One or the other.

Reid has two sleeping positions. It's always one or the other. I would love to show you actual pictures of how adorable he is when he's sleeping, but that would require me taking a picture of my sleeping son...risking waking him up. Not worth it. Sleep position number one: The totem pole. He's on his back, arms out and at 90 degree angles, legs out to the sides, almost at 90 degree angles. It's hilarious.

Sleep position number two: The stink bug. This one is just too precious for words, and I wish that I could put the Reid cuteness into liquid form, bottle it up, and people around the world could get a vaccine of it to ward off unhappiness. It could be like an unhappiness inoculation. A little overboard? No way. You haven't seen the stink bug.

He sleeps on his stomach, but tucks his legs underneath himself (usually crossed at the ankles) and his arms are tucked close to his sides. His head is turned to the side which makes his mouth all drooly and smooshed on the mattress. The cutest part is that his little sleeper-covered bum goes straight up into the air. It's just too much. Seriously, I think Reid could change the world with just the cuteness of the stink bug.

In case you were wondering...what ginormous looks like.

This picture has nothing to do with being ginormous, it just makes me laugh.

This picture DOES have to do with being ginormous, and it makes me laugh. This was taken a week ago (at almost 34 weeks) and while for the split second of the picture I look almost put together, here's what's going on behind the scenes:

(second shot of me trying to look decent whilst looking frighteningly similar to Violet Beauregarde)

-This is my end of pregnancy hair-do - pulled back in a low bun. Very chic, right?

-I'm wearing hoop earrings to try and look like I'm somewhat hip. (Think Emily, think. What else did J. Lo do to look hip while she was carrying twins?)

-I probably had to pull up my maternity pants about 450 times that day.

-The two babies are both in my belly area. I know it looks like there's a third one hiding in my rear area, but nope. Just two. Both in the belly area.

-One baby likes to stay head down, nice and comfortable on his side. The other baby likes to do somersaults on his half and show up in a different position every time we have an ultrasound. On Tuesday he was sideways.

-The rough measurements on Tuesday (34 weeks, 2 days) showed that baby A is measuring at 34 weeks/3 days and that baby B is at 34 weeks/0 days. So, that means that I have two full-sized babies in me. That's very good news, it's just a little uncomfortable. I set two goals with this pregnancy: 1. to get past 36 weeks and deliver in December, and 2. deliver both boys at 6+ lbs. each. I think we may just make both goals. The only hitch left is deciding when and where we deliver. There are about 6 doctors involved in this decision, and it's still up for debate amongst them as to whether we deliver in Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo. (it all has to do with the Pediatric Cardio services available and the odds of us needing them) Today I'm about 3 weeks away from the decided "born no later than" date, so Erik and I would appreciate a game plan sooner rather than later. I still have to go to Santa Barbara to see a Pediatric Cardiosurgeon. Hopefully he'll make the official call and we can start planning.

So, there's the update.

T minus 3 weeks.

The music of your life.

Nice. I like that title.

In college I had a roommate Shannon (who is the coolest combination of hippy/cowgirl/social activist I've ever seen) who had an idea that it would be fun to make a soundtrack to the events of your day. Then, somehow as you went about your day the music would play in the background, like in a movie. I don't remember many of the songs she would have put in her playlist, but I do remember that she would wake up to Edvard Grieg's "Morning." Appropriately enough.
(if you click on the link and scroll down a bit you can find the song and listen to it. If you scroll down a bit more you'll see "Nocturno" which is my show-off song on the piano. I'm not really as good as this song might make you think, but I try to keep it brushed up and ready to play for times like after I'm practicing new songs and I feel like I'm the world's worst pianist. When I'm all done I play Nocturno and then say to myself, "Check me out! I'm awesome!")

So what would be some songs in your soundtrack? Songs for big moments would be interesting, too, but I'm mostly curious about what would play while you're doing the dishes, or laundry. Or brushing your teeth. Or changing a poopy diaper.

Have you seen the really dumb movie "Maid in Manhattan"? You know that very contrived scene where all of a sudden J. Lo and her co-workers start dancing to the song that goes, "I'm coming out. I want the world to know-oh, got to let it show-oh..." I think that would be a good song for while I'm getting dressed. Besides that, I'm going to need some time to think, but I'd love to hear your ideas.

