Happy 4th Birthday, Zanna!

We love our girl and think she is pretty special. Thank you to all of you who have made her life so fun and full of memories that she talks about all the time. Zanna fills our house with lots of beautiful noise and I love having her as my little side-kick:) I think she takes better care of her babies, than I do mine sometimes, and she just makes me laugh all the time. Happy birthday, Zanna- we love you to pieces!(there is music with this, so you can pause Neil and push the sound button on the slide show, if you want.)

Dave is cool!

"You're cool Dave, just in a way no one understands"

This was the comment made to my man at his emergency medicine

department party the other night. The best part about the comment is that is was made while out on the dance floor, where he was trying to figure out how to groove to music he had never heard before. Dave was asked if he like the music, he said "I've never heard this before, I must not be that cool." The response was, "No, you're cool Dave, just in a way no one undertands."

So, he's a little "behind the times" music wise- but I will always be grateful he introduced me to George Strait and Don Williams- they are truly the best in country.

(This picture was taken the night he had to MC a large reception for residents and attendings at Hershey Med. Cntr. I was giving him a haircut for the big event, and went right up the side without the gaurd on !! I was so proud of the way he handled it- no yelling involved- and he related it to doctoring in that you have to pay attention to the small details (like a guard) in order to give your patient the best care.)

He's amazing, and I'm so lucky he's mine... even if I am the only one who understands the way he is "cool."

Tag team back again...

I guess it's time to answer a tag. I've been tagged three times now, so here goes...

The Rules:
1. The player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves - try to find 6 you haven't already posted about!
2. At the end of the post, the player tags 6 people and posts their names, and then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog for the rules.

My 6:

1. I constantly write posts in my head all day long about everything that is going on around me. I think it is pretty pathetic, but I can't help seeing life through "blog perspective" these days. I guess it's the today's way of saying "If my life were a movie..." Does anyone else do this?

2. Few people from my childhood know this- but I wore my hair the same way every day of fourth grade- half up with the pony tail on top off to the side (I'll try to find a picture... it was awesome), I wore shorts everyday of sixth grade- even on really snowy days!, and I wore a Chiquita banana sticker in the middle of forehead regularly through sixth/seventh grade- Heather, why did you let me do that??

3. I love watching make-over shows!!!! I know it is pretty lame to spend an hour watching someone else become happier and feel so much better about themselves, while laying there wishing I could be that person or feeling like I should be doing something to make myself better- when really, if I would just stop watching other people improve, I would have a lot more time to work on myself! .... that was a little tangent, but it felt good to tell myself that again.

but, I still love a good makeover.

4. I really want to go to Australia someday. I used to sit in my sister's car, she wasn't a big fan of that, and pretend I was driving there. I don't really know a lot about Australia, but it always seemed so beautiful, clean, and so far away from here. I love a good accent and a warm beach, so why not Australia? Maybe Dave will surprise me someday and pack my bags for me ( I hate packing) and we'll fly off into the sunset to the land "down under"--hint, hint... if he ever reads this.

5. I love watching kids- of any age- play sports. I always wanted to go to high school basketball or football games in Hershey, even though we didn't know anyone playing, but Dave thought it was really weird so we never did. I guess it is a little weird, but it is probably ingrained in me from watching all my older brothers' games and then playing lots of sports myself. I used to supervise Jr. Jazz basketball in American Fork, UT and I thought it was such a fun job! I think the little kids are hilarious to watch and I love seeing how into the games everyone gets. I guess I miss that phase of life and want to live vicariously through the kiddos. Hopefully our kids will play something so that I can finally attend some high school games again without feeling like a lame-o.

6. I love reading biographies and journals and "true story" books. I wish I could read more of them-I seem to go at a slow pace these days, with lots of Princess books and "Go, Dog, Go" taking up a lot of my reading time. I am reading Neal A. Maxwell's biography now, "A Disciples Life" by Bruce C. Hafen and have loved getting to know him better- he was so disciplined and thoughtful and some of his stories remind me of Dave. My sister-in-law let me read her journal from college and that was a fun, enlightening experience. I like to go back and read my journal too, well some of it, and I just love getting to know a person's true feelings and seeing how they handle what life throws at them.

I guess that is all for now, that was kind of fun...maybe I'll answer another tag in the near future. I am now tagging Sharon, Tricia, Caroline, Jill and Cheryl

To all our Neil Diamond friends:

Merry Christmas!! Dave's enthusiasm for the mug and sweater live on!

Mr. James

Zanna's fortune from her cookie:
"Today, your mouth might be moving but no one is listening."

Applicable to me with this guy:
"James come here." Stare.
"Come here, please" Stare.
"James, COME HERE." James cries.

This is typical- he's a sensitive guy inside, but tough as nails outside!

This week consisted of some head trauma for the poor boy.

Wednesday night: Dave was carrying James up the stairs of the Metro station and tripped-- Dave quickly turned his body and landed hard on his shoulder but not without James' nose hitting the concrete stair- INSTANT blood, a good scrape and some swelling. He survived with the promise of egg rolls for dinner (he's crazy about them!)

Thursday night: I'm cleaning up the kitchen at church at the end of Enrichment and hear a loud thud and a scream no one wants to hear. James has just fallen off the stage in the gym and his holding his head- very scary for me and I felt so bad and queasy about it all night. Dave checked it out at home and I almost threw up watching Dave push on his face, checking for fractures. I learned my lesson that night.

Friday night: We are having a blast at Hershey Park and Dave gives James a shoulder ride for fun. We got into a shop to warm up and on the way out, BAM! James' head hits the door frame- I mean, COME ON!!! Luckily he had a hat on, but he still got a good blue/purple welt.

Today: We got downstairs to do laundry and of course Marie and the stroller come too. James runs past me, full speed, slips on some liquid detergent and whams is head into the industrial washer. I was so frustrated!!!!!! I felt so bad that he was hurt, but I just couldn't take it anymore. So, after consoling him for a while and holding a cold, wet paper towel to his dented head (right behind his ear) I get up to finish putting the clothes in. The next thing I know, James is SCREAMING while holding the bottle of oxyclean. That's right, he picked it up and sprayed it directly into his eye! I didn't say a word, just flushed, flushed, flushed- took him upstairs and tied him to his bed with pillows duct taped around him to break his next fall. He is still there...