Caterpillar Video

Here was a video I was unable to upload with yesterdays post...he was VERY excited about the caterpillars on the sidewalk...

Raising Butterflies...

So I ordered a caterpillar/butterfly kit where I bought the little "house" and then mailed away for the caterpillars. I actually didn't take pictures the first day but the caterpillars were about a quarter inch long and by day two, they were already this big:

On the same day, there were about 4 caterpillars crawling around on our sidewalk outside...I was tempted to capture them to see what kind of butterfly they turned into but my google search was turning up no results on capturing caterpillars and what they needed to eat, etc...because as you can see in the first picture, they had like this nasty looking sand super food...

Within about 5 days, the caterpillars became chrysalis:
About 6 days later Chris noticed that they had turned into butterflies...I was a little bummed to say the least...they felt somewhat like my babies since I'd been watching them grow and morph...I felt like I missed an important part of their life cycle! None the less, we now had 5 butterfly babies...

We gave them a soaked sugar water paper towel and some oranges (per the suggestions in the instructions) so they could have a decent meal after all that hard work (you might notice the blood in this picture on the netting...it was a lot worse than that but for sake of a decent picture, I left the majority of it out).

Releasing the butterflies:
One of the babies in their new home...we released them by a small pond/wooded area by our house.

Asher was unwilling to take a family picture but I got one of Ayris and Daddy:

Asher cooperating a bit more now that he was contained on Daddy's shoulders...
All in all it was a cool experience...not just for the kids...for us as well...Chris even commented one night about how he thought I was more interested in them than the kids (I was trying to watch the last caterpillar morph into the cocoon because I'd missed the other 4...it's like you'd walk out of the kitchen and another one would have turned already!)

Now I'm thinking I might have to order the tadpoles so we can watch them turn into frogs!

Death sucks...but I am thankful for today...

I was kind of bummin yesterday because of Farrah Fawcett...not so much Michael Jackson but we could throw him in there too I guess...it's a little weird that Ed McMahon, Michael Jackson AND Farrah all died within a week...but anyway...I woke up this morning around 5:15 with the same headache I went to bed with so I've taken some Excedrin and am now sitting here in the living room with the blinds open...the sun still trying to come up and the quiet! Seriously, I find myself in such states of appreciation when everything is quiet and still...I think I need to start going to bed at 9 every night so I can wake up and have some time while the kids are still sleeping...it's a better way to start the day. Yesterday I must've been dreaming a solid 10 minutes while Asher yelled "Mommy, MOMMY!" repeatedly...when I couldn't get him to stop calling my name in the dream, I finally woke up and realized he was doing in real life...poor kid...he was probably wondering what was taking me so long to get him out of the crib. Even though that's a nice way to wake up too...it's nice to just get myself ready before the day to day chaos begins.

Anyway, back to the death thing. I HATE being made aware of people dying. I think I was stuck in a funk for 2 weeks when Natasha Richardson died. I'm sure Chris thought I was an absolute looney when I was crying in bed about some woman I didn't even know! In her case, I was distraught because it was just proof that one day a person can be here and the next, they're gone. Poof! It doesn't matter that I have two babies and a husband that I need to be here for...I could die tomorrow. The fact that she was a mother and it was so sudden was my "connection" to that story. With Farrah, I just recently watched my DVR'd Farrah's story and found myself again in that state of appreciation for life mixed with sadness for the fact that no one is exempt from actually leaving this world. So with Farrah, it wasn't as devastating as Natasha because she had cancer and it was known that she was going to die...still sad though because of watching her show so recently and still feeling that leftover emotion for everything she had gone through. I don't know why I don't really care about Michael Jackson...maybe because I hadn't just seen his life story...who knows.