Never say never.

Are there things that you assumed you would NEVER do, but time passes...you get a little wiser (maybe), or you just plain change your mind? I've had a lot of those lately. Most of the time I don't feel that different from the Emily at 20 years old - footloose and fancy free away at "school". I actually didn't get much school done in those days (or any other day, for that matter), but I sure did have fun deciding what my life would be. Now, I'm a married 27 year old mother of 3 (almost, within a few weeks!) and I've realized that while the core Emily is still the same, some of the details have changed. Here's some proof:

This one shouldn't be that much of a surprise, it was only a matter of time, anyway. I always said that I didn't want to be the "kind of parent" (such judgement...) that would use the TV as a babysitter. Well, here I am, 34 weeks along with babies sucking the life right out of me. My feet and legs are so swollen that yesterday at church I wore my fanciest flip-flops because nothing else would fit. Before the first speaker was even finished, I looked down and saw that my sandals had left deep, DEEP impressions in my chubby, swollen feet. I nudged to Erik and we both got a good laugh, in the middle of church. The doctors want me to stay off my feet, modified bedrest-ish, and so in the mornings Reid and I watch a movie together. He's had as much TV in the past couple weeks as I used to think he'd have his whole toddlerhood. Oh well.

This one will probably surprise you. But I have finally succumbed to my inner granola, and am making the switch to vegetarianism. Well, actually, to "eat-meat-VERY-sparingly-atarianism." For years I've thought about it, about how much I wouldn't really miss eating meat that much. But my hesitancy was because I've grown up in a very "meat and potatoes" family, and married a manly "meat and potatoes" man. I would think of the dinners that I knew how to make, and I just couldn't really figure out how to accomplish my wifely duties without meat. Plus, I don't like that many vegetables. Okay, so maybe that was the real concern. Then, I got pregnant with Reid, then nursed Reid, then got pregnant with twins (with no lapse in between)...and figured that even though I was ready, it just probably wasn't the time. "The babies need the meat!" (do you remember that Friends episode, when Phoebe is pregnant with the triplets and Joey offers to stop eating meat so that she can eat the meat that he would have eaten, and thereby not feel guilty in animals dying for her consumption?)

Now is the time. I'm ready. I don't really have ethical objections to eating meat, I just don't really want to eat it anymore. I've always had meat issues:

-I can't eat meat off a bone. I feel like a rabid dog, or like we're back in Medieval times. Have you been to the Renaissance festival, and everyone's walking around eating turkey legs? I can't handle it.

-I can't handle big slabs of meat. I could only eat meat when I just saw it as another piece of food. A steak or big roast just made it impossible to imagine it as anything other than a big slab of animal. Oh, and those illustrations that show where different cuts of meat come from on an an animal? Torture.

-I get the heebs touching raw meat. Everytime I see raw chicken, I imagine the dancing chickens in that claymation Peter Gabriel video. Not good.

So, there it is, I am now an "eat-meat-VERY-sparingly-atarian." I've got some things to figure out, like how to get enough protein to nurse 2 babies. But I'm sure someone has done it before. It'll work out.

Lastly, and probably the most surprising, is that I'm ready to be a gun owner. Not a crazy huge gun like this chick is holding, but a small handgun. I have always been vehemently anti-guns. But now I have this mama bear thing going on, and I've come to the conclusion that if I'm ever in an "it's either him or me" situation, you better believe that it's going to be him. We read the Book of Mormon as a family each night, and this time around is the first time that I've really seen (or allowed myself to see) that we need to be brave enough to stand up for ourselves. I've never been good at that. But some things are too important to not defend them, at whatever cost. My family being one. So, sometime after these babies are born, I'm going to train on a small handgun (Erik is already very Jason Bourne. For work he has to be current on an M-9, whatever that is, and he's always tested at the expert level.) We'll proceed from there. The tide started turning this way a year or two ago when Erik and I watched the movie "Red Eye." Not the world's best movie, but I was really inspired to be braver. I kept thinking during that movie that if I had been her, I would have just fallen into a puddle and cried. That's no longer an option, I've got little baby bears to protect. So, I don't think I'll be out hunting anytime soon (although living in Alaska did change my perspective on that, as well) but I may soon be a gun-owner. Bad guys beware.

Get your tar and feathers ready.

