Just in case you're wondering . . .

. . . what a 5 1/2 year old looks like.

She's already started the countdown for her 6th birthday in exactly 6 months.

(NOTE: Her tragic last hair-cutting experience is growing out very, very, very slowly. Seriously, it's been since August, shouldn't it be a little longer than that? It's almost long enough to be regular bangs which she's been asking for since the actual incident. I loath bangs. I guess I comment on it too much because the other day when her hair was messed up, she asked me if she looked like an orphan.)

Ribs

She never did like baby food.

Garbage

I forgot about this little gem. Elliot and Grandpa made this little concrete slab to the side of our carport just the perfect size of our garbage cans. Now they have their own little place and don't take up carport space. Elliot is like Pa on Little House on the Prairie. Even if he has no idea what he's doing, he does it anyway and it always turns out fantastic. You should see him do electrical work. Ooh, I'm getting chills. Excuse me while I go find my husband.

The Ball Challenge - 01/29/10

We had more friends over for our Ball Challenge and ALL were first-timers.

First of all, we had a delicious pork loin dinner with rice, and salad, and these beautiful vegetables. I meant to take a picture of the complete plate, but I scarfed it down before I thought about it. Yum.

Curtis Mellor was quite determined and challenged us in several different positions. Stella was the photographer, so the paparazzi flash didn't help with anyone's concentration.

I can see Shellee practicing this one at home so she can be ready for the next challenge.

I'm actually really impressed with Stella's balance. She can stay on the ball for several seconds, which is more than most adults can do!

Eric Murray probably could have done better, but he was just laughing all night.

Lauren Murray thought she was on a pommel horse.

Steve Umpleby didn't want pictures, but he's not the boss of me.

Carma Umpleby is our new best friend. Not because of her ball challenge skills, but because she let Stella fix her hair and put puzzles together with her for part of the night.

Elliot testing out his new skills. He was concentrating really hard!

I'm good. I'm really good. But boring.

If you take too long on the ball, you get a little extra challenge as Stella kicks the crap out of the ball until you lose focus and fall.

Lauren whipped out her gymnastic skills.

Stella joined in.

So did Elliot.

Protein

I love my protein shakes. Seriously, if I didn't actually need other forms of nutrition, I'd just drink them all day long. This is serious, because not all protein shakes taste good. Unfortunately for my dear sweet honey-bun, I chose to love the most expensive protein shakes and now that I've tasted the pre-mixed ones, I cannot go back to the powder. Sorry Sweetie.

However, when purging this crap from my mouth the other morning, I almost reconsidered! LOOK AT THAT! Are you kidding! I took a sip and was retching into the sink for the next 5 minutes and scraping my tongue and retching some more! I'm in such a habit of taking a quick sip right in the morning that I didn't notice this curdled mess. Oh my gosh! So GROSS!

Fortunately, I'm getting reimbursed for the 4-pack along with some coupons. Not quite the "protein-for-life" I was looking for, but it works.

Happy Birthday Miles!

January 27th

Today I had the chance to work at the temple in the cafeteria. As I slopped up some bean medley soup, I thought a lot about how much I loved working in the cafeteria when I was in elementary school. I wonder if I'd be a good lunch lady.

I digress. Anyway, even though I didn't get a chance to perform any vicarious work at the temple today, I am so grateful to have been able to feed people who did! I love the temple!

Being at the temple today was good for me. There's no place I'd rather be besides holding my child . . . if she'd hold still. Believe me, I don't dwell on it, but I do mark that today has been 2 years since my miscarriage. The year 2008 was rough for me. I had 2 miscarriages. You have every right to believe what you believe a miscarriage is (I've heard everything), but I bonded with those babies for the couple of months they were trying to grow inside of me. Lately Stella has been talking a lot about her brother and a sister in heaven. We know those babies are a part of our family because of the temple. We love the temple and eternal families!

