4 Month Stats.

Here are the stats:
Adele weighs 12.4 Lbs. and is in the 20% for weight (At 4 mo. she weighed 10.9, 50%)
Her height was 23.3 in. and is in the 14%. (At 4 mo. she was 21 in., 6%)
Her head circ. is finally on the charts. 15.2 inches, which is 2%. (Last time she was 14 in. and was 0%) Thank goodness for those small heads, right?

My "Bit 'O" Surgery

Yeah. I had a bit 'o surgery today. Now those of you who read Natalie L's blog, don't be confused. My "bit 'o" is NOTHING like HER "bit 'o". My surgery involved a couple of moles. It all started when I was reading Kristenita's blog and she was talking about how she was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma. It got me thinking... I have a couple of strange moles...I should have them looked at. Since I needed to take Adele in for her 4 mo. check up, I scheduled an appointment at the same time for myself. (We go to a family practice and I love our Dr.)

Today was the big appointment. I got there and without much ado I found myself numbed up in 4 places. He used the "mole punch" (owwww) technique and then stitched me up. I didn't really think I'd be getting stitches beforehand. I have had moles removed before with no stitches. Now I have blue stitches in my eye for a week. 3 of the moles were sent to patho. I guess we'll find out later if they were benign. (They probably are.) I was a little bit freaked out when I saw my eye... the incision was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. The mole was only 2-3 cm. The dr. said that there shouldn't be much scarring once it is all healed up. I hope he's right. (Kristen, do you think I am crazy to let a GP slice up my face like this??? I know you are going to a cosmetic surgeon...I really didn't know I'd require so much stitching.... eek.)


Gross huh?

"Dr. Dr. Can't ya see I'm burnin', burnin'..."

Kent and I like to do a little "photoshopping" every now and then. (Actually the program we use is a free downloadable program called The Gimp.) Kent thought it would be really fun to take a picture of me and make me really hot. I have to say though, instead of lookin' like I'm a hot smokin' mama, I just look like I'm becoming toasted by a blazing inferno. It didn't quite work exactly right, but it is still pretty cool. Erm...hot.

My Baby is 4!

Months that is. She actually had her 4 month birthday on th 23rd. So, in honor of Adele, here is what some of her siblings think of her:

Elise: I like Adele just the way she is. Even if her diaper is stinky. Even if she smells bad. Adelly is cute. She is gonna stay that way, but not forever. For just a week.

Me: What do you think of Adele?

Ian: What is in her?

Elise: What is inside her body... that's what he means...... She has white blood cells inside her body to fight germs.

Ian: I don't want my baby sister to get hurt, then she will cry. She's naughty when she cries.

Tomorrow we have the big 4 month check up. I'll post the stats after the visit.

Huckle Buckle Monkey Suckle

One of our favorite Family Night games is Huckle Buckle Monkey Suckle. My mom and dad and brothers and sisters might remember this as "Huckle Buckle Bean Stalk". (note: I am really not sure where the old name came from. Anyone?) Since I live in a family with a bunch of silly rhyming weirdos, the game has a revised title. WE couldn't just be boring and say "huckle buckle BEAN stalk"! Never!

So, here's how you play the game: Someone hides a bean bag in plain sight while all of the other people are out of the room. (I think we used to play this with a chalkboard eraser?) After the bean bag is hidden everyone comes in and looks for it. When you find it, you sit on the couch and say: "huckle buckle monkey suckle" or "huckle buckle fickle pickle," or "huckle buckle noodle muckle" (you get the idea.) As soon as everyone has found the elusive bean bag you start over. I think the way we play it is much better than the way we played it when I was little. The hunting for the bean bag is fun. But not as fun as coming up with silly things to say when you have found it. You should see how we play duck, duck goose!

Valentine's Stuff

Yeah, yeah, I know, Valentine's Day was over a week ago. That is how long it has taken me to get to this. Anyway, Kent gave me this Valentine and I thought it was funny. For us, Valentine's Day is usually more about fun than romance. (Like in 2005 when Kent got me Watcher in the Woods for Valentine's day...)
I decided to get a "fancy" treat for V-day so I bought these to share with Kent. After I tasted one I hid them in the cupboard because they were SOOOOO good! I did give him 1, but I ate the rest. They are my new favorite food. (In my defense, he said they were pretty good, but not THAT good. Why should I share them with someone who thinks they aren't THAT good???)
They have this delicious filling that tastes exactly like fresh raspberries. YUM! Now I just have to try the caramel ones and the mint ones...

Tagged: All about the hubby.

All about the hubby:

What's his name? Brian Kent

How long have you been married? 10 years

How long did you date? 5 if you count the mission. 3 if you don't

How old is he? 31

Who eats more? He does most of the time.