I know that to some this will be blasphemy. But I just haven't been able to bring myself to read the Twilight books, and the promotions for this movie aren't getting me any closer to it. It's one thing to be brooding (Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy) and it's quite another to try WAY too hard to look brooding (see above). I just don't like jumping on bandwagons, so I haven't joined the "I love Edward" club yet. But for those who are mega-fans, while I don't share your passion for this particular series, I do get it. I get it big time. When I really love a book, I take it very personally. I was pretty angry after seeing the Keira Knightley P&P. Now I can enjoy it as a lovely movie, but I have to pretend it's a different story than my beloved P&P. I was even outraged when the Winona Ryder "Little Women" came out. Something about it just wasn't right and I was ticked that people would go and ruin a perfectly wonderful story like that. And how old was I when that came out? 12? Anywho, just saying that while I shame you for being so engrossed in a vampire series (save it, I've heard "but it's so much more than vampires!" a hundred times),
where was I?
Right, while I shame you...I very sincerely hope that this movie is everything you hoped it would be. Erik and I will be at Quantum of Solace.

Reid, the magician

I have debated posting about this, but then I figured that my readership is awfully small, and those who read this little Olsen blog surely know about the less lovely parts of our life. ("and don't call me Shirley", that was for you, mom.)

Things like how I really like to say the word "crap" but I try not to on the blog because my mom says it's unladylike.
Things how I have babies invading my insides from my chin down to my knees (and last night had the most unbelievable, otherworldly heartburn. Seriously, I think hell must be: 1. fire, 2. brimstone, I don't know what that is actually, and 3. twins pregnancy heartburn).

Things like how ants have decided that this house is big enough for the three of us and the millions of them.

This blog was getting a little syrupy sweet with all my daydreamy posts, and I don't think that shows the whole picture. This next bit of amusing information will help to even things out.

Reid is a poop magician. Actually, master farter might be a better description. Just about every Sunday (the picture above is him in his ready for Church adorableness) he fakes out the Nursery leaders with his master farting skills. When the Nursery leaders smell something foul, they sniff around for the culprit, and judging by how often he's brought to us for a diaper change - they usually come to the conclusion that Reid is the offender. So they bring him to us so that we can change his poopy pants. One of us grabs the diaper bag and heads to the bathroom to change him. But when we get him all undressed and ready for a new diaper we see that...there's no poop! Where did the poop go? The answer is that there was no poop. Reid just farts so convincingly that he fools us all into thinking he needs a change. Seriously, nearly every Sunday this happens (and a few times during the week, just for mama and daddy). Oh, and as the cherry on top of this delightful sundae of Reidness, he giggles after he farts. He's barely 18 mos. and he already knows that farts are funny. We should give that hint to the Nursery leaders, if he's stinky but he's giggling about it, he's just faking you out. It was only a fart.

Seriously?

I saw this ad online, and I just couldn't handle it. I'll admit, I'm pretty sexist in that I like feminine women and masculine men. But, are there really women out there that find this appealing? Like, "oooh, I love his fitted sweater with the horse embroidered on it! And those purple gloves!"

Christmas to-do list

Lest you think that I will somehow manage to get all (or any) of this done, this list is mostly just what I'm thinking about doing. What happens in my head and what happens in real life are two totally different things. This idea would be cute, but it would require going to yard sales to find old teacups first. That's probably not going to happen, but it sure would be fun.

Right, and these don't really have anything to do with Christmas. But aren't they beautiful? I'm sort of obsessed with peonies, and these look almost as wonderful as the real thing. You can get the instructions (which look very labor intensive) here. But, that's how I roll: maximum effort for minimum results, as with the birthday cake. Maybe this will be my New Year's project to decorate my craft area in the new house (more on that soon).
p.s. my brother Brian decided that my blog was finally worth his time, and his one comment was, "Emily, I feel for Erik. That's not right that he had to decorate that cake with pink frosting ruffles. A man shouldn't have to do that. He can make a cake, put some frosting on it, and even try to make it level...but ruffles?" I actually agree, and I'm looking forward to next year's Rainbow Chip perfection.

I have some neices and nephews on my Christmas list, and when I saw this I thought it was just about perfect. If I got a roll of quarters when I was a little kid, I think I would have flipped out. Perfect for a child, their own money for the rip-off candy/sticker/fake gold jewelry machines outside of grocery stores that parents never give them quarters for. Or, money to go to a dollar store with and let loose. Perfect.

