Fat Tuesday

oh sweet Paczki.

Bella's new favorite movie
bella's favorite movie

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things i've learned

Bitterness and resentment are not good friends.
People that hurt you, break your heart and give you a headache are much better.
Especailly if in the end all they really want is to see you smile.

I just watched a friendship i thought was bled dry resurrect and it is so precious and sweeter to me now, that it had strength i thought it lacked, to live and keep fighting,

God can melt the stoniest heart. I thought i was numb,and He has such a knack of unfreezing the frozen.

Pain is good, in that it is an indication of something that needs fixing.


if you want a fun Birthday party, buy 100 ballons and hang them all from the ceiling at different lengths.
And leave a few on the floor for the babies to chase after.

Walking 40 minutes a night through the most beautiful city in the world is awesome.

I am blessed beyond belief. I have everything I ever dreamed of.
And i am starting to walk out the being thankful part more and more each day.


Praise God from Whom all blessings flow

Bella and Hannah sat us down today and told us it was time for them to be moving on.
"mom" Bella said "We just need our own space. We're outta here,man"


we reluctantly agreed (they are a little young, after all) and we told them goodbye, and to not be strangers.


it's not often you find real estate like this on the market. They were right to snatch it up when they had the opportunity

they neighborhood is great, and they ended up REAL close

their happily settled in,and are planning on having us for dinner soon

At what age should I start feeding coffee to my children?


Recent studies have suggested that by the time a child reaches the age of 18 months, the parents should have him or her on a healthy routine of about 1/2 cup of coffee per day. Of course, the child will not have adapted a taste for black coffee at this point in life, so Dr. Lugar Rolfstein of Germany suggests watering the coffee down with hot water and lots of sugar. You might ask, "but isn't coffee addictive?" Nonsense says Ralph Morgan, a finely dressed man on a very important street. "I can quit anytime I want." Well, what about the sugar? Sugar is good for children. It gets their heart rate up, especially when mixed with coffee, and they tend to get plenty of exercise when they are hyper. "But my child is hyper a lot and I don't know what to do." Well, TV or video games will tend to mellow them out quite a bit and they won't be such a bother. In fact, many parents find that they can leave home for hours at a time with the safe assurance that their child won't even notice they are gone.

But what about espresso? "I've been feeding my child espresso shots since she was five," says Susan Logan. "Is that OK?" According to science, you should have started earlier. By the time your child is three years old they should be drinking lattes and mochas and we highly recommend using your own breast milk. It is a lot easier to train them over to espresso by giving them a French Press for a couple of months. This would make a great gift for their birthday or Christmas. Then start giving them Americanos, gradually reducing the amount of hot water used. By the time your child reaches First grade, they should have adapted a taste for straight espresso shots and should be drinking four to six shots a day to help them stay awake and alert with their busy schedules and work loads.

by Dave Mullis

A Simple Blood Test

I was reading through some pregnancy/labor books the other day (I'm on call again to be a doula) and I came across a very disturbing (to me) passage in one of the books.
It was talking about medical procedure when newborns have fevers, and said that a simple blood test is all that is required now, in place of a full workup of blood test, spinal tap and urinalysis. I'm floored and I feel violated, once again. Bella had a fever when she was born and was given the full workup when she was 3 days old. With no anesthetic. The spinal tap alone took an hour. Now, barely 5 years later, they consider that unnecessary and outdated. It's weird how violated I feel when I feel that my child has been hurt. I felt bad enough when I thought it was necessary. Any trust I ever had in the medical community is pretty much fractured by now. What else are they going to look back on and realize was totally unnecessary? I know of so many already.

purple hair time

Abigail received 6 pairs of these socks at her baby shower.


They cost $50-so roughly $8 a pair. I was confused, irritated and surprised that baby socks could cost that much, and that anyone would pay that much for baby socks.
They were a fertile source of mockery.

I have had to revise that opinion this past week. These socks DON"T FALL OFF. Yeah, so they cost $50 dollars, but the money you save by not having to replace lost socks makes up for it. There wonder socks. And cute as can be, as well. I highly recommend them.

a new Crompton baby (aka my christmas present)



Nathan labored for this one though-for four months!
long live work trade

this is a 15 minute walk from my house. It looks like italy, doesn't it?
I love this area

Bored

I'm so bored. OK, Elena and Devon and Lisa and Renae E and Renae R, right now would be the perfect time for you to drop in-if you lived in Santa Cruz. By the way, why aren't you living in Santa Cruz? C'mon now. More expensive, yes, but oh so worth it. But it would be so much sweeter if you guys lived here.
Hey, i'll make you espresso! And cook you dinner!

I went out yesterday to buy a Christmas tree. We have never bought a cut Christmas tree. I fully intended to buy a 3-4 foot one. I came home with a 6-7 footer. Hee hee. It's nice. It's funny what makes me feel like a grown-up. Or at least like I'm playing the grown-up game. This is definitely one of those things. It's right next to the computer desk, and it smells wonderful.
I've never been interested in decorating, or any holiday traditions. But having kids that are makes all the difference. They love it. And i am having so much fun with it because they get such a kick out of it. Now, if I can just keep Abigail from eating the pine needles.............

It's 2:50 in the morning. My little Abigail is following in her sister's footsteps.
She is wide awake, happy and trying to bounce off my lap.
i am nearing exhaustian. Belle and Hannah are also awake, even though they've been in bed for HOURS. Abigail keeps laughing at them, trying to make them play with her.
My sweet, sweet, funny little girls. Sure am glad i had that double espresso at 9:00.
And hopeful that they'll actually sleep in and let me rest.
If not, well, i have lots of experience functioning in zombie mode.

Best Friends #4
If there was ever a doubt they were sisters...............

Random Cuteness

Abigail Sunshine
funny times, funny times

IS BUTTER A CARB?