It's 3 PM. Do You Know What Your Family is Doing?

I took a break from reading about free cash flows for my corporate finance class to see what the rest of my family was doing. I wandered upstairs to find that they were all asleep - Jabba included.

A real stand-up guy

I've always said we were raising Ethan to be the next Jerry Seinfeld. And he doesn't disappoint. Everyone in Primary (his Sunday School) says he is hilarious and everything he says is funny. And he totally plays to the crowd.

A couple weeks ago we were having a lesson in Primary and one of the kids in my class (the 3 year-olds) stood up (out of turn, of course) and declared that she had been born in Utah. So of course this started a chain reaction of all the other kids shouting that they had been born in Utah, too. Ethan, apparently not wanting to be left out, just stood up, made the "touchdown" sign with his arms and shouted "UTAH!" then sat back down. What the? The teacher sitting behind me laughed uncontrollably for the next several minutes. She finally asked me if he was in fact born in Utah, to which I responded "Not even close- he was born in Virginia." My son the comedian.

One of the other things he does that is hilarious is this little voice he has made up for Sadie. An impossibly high, squeaky one. So any time we ask Sadie a question, like "How are you this morning, Sadie?" Ethan will answer "I'm pretty good!" It is sooooo funny. And he knows we think he's funny, because he just wants to watch our reaction. What have we done...

Enough already

I know many of you out there who are reading this are enjoying your first snowfall of the season and basking in its fluffy exuberance. I know I felt the same way when the first flakes began falling here in New Hampshire back in late October/early November.

But I'm over it.

Enough already.

I'm fine with snow. I don't mind having it sit on the ground for months at a time, or even the occasional snow flurry that brings an inch or two. No problem. In fact, I realize that our snow will be here most likely until some time in late March or April, and even that doesn't bother me so much.

What bothers me is the shoveling. The back-breaking, never-ending, I-can't-tell-where-I-just-shoveled shoveling. Ugh.

We are in the midst of a huge snowstorm that, all told, will dump approximately 12-14 inches of snow over the area by tomorrow. I went out around 11 this morning and cleared off my car, then shoveled the stairs and areas around and behind both our cars. It looked pretty good by the time I was done, 45 minutes later (only about an inch of new snow on the car, etc., which I thought wasn't too bad). Unfortunately for me, by 2:00 in the afternoon I couldn't even see my car anymore. Another 4-5 inches had already accumulated on top of it. So out I went to start all over again. I think I can safely say it is the worst chore EVER. But I've learned a thing or two in the last two months, and as I am a charitable person, I will share my newfound knowledge with you.

Here are a few helpful hints for those who must undertake this most unpleasant of tasks:

1. Never skimp on the shovel. This is definitely rule #1. As it will replace your spouse in terms of time spent together, it is vital that you get the best shovel money can buy.
2. Every 1/2 inch of snow shoveled is the equivalent of one week at the gym. Forget the health club membership. I'm now off the hook till at least Labor Day.
3. Snow is heavy. Sure, it looks all soft and fluffy. But after hoisting it into a giant snow mountain 563 times, you realize it's not messin' around.
4. Respect the snow blower. When we first started getting copious amounts of snow I was still a little unsure why everyone (and I mean *everyone*) owned a snow blower. Now I am searching for one on craigslist.
5. Lower your expectations. Back in early December when our love affair with snow was just beginning, my goal while shoveling was to clear enough so that I could see the asphalt on the driveway. Nearly two months later I am happy if I can see my footprints after 20 minutes.
6. Know your limit. When you develop carpal tunnel from shoveling, it's time to quit.
7. It's all about leverage. Never do anything for free. Shoveling is the perfect leveraging tool to get whatever it is you've been pining for the last six months. NKOTB cruise, here I come.

Is it spring yet???

Inconceivable

How did this little peanut get to be ten months old already??? She apparently missed that memo I sent outlining how she must remain a baby forever. Sigh. I guess I just need to suck it up and deal with the fact that she is getting bigger and is fast approaching her first birthday. Ack!!! But I still love documenting her progress (and her cuteness), so here is this month's installment of love letters to Sadie.

Sadie is always after Jabba's toys (and his food). I am constantly tossing them across the room in an attempt at keeping them away from her. At least she doesn't want to put them in her mouth anymore.

Sigh... the obsession continues. WHY do my kids always have to be playing with lightsabers?? Oh right, because we have FIVE of them. Hopefully someday she will forge a new path...

And again with the dog toys...

Sadie now loves to stand and one of her favorite spots is the book case in the living room. She has already destroyed two of Paul's Norwegian books and part of a photo album. Go Sades.

Isn't this the CUTEST dress??? Thanks Grandma K!!!

And the lightsaber returns...

I just think she looks funny in this picture. So cute.

We love you, The Sades!!! You're a total diva but we love you anyway. Keep on keepin' on, sweetest girl.

Guilty Pleasures

There are two blogs I read just because they are hilarious. I felt the need to share the hilarity with you because they're too good to pass up.

First up we have Cake Wrecks, a blog about professional cakes gone awry. I know it sounds like a strange premise for a blog but trust me, it is hilarious. http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

And second is the ever popular Fail Blog, which chronicles the failures and missteps of the human race. Good times. http://failblog.org/

Just try to pry yourselves away. You know you want to look.

Like Father, Like Daughter?

Looks like Sadie is headed down the same path as her dad. Look out Tuck, here she comes!