This one is a must-do. I have two babies arriving before Christmas, and they're going to need some stockings. I think I'm going to make a new one for Reid, too. Last year (his first Christmas) the stocking that my mom and I whipped up turned out really cute, and really big. He fit inside of it last year as an 8 mos. old, and he may even this year, too. So, 3 stockings...coming up!

I think this is going to be my gift idea for local friends. I'll make some kind of drink concentrate and give it with a bottle of Pellegrino. Drinking a fancy drink in a pretty glass = Emily heaven.

This one is also a must-do. I've been wanting to make my own marshmallows for years, just because it looks so dang fancy. And, can you imagine one of these beauties melting in your cup of hot chocolate? Heaven. Annie is coming here for Christmas and she's up for making these with me. I'm so jazzed.
p.s. If you click on "Annie" it will take you to her blog, but don't bother, because she never updates it. Yeah, that's right Annie, I just called you out.

I just thought this picture was pretty.

Other than that, I need to:

1. make a tree skirt, finally

2. have my mom help me make a quilt for Reid's big boy bed (which he'll move to when we move to the new house. It depressed me to think of owning 3 cribs, so when the babies each go to their own bed, Reid goes to a big boy bed. Which, of course, requires a new quilt from mom (and grandma. Thank goodness for grandma or I'd never get anything done!)

3. Annie and I have plans to try and perfect Grannie's gingersnap recipe. It was her signature, and I think we need to learn how to make them just like her. They were too good for their legacy to die away.

4. Annie and I want to make some of these. Could you just die? Too bad I don't have any girl babies yet. But I have lots of adorable neices!

If I actually accomplish any of this nonsense, I'll let you know.

In my dreams.

Things are going well with our new (new to us, new to the world in 1962) house. We should be closing at the end of the month. We won't move until the new year because our lease here goes through February, plus it's crazy talk to even think about moving around the arrival of our little boys. Anyways, (imagine I said that like Nacho Libre, I can't say it any other way now) as I think about the move I am once again deep into purge mode. I always feel this electric pulse inside me to simplify, simplify, simplify. I'm excited to get rid of stuff that has been figuratively weighing me down. (The babies are taking care of the "weighing me down" business in the literal sense.) It is, however, hard to get rid of books. Between Erik and I, we have boxes and boxes of books that we'll never need or want to read...ever...again. But books seem to have a lot more intrinsic value than a dress I've never really liked but have had since I was in Jr. High. Right? Plus, there's the problem of my daydreams of rooms like this one:


And just look at that big ladder, like in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, or Music Man, or...one of those places that has lots and lots of books. What are those called?
Very lovely. Oh, my daydreams are powerful things. They're not to be discounted, though. Have you read "the Secret"? It's pretty quacky. My friend Julie describes it as 70% common sense, 20% doctrine, and 10% lies. Something like that. I think she's right. However, whilst trying to stay in the healthy 90% of the secret, I think I have a pretty powerful transmission tower. I try to put a lot of positive vibes out there in the form of wishful thinking. It works, too. I'm pretty sure that that's how I got Erik, our sweet little Reid, and these two boys coming our way. That, or the fact that I'm blessed beyond what I deserve. Yeah, probably that.
I'm still going to use my powers of the law of attraction to try and get a room like that, though.
Couldn't hurt.
Just maybe not in California. When an earthquake breaks us off into the ocean, those books could be pretty dangerous.

Show the Sista some love.

To all readers of this blog (all 3 of you) who are creative/crafty/DIY/foodie types:
You need to check out my Aunt Peg's new blog ask the booth.
Imagine a place where you could go to get cute ideas of things to make, wonderful (and easy) food ideas, and a place to ask all your crafty questions AND get them answered. Can you picture such a wonderful place? It's the BOOTH. So, check it out, and if you have questions...ask the booth!
p.s. a little info on my aunt: my mom is one of 10 children, 5 of which are of the female persuasion. These five are...the Sistas. The kind of sistas that get together to have sista camp and all make their own version of the same quilt. The kind of sistas that when they get together, it's a little like "Pick a little, Talk a little" but in a nice way, and MUCH funnier. The kind of sistas where if my mom sees a housedress that is "so cute" she'll get one for herself and buy one for each sista, as well. They would do the same.
Sooo...my aunt Peg, of "ask the booth" fame, has more creativity in her pinky nail than I do in my entire being. If I thought it would work (and if it wasn't gross) I think I'd ask her to save her nail clippings, I'm sure there's creative genius to be attained through them somehow.

