We HEART Monterey
(Thanks Lance and Becky for the pics!)

TEETH!...HOW do you Battle the Brush??How do you get your kids to BRUSH?? My four-year-old brushes dutifully, twice daily saying, "A Princess ALWAYS has white, beautiful teeth!" Her sister SCREAMS when I try to assist in brushing. Her brushing method is sucking on the toothpaste and calling it good.
She:

• LOVES her Diego toothbrush
• LOVES the toothpaste
• LOVES looking in the mirror at herself licking it like an icecream cone.

She can be kind of a sour kid, as you can see...
(but on a positive note...don't you love those bubblegum jams??? I do!)

Anyway, tell me what works for your kids.

Its CRAVING time... Ok moms: now that I'm not sick anymore (WHOO HOOO!) lets bring on the food! What have your favorite or craziest cravings been?

Tic, Tac, Toe... ...Three in a row. Heaven help us; we are having a girl. But isn't she cute?

Why I think 4-year-olds probably make better siblings...

As my 3-year-old nears 4 years of age, she is starting to rapidly add new and uesful tricks to her repatoire. Here are just a few skills that make me happy knowing I will have a 4-year-old big sister for my 3rd born:

• Fills up her -AND HER SISTER'S- cups with water and ice, and pops the top (my favorite)
• Buckles herself and her sister into the car
• Brush her own teeth...(don't freak out, we check for missed spots!)
• Dresses little sister for the day
• Changes her sister's wet diapers. LOL> (Dad taught this one, and appriciates it the most)

Happy Birthday, Lamb! You are TWO!A magazine-bead necklace, homemade and wrapped by her sister...

...and also unwarpped by her sister...I left the girls for 1.5 minutes to throw on a dress for church. When I came out every present was opened (I think they both helped) and all the gifts, warpping paper, and birthday confetti was EVERYWHERE. I was so bummed that I didn't get to see her reaction when she opened the homemade necklace, or even get one picture.

An approving smile

(my favorite picture)

"I started with my fork...not sure what happened!"

"All DOOOOONE!"

Gardening and Highlights Thought I should update...since my veggies are poppin'.

Sampling the UNRIPE cherry tomatoes. after this picture she was ANGRY.

Everyone knows what these caps mean. HOMEMADE HIGHLIGHTS...SCARY

so Bon, this is per your request...can you even tell the diff? it ended up way more natural than I wanted it.

Happy Easter coloring eggs the day before...it rained that day!

Easter Morning was beautiful outside.

This is what "mesmerized bunny dancing" looks like. Grandma sent this singing bunny in the mail. Aren't Grandparents great for stuff like that? Payback I guess.

So, How am I feeling?...I spend a lot of time with my head in one of these and my hand in the other. I carry sleeves of crackers around with me at all times. But really, I'm just being dramatic...I don't actually put my head in the toilet, GROSS! I'm a fan of the bowl, or the bag! SO the way to go! Why didn't I figure this out before?? I carry a portable bag in my pocket, in the car, and then I keep bowls in each room! (I clean them, don't worry) Much easier, much more pleasant and it eliminates the problem of running through the house, and cleaning up what didn't make it in. ewwwwww! sorry to get graphic.

So, Moms....What are your "sick tricks?" And what are your best Morning Sickness cures? Crackers? Mints? Zofran??

Also, for mom's of multiple children....Does sickness continue to get worse with each child?? That has been my pattern. Wanted to know if I am weird, or if others experienced this too.

Sometimes...
EXCITING
Things GROW Here!!!!
Another baby will be ready to rock our world this October.

Just a follow up to the previous CSPAN clip that opposed the last bailout. See my Valentines Day post to review.

Things GROW Here... LOTS of weeds to pull.

And my new GARDEN!!!!

I've never grown my own vegetable garden, so I'm pretty psyched to see green stuff popping up. Because its 85 degrees here, my summer veggies are growing already! Stay tuned for the summer harvest in June...followed by the the planting of late-summer vegetables. So, Garden Enthusiasts: let yourselves be known, and give this novice gardener your green-thumb tips.

Rain or Shine

We had RAIN! well, a couple weeks ago. The girls had the BEST day ever with their "combrella". It was fun while it lasted, but I did have to change wet clothes 4 different times that day cause they just couldn't say inside. That's 8 outfits! lots of laundry.

LUV for the CUZ

This is her shout out to all the MacD cousins out there. This picture is reviewed a lot around our house. The other day a brillant idea was thought, "TAPE the picture to the front of my BIKE!" What better way to show some family pride?

my friend Jessica pointed out to me that people from big families have a "family pride" about them . So this is her show of it....not to mention the show of a funky, non-matching outfit.

Happy Valentine's, America!

You're about to pay for yet another BAIL OUT....or rather, our children will.

No Saguaros were harmed in the making of these images

If GUNS make you WOOZY...view discretion advised.

Pin the Tail on the Donkey Glock-Style

Lookin' Down the Barrel of a Gun...

"Weeeeee"

Buzzing to my own BeAt

Ok, here's the scene: I tell the girls to jump in the wagon, we are going pick up some things from the supermarket. When I get outside I see a smiling face sporting a bumble bee beanie and pink shades. Alrighty then. We got some points and giggles all the way to the store and back. Mostly from me. While I walked home, pulling a heavy wagon of girls and groceries, a song played in my head....Can you guess what it was? Here are some lyrics as a hint:

"And I don't understand why I sleep all day

And I start to complain that there's no rain

And all I can do is read a book to stay awake

And it rips my life away, but it's a great escape..."

First person to name the Song Title/Band/Album gets a gold star.

Safety Breach:
So what do other parents do when their kids learn how to unbuckle their car seats, en route, and unbuckle their little siblings' seat too while the car is moving? There has got to be a back-up safety product out there, right? like a chain? Help!

SWeeT to balance the SoUr

hugs and kisses before bed. Have you ever had a BINKY kiss? We get them every night.

Future Tattoo Artist...? Pictured is some fun with permenant markers. I have no pictures of the rest of the artwork on my coffee table; still trying to get over that one.

Speaking of naughtiness:

"There Once Was a Little Girl.... ...With a Little CURL right in the middle of her forehead...when she was good, she was VERY VERY good, and when she was bad, she was HORRID."

She woke with this curl in the middle of her forehead, and it just reminded me of this poem my mom used to recite to me.

I have a SUNBEAM!!??! Miss SunBeam's friendly reminder to "Choose The Right!"

Here are a few pictures from Christmas.
Sharing some snow

Snow SO deep my bro. Corey was buried! (single ladies: he's available!)

All the girly girl cousins at Grandma's

Its a Brand New Year! How did you spend New Year's Eve? I rang in the new year chaperoning 375 youth at the regional New Year's Dance. Above are just a few of my favorite 14 to 18-year-olds, striking a pose after midnight. It was a great way to follow up the Brand New Year celebration the night before. Check it out to the right.