veggies, or using her inside voice. Or not poking her sister in the eyes, or dumping the bath water on the floor, or writing on the walls. Way more important than that!

Mosquitoes, Lawn Mowers, and Whip-Its, Oh My!

Tonight we went to my parent's house to celebrate Mother's Day. I really love my parents, and I especially love that they have been married for 27 years. It seems like that is almost hard to find these days. Of course, they are constantly criticizing each other or snapping each other's heads off (Not THAT serving dish, jeez! Do you REALLY have to cook the chicken first????? Etc, etc, etc). It gets annoying, but two minutes later they are laughing and have forgotten all about it.

It was a perfect evening, warm enough that we could hang out outdoors, but not hot enough to be uncomfortable. My dad worked the grill, my nephew rode his miniature four wheeler all over the yard and orchard, and my 3 year old niece and Chloe rode around in their pink power wheels jeep. My mom, sister, brother in law, Tony, and I relaxed in the lounge chairs, drinking Coronas with lime, and snacking on fresh pineapple. The kids took turns cruising on the riding lawn mower with grandma.

While everyone was occupied outside, my sister and I snuck inside to prepare strawberry shortcake desserts for everyone. But not before doing a few Whip Its with the can of whip cream. If you aren't familiar with whip its, it is basically sucking the aerosol out of the can, sending it straight to your brain and giving you a nice fuzzy feeling. The glorious high lasts for 2.3 seconds, and probably depletes a hundred brain cells each time. Who needs those silly brain cells anyway!
We felt so naughty and put the whip cream back in the fridge and quietly snuck back outside giggling to ourselves. Ahhh...to be 13 again!

The sun started to set and the mosquitoes came calling. After a major West Nile scare last year (Idaho had the highest number of West Nile deaths in the US), we weren't taking any chances, and we headed inside. But not before the nasty buggers had their feast. I am currently scratching at about 8 skeeto bites. :(

We stayed quite a while, playing an entertaining geography game (How many states in the US? What, 52? WRONG! Chug, chug, chug!) I was the designated globe holder and my mom, sister and brother in law had fun yelling out incorrect answers and making each other drink. It was the most G rated drinking game I've ever played!!!! I must also mention my mom rarely imbibes. And if she does it is the occasional glass of vino. So it was fun to see her kick back and get a teensy bit snockered.

But now we are back home and I am ACHING. My back is positively killing me. I did have to drive almost two hours, and sitting in the same position like that just makes me miserable. I am about to run off to bed and cuddle up to my beautiful snuggle bunny. Speaking of bed...Chloe is now in a big girl bed, and doing wonderfully!!! She goes straight to sleep as soon as she gets tucked in. It's glorious!

Weird with a capital P

My dear amiga Corey has tagged me. I now must bestow upon you seven weird things about me.

1. I have a fear of spiders. Not just an, "eww creepy!" fear. A hyperventalating, panicky, blood runs cold, sheer terror, heart stopping, throat closing up, fear. I can't even kill them, I'm afraid to get close. In the pre-arachnaphobia (that word alone gives me chill bumps) days, I could just swat them with a flimsy flip flop, or *shudder* squish them with a bunched up tissue and flush 'em away. Now I can't even look at the creepy crawler for fear it will turn it's multiple beady eyes on me and take a flying leap toward me. I can't look at pictures of the small monsters, if I see them on TV, I have to slink low in my seat and cover my eyes with my hands like a child. The weirdest thing....my fear extends to all crawlies. Even ants and roly poly's. All insects creep me the hell out! Or creep the hell out of me. Or creep me out of hell...something like that. Just writing this post has made my skin crawl.

2. I hate pickles with a passion. My dad used to drink pickle juice out of the jar. I can't even stand the smell, it is bile inducing. I remember going to the movies with a friend who was about to have her baby. She was about to pop any day, and her cravings were at the intense grape-jelly-and-sardine-sandwich-NOW stage. I was eager to get into the theater and grab some good seats, but she wanted to stop at the concession stand. I nearly balked until I noticed she was salivating and looking a bit like a deranged wild animal. She asked the young teen behind the counter for one of those giant, rather vulgar looking, pimply pickles. I started to complain, but one look at her puffed up face, cankles, and that insane end of pregnancy glint in her eyes made me bite my tongue. Throughout the movie, I was trying to supress my gag reflux and bury my face in the giant bucket o' popcorn to fill my nostrils with the smell of artificial butter rather than the scent oozing off of her pickle. The sight of the pickle juice running down her chin and her glazed over giant-pickle-orgasm eyes made my stomach roll. Yeah, I hate pickles.