even more stocking ideas

I know, could you believe it? You get to hear more about stuff that I want to make. How exciting for you!
But in case you thought the stocking idea was as fantastic as I did, then here are some more ideas:
an easier (no sewing necessary) but still crazy cute version
a whole lot of ideas of things to put in the stockings

I like to make stuff.

I tried to post some pictures of the cutest holiday project ever...but it didn't work. Hear me know and believe me later, that if you like to make stuff, you have to check this out. I've got three weeks left to get these made so they're ready for next month. Well, and a decent fabric shop needs to move into town.

This is from Stephanie of 3191 fame, for those who know what I'm talking about (probably only you, Jill). If you want to see some very lovely pictures of very ordinary things, check out her book. It's sweet and kind of soothing. I don't quite understand how, but it is. (Great Christmas idea, Erik...)
Along that line, does anyone subscribe to this magazine? (perhaps another idea, Erik...)

I like pretty things.

I saw these pictures on this rad blog and have been daydreaming about them ever since. These are tulip fields in Holland, and couldn't you just die? I imagine running through these to Erik and my boys, in a slow motion run-into-a-hug-then-spin-around moment.

Take a moment to have a lovely daydream of your own.

We looked awesome.

If you guessed like our neighbor did, you would say, "Hey! It's the Oscar Meyer wiener guy! (for Reid's costume) and Hey! Super Dave!" (for Erik's costume).

What?

This is what our Halloween evening looked like, and it was perfect. Erik carved a pumpkin while kids came sporadically, and Reid stayed close to the gate - flipping out when a group of kids came. He loved it, he would wave at them through the gate and then when we opened it he would give them handfuls of candy. The rest of the time he spent driving his little car around the courtyard.As you can see, he is not the Oscar Meyer wiener guy (again...what?...). He's...Pinocchio! I saw the costume idea in a really cool online magazine for children's clothes and thought it just couldn't be beat. I even thought it was better than my original idea, Hulk Hogan (the 80's look, although he doesn't look that different now).

We had a church party on Wednesday night and Reid's costume was the only one that got finished in time, but he made it VERY clear that he did NOT want to wear the costume. He kind of went berserk as we tried to put it on him. Friday was a different story, however. Once Erik and I put on our costumes, he started to see the fun in dressing up in embarrassing outfits.

Getting him to wear the hat and suspenders was still difficult, but besides that he had a great night hanging out as Pinocchio.

It's pretty obvious who I went as. Shrek. Seriously though, I knew I needed a costume that was either centered around the ginormous belly (my only ideas were Nacho Libre or Homer Simpson) or a costume that concealed the belly. So I went with the Statue of Liberty, in a costume that had enough fabric to sail a ship. Mission Accomplished.

And now, the star of the show, Erik as Evil Knievel. He looked fantastic. Holla to my mom for sending me two boxes full of stuff to make all these costumes with. I talked to her the Saturday before Halloween and told her what my ideas were, and she was like, "well, let me see what I've got." Then she rounded up all of this stuff and mailed it off to me. Seriously, who has yards and yards of shiny blue and red fabric and a white jumpsuit just lying around? Awesome people like my mom, that's who. We got a wig with the intent to cut it into a 70's shag, like the dude is wearing in the costume I posted earlier. But once Erik put it on, his inner Dave Grohl came out and he just couldn't bear to cut it. I can imagine that we'll see this wig in future costumes, he loved it. You may not know this, but pre-mission and pre-working for the man, Erik had long hair, wore Doc Marten's and flannel shirts, and listened to punk and garage bands. Now he has to be clean-shaven 6 days out of the week and wear a uniform (that he's dang hot in, so I certainly don't complain), but the inner Dave Grohl still lives. I love it when it comes up to the surface.

So there it is. We looked suh-weet. I can't wait until next year.

Cream cheese frosting for President

I have two recipes that are just too good to keep to myself, both of which involve cream cheese frosting...which, as we know, is the best thing that ever happened to desserts.