Hmm, I wonder how best to manage my assets in today's volatile market...

Eh, whatever. I think I'll just eat this instead.

The LLC Won't Let Me Be

Tuck just opened up a new Living and Learning Center - otherwise known as the LLC - and it is awesome. It is a combination of classrooms, dorm rooms, study rooms and common spaces. I have included some pictures below.

Baby, it's cold outside

We woke up this morning and turned on the tv to check out the forecast. The current temperature was -13. Wow. Now THAT is cold. I determined that it was a long underwear, sweat pants kind of day, so here I sit in my fleecy pants and thermals. But I'm still cold. So, what better way to warm up than with one of these:

Mmmmmmm... homemade sticky buns. YUM. Now all I need is a steaming cup of hot chocolate and all my problems will be solved. Anyone want to join me?

The Weekend Dad

As you will know by reading previous posts, we spent a week down in Florida with Paul's parents and siblings over the Christmas break. It was great fun, sunny and warm, etc. Naturally, being with parents and siblings, we were called Paul and Sarah by everyone there. Fine, right?

Fast forward to now. Ethan insists on calling Paul by his first name. Exclusively. Paul comes home from class- "Oh, hey Paul." "Paul, I need to go potty!" "Paul, can you help me with this game?" "Good night, Paul!" It is so weird. For a brief period of time Ethan tried calling me Sarah, but I put a stop to that real quick. Paul doesn't seem to mind one bit. I don't get it.

So we call Paul the "weekend" dad, since he is now referred to by name instead of by Dad. I just hope he doesn't start sleeping in a racecar bed or making a demo tape.

And the World's Worst Mother Award goes to...

Me, natch.

It turns out Sadie DOES have an ear infection in her right ear. She slept better the last two nights so I assumed she was okay. This morning was her nine-month well baby check-up and when the doctor looked in her ear she said "Well, it does look red, and like it's been stretched and swollen." Great. Here I thought she was just being a psycho but really she was in pain. I feel sooooo awesome about myself now. We will be picking up her prescription as soon as she wakes up from her nap.

Otherwise she is the picture of health. She is still teeny tiny- only 16lbs, 9oz, which puts her in the 9th percentile for weight. YIKES. She's 28 inches long which is apparently average. Long and skinny- where did that come from??!? The doc advised me to keep looking for the high calorie foods and to try adding a very small amount of oil or butter to her food to bump up the fat content. But she does everything she is supposed to be doing- crawling, pulling up, getting to a sitting position from her belly. She is sooooo wiggly and wants to be in motion all day long.

We love our little supermodel! Here's hoping her ear infection clears up quickly!!

Deception

You see this adorable child? This precious vision of childlike innocence?

It's all an act. A terrible illusion. A deception so cunning that it requires months of close observation to uncover. This precious child is not the angelic creature she appears to be. Oh no. She is possessed by demons.

My adorable, once well-behaved baby has been taken over by evil spirits. For the last three nights she has woken up at 11:00 and each night she is awake longer than the night before. Sunday night she woke up just to nurse, then went back to sleep. Monday night she was up until 1am. Last night she was up until 4am. And I'm not talking about crying. I am talking full-on, blood-curdling, "I just swallowed a handful of razorblades" screaming. I've tried nursing her. I've tried singing to her. I've tried rocking her. I've tried walking around with her. I've tried bringing her into our bed. Last night in a moment of sheer desperation I even drove her around in the car at 2:30 in a snowstorm because I didn't know what else to do. In each of these instances, she is quiet and content as long as you are holding her, touching her, etc. But the second you try to put her down in her crib the demonic transformation begins. It's like she is all of a sudden allergic to sleep. And I've tried to let her just wear herself out and go to sleep, but this child has marathon-strength endurance and will scream for hours. I got 3.5 hours of sleep last night. I feel like I'm living in the Twilight Zone. Last night I was crying right along with her, during hour four of her hysteria. I have absolutely no idea what to do. What on earth could have possibly happened to my sweet baby girl, I would love to know. Teething? Late-onset colic? Illness of some sort? Satan having a laugh at my expense? Who knows. But I am praying that it is short-lived. PLEASE.

Images of Disney

We also hit up the Magic Kingdom, knocking out any and every ride we were interested in. Ethan showed an extreme amount of patience and waited until the end of the day to ride Pirates of the Caribbean. He also rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, his first real roller coaster. He actually was laughing during part of it. Sarah stayed home with Sadie during the trip so the Sads could rest. We missed both of them though.

Paul at the Kingdom

Ethan posing while waiting in line for Pirates

Ethan and Grandma in front of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Ethan and Kevin (Paul's brother) tearing it up at the Magic Kingdom

Main Street

We went golfing in Florida last week

No Snow family vacation is complete without a game or two of golf. We played eighteen holes as well as a game of mini-golf. Beezer (our sister-in-law) tore it up and beat Niels - not an easy thing to do.

Ringing in the New Year with the Mouse

We spent part of New Year's Eve at Downtown Disney, a shopping area outside of Disney World.

Under the Sea

We just got back from a week in Orlando with Paul's family. It got up to 80 during the day - a great change from the sub-zero temperatures of New Hampshire. Will post more pictures once I get some from other family members but thought I'd share a few shots of our trip to SeaWorld.

Bryce, Niels (both Paul's brothers) and Ethan horsing ... I mean manateeing ... around.

Ethan and Bryce looking at alligators

Us at SeaWorld's enormous Christmas tree

Sadie and Paul