On my way to sonic yesterday though, I was thinking how lame it is that I care so much when these "stars" die because it's not like I know them BUT the difference is that I would care regardless of who it was...that's why I don't like the news...I would be in a constant state of depression if everyday I had to hear about the kid who fell out the window and died, or the mother who had 10 children and was shot in a drive by shooting...or the kids who went to school and shot their classmates...I hate death...period. And the other thing that sucks is how okay other people are with it...Christian people for example. I am trying to be more involved in going to church and starting to read the bible but I don't think I'm ever going to be THAT person who is okay with dying. I am envious of my brother and his faith...he along with many other people that I know would be perfectly fine dying tomorrow because that means that they will be in a better place. I was reading a blog the other day of a woman who lost her child before birth and she just wrote about the experience with such ease...yes, she was sad about not ever getting to know her daughter but it was okay...her daughter was the lucky one because she was now with God. I don't think I could ever be on board with that kind of devotion...and I feel guilty about that. I want to live until I'm 80 and I want my children to live until they're 80...heaven may be better than earth but this is all I know for now and I am comfortable here...long story short...I don't want to die anytime soon and having all these people around me die (even if they are people I don't know) puts me in a bad spot...I like to live in denial when it comes to death...so I hate reminders of the fact that it actually happens to all of us...even Michael Jackson.

After all that...my point was just that I'm thankful for today...I'm thankful for the sun that is shining and the errands I'm about to run child free this morning because my friend is watching the kids...I'm thankful for the date night I'm going to have with my husband because the grandparents are taking the kids tonight...I'm just thankful...and I thought I'd put it out there...because I'm also crazy paranoid and don't want God to think I'm taking this life for granted even though I know I do every single day!

I know I have issues...

So earlier, I posted about getting a Wii...in addition to that, I picked up a game (actually, the word game isn't as fitting a word as "hell on a disc") called My Fitness Coach...it was on sale for 19.99 from 29.99. Of course I went home to look at the reviews before making my purchase and all the posts talked about how it was SUCH a great workout and way better than the Wii fit...

Well those reviews were no lies...this is such a great workout that I couldn't even make it past the personal profile without needing someone to revive me. Before I was to begin, it wanted to make sure that I was well rested and hadn't done anything strenuous in the last 30 minutes or so...CHECK...pretty sure the last strenuous thing I did was have a baby and that's going on 22 months ago. 30 minutes, 22 months...same difference right? I think what she should have said is that in order to make it through the personal profile, you should have been working out hardcore for the past 30 days of your life and have just recently stopped to take a short 30 minute break before doing the profile.

The first few requests were easy...at least after the 15 minute search for our tape measure...I had to measure all of my body parts and enter in the information...then I had to take my resting heart rate...11 beats in 10 seconds...practically dead on the couch, I know...and yes, I took my heart rate on the couch instead of standing up...I would have done all of my measuring on the comfort of my couch too had I been able to....THEN it asked me to do 2 minutes worth of jumping jacks...EASY, I thought. I actually used to be in shape...and jumping jacks are no big deal. There was a little pie chart that was being filled in as the time went by...and by time, I mean the excruciating 39 hours that it felt like...at one point, I stopped my jumping jacks because I was convinced the pie chart was broken...it didn't seem to be filling up as fast as I felt 2 minutes should take...at which point, my instructor informed me I had one minute down...say what Maya? Yes, my personal instructor has a name...I already hate her...because whatever world Maya lives in...the minutes are a lot longer than 60 seconds.

After my 2 minutes of jumping jacks (and I'll be honest...with the 5 mini breaks I took in those two minutes...it was probably more like a minute and ten seconds worth of time I put into it...I made sure to speed up the last 10 seconds though to make up the difference) I reclaimed my spot back on the couch and took my pulse...36 beats in 10 seconds...according to Maya, that was a HIGH INTENSITY workout for me...I've known something was wrong with me for a while...I get winded anytime I go up the stairs! But seriously...jumping jacks? Some people run 26 mile marathons...but Michelle...well hey, I can do about a minute of jumping jacks and I'm done for.