Recipe Gem #1
Pumpkin Spice cake (disturbingly easy)

1 box Spice cake mix
1 can (15 oz.) pure pumpkin (meaning...not the bigger can that is pumpkin pie mix)

Mix the two together, spread in a greased bundt pan, bake as directed on cake mix box.
Seriously, it's that easy. I usually add an egg, because I don't understand how it will turn out without some sort of leavening ingredient, but it will work out just the same, sans-egg.

Recipe Gem #2
Monkey Bread (I remember having this as a kid. Do other families eat this too?)

4 rolls of regular size biscuits
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. cinnamon

sauce: 1 1/2 sticks margarine (melted), 1 c. sugar, 4 tsp. cinnamon - mix together

Cut the biscuits into quarters and toss with cinnamon and sugar. Put half the biscuit mixture in a greased bundt pan and pour half the sauce mixture over. Repeat with second half of biscuit mixture and second half of sauce mixture. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.
(I made this tonight and I think I'd like the sauce part better if it was something like 1 stick margarine with only a 1/2 c. of sugar and the 4 tsp. cinnamon. I don't think you can really go wrong, though.)

and...
the cream cheese frosting that makes the magic happen...

1 package of cream cheese (8 oz.)
1/2 bag of powdered sugar (the bag is 2 lbs. and you only need half...so in other words...1 lb.)
1 T. vanilla
3-4 T. milk

Mix together with an electric mixer until smooth. Use to smother over your slice of pumpkin spice cake, or to dip your monkey bread in. And...you're welcome.

Halloween inspiration

What do these pictures have in common? They all served as inspiration for our respective Halloween costumes. Check back in a day or two for the results. It'll be worth it.

In case you were wondering...how to survive a twins pregnancy

That sounds awfully dramatic, I know. But this twins business is harder than it was being pregnant with Reid. Here are some of my favorite coping mechanisms:

1. My Handsome McHottie husband, Erik. I call him my Knight in Shining Camouflage, because he swoops in and saves the day, every day. He goes to the store to pick up milk and bread, vacuums and cleans the kitchen while I'm napping, carries Reid and the diaper bag while opening the car door for me...seriously, he's a-mazing. Here's some proof. This is a shot of an average day. Erik comes home from a long day at work, changes his clothes, puts on something like "the Clash" and dances around with Reid. Then he'll move on to playing cars, reading books, and tidying up his room so that by the time I've got dinner ready, Reid is getting pretty tuckered out. Perfection.
2. While this probably isn't absolutely necessary, I've found that it definitely puts me in a better mood. So, for everyone else's sake this item might be a requirement for survival. My parents sent us some heavenly cookies. They are from Cheryl and Co. and they're frosted sugar cookies, my favorite. It was such a fun surprise to get them in the mail, and I'm enjoying them immensely. I think any day can be improved with a good sugar cookie.

3. While on the subject of food, my pregnancy nemesis, I've thought of some more essential survival tools. I'm sure it's hard to believe, it is for me at least, (I mean, come on. I have Arnett genes! I was born to be soft and squishy and lovable!) but I have been having a hard time gaining enough weight. It's just hard to eat enough for all three of us. This obviously causes me concern because I want to make sure that the boys are able to gain enough weight. So, this is what my daily food choices usually consist of: lots of whole milk, a burger and fries, something with cream cheese in it, ice cream, something eaten with peanut butter, meat, etc. Like today, I made Thai peanut chicken - the perfect pregnancy dinner: chicken, broccoli, rice, and a great sauce with LOTS of peanut butter. Erik is constantly reminding me to eat, or trying to get me to eat more. I'm sure I won't get a lot of sympathy with this, because whenever I mention how sick I am of eating like this, I get a lot of responses like, "Oh, you're so lucky. I wish I had to eat like that!" I understand the sentiment, I would have responded the same way. But believe me, it's no fun. When I crave something now, it's usually something like carrots or apples. So I eat carrots with dip and apples with peanut butter. I guess the grass is always greener...