Who said "I love you" first? I hate to admit that I really can't remember

Who is smarter? I am a better speller and better with remembering numbers. He is better with remembering facts and actual information. He can tell me facts and information that he learned in college 8 years ago with surprising detail. I can't even remember the plot of the last movie I watched, but I can probably tell you the exact phone number of the last person I dialed.

Whose temper is worse? Hmm. We both have our moments. He used to have a worse temper but I think he has mellowed out a lot. I am with kids all day and sometimes I go a little bit bonkers. With those factors in the equation I would say we are about equal.

Who does the laundry? Me

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me

Who cooks dinner? Me

Who pays the bills? Kent makes the money, I spend it. (Remember I am the one who is good with numbers?)

Who is more spoiled? Well, if you look at the last few questions and base your decision on that then Kent is way more spoiled. Really though, I think we are equally spoiled, only in different areas. (Maybe I am just trying to keep the peace here??? :))

Who drives when you are in the same car? I usually drive when we go short distances and I usually make him drive on trips. We switch around though when one of us gets sick of driving. Usually I just drive so we don't have to adjust the seats.

Who is more stubborn? I think we are both stubborn just in different ways. We are actually pretty good at compromising.

Whose parents do you see the most? Mine because they live closer

Who proposed? Again, I can't remember. We talked about getting married for so long that when he came home from his mission we kind of just decided that we'd go ahead and get married. I am sure he "popped the question" just for formality, but it was pretty much already decided.

Who has more friends? I think I do.

Who has more siblings? Me, I have 9 he has 6.

Who wears the pants in the family? We both wear the pants.

I am tagging Teresa, Kate and Alisa

Make-up!

I don't buy make-up for my kids to play with (for obvious reasons). My kids went to play with some friends a few days ago and came home looking like this.


It is hard to tell but Ian has nail polish all over his mouth. Fabulous. I took it off with nail polish remover but didn't bother taking it off his nails. I hope nobody noticed that he was sporting some hot pink nails for a day or 2! It has worn off by now thank goodness. I am afraid this is probably only the beginning of his sisters dressing him up and making him "pretty". Poor, outnumbered boy!

Anyone ready for spring?

I really think it is time to invest in a snow blower. Kent thinks so too. It snowed like crazy last Wednesday night. Lucky for us Kent decided to take the day off on Thursday. He ended up spending his first 2 hours of "time off" shoveling us out. Ian was a big helper. Anyone ready for spring like I am ready for spring???

Pictures

My friend Mariam got a new camera for Christmas and was nice enough to take some pictures of Adele in her blessing dress. (THANKS MARIAM!)

My Latest Project

Since blogs are the place for showing off all the cool stuff we do, here is my latest creation:

Tagged!

I have been tagged!

Typical Time of wake-up: 7:30.

On a good night when do your kids go to sleep: Ian 7:30, the girls 8:30

How long have you been a momma? Almost 8 years

Favorite kid's show: Arthur, Backyardigans, Fetch with Ruff Ruffman

Least favorite kid's show: Caillou, The Big Comfy Couch. BLECH!

Favorite chore: Hmm. I can't think of any chores that I LIKE to do. Tidying I guess because you can really tell a difference after you have done it.

Least favorite chore: Cleaning the shower and bathrooms

Meal you cook most often: Pizza and breadsticks

Kids favorite meal: Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Pizza

5 Things that make you smile about being a mom:

1. Hearing the funny songs my kids make up
2. Seeing them figure out how the world works (and hearing how they THINK things work)
3. Seeing them accomplish things
4. Hugs, and moments when I think my kids actually might appreciate me (like when Ian called me "Sweetie Momma" the other day).
5. Doing fun things for holidays and seeing them get really excited

Favorite thing your husband does with your kids: Reads, sings songs and tickles them

Last time you went out with no kids: Yesterday afternoon

If you could take your kids anywhere where would it be: Hawaii. Mostly just so I could go there myself... but I am sure they would love the ocean and the pineapples...

Favorite pastime/activity with your kids: Cooking with my kids, playing outside

One thing your mom did that you do now: Make pink milk for Valentine's day and green milk for St. Patricks

Favorite kids book: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Best advice for a new mom: Learn how to relax. And laugh.

Scariest or most heart-breaking moment as a mom: When Emilia was born and wasn't breathing. She was pretty much dead at birth. It was so awful.

Most joyful moment as a mom: When each of my kids was born

Last time your child told you he loved you: Today

Last time you told your children you loved them: Today

I tag: Sally, Marcy and Kathi

..."Excuse me, I have to workout."

I got up this morning with the intention to workout on my treadmill. And then I discovered this: I am not sure if you can see them all, but there are (count 'em) 6 computer skeletons with their various innerds scattered to and fro in the way of the treadmill. Can you even see the treadmill? It is in the upper right corner. So, treadmilling was not going to happen today. I was sorely tempted just to say, well, I guess I am off the hook today. But then I remembered that I DO have a few aerobic videos. So I looked in my video cupboard and found THIS fabulous "D.I. Special". (2 bucks.) It has been sitting in my cupboard for at least 3 years. Have I ever used it? No. So, today was the day.

After reading the back of the cover who could resist:

"For some reason the thought of starting a fitness program
tends to trigger all sorts of "creative excuses". They range from , "I don't
have time," to "exercise is too boring." I am not saying that excuses are never
warranted. As a matter of fact, all those excuses are what prompted me to devise an exercise video that is convenient, effective as well as fun....[I]t is time to stop making excuses! Except for one - "Excuse me, I have to workout."


First a little background info, since I am sure you are all wondering: This movie is copyrighted 1984. And, No, Kathy is NOT wearing leg warmers in the actual workout. I personally was hoping for some good leg warmer action. That was the first disappointment. The second disappointment was the music. I was hoping for some of my old favorite 80's tunes. Maybe a cardio-pumping, body-moving, fat-burning rendition of Axel F. (Click here and scroll to the bottom for a sample.) But no. Not even one synthesizer song. Darn. The mullet that one of the back-up aerobicizers was sporting almost made up for the lack of leg warmers and synthesizers, however.

So on to the workout! Let me just say that doing this aerobic video reminded me of why I love my treadmill. And why I have never attended a live workout class. Treadmilling is easy. You run, or walk, take your pick. Your legs move in one direction. Your arms move in one direction. (You can listen to Axel F as many times as you want while you workout.) With aerobics, there are too many directions. You start with the legs. It takes me a minute, but I finally get the hang of it. You add the arms... And now it is all over. This is where I am glad the the only people around to mock me are my 2 littlest kids, and neither of them have figured out that what *I* am doing is SUPPOSED to look like what the people on the T V are doing.

I only got to do about 3/4 of the workout because Adele decided she need a nap. And I finally had to take away the ball that Ian kept throwing at me. And then the phone rang. It was a shame too because the part I needed most ( the AB workout) was the part I missed. Maybe I will work out my abs tomorrow...

Other highlights of the video:

• The part in the middle where all the aerobicizers were working out in a parking lot
• The panoramic view of the parking lot
• All the cars parked in a rectangular formation around the exercizers with the inhabitants of the cars "joining in" in the dancing, because, well, who can resist a parking lot dance?
• The mullet (I have to mention it again.)
• The "NYC at night" backdrop
• The view of Kathy Smith's upper gluteus maximus muscle that was hanging out of her very French cut leotard when she was doing leg lifts

This video is probably one of those items that keeps D.I. in business. Someone donates it, someone buys it. They use it once and give it BACK to D.I. This cycle repeats over and over until this movie has made more money for D.I. than for the actual manufacturer, 24 years ago. That is exactly what is going to happen here.

After I do that AB workout, of course.

Molluscum Contagiosum!

(Kind of like: Mollusk Scum, Contagiousum)

Anybody know what this is? You probably have 2 guesses and they probably are both related to snail slime.

1. Could it be an incantation used by Harry P. and his friends to give someone slimey snail-warts?
2. Could it be a disease that you contract when you lick a snail or slug?

NO. But it is the latest virus that has been introduced into our family. I took Elise to the Dr. today and that was her diagnosis. (Where do they GET these things???) I thought it had a funny name so I decided to blog about it. I'll spare you the pictures...... You're Welcome. (It is actually not that bad. Just a few scattered bumps here and there.)

JoeyPockets for China Part 2

Well, I have been working hard all weekend to get these done. I have 1 more to make but I have to wash the fabric first. I was just on a roll with all the others and I wanted to take a photo. So, here they are. (I really hope they use these!:))

JoeyPockets for China

Ok, I said that I would blog about my JP's for China this week and I KNOW all of you have been checking daily to see if I have posted yet. Well, here you go.

My oldest sister Suzanne adopted a little girl from China a year or so ago. She is a little girl who was born with a cleft lip. My sister is involved in a charity organization called "Love Without Boundaries" that helps out Chinese orphans. This organization is establishing a "cleft house" where babies with cleft lips and palates will go to get ready for surgery. They will be there before and after the surgery until they are healthy enough to go to an orphanage. Suzanne emailed me a few weeks ago asking if I could help with some baby carriers for the cleft house. She said that they wanted a way for the nannies to be able to carry the babies around and still care for the other children at the same time. (Who can say no to Chinese orphans with cleft lips?) So, I have been working on some to send over there. I will post more pictures when I am finished.