The Dentist

We were a bit nervous to see how Lucas would act with some stranger putting their hands in his mouth. He has become a really good teeth-brusher, but that's just when Mom does it.
Here he is patiently waiting.

We were shocked to see how well he did. No tears were shed, and he held his mouth open like a champ - making the ahhhh sound and all. 16 teeth and counting.The dentist was very patient and gentle. We took him to UW, where if we're lucky Jimmy will attend the dental program.
Here's mister groobs himself with his loot:

Children's Museum

We went to the Seattle Children's Museum last week.

It was nice to get Lucas out for a bit.
We went with Amanda, Austen and Kolton.

Austen and Lucas at the water table.

...and this is when we called it quits at the water table.
Lucas spent some time Grocery shopping.
He was out of sight... until I spotted two little feet kicking from the fridge in the dairy section.
Thanks, Amanda for making a fun day for us!

Gymboree

www.gymboreeclasses.com
If you haven't checked this out, DO. You can sign up online for a Free Trial class. It was just what Lucas needed. He has been dying to romp around and I'm sure he's sick of hearing me tell him "no" to jumping on the couch.

It was so cute to see Lucas walk in for the first time. He went up to each toy, paused... looked up at me and GASPED. He was so amazed and seemed so grateful I was letting him jump, run and play on every toy! They sing, blow bubbles, play with a big parachute and for Lucas, it was pretty close to heaven. They stamped his hand with "GYMBO" the clown at the end of the class and he was so sad when it finally washed off in the bath.

There was only one problem.
TOTALLY FUN, but TOTALLY EXPENSIVE.

Does anyone know anything inexpensive but similar? It was more than the cost of a gym membership for me and Jimmy. I couldn't bring myself to do it. My friend, Amanda mentioned YMCA. Any thoughts or suggestions? We do weekly story time faithfully, but I think we need more. Especially during winter months.

Thanks!

Old Navy, Baby.

Word on the street is, starting tomorrow ON is marking clearance an additional half off.

I'm crossing my fingers that it's true, because I found a coupon at oldnavyweekly for another 25% off.

To find the coupon,

Find the yoga pants at the bottom right of the page. First click on the navy pants and then the black pants. The 25% off coupon will pop up.

You're welcome. ;)

Hello?

I was grocery shopping. In a zone. I had a job to do, and I needed to do it fast. I was focused. There was a traffic jam of carts at a crossroad, all of us patiently waiting to get through. I wondered why no one was letting me go, as It was my turn. Don't these people notice me? I(still in my zone) lifted up my left pinkie from the handle of the cart in efforts to TURN ON MY BLINKER. True story. My imaginary blinker clearly didn't work, because the people filtered through in front of me as if I wasn't even there.

After my items were found, I headed to the shortest line which in fact was a self-check line. (After the blinker incident, I'm sure I was in no form to be self checking my groceries.) After the register repeatedly told me I wasn't bagging my items, (which I was doing with FORCE) my light went on to signal the real cashier I needed help. She stared, dazed out the front door of the store. The register wasn't recognizing my items, and the lady wasn't recognizing ME. Don't these people notice me?

The last straw. I pushed the cart to the side, loaded my arms with bags and headed out the door of the grocery store. It wouldn't open. I waved a free finger at the sensor. Nothing. I walk back to tell the cashier about the door issue, and as I stepped away, it opened.
That's it. I'm going home where people notice me.

One more reason I don't like to grocery shop.

Some Dogs Play Fetch.

This one plays basketball. He is my brother's dog, Carter. He knows how to rebound and plays great defense! He fits right in around here and we love him. He's so fun to watch and Lucas gets SO excited when he comes over to play.

We also love Uncle "foogs".

{Lucky You!}

Alisa and Katie got jewelry and hair bows,

Kristy and Ellis got Mommy Daughter aprons,

and Shannon got a beautifully bedazzled Coke!

I was so glad I participated in {Lucky You!} this past year.
I made an effort to do things that I've never done.
Here's what I learned in doing so.

• I now love to bedazzle.
• I have an appreciation for cute pieces of jewelry but not a talent in making them. I'm sure there's still some beads on the dining room floor. OY.
• I have learned a LOT about sewing, but sewing machines scare me. Still.
• It was fun to make random gifts for people. I really enjoyed it!

Kanani's in Town...

We went to the market today. My good friend Kanani's in town, so we hit the city.

This cute little man below followed us around the market making jokes with us,

Including making this fish come to life:

It was wet, but fun!

It's always fun to see Kanani. She makes me laugh like no one else.
Thanks for making time for us!!

Welcome 2010!

Last year, I'm proud to say was a success! I was so glad to complete a New Year's resolution with Jimmy. We both felt good afterward and were supportive of each other in finishing our 12k. It was fun to do it together. It feels good to know that we pushed ourselves to do something that we wouldn't normally do.

This year, we have set some new goals and are more or less excited to complete them.
Here's the deal. I feel like I could be so much better in so many areas, but I've gotta keep realistic goals. It was just so hard to choose. Quite honestly, after the rush of the holidays and staying up late with family in town, it's been hard to be an aggressive goal-setter. So, for me... I'm less excited. But, I know I'll feel good if I continue with this tradition.
Jimmy and I have a family goal, and we each have a personal goal.

Here's how we rung in the New Year:
My brother and his 5 kids came in town and we decided to go to sledding at Crystal Mountain on New Year's Eve.

We came home and once we were all warmed up, we played games, made fun of new teenage armpit hair, ate LOTS of junk, and partied the night away. With the help of Skype, all my siblings and their kids were able to be together to do the countdown. Jimmy hooked up the webcam to the TV in the family room and we partied together. It was a blast!
On New Year's Day, the women SHOPPED all morning. What a treat. NO kids tagged along, as they usually do. After that, we went to the Stake Center to play some family hoops. We played a kids/adult game and an adult only game, bump, and flashlight tag. Oh, and the night wouldn't be complete without a show from our little performer, Jaynie on the stage.
What is usually a fairly quiet holiday turned into quite the bash.
Happy New Year!