4. A big survival method for me is daydreaming about wearing clothes that aren't maternity clothes. I find myself thinking about it a lot. My favorite stores to check out online when I'm in a daydreamy mood are J. Crew and Anthropologie. I like to add things to my cart like I'm shopping, but then when I've satisfied my hankering I just close the browser and go about my day. I mean, seriously, where would I even where an outfit this gorgeous? I live in a tiny coastal town, and the fanciest part of our week is going to church. I'm content to daydream, though. This specific outfit caused me to imagine that I was a gallery owner and this is what I would wear when I went to an opening of a new collection by an exciting new artist. Can't you see it? 5. Of course, sleep is a big necessity. My specific recommendation is to get a memory foam mattress topper. We got one for Christmas two years ago when I was pregnant with Reid, and it has been a lifesaver both times. I have no advice as to how to get out of bed gracefully, though. I'm not quite sure it can be done.

6. My last point for today is that it really helps a lot to remember that everyone has their bad days. I sure don't feel very cute lately, and that gets old after months and months of pulling your maternity jeans back up where they belong, or figuring out what I can wear that doesn't make me look like either frumpy/"mom-jeans" or finding something that covers the whole belly. (I've reached the point where I'm like those guys who wear very large t-shirts but they still have some beer belly popping out at the bottom. Not good.)

My intent with this next picture isn't to be mean-spirited. Not at all. I mean, seriously, she's one of the most gorgeous women to ever walk the earth. But it does make me feel a little better to know that even Catherine Zeta-Jones has her bad days. I'm not going to be so hard on myself the next time I wake up and look in the mirror and think, "dang, it looks like I've been kicked in the gut all night." Because...well, I have. And, no one expects the Spanish Inquisition, right? Right.

In case you were wondering...

This post will be the first in a series: In case you were wondering...what it's like to have two babies growing in your belly. It's going to be riveting.

First up...stretch marks. It finally happened. I didn't get any with Reid, and I thought I was going to make it all the way through this pregnancy without them. I felt all sneaky, like I was pulling the wool over mother nature's eyes. Like, if I can get through two pregnancies (one of which was a twin pregnancy) without stretch marks, then I must be immune. Sadly, I am not. A week or so ago a small batch appeared. I had been using Palmer's lotion religiously everyday. Seriously. I think I've gone through 12 bottles so far. But it was no match for the belly that will not stop growing. I have since upgraded to using this scar serum as well. Let me tell you about how lovely it is. On the back it lists the magic ingredients that magically fade scars. Erik and I were at the store reading the box and one of the ingredients listed is "Shark Liver Oil." For real. Erik was like, "doesn't this sound like some crazy stuff that a peddler would try and sell you off of his cart?" Yes. Yes it does. That didn't stop me from buying it though. What makes this stuff so lovely is that it smells just how you would imagine shark liver oil would smell. The smell means business, too. It's around for the long haul. I haven't given up on it yet, I've only been using it for a few days, but it better start making a difference soon because the smell is getting to me. And I don't even like fish.

Ode to Annie

My little sister is 25 today! That's crazy. I am jazzed, however, to share 25 of the many reasons why Annie is so flippin' awesome. I have created 5 categories of awesomeness, with 5 examples each. Enjoy!

Annie is BEAUTIFUL:

1. Annie is Snow White in non-cartoon form. She has skin as white as snow (seriously...), hair as black as night (well, almost...), and lips as red as the red rose. Just beautiful.

2. Annie's insides are beautiful, too. Well, I don't know about her innards, like her guts or anything, but she is a very charitable and loving person. So when people say "beautiful inside and out", they mean Annie.

3. She has the most gorgeous hands. Really. She has long, slender fingers and beautiful nails. I, on the other hand, have short stubby fingers. As strange as it sounds, she got a lot of attention for her pretty hands growing up, and I was always jealous.

4. She has cah-razy long eyelashes. I was praised a lot growing up for my long eyelashes, but truth be told (and I don't admit this very often), Annie's are longer than mine. I may even go as far as saying that hers are the longest I've ever seen, but Jessica White's are pretty dang long. It's a close race.

5. More on the beautiful on the inside stuff, Annie is never jealous or covetous. She always genuinely wants the best for those she interacts with. As you will see, I am jealous of Annie in so many ways, including how she's never jealous. Confusing.

Annie is DETERMINED:

1. For real. Annie is perhaps the most determined person I know. I'll save my favorite example for the last one, but for starters...she was determined not to rent when she moved to SLC after college, thus becoming a homeowner at age 22 or something wild like that. Seriously, who does that? Besides someone whose last name is Trump?

2. Annie ran a marathon this year. Hot dang, is that awesome or what. She was determined to do it, and even though an old man with his arm in a sling passed her along the run, she finished it. Amazing.

3. Along the same note, she participated in a triathlon a couple months ago...despite no time to train and death defying conditions. That's determination, people!

4. She wants to work for/with our guru, Martha Stewart. Just watch, she'll do it. You know it and I know it. If Annie says she's going to do it, it's going to happen.

5. And now, my favorite example...I think it was when she was in 8th grade at Emily Gray Junior High School. She has 8 classes and the first quarter she got 4 A's and 4 A+'s. That wasn't good enough, so she tried harder and the second quarter she got 6 A's and 2 A+'s. That still wasn't good enough, she wanted all A+'s. The two classes that she has regular ol' A's in were P.E. and Band, because those classes generally don't give higher than an A. But Annie found a way. She did extra scales in band and ran extra miles in P.E. so that both third and fourth quarters she earned 8 straight A+'s. How about that!

Annie is LUCKY:

1. Annie is so dang lucky to have the raddest job ever. Seriously. Lucky!

2. Annie is "lucky" to have been on more first dates and blind dates than anyone I have ever known. And does she have some crazy stories to tell, I hope she writes her memoirs someday. That would be interesting.

3. Annie has crazy cute clothes. Lucky! I like to go shopping for Annie hand-me-downs whenever I'm at her house.

4. Annie is lucky to have a family that adores her. Seriously, we all want to put Annie in our pocket and keep her with us all the time.

5. Annie is lucky to have a group of friends that have become her second family. They're good peeps.

Annie is LOYAL:

1. Annie is loyal to her faith. She knows what she knows and you'll never see her deny it.

2. Annie is loyal in her calling, which (I imagine) would be difficult. Annie is the FHE mom in her singles ward and has been for over a year and a half. She has had four or five flaky FHE "dads" come and go, and she still faithfully serves in her calling. Whew.

3. Annie is a loyal girlfriend. This one is very frustrating for me because some of the dudes she's dated have been losers, but man oh man was she loyal to them. Overall I count it as a totally awesome quality, because someday some lucky guy is going to get the world's most loyal wife of all time. Undisputed. We'll call her the WMLWOAT. (pronounce it wah-mil-whoa-at)

4. Annie is loyal to her family. We're a bunch of crazies, really. But I know that Annie would do anything for me. I couldn't ask for a more loyal sister.

5. Lastly, here's a perfect example. Annie has had the same best friend since kindergarten (what's up Caroline!). Who does that? I had a new best friend every other year, but Annie is loyal no matter what. In the last 6 years or so Annie has brought in more best friends to the fold, but never at the sacrifice of those lucky enough to already be in the "inner circle". That's amazing, isn't it?

and to top it off, Annie is TALENTED:

1. Annie is a fantastic cook. Although I have never had it, apparently she makes a killer Chicken Parmesan. Mmmm, that sounds good right about now.

2. Annie is proficient in calligraphy, floral design, papercrafting, and (since she's determined to take classes somewhere) soon the culinary arts.

3. As Erik said, "Annie makes good cards." Word.

4. Annie can play the simplified hymns version of "We Thank Thee, O God, For a Prophet." Wow.

5. And, as a final point of Annie awesomeness, Annie is the most talented, Gold Medal winner, Heavyweight Champion, Grand High Master of making me crazy. No one in this world can make me crazy like Annie can, and I wouldn't trade that for anything.

I love you, Kitten!

I feel so foolish.

I can't believe I fell for it. I was really starting to get worried with all of the talk about the stock market rising and falling so many points...world financial leaders discussing what to do...widespread panic...etc. Today I was reading all about it on cnn.com and clicked on a link to an article on time.com when I saw this image with this caption:

"A broker on ICAP's dealing floor calls for prices on October 9, 2008 in London, England."

I can't believe I was duped. I was really starting to feel some of the panic. But we all know that this is Chris Kattan from SNL, doing another one of their spoofs. Dang. They got me again. There's no crisis, soon he'll rip off his shirt and underneath he'll have on his Mr. Peepers costume. So don't worry, just enjoy the show.