Admit When You're Wrong

Stella and Clarkie are playing Candyland that our family got for Christmas. I didn't hear the beginning of the conversation/disagreement, but here's where I came in:

CLARK: "It's your family's."
STELLA: "No, it's mine!"
CLARK: "But I think it's your family's."
STELLA: "No, it's mine!"
CLARK: "But your family plays games, so I think it's your family's."
STELLA: "I'm telling."

(then she came in to talk to me)

STELLA: "Mom, is Candyland mine or yours or Daddy's?"
MOM: "It's our family's."

(walking quickly back to Clarkie to finish the Candyland game)

STELLA: "Clark, you're right. It's our family's. I'm sorry. You were right."

I don't know where she learned to admit when she's wrong. Does she have other parents? Because I'm always right.

Whoops! I just heard a "I'm the boss of this game!" in the other room. I might have to clear that one up and issue an overdue time-out.

Light Rail Morons

Remember THIS poll from a year ago when I asked you how many accidents you thought would happen in the first year of running the new LIGHT RAIL SYSTEM? Well, the grand total for 2009 is that there were 52 accidents, no fatalities (unlike my prediction), all morons. Seriously, the light rail is less than 1/2 mile from my house . . . it beeps, it stops, it goes slowly . . . also, it's huge. Can you not see it? Dumb drivers.

Dear Ben & Jerry's

Once upon a time, not so long ago (1999 to be exact), there lived 3 beautiful sisters and a beautiful cousin in the same apartment. One day Stacy, the cousin, purchased a new freezer treat which she was very excited to try upon her return home from work that day. Whitney, one of the sisters, happened upon this freezer treat and was intrigued by it's name, for it happened to be named after 3 of her favorite things.

"Hum," she thought to herself, "I will just take a taste for surely my beautiful cousin will not mind." And she took a bite. And then she took another bite and another until the full pint of deliciousness was gone. "Blast," Whitney said outloud as she licked the spoon clean, "I shall buy her another."

Whitney did as she had planned. She even told Stacy about the delicious treat theft and they had a good laugh. The next day Whitney was confused when Stacy still hadn't eaten her newly replaced frozen pint of heaven. Stacy went out instead. Whitney's tummy grumbled and the addictive chemicals in this newly found treat called her name until there was a spoon in hand and chocolate, fudge, and brownie were smeared on her face. Again, Whitney reached the bottom of the pint. This treat, as history has recorded, was not replaced until early in the year 2010 when the cousin and sister met again.

The cousin and sister had another good laugh over the story and the sister finally had the satisfaction of seeing her cousin enjoy the replacement treat, though she was still confused at the little amount she ate. As luck would have it, delicious frozen treats don't travel well, so it was left in the sister's freezer . . . and they lived happily ever after.

Toothless Wonder

Stella lost her first tooth on Sunday! She just had to call her Grandma Dibble and Grandma Anderson to let them know all the details! She twisted it around and pulled it right out by herself! Such a brave girl!

My New Little Friend

Welcome Baby Franklin! Congrats Travis, Em, Joe, Sam, Clark, and Macy! We love you!

Fiesta Bowl

I was so excited to have my Uncle Bruce and cousins Stacy, Caleb, and Hailee come visit us for a bit when they were in town for the Fiesta Bowl. Boise State University (BSU) was playing, so Caleb got some tickets because he's in their Sports Medicine program. They drove straight through from Weiser and showed up at my house at 5:00 a.m. to sleep for a few hours before they got back up for the Tailgate party.

By the way, my beautiful cousin Stacy and her team won the hotdog-eating contest! That totally grosses me out.

I'll go ahead and say that they were pretty excited about BSU'S big win and so was Taco Bell!

"Cup Please!"

Once upon a time there was an adorable little 1-year-old girl who somehow wedged her milk sippy into a rolled up air mattress that wasn't opened again for 2 months.

Margaret & Dave

Elliot's cousin Margaret and her husband Dave met us at The Sugar Bowl for dinner while they were in town for the Fiesta Bowl football game last week. They have something to do with the band, so they had some time to visit! And of course Stella quickly made them her best friends (this was their first time meeting)!

The Office

The other night I was watching a movie until Elliot came home from his meeting. I paused the movie so I could talk to Elliot about his day. The screen soon turned into this with the "Philips" sign bouncing around:

It reminded me of this episode of The Office, because I was very excited when the "Philips" sign on our TV eventually DID hit the corner . . . not that I wasn't paying attention to what Elliot was saying.

Sass of the Year

I was trying to french braid Stella's hair after her bath one night. For this activity, I must have a completely still head to work on or else it becomes a mess, which is also why I hardly ever braid her hair. I kept telling Stella to "freeze" so I could get a braid or two in. She kept moving around. I'd freeze her. She'd move a few seconds later.

MOM: "Stella PLEASE hold still!"
STELLA: "You have to freeze me."
MOM: "I've been freezing you and you keep moving around."
STELLA: "Well, I melted."

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Stella sat down to watch her Hannah Montana movie for the 50th time. Elliot came home and sat next to her before the movie started.

DAD: "What are you watching Stella? Hannah Montana?"
(and in her full Sassy Stella way)
STELLA: "You know it!"

*********************************************

In more Hannah Montana news (you have to see it to get this one) . . . Stella was in the church library with me on Sunday morning while I was stapling my newsletters. She was being "helpful" to the librarian. The librarian said, "Stella, I'm going to talk to your Daddy (bishop) and tell him to make you my assistant." To which Stella replied in her very valley-girl tone, "Your Executive Assistant!"

*********************************************

One of Stella's favorite outfits is this red dress with the striped scarf. After church this day, she came up to me and said, "Watch!" as she proceeded to pull the scarf around her neck as tight as she could while her face turned red!

This, of course, is not acceptable! I made her stop immediately and gave her quite the lecture on why she shouldn't do that, including and itemized list of loss of motor skills, drooling, not walking, not running, not eating, not breathing, death, singing, dancing . . . the list goes on. She listened to this list with about as much concern on her face as she has when I tell her I'm taking away a privilege (she really, really doesn't care).

Oh, but I found the one thing she couldn't refrain from gasping in horror. She agreed to not ever pull the scarf around her neck like that again after I told her that she'd NEVER be able to hold a baby again! The gasp was totally worth it.

*********************************************
Speaking of a previous post in which I was happy about looking forward to having one grandchild . . .

STELLA: "I'm not going to have any kids."
MOM: "WHAT? Why?"
STELLA: "I don't want to push them out of my bum."
MOM: "Who told you that?" (I already knew the answer)
STELLA: "Clarkie."

Since Clark's mommy was about to have a baby, they had a review of their own births and the kids asked a few "where do babies come from" questions, thus thrusting my daughter into the sex talk a little early. So I proceeded to traumatize her by describing the other options besides pushing them out of her bum. I'll never be a grandma.

Happy Birthday Isaac

Miss you baby boy.

Books I Read in 2009

JANUARY
"The Uncommon Reader" by Alan Bennett
"Left To Tell" by Immaculeé Ilibagiza
"These Is My Words" by Nancy E. Turner

FEBRUARY
"Cheaper By The Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbrith Carey

MARCH
"The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman

APRIL
"Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
"The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" by Alexander McCall Smith

MAY
"The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas

JUNE
"The Ugly American" by William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick

JULY
"Sarah's Quilt" by Nancy E. Turner
"Star Garden" by Nancy E. Turner
"Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt

AUGUST
"Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
"Someone Knows My Name" by Lawrence Hill
"Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card

SEPTEMBER
"Boy in the Striped Pajamas" by John Boyne
"The Heretic's Daughter" by Kathleen Kent
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" by John Boyne

OCTOBER
"The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield
"In Search of Heaven" (on CD) by Anita Stansfield
"The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

NOVEMBER
"A Quiet Promise" (on CD) by Anita Stansfield

DECEMBER
"A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens
"Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen