Skinny Thighs

We just lowered Kara's crib and I hadn't gotten the bumper put in yet. I looked in her room during her nap and saw this - poor thing! We find out on Friday if she has gained enough weight - she's gained some, but hopefully it will be more in line with her height!

Question for the Day

So, I am researching two things right now and I thought I would throw them out to blog world and see if anyone has any comments/suggestions/recommendations on the following:

1. Roomba. This past weekend, our Life Group got into a discussion about these amazing little machines. Jenn has one (actually two) and she almost had me convinced to go out and buy one that night. They have also been a topic of conversation at Garet's work as well. As I've mentioned before, I would like to hire a housekeeper, so why not start with an electronic one! I have yet to hear a negative review, so if you have any thoughts on the issue, please let me know!

2. iPOD vs. iTOUCH. I desperately need a new MP3 Player and with the recent turn of events regarding my birthday trip, I decided I needed to at least spend a little money on myself to ease the pain of turning 30. So, I just started looking around and was pretty much convinced I would just get a new iPOD (80 GB), but then my co-worker Josh walks into the office with the iTOUCH (8 GB). I have to admit, it looks pretty fun. So, I'm stuck. Realistically, I think I should probably stick to the iPOD, but if you have an opinion, share away!

Jenn has a couple of iPODs as well and she has also convinced me to buy a pair of Lucky Jeans (and we both have boys named Levi!!), so apparently I want to be just like Jenn lately. :)

Why a parent should never have high expectations when getting their child's picture taken

The difference is frustration. The lower your expectations, the easier it is to handle portrait situations like this:

Kara decided she was scared of the camera and cried the whole time she was getting her pictures taken and Levi always has some interesting "poses". Actually, Levi did great and gets a big kudos from me for being so patient with his sister. We didn't get a good picture of the kids together (even though I bought some!), but there were a couple of decent ones of them individually. If you only knew how much work it took to get that smile on Kara!!!

How cute are these?

First, this is why I'm so happy I have a girl:

They were only $6 at Target, so I couldn't resist.

Second, Lightening McQueen is probably Levi's hero. The boy has anything and everything relating to the movie Cars: T-shirts (plural), jacket, underwear, pull-ups, stickers, books, magnets, lunchbox, shake-n-go car, probably around 30 of the hot wheel size cars, flashlight, poster, cups, movie...I could go on. So, when I saw these, it was a must buy in my book:

I unfortunately paid $16 for them and then saw them for $10 at Wal-mart! So, that's your tip for the day.

Don't ask me about global warming...

...ask my dad. He's the guru. His accomplishments in this area are too numerous to list in this post, but you can read about him here. Unless you were born yesterday, you might have noticed that there is...how shall we say it...a little "controversy" in this field of science, so my dad deals with lots of hostility. Amazingly, through it all, my dad has always taken the high road. He doesn't accept money from any group and has always displayed the utmost integrity when facing his opposition. I think I would have punched a few people in the face by now, but not my dad.

The reason I bring him up is because Mike Wallace (of 60 minutes), released a book last week titled: The Way We Will Be 50 Years from Today: 60 Of The World's Greatest Minds Share Their Visions of the Next Half-Century. Guess who one of those 60 Greatest Minds was? That's right, my dad. So, here is a little shout out to him. I, of course, already knew he had a great mind, but to me he's just my dad and now....grandpa.

Mini Van Ammo

In response to my #1 item on this post, Mary Ann sent me the video below. I'm hoping this will help my quest to own one!

Mary Ann wanted me to be clear that she does not endorse mini vans. I'm beginning to think I'm just alone on this one.

In case you think we hadn't noticed

When we arrived home from Maryland in February, Levi and I had a little conversation that went like this:

Levi: Mommy, the giraffe can't see

Alison: Levi, it is time to get in bed

Levi: No, the giraffe can't see

Alison: What are you talking about?

Levi: Look, the giraffe can't see!

I finally figured out that he was talking about the giraffe bank on his shelf in his room. When I looked up, I saw it.

What you see is a Christmas tissue box holder. You may be thinking, what in the world? Let me enlighten you.

Several years ago, a good friend of mine who will remain nameless, acquired this item at a women's dinner at our church. Soon after, it found it's way to another one of our friends homes. And then another and then another. With each passing, the game got a little more entertaining and a little more creative. This probably began about 4 years ago. Since this isn't just my story to tell, I want everyone who has had the tissue box to share how they acquired it and how they passed it along. I know I've forgotten some along the way, so I'm looking forward to re-living some memories!

And finally, Life Group beware...the tissue box will surface again...just wait! That's the last time we let you come to our house unsupervised :)!! I'm still impressed Levi saw it immediately. Here's his room so you can get a better perspective (his tent bed wasn't there at the time).

Alison's Birthday Vacation, Take 3

Well, after several frustrating weeks of trying to get the flights to the Dominican Republic worked out, I've officially given up. I can't write too much about that because I seriously might cry about it. My only solace is that we can go next year. Since I'm absolutely determined to celebrate my birthday outside of Alabama (albeit a few months late), we made a quick decision to spend the weekend in San Antonio. It's been one of those places that has always been on my list, I just haven't made it a priority. While I'm super sad about not getting that "week away", I'm starting to get more excited the more I look up. We decided to take the kids, because I just couldn't go to Sea World without them. So, here's a conversation Levi and I had yesterday:

Alison: Levi, do you want to fly in an airplane to Texas and see some big fish?

Levi: Ummm, do the fish talk?

Alison: No

Levi: Can I sit by the window?

Alison: Yes

Levi: OK

He cracks me up. Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions of things not to miss besides the Alamo, RiverWalk and Sea World, please comment. Our friends, Josh & Holly and their cutie Jude are going to meet us up there, so if you are interested, e-mail me and I'll give you the details.

On a side note, it was a beautiful weekend, so we got the kites out.