3. I rub my feet together to fall asleep. I'm sure this is a common practice. But I suffer from insomnia, and often spend hours upon long endless hours laying in bed trying to shut my brain off. As a result of grinding my feet together in the same spot for several hours each night for multiple years, I have whittled myself from a size 9 shoe to a size 7.

4. I ate my first steak at age 19. My father was a hunter and oft cooked up a tantalizing, sizzling, tender strip of delicious....wait, is that deer??? The thought of consuming Bambi's cousin with a side of A1 just seemed so wrong. Then when it came time to eat real steak, I just couldn't do it. After getting married and becoming great with child, I went out to dinner with my husband. I perused the menu for about 13 minutes, each time the server came by to see if we were ready to order yet, I snapped at him. The bright picture of the steak on the menu looked pretty delicious, and my iron was low, so I figured, why not? I ordered the steak (extremely well done, mind you) and when it came I stared at it for a moment. I poked it with my steak knife, almost expecting it to jump up and scramble across the table, mooing in a panicked state and knocking over my water glass before jumping to the floor to make an escape. I gingerly cut a teensy corner piece off, examined it for any pinkness, traces of blood or eyeballs, or vessels of *gag* blubber running through it. I nibbled a miniscule bite off of the corner of the piece and immediately sank into my chair. An involuntary groan came out of my mouth and I started cutting furiously at the slab of meat and shoving it in my mouth faster than I could chew. My husband just stared, his fork and knife in mid air. He knew better than to say anything to the hormonal pregnant lady, but I was starting to elicit stares and whispers. The other patrons were staring at me with open mouths. But I didn't care. I was in the middle of a meat induced coma and nothing mattered but the juiciness that is animal flesh. Thus my love affair with steak began. Like a crack junkie, I'll always be chasing after that first high, that moment when I first sank my teeth into meaty perfection.

5. I like cleaning the bathroom. It is such a small room, and I can get it done so quickly. Then it is nice and shiny and clean. I can never get the living room or kitchen to gleam like that, and it always takes forever to clean those rooms. Plus I get a great sense of joy in providing my family with a spic n' span toilet to rest their hineys upon.

6. This is hard! Seven things, really? Oooh, I know one. I love the smell of skunk. I do! Not stale skunk that has been run over a multitude of times and needs scraped off the highway. But a live one, who has just sprayed his munky scent upon an innocent victim. I love it! Everyone else holds their nose and complains loudly, but I take in deep sniffs of the odor! I also love the smell of gasoline, especially diesel, spray paint, and rubber cement. Yeah, I was the weird kid in kindy garten who was sniffing the paste (well, and eating it too. You know you tried it!!!).

7. I can do complicated math problems in my head, including long division. I hear a song once, and I can memorize the majority of the lyrics, I retain tons of useless random trivia, and I am fairly smart. But I get left and right mixed up all the time, I have a hard time following simple written directions, and I have to drive the same route at least 20 times before I remember it. I can hardly hold a map the right way, and when it comes to technology, I'm completely lost. When Tony is telling me how something works I lose him around "Ok, this is how..." I just kind of zone out and mindlessly nod as he speaks what sounds like Swahili. I just don't get it.

Ok, now here is the part where I tag seven other people and hear about how crazy they are, right? Well, the majority of my blogging buddies have friends lists that are nearly identical to mine, so we could go in circles forever! Instead I'll make up something new, since I'm cool like that and all!

So I want to hear about ten things that make you feel warm and fuzzy inside from....(drumroll please).....

Meghan
Corey
Ingrid
Keara
Megan

Then of course you pick five more people to hear from after you post!

This sums up the post that reveals I have stayed up way too late exposing my oddities to you all!

Sweet, sweet summer

Today was a flurry of activity. I was on the move all day long, and got a ton accomplished. I am paying for it now with an aching back. It is so terrible I had to take a pain pill and I can still barely move. :(

Around 7:30 Chloe was getting restless, so we went outside to play. It was such a beautiful evening. I strapped Alivia into my favorite carrier, a Hideabug Skytai Mei Tai. Check them out here..... http://hideabugskytai.googlepages.com/ . These ladies are SO talented, they do amazing work. I absolutely love my carrier, it gets used at least once a day. It is a total lifesaver when I am shopping. If I don't have the mei tai, I have to take the whole car seat in and put it in the back of the cart, Chloe goes in the front of the cart, and where the heck do all the groceries go??? It is so convenient, and Alivia always snuggles up to me and falls right asleep.

Anyway, I strapped Ali into the carrier and we watched Chloe ride her trike. We talked to the horses that are in a corral by our apartment. Chloe wanted me to lift her up so she could touch the "Poke E Tree". It was the most beautiful evening. The temperature was perfect, we had on a light jacket for those slight breezes, but we probably didn't need it. The sun was sinking low in the sky, and casting a gorgeous light over everything. We went on a walk down the street, just for something to do. My girl is so well behaved. She listens so well. She held my hand the entire time, and if I let her walk ahead of me, she never got more than one or two steps away. And if I asked her to stop, she obeyed right away.

As we walked I was amazed at the sensory overload. Several of our neighbors had recently cut their grass, and the sweet tangy smell of the freshly mowed lawn permeated the air. One of our neighbors was having a barbecue, and the smell of the charcoal and smoke was tantalizing. The glasses of their guests clinked, and their laughter filled the air. A few streets over, several dogs were barking at each other. A group of kids were chasing each other with their brightly colored bikes and laughing. Two preschool aged girls were drawing on the sidewalk with flourescent chalk as their mothers watched on. An elderly couple lazily rocked on a porch swing, with glasses of ice cold sweet tea. A girl squealed as her brother chased her and squirted her with a water gun. A woman headed towards us, holding the leashes of two large dogs. The dogs sniffed Chloe and she tightened her grip on my hand in nervousness. The woman laughed and knelt down, giving Chloe the okay to pet the dogs. Chloe giggled as the dog's rough tongue tickled the palm of her tiny hand.

It does sound a bit Leave it to Beaver-ish. Our neighborhood isn't always so perfect, although it is generally a pretty safe place.

We stayed outside and played until nearly 9:30. It was past Chloe's bedtime, but the amazing weather, beautiful sunset, and summery atmosphere lightened my mood. It reminded me of my school aged years. Riding my bike with my friends, and racing inside at the very last second before my curfew was up. Getting up at the crack of dawn on Saturdays to go play. Swimming in the canals (which now make me shudder in disgust!) with my friends. Befriending the new neighbors and going on summer evening adventures. Exploring an abandoned barn and saving up our own money to build a tree house with our own hands. Sleeping underneath the stars on the trampoline with a group of my giggly, boy-crazed friends. The countdown to the end of school, and the beginning of three months of fun. The anticipation of a summer vacation. Stealing a cigarette and hiding in an alfafa field to take my first drag (fire hazard much?) with my best friend. To this day the smell of alfafa reminds me of my first cigarette (I never inhaled, I promise!). I was a book nerd, and I would climb into one of our orchard trees with a pillow, perch in the branches, and lose myself in the pages of a book. As I got older, summer nights meant outdoor parties. Camping trips, bonfires, hikes, sneaking out, late parties. Skinny dipping, cruising, the county fair, laying on my back in the grass and staring at the stars, wondering what was out there.

It's so amazing how the smells and sounds of summer can bring back so many memories. I had some of the best times of my life during the summer season. It's only May, and our Idaho weather is so unpredictable, tomorrow may be gray and stormy. But tonight I got a little sneak peek of the sweet, sweet summer nights ahead.

If I hit the big one...

The big lottery, of course. The big payout. The massive buckaroonies, the cool millions. I suffer from major insomnia, and often when I am trying to sleep, I lay in bed and think about rolling in the dough. Instead of counting sheep, I become a designer. I close my eyes and picture a gigantic mansion with gleaming hardwood floors and huge bay windows and french doors. Then I go through each room and fill it with imaginary furnishings, beautiful wall hangings, luxurious rugs, and walk in closets full of designer shoes and handbags.

I don't look over any details, and I usually fall asleep in the middle of furnishing the den. Sometimes I make it usptairs to the bedrooms if it is a particularly rough night.

I know it sounds silly. But it works for me. And I am able to erase all the distractions and stresses out of my mind and focus on one thing.

Anyhoo, I love to fantasize about hitting the big payout. I recently watched a documentary on previous lottery winners who spent their way through their money in record speed. Most ended up with foreclosed homes, drug addictions, and animosity among family members.

But that would never happen to me! Upon collecting my check, I'd immediately set the vast majority of it aside. I'd get a trusted team of financial advisors and invest my money wisely. Put aside a large amount for my kiddos, money they won't be able to touch until graduating college, or at age 27. I'd also put aside money for my niece and nephew.

Move the hell out of this tiny apartment, get a beautiful house and furnish it just like I've imagined hundreds of times. Get a great car, a big beefy gas guzzling truck for Tony. Get some lipo, go on a shopping spree, buy some fun toys for the family. I'm sure I'd spend a good chunk, finally having a bit of fun. But then I'd stay here in small town Idaho, shop at Target, stalk the dollar store, and buy 2 for $5 flip flops at Old Navy. We'd have some great family vacations, and I'd finally be able to relax and enjoy staying at home without worrying about finances.

But more importantly...I think I'd have more kids. Yeah, my pregnancies suck, big time. But I just love my kids. And the main reason we aren't having more is financial. Children are God's great gifts, so miraculous and full of life. Kids keep us young! If for some reason I wasn't able to have more, or if the physical problems got worse, I'd either adopt or become a foster parent. There are so many kids out there who need a loving home, even if only briefly. I'd love to open my arms and doors to other children to show them love and affection. It would be hard to be a foster parent though, I get so emotionally attached, I'd have the hardest time letting go when the time came.

I love thinking about hitting it big. But I have to remember to keep myself grounded, and realistic. Odds are...it ain't gonna happen! But I still buy that one dollar ticket every Wednesday and Saturday. It's only 2 bucks a week. Eight dollars a month, $104 dollars a year. And if it takes me 10 years to win, I'll only have spent a grand on little pieces of paper!

Come on baby! Make me a winnah! Mama needs shoes, baby needs diapers!

What would you do with your millions?

BO-RING!

Man, today is a boring day. The hubby is out getting his fish on, Alivia is sleeping on my bed, Chloe is next to me watching the Berenstain Bears, and I am bored to tears. There is plenty to do of course, I need to get rid of half of Chloe's toys that she doesn't play with. I have an entire house to clean, and a laundry pile to work through. But I'm just having one of those days where I don't want to do anything but lay around.

Sigh. I need to get off my rear though and stop eating Pirate's Booty. That stuff is fantastic, but so addictive!

Bye Trash Boy! and other random musings

I was surfing the internet, looking through blogs. It's fun to look at someone's blog, then click on a linkie to one of their friend's blogs, then randomly click five or six more times until you get to an interesting looking one. It's like the six degrees of seperation (spelling?) only weirder.

I have come to the realization that there are some CRAZY ASS PEOPLE out there!

As I was perusing, Chloe yells "Bye Trash Boy!" Proper pronunciation would be closer to "Bye Chash bo-ee!" I had no idea what she was talking about until I saw she was watching Sesame Street, and Oscar the Grouch had just shut himself inside his garbage can. My little stinker is so smart! She also calls Play Dough "Squishies!" My other favorite words of hers are...

Pockels (popsicles)
Paw-kern (pop corn)
Chockit (chocolate)
Melmo (elmo)
Wain (rain)
Chish (fish)
Eh-tant (Elephant)
Bobber (water)
Jaf (giraffe)
Mo-mote (remote)
Kucker (sucker)
Keam (ice cream)
Gog (dog)

That's just a few. I love that half the time she says something people stare at her like she is speaking Swahili, but Mama knows just what she is saying!

Also, whenever you ask where something went she always says "Went home!" Even for the pee going down the toilet. :) Or if you ask where something is it is always "hidin!"

This girl keeps me laughing all day long. Half the time I am snorting coke all over the place. That would be DIET coke, and it is spewing OUT of my nose, not in! :) Speaking of Diet Coke, I'm loving the new Diet Coke Plus with vitamins and minerals. Tastes just like normal DC. Plus now I can justify my diet soda addictions since it is now perfectly healthy. *roll eyes*

In other news, I have a baby dinosaur in my house and she is shaking the walls with her ear splitting shreaks and squeals and yells and screams. She is SOOO noisy! But happy noisy.

In other randomness, can I just say that I am infatuated with the dollar store? Tony doesn't understand the fascination, it's all junk to him. But it's really the only place that I can go on a massive shopping spree and not damage the checkbook too badly. Plus I love our dollar store's gift section. You can buy gift bags, tissue paper, wrapping paper for, like, only a buck! :) It's genius!

And I usually stock up on a bunch of toys and books and flash cards and art supplies to store as bribery and gifts for Chloe. She doesn't know the difference between Crayola crayons, and the cheapie brand. They all write on the wall equally well!

The dollar store also had a ton of summer stuff out. So I stocked up on sidewalk chalk, frisbees, balls, bubbles galore, water guns, and even a hula hoop!

I had a heaping cart full, and it only costed me forty buckaroonies! Try that at Target!