Then it wanted me to do squats...well I had to rest for about 10 minutes before I could even attempt those...but I went ahead and did them...then it wanted push ups and stretches...whatever, at this point, I just gave Maya my best guess. The personal profile...in my opinion should be set up over a 7 day period...you know...jumping jacks on the first day...squats on the second (to give you time to recoup in between each thing) scratch that...let's put jumping jacks on the last day...maybe after six days of other crap, a person could have built up a little more umph to complete the jumping jacks...

In the end, Maya told me I needed to work on my cardio...she said she was surprised that I was even able to walk from the couch to the kitchen without getting winded...I'm just kidding! Who gets winded when they know they're about to be eating! Excited is more like it...

In all honesty though...after such an exhausting profile setup...I don't know how anxious I'm going to be to pop this in tomorrow or any day after that to start an actual workout regimen.

I do know one thing for sure though...I'm going to Sonic tonight.

Seriously...have you seen their new commercial? The one with the molten chocolate cakes? That's something worth getting off the couch for!

Happy Father's Day!

My ridiculously cute kids...

I took a couple pictures of the kids today that I think are really cute. Ayris of course put this outfit together...down to the scarf around her little dogs neck:

Look at her working that pose...
And THIS is my new favorite look on Asher...the hat makes him look even more adorable if that's even possible.
It looks like he's bidding us adieu before leaving for his paper route...

Old like Grandma Callie...

So I'm in the kitchen doing dishes this morning when Ayris asks me if she can have some cake that is in the fridge...

Mommy: I wouldn't eat it if I were you....it's old.
Ayris: Old like grandma Callie?

At that point, I started laughing and Ayris said "What...Grandma Callie told me she was old"...

Obviously old cake and old grandmas are two in the same! I should have known =)

I guess "I don't care" sometimes means no too...

So lately, when Ayris asks for something I've been saying "I don't care." And she always responds with "Does that mean yes?" After about the 89th time of her asking me if "I don't care" meant "Yes", I told her that I-don't-care always means yes. Fast forward to the weekend...or rewind in this case. Right after we pull up to the blue Target:

Mommy: Ayris, they have a redbox here and I have a free code, want to get a movie?
Ayris: I don't care.
Mommy: Okay, then we'll just skip it and get one some other day.
Ayris: NO!!! I don't care always means yes!

And here I thought she really didn't care! It's difficult to remind myself that kids not only take things extremely literally but they also don't forget a thing!!! So, I guess I don't care sometimes means that a person really doesn't care and sometimes, if you're a woman and a man is asking, you might say I don't care but really mean that you do care and if he doesn't follow through, he's going to be in trouble! "I don't care" really can be a confusing thing to say =)

Lots of freebies...and almost freebies.

All of this was free at CVS...7 reach toothbrushes, crest toothpaste, Excedrin migraine, cascade dish detergent, two boxes of tampons, tweezers, nail clippers, colander, 2 bags of suckers and some pop rocks...
All of this cost me $1.78 at Walgreens...Hot Tamales, Sour Patch kids, coffee mug, 4 rolls of foil, St. Ives body wash, 9 trial size Dial body washes, Cottonelle fresh wipes, and 5 dry idea deodorants.

I actually MADE $1 off the purchase below...and I didn't put all of the Airwick sprayers in the picture...I actually got like 6 of them for free and paid 2 bucks for 4 more so a total of $8 bucks for 4 of them and 6 free. Two softsoap dispensers (this is where I made the dollar...they were 12 bucks for both, you get a Target $5 giftcard and then I had $8 in coupons that I stacked manufacturer and Target coupons on) and the Crystal Light packets along with the bandaids, I have $1 off coupons for and they both 97 cents a piece so I guess I make a few pennies there too.

This is $20 in Target gift cards below for signing up for some trial at livewell.com...they don't have the deal going on anymore...it's something lame like $20 off at proflowers or something...not as cool...glad I got in when I did...that's $20 free!

And this is perhaps my best deal yet...I did one of those online offer things...you know how it says, you can win an Xbox or Wii or whatever? Well I did one for a $500 visa. I had to sign up for 8 different offers...all of which cost me about $50 OOP. In addition, two of those offers came with a $25 giftcard to Target and another $25 giftcard for gas so in reality, it was a wash...I came out even and ended up with this wonderful $500 giftcard (Asher is holding it in the picture) AND this awesome F.R.I.E.N.D.S t-shirt which I will no doubt refrain from wearing in public...of course I wasted absolutely no time spending it...we got a Wii with some games for the kids, along with a workout DVD for me and another Nintendo DS for Chris...it's a lot easier to spend money on frivolous things such as these when it's "free money"... although I guess it wasn't free money...I'd say I put about 4 hours of my time into it...

To top everything off, I still have $3 I need to spend as cash at Walgreens and about $26 left to spend in Extracare bucks at CVS. Even though being a SAHM is a lot more work than actually going to work ever was, you still have no paycheck and tend to feel as though you're not "contributing" even though you totally are =), so getting these freebies and saving the money that I've been able to, makes me feel some sort of accomplishment when it comes to providing for the family a little bit. I haven't posted all of the free stuff I've gotten...we currently have about 6 bottles of barbeque sauce, 6 bottles of mayo/miracle whip, 4 bottles of A1 sauce, about 15 sticks of deodorant, a TON of toothpaste, 6 lint rollers, about 150 bandaids (and counting) so far, 10 glade candle tins, 7 tiny Vaseline lotions, 4 boxes of Kashi waffles, oh and about 9 Johnson and Johnson buddy bath bars for the kids...not to mention my 3 free Mars candy bars from free chocolate Fridays...I'm also waiting on $50 from Lowe's and $30 from Staples...man, writing it all out, it does seem like a lot! Think of how much crap I'd have in this house had I started all this couponing and following saving money blogs 7 months ago! I think my husband might think I'm a smidge crazy...today I asked him to sign up for a CVS card (I ended up just doing it myself so now I have multiple cards) and there are days (like today) when I will have hit 4 CVS' at a time BUT hey, when we may never have to pay again for lotion, body wash, toothpaste, deodorant, etc...it's worth it to me =)

I think the craziest thing of all...is that I remember my mom arguing with a cashier once over a dime that didn't come off from a coupon (we've come a long way in the coupon world) and I thought, a dime? Are you kidding me? It was embarrassing to say the least BUT now, I'm pretty sure I'd argue for a penny. Having seen how much these coupons are saving us makes a world of difference and it makes it difficult to pay full price for anything! Especially things that never go on sale, like the Wii and bunk beds...

I even remember spending summers with my grandma and I'm not kidding when I say that we would spend the entire day traveling from one grocery store to the next...I loathed it...why couldn't she just get it all in one place? Now I do the same thing...I went out to run a few errands with Ayris last Saturday and 6 hours later we came home. It's ridiculous sometimes =)

Oy!

No sooner than I posted my last post, I packed up the kids and we went to Target...where they wanted to blatantly remind me that I am in fact their mother...I definitely felt like a mom in that moment...a mom who wanted to take the rest of the night off from being a mom! The WHOLE shopping trip they kept saying my name...

Ayris: Mommy!
Mommy: Wha...
Asher: MOMMY!
Ayris: MOMMY...
Asher: MOMMY...MOMMY...
Ayris: Mommy!

You know when they keep going back and forth saying mommy; to where mommy can't even ask one what that one wants before the other one is saying mommy? I don't know if it's a game to them and they know it's going to super annoy me or if they genuinely need to have my attention at the exact same moment but I was this close to asking someone else if they could be their mommy.

It's at those moments that I need to be reminded of how much I love being a mother...reminded of the appreciation that I have for my kids...you know, the appreciation that only comes to the forefront after they've gone to sleep...the problem is, if anyone tried to remind me of that appreciation, they'd have to do it through about 98 screams of "mommy!" coming from the two kids in the cart...so I highly doubt I'd hear them anyway. =)

The stupidest thing of all though is how you miss the insanity. I had to get away from all the mommying so I went to finish my shopping once Chris got home, and though it's a lot easier to be without the kids, I found myself oohing and awwing over the other kids who are with their parents! It's kind of like a parents date night...you're so excited to be without the kids for the night and then all you do is talk about them and how much you miss them...being a parent is pure craziness sometimes...but in a good way. =)

It's the weirdest things...

So, I have two children but I still don't feel like a "mom." I still feel like the same person I was 3 years ago before I had children with the exception of the fact that I lack free time and energy now. However, there are random, STRANGE things that remind me, I am in fact a mother...this is one of those things:

I don't know why but it was such a rewarding feeling when I started walking up the stairs and saw this sitting there. The kids were in bed and everything was quiet...maybe that's why I was able to appreciate it...during the day when it's chaotic, I would generally just have a quick thought float through my head about how my lovely children have to leave their toys in absolutely every spot known to man. None the less, it's good to be a mom...even if it takes a dinosaur on the stairs to actually remind me that I am one!

Just stating the obvious...

Mommy: Thank you! (the light finally turning green)
Ayris: Who are you talking to?
Mommy: The light.
Ayris: Why? It can't talk...

The girl is a nonstop chatterbox...

Ayris yelling down to me in the kitchen:

Ayris: MOM! I need some marshmallows and a milk sippy cup
Mommy: Okay, go potty while I'm getting those.
Ayris: Okay, can you put my marshmallows in the pink Dora bowl...the one that has Boots on it too?


OK...nothing like being tediously specific to the point where I'm going to have to search through the cupboards and perhaps the dishwasher, maybe even the sink to find this special bowl...BUT she comes walking into the kitchen and hands me the bowl...apparently she's already used it.


Mommy: Okay, can you grab the marshmallows out of the pantry?
Ayris: No, I'd really rather not.

And before I have a chance to respond to that she says:

...Besides, you told me to go potty.


Aaaahhhhh!!!!

First off, I'd really rather not? She must not be aware that she's three. Second off, even though I did tell her to go potty...how is she smart enough to know that she can use that against my asking her to do something!!!

As I was coming up the stairs she's telling me: "Mommy, I don't want you to read a book tonight, I want you to tell me a story...you know...like, "Once upon a time, there was a girl named Ayris and she went walking down the path..." like that."

I've told hundreds of stories, and yet I still must need to be reminded of how they should be told. Now I know what Chris feels like. Even if I KNOW he knows what he should be doing or how he should be doing it, I might just kindly remind him one more time...it must be the curse of the firstborn or being female in general. I was actually thinking about that this morning when I was up with Asher...I feel bad for Ayris because I'd like to go against all the psychology out there when it comes to first borns...I mean, I'd like to treat Ayris in a way that allows her the qualities of say, the last born...unfortunately, that's not the case. Yesterday when Asher was crying uncontrollably, she was trying to have a conversation with me and I finally yelled at her to just leave the bathroom...I couldn't take both at once. Later I sat down with her and explained that I wasn't mad at her, etc and that I just couldn't hear her while Asher was screaming, etc but I decided that it must suck to be a kid sometimes. Granted at least 80 percent of it has to be absolutely wonderful...especially living with Chris and I =) Playing in the pool...eating Popsicle's and watching Dora...going to the park, hanging out with mom and dad...the list goes on and on...but for Ayris, when she gets yelled at for this and that...half the time she probably doesn't understand. How is a 3 year old who barely understands her own emotions supposed to understand that mommy has a crazy chip in her that goes off when catastrophe strikes (like the bathtub moment)...it doesn't really seem fair. That coupled with the fact that she has more responsibilities and takes on more of the burden being the oldest. She's usually the first to get yelled at when fights break out between her and Asher...even when it might not be her fault...because she should know better...but again, she's 3...so how high can my expectations be? I'd like to order the software that would allow me to treat all of my children fairly and not put any extra burdens/limitations on one that I wouldn't the other...I just need that perfect mom chip =)


It's my favorite lying here while she's asleep...she's so cute...and quiet. This is generally when I think about all the guilt I have for the things aforementioned above...quite frankly, this is probably the only time I have to even form thoughts of guilt in my head...because there's silence...it's the only time she's not talking. By the way, my mom informed me that Ayris talks way more than I did at her age...so perhaps I should be expecting more than just a few letters being sent home when she starts school? Detention? Expulsion? I kid, I kid...but seriously, take her home for a few hours...you'll see that I'm not lying...the girl is a nonstop chatterbox =)

Thank goodness for Dora!

So yesterday after Ashers nap, he woke up screaming (and was burning up) and was inconsolable for about 35 minutes or so...I tried getting in the bath with him to cool him down and nothing was working...even though I've had my 3+ years fill of Dora...I would have thanked the creator himself if I could have because that's the only thing that was able to calm him down. I decided to take him to the doctor and found out he had a double ear infection. When the doctor checked each ear Asher would yell "Owie, go way, Owie, go way!" Needless to say he was miserable. He did OK during the night considering...once it was my shift, I think I got up about 10 times in a 3 hour period but he just needed rearranging...I had syringes of Tylenol and Motrin all set out and we kept a schedule of when it was given as to prevent another crying fit because of meds wearing off. Currently, it's 15 minutes to 9 here and the child is jumping headfirst onto my bed while watching Dora...saying Abrir (open in Spanish) and ucky outside...he wanted to go outside today but Chris told him it was yucky outside so he's been saying that all day. He's starting to repeat everything.

Speaking of repeating things. As I was pulling into the gas station today, this truck almost hit me so I said f*cker...I don't really swear that much...never in front of the kids...I can count on one hand how many times I've slipped (growing up crap was a bad word in our house so swearing isn't that natural to me)...anyway, as I went to get out of the car, Ayris says:

"Mommy, go tell that f*cker to slow down!"

It's really difficult to hide your laughter when something like that happens. So then we had a conversation about bad words and why we can't use them...so she said it a few more times without listening but I'm hoping it's out of her system now...it was really cute at the time though because it was so nonchalant...

Ayris finally gets her sun...

Asher finally went down for his nap so after the 143rd time of asking about going in her pool, we finally went out. I took some pictures as she was lounging on a chair eating a ring pop...she just doesn't look like a girl who belongs in MN with her polka dot swimsuit, silver necklace, ring pop, oversized sunglasses and arm band (taken from a bracelet)...she looks more like a mini version of Nicole Ritchie and her hippie hair:

And I just loved these up close ones...when she's not being naughty/sassy...she's pretty cute =) Here's the cute little girl:

Here's the cute little girl devising a plan...

Seriously, doesn't she just look devious in this one?

It just shows how early these female traits start!

Excessive exposure to the sun can cause fever...

Hopefully that's all it is...

Monday: Went to the zoo and swam in the kiddie pool at Leif and Kalvens...
Tuesday: Swam in our own pool for a few hours
Wednesday: Swam in Leif and Kalvens pool
Thursday: Swam in our own pool for an hour or so and then went to a park for an hour and a half...

So four straight days of sun...

Last night around 3 Asher was kind of groaning on and off...I waited for a while and then decided I should at least go check his diaper because he generally pees all through it each night. He said he wanted a bottle so I got him one and changed his diaper...he felt really warm. I went back to bed and started laying there wondering if any child had ever died in his sleep from having a fever? Should I go wake him up and give him some Tylenol? Or maybe he's sunburnt and that's why he feels warm...and I just didn't notice it yesterday?? Even though I put on sunscreen three times yesterday. Hmm...about this time, Asher is moaning again...he's drank through that bottle and is asking for another one...I decided to get a butt temp, change his diaper again and give him some Tylenol along with the bottle. The thermometer only read 99 but he kept jerking and pulling it out...that couldn't have been right because he was on fire. I go back to bed and am just about to fall asleep when Asher starts yelling Mommy...he wants another bottle...he MUST be dehydrated or something...he never gets this many bottles...actually he usually just gets water and that's only if he wakes up once. So I go and get him another...by the time he wakes up for a 4th time, I decide I'm going to wait for Chris to get him because maybe he'll have the magic touch to get him back to sleep. Apparently not because 10 minutes later, Asher is calling me again. At this point, it's now 4:20 and I decide to just take him downstairs...he wants to watch Dora...I fall back asleep and he calls out a few more times...I check on him but he's just saying hi...when I wake up again, I see this:
He had obviously passed out watching Dora. My children...neither of them, fall asleep in random places...they have to be forced to sleep...so he must NOT be feeling well...so I just covered him up.
He woke me up again about 35 minutes later crying and saying Dora...he crawled up on the couch and stunk like poop...I told him to get up so we could change his diaper and find the "motes" (what he calls the remotes...) and he said no and laid down...we both ended up falling asleep until Chris woke us up by taking this lovely picture while we were sleeping...I'm a beauty when I sleep I know...

After Chris left, Asher had fallen back asleep and so had I...we were both worn out. The NICE thing is that when I woke up, there was diarreah all over the couch...and Asher...the "mote" and me...I wiped it all up but the stench is still there so it looks like I'll be shampooing the couch today, which means I might as well shampoo the carpets too. I had grand plans of laying around on the couch watching the kids shows and playing with them...maybe reading a book since it's been such a busy week...instead I'll be cleaning! That's okay though...it was worth it to have my little guy lay with me for a few hours while not having to watch t.v. or anything of the sort.

He is, by the way, acting a little better. I ended up giving him more Tylenol when I read that for his weight, he should get a teaspoon and a half...

Now I just have to deal with the daughter who is distraught about not being able to go swimming right now...she's anxiously awaiting Asher's naptime =)

Incessant Talking...

Okay, so we've all heard of those sad cases where children are raised by animals or neglected with limited or no human interaction growing up (sometimes referred to as a feral child) and the negative impacts that come with that neglect...on the flip side, I'm starting to think that incessant talking comes with it's own negative side effects...like becoming mentally incapacitated to the point of being certifiably insane...these effects being the outcome for the actual LISTENER. Ayris-talks-nonstop! For the most part, I can usually tune it out...that sounds mean, like as aforementioned I'm neglecting my own child...but the alternative of...child abuse...is far worse than not always paying attention to my child. Seriously though...I'm beginning to question if her constant talking could truly drive me insane...sometimes I literally feel like my head is going to explode if she says another word...and I welcome the idea of actually experiencing it right then and there. I turned on my camera to record her goings on and that's when she stopped...um hello? What is that? Quiet? Well that figures...I WANT her to continue so I can prove just how long she can go on...and on....and on...and nada. Well of course...the goal is to always do the exact opposite of what your parents would like for you to do right?

At this point, I'm thinking I might just go out and buy a few more video cameras...perhaps set them up in every room...I'll just turn them on every few hours so mommy can have a few minutes of silence.

On another note, Ayris woke up this morning and told me she wanted to be like me...so she picked this outfit out:
Are kids smart or what? She's obviously noticed that my color of choice is black...

and not to leave Asher out:
Perhaps she's more like me than she thinks...there were MULTIPLE occasions in grade school that I would get sent home with a note that my parents had to sign because I had been talking too much in class. My report cards even reflected this truth...I always had U's (unsatisfactory) in the quiet and cooperative/listening sections. My grades were great though...so I guess you take the good with the bad...Ayris is thus far proving to be brilliant so I'm not going to complain if we get a few notes sent home...at this point, I welcome the notes...because that means she's talking someone else's ear off =)