4 Reasons to Celebrate!

1.The birth of the Savior Jesus Christ.


2.Dominic is doing a fabulous job on his potty training. We started about 2 months ago and the first 2 weeks were awful! He would literally kick and scream about sitting on the toilet, so after a few time outs and making him sit still long enough to make anything happen he got the hang of it. We told him that once his sticker chart was full he and Papi would go to the toy store and he could pick something out. This is the boys getting ready for their celebratory outing to the toy store. There are still a couple accidents once in a while, but I'm happy. "Mommy's Happy, Papi's Happy! YEAH!" is the little sing-song chant we do after he goes potty and he loves to sing it to!


3.Tessa is walking!! She's been at it for about a month and it has made her so happy! She's pretty fearless and has been trying to walk very fast since the start!


4.The most exciting of all is that we will be moving to VIRGINIA this coming Summer!!


All the grueling work and time Cole has spent studying and getting involved at the Dental School has paid off! Cole got into the VCU Orthodontic Program!! He is SO HAPPY and so am I! It was his first choice and he deserves it! I am so proud of him. It's only for 2 years, so although we'll be sad to be so far from our family we'll be back to the NW before we know it!

We are very excited for this move and even more excited that we'll be so close to Washington DC, Williamsburg, Virginia Beach and get to experience the East Coast for a while! Hopefully the sites will bring visitors too!

This is Cole and I before we headed to Claim Jumper to Celebrate!!

It Feels like Rexburg!

The snow has fallen, the temperatures are in the teens and the east wind is going strong- I totally feel like I'm back in Rexburg. The snow started falling Sunday morning and so of course church was cancelled. The snow plows are far and few between here in the NW so it feels like the city shuts down when it snows. We've enjoyed playing out in the snow, especially Dominic. He and Cole were out for more than and hour on Sunday walking around and having fun, even without having any boots.



Monday school was cancelled for both Cole and Macie. We did some sledding. Dominic loved it and Macie was scared that it was going too fast. We also took a walk to a Papa Murphy's around the corner to get pizza for dinner and had a fun time being together.



Macie is out of school again, but Cole had to go back today. We're supposed to have another 2-4 inches tonight, but I really wish this pretty white stuff would go away now. I want to be done stressing about having any pipes freeze, any tenants slipping on the ice and trying to keep walkways clear which I have found nearly impossible with the thick layer of ice!

The Tree

Macie and I enjoyed decorating the tree together last weekend. She was very careful not to put two similar ornaments next to each other and was very pleased with her work.


Dominic spent his time playing with this large stick that somehow made it in the house with the tree.


The finished tree before the kids got to it.


Tessa has loved climbing under the tree, pulling ornaments off and clapping them together - of course the plastic ones are on bottom.


After I got out of the shower the other day Macie yells that Tessa has taken more ornaments off the tree which wasn't surprising, but she had also pulled down the beaded garland and wrapped it around her neck (just glad Dom didn't strangle her with them).

This is now what the bottom half of the tree looks like. I probably should have only decorated the top half to begin with!

4 Years in a Row

Mid November was Turkey Bowl for the Dental Students again. It's a much anticipated event, especially because the classes were out to beat the 4th years (Cole's class) and ruin their 3 year winning streak.


It's always fun to watch football on a Saturday morning while my hands and toes freeze, but I didn't have the kids with me this time (thanks to my parents who had them) so I got to watch the game more. I usually get a quiz from Cole after the games asking if I saw his touchdowns and how many he had . . . I failed the test- I was visiting with friends too much I guess. He had some great games though!


They played 2 games. The first one was close, but the second was a blow out. All the flag pulls, sacks, and touchdowns led to a happy bunch of guys who now are 4 YEAR Flag Football Champions!! Congratulations!

More Than Ice Cream

Cole and I went to Macie's Parent/Teacher Conference last night. We had a nice time visiting with her teacher and hearing that Macie is a perfectionist, shy, obedient, and a slow eater, etc . . . most of which we already knew.

Her teacher said that all the boys have crushes on Macie and that recently a boy went up to Macie and said "I love you more than ice cream!". Mrs. A said that he said it quite loud and that he looked totally stunned that he had even said it. The teacher told the boys that there are no romances in kindergarten and then they were all wondering what a romance was! Oh I love this age, but fearful for the future with boys who love her more than ice cream.

A Sunny Day

We had a sunny day over the weekend so we took a walk to the park!


Macie loved the swings and would frequently say "mom look!" with a huge grin on her face. She never gets too high, but this is a big step for her . . . she's only liked swinging for about a year, she's kinda a chicken like me - poor thing!


Dominic and Tessa just liked hanging out in the tunnel together eating snacks!

Our Halloween Festivities

Macie the Mermaid . . . I let her wear makeup for Halloween and she was so thrilled with it. It made her look so grown up!



Tessa the Princess/Ballerina



We were invited to a Superhero Party so I went as Storm from X-Men and


Cole went as Hancock (you know that Will Smith movie). Sadly we have never seen either of these movies, I guess we need to now.


Dominic was Diego. The timing couldn't have been better for this costume. He's recently fallen in love with Diego and lucky enough I had picked up this costume for $3 at Target's Halloween clearance last year. The size was 3T/4T, but the shirt was tiny and showed his belly and the shorts were huge! Oh well he was happy to wear it once (the other occasion he threw a fit).


Here is the pumpkin we carved. It's a scull, but the picture is terrible.



Macie and I made these darling Bat O' Lanterns a few weeks ago. I love them and we'll definitely do them again next year! I got the idea from the Family Fun magazine and they were pretty simple.


You'd think Dominic was also dressing up as a super hero in this picture, but no, this is just him being his crazy self. The underwear is because we're trying to potty train, the socks on his hands he calls his "loves" (he means gloves) and he's wearing these most of the day as he plays being a bad guy and the pink sunglasses just make a nice finishing touch. Don't mind his skinny body and the fact that you can see every one of his ribs. He really does eat.

The Birthday Celebration

Tessa never showed much excitement about her birthday cupcakes. She would only poke at them with her fingers and never once tried a bite, even when I tried to feed her. Notice how there isn't even a morsel on her face. She did like the flame though!


She had a few presents to open which she was happy with, especially the baby doll she got from my parents. She kept hugging it and giving it kisses.

She had her 1 year old checkup and she was a disaster. She would cry if the nurse or doctor even looked at her and was in absolute hysterics if they touched her. She is only 18lbs 10oz (10%) and 28inches (20%). She still a little thing and won't be turning around in the carseat for a while longer, she still in the infant one and fits just fine!

The Mullet Experiment

Many of you will be surprised to find me blogging as Daisha usually occupies our
modest website with her own blurbs and photos about our familiy's modest happenings.

However, it is now time that I told the world my story. You see, decided I would grow my hair out for 6 months in order to have a legendary Mullet. A hairstyle many believed to be going extinct. As you will see this journey brought me to see that the Mullet is more than a hairstyle...it's a lifestyle.

Anyway, this is how I started 6 months ago....




THE COMPLETED PALLET
After a 5 months I grew a beard for a month in order to have an adequate canvas-space for my hairstyle exploration/experimentation. After much grooming, primping and combing finally the 6 month marked arrived.
















WHAT MANNER OF MAN IS THIS?


As I got out of the shower, laden only with the cares of human-kind and a towel me thinkst I saw in the mirror someone very familiar staring back at me. I gazed in meditation for 3 days and 3 nights but I couldn't figure out who it reminded me of.


THE 'BIZ'MULLET (aka "Missouri Compromise")


This is how I showed up for my first couple Orthodontic interviews needless to say . . . they were WAY IMPRESSED! I greeted them with a standard Bizmullet salutation of grabbing the hand as if arm-wrestling then bumping my shoulder into their unsuspecting chest. Then, after showing them I was a streamlined professional with a little face-time, I turned around and walked away displaying my most excellent plumage cascading down my warm neck as if to say "Heah I'm professional but I still like to party" . . . . I'm not sure why I haven't heard back from those schools.



BUISNESS IN FRONT

PARTY IN THE BACK












THE TRUCKER MULLET (aka "Mississippi Mudflap")

This more aggressive look reeks of mulletude. Common at monster truck rallies and county fairs the Mudflap came in handy when I took our minivan into the mechanic who automatically assumed I too knew a great deal about cars and talked to me about brake pads for 10 minutes.














MULLESTACHE (aka The "Wisconsic Waterfall")

The combination of a mustache and mullet. Although very creepy this subspecies of the Bizmullet has a special place in the hearts of Scout Leaders and Little League coaches the country over. Geographic preponderance exists in Canada and bordering states. This look didn't last very long because Daisha wouldn't let me hold the kids on my lap or read them a bed-time story until it was long gone.


FORM & FUNCTION
Though not a proper mullet per se this look is as classic as the white athletes who made it popular during the time when Afros were all but stealing the spotlight.
















THE RAT-TAIL


Rat Tails ARE indeed a hybrid of the mullet and commonly sported by latino children and white adolescents. For an adult to grow one is truly a rare, unique sight. Adults with the Rat are found typically in the video game industry or are professional eBay-er vendors selling various old school hand held games, rare PONG systems, etc. Most experts still classify the Rat as a predominately adolescent style and that adults that sport such a look are really living in a state of suspended adolescence. My own rat-tail stayed on for only a matter of minutes. It reminded me too much of a run in with a fat bully in 3rd grade. I couldn't even bear to get a picture taken with it.


THE CULMINATION OF 6 MONTHS HARD WORK
Mullet (mulit): a hairstyle, common among those of subnormal socio-
economic status, consisting of short, well groomed hair on the anterior area of the head and long, flowing locks on the posterior area of the head.


Mine is a classic Jock-Mullet with flat-top-like spike in front and 'curls for the girls' in back. You can still catch glimpses of this mullet hanging out of the back of football and NASCAR helmets. Bearers of these mullets are known to have affinities for Jock music such as Cum On Feel the Noize (Quiet Riot), Highway to the Danger Zone (Kenny Loggins) and Rock You Like a Hurricane (Scorpions). This is one of the reasons why I chose this particular flavor of Mullet for my celebratory event. The MalPractice show.