Getting in the last ten...

According to Blogger, I have now (not including this post) posted 190 times in the last year. I feel the need to post at least ten more times before the year is over to make it an even two hundred. So I'm going to sip my coffee and ramble a bit about some of the goings on in my life that haven't yet made it to the blog.

Braxton is now potty trained. However, we're dealing with a jealousy/attention/sibling rivalry issue... He constantly needs to be held, has started using a pasi again (he chucked that thing at about 20 months... someone help me with this one...), And even though he's potty trained, if he gets mad at us (ie we tell him its bed/rest-time) he has an accident. Ergh for that. On the bright side, he and Kieran are getting along fairly well and are beginning to entertain eachother.

Kieran can now walk. But, he doesn't. In fact he gets very angry with you if you try to make him do it. So, now that we have it checked off the developmental checklist, I don't really care if he walks or crawls. For now I think he knows that he can get to B-rox quicker if he crawls.
(I know I already posted about that... but he's one - did you expect me to say he figured out cold fusion?)

After 8pm this evening, Mark will officially be on winter break. Thank goodness. I realize that him having a Masters means alot for the future of our family, but sometimes when I'm in charge of the kids for 16 hours all by myself its hard to think of the bigger picture. This class, (Reactor Core Mechanics or something like that) required too many hour of Mark on the computer programming in Matlab. I (in my head of course) called myself a Matlab widow. I am very much looking forward to having the man of my dreams around again - even if its only for a few weeks. I just have to remind myself its only four more quarters. Then he's done, and its MY turn.

Last night bob and I did a 3000 mile distance gift opening. She got me a year long subscription to Runners World Magazine. I'm stoked