25 Things

And while we're tagging and everything... (thanks, Laura):


25 Things You've Been DYING to Know About Me

1. This tag came over to the blogosphere from Facebook. Which I am not on. I mean, I went and made a profile once a year or two ago, but haven't been back since. I just don't get it. But apparently the rest of the world does.

2. I can't stand for the sheets and covers to be in a disarray when I'm sleeping. They need to be as neat as when the bed is freshly made. All of the kids are the opposite. Every single night they kick the sheets to the bottom of the bed and sleep with their blanket all twisted and curled around them. It drives me crazy. Who can sleep like that??

3. I really like mowing the lawn.

4. I like swinging on swings. Really tall ones.

5. I can curl my tongue into a clover-shape.

6. I've been pulled over twice (once for speeding, once for running a red light) but no tickets!

7. Foods I did not like growing up but now I love: avocado, red/yellow/orange peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms.


8.I love peeling things. As in skin. I can't resist a blistering sunburn (no matter who it's on). Lemmie at it! Peel, peel, peel. Ahhh.

9. I can't stand wasting. I'm like an old man who grew up during the depression. We recycle everything the center will take. Every time I scrape food into the trashcan (or toss in a banana peel), I long for a composter. I save shoe boxes. I keep every piece of paper that comes our way which is blank on one side (from school, junk mail, etc) for the kids to draw on. They need special permission to use paper that's white on both sides. I reuse the big yogurt containers. But don't call me "green" because that's too trendy. And it's not really true anyway.

10. I love taking excessively long showers. (I guess I can selfishly stand to waste water. See? Not green.)

11. I have absolutely zero rhythm. I've always thought dancing looks like fun, but you will never catch me doing it outside of my own home with the kids. Too embarrassing. Remember that Seinfeld episode with Elaine dancing?

12. I love baking but do not do it as often as I'd like. I feel like I can't unless the kitchen is spotless...which is very rarely the case.

13. I wish I had kept up with piano playing.

14. I am not a patient teacher.

15. I like doing puzzles. To the point that it's almost embarrassing. Back in the day, when I didn't have anything to do on a weekend I'd just sit myself down and tackle a 5000 piece doozy. Good times.

16. I hate throwing up. It's the very worst kind of sick to be. I'd rather take a beating.

17. Foods I did not like as a kid that I now tolerate (but don't like): mustard, cheesecake, chili beans.

18. The last paying job I had was as a mail sorter at BYU. (I liked it.)


19. I never thought I'd be interested in exercise, but over the past couple of years I've become a semi-chronic gym-rat. I've been taking some time off since I was so sick right before Afton was born and of course after Afton was born, but I've started to miss it everyday. I'm ready to get back in the groove.

20. My favorite color is blue.

21. Food I did not like as a kid that I still don't like: pickles, any and all seafood, pies, cobblers, and basically any form of warm/baked fruit.

22. One of my all time favorite sounds is any time we have the baby monitor set up in the hallway upstairs, and Scott and I are downstairs while the kids are all asleep, and we suddenly hear one of them start snoring very loudly.

23. I won second place in a speech contest in 5th grade (it was about American inventions...I chose the Polaroid camera.)

24. I love root beer. And peanut butter M&Ms.

25. I'm having some right now.

Can you believe...200?

Doesn't it seem like really cool bloggers are always giving things away when they reach significant milestones? (100th post, 1 year anniversary, etc) So here we are, my 200th post. Lucky for me I found this fun game over at Natalie's tonight:

This is how it works..... The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a hand made gift from me during this year. When and what will be a surprise. BUT, in order for you to leave a comment on my blog, you have to post this on your blog first. (That means that sometime during this year you will send a gift to 3 people as well.) Get it? So, the first 3 people to comment on this post will be the lucky ones.

Please keep in mind I will be needing your patience and make no promises other than you will something before Dec. 31st. (This post has taken me nearly 45 minutes--Afton's a night owl.)

Blessed

Afton was.

We had quite a great, loving crowd turn up. We're actually missing about 13 people in this shot who all had to take off before we could gather for photos.

Emma = Artist

"Artist" is on Emma's short list of answers to the classic, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" question. Of course her answers list changes frequently and is always at least three deep. But her love of art and her (correct) conviction that she is good at it has kept "artist" as a prominent contender for some time now.

Back in December we got a note home from her art teacher at school, Ms. Yates, that some of her work had been chosen to be displayed in the Knoxville Museum of Art. I think Ms. Yates selected about five or six pieces of art from each grade to send in for display. Emma was over the moon that she was one of them. We wanted to go see it earlier, but being in and out of the hospital through December then finally coming home with a baby made it tricky.

At last, near the end of January we made it in and we were not disappointed. Emma beamed as we took dozens of photos of her with her "Starry Night" rendition. Scott's parents wanted to come see it with us too which made Emma feel all the more special.

I hadn't been to KMA for years and years. I don't know if the third floor hands-on-for-kids setup was new or if I'd simply forgotten all about it. In any case, the kids loved the big rolls of paper and jumbo-sized lite-brite.

All of the creativity around us inspired some silly faces.

The joy of the simple outing elicited many smiles.

Lydia's earnest attempts at getting a drink from the water fountain evoked the biggest laughs...

...and the sincerest form of flattery.

Teeth, or lack thereof

Thursday:

Friday:

On neither of these days did we have the slightest idea that any teeth were loose. Very sneaky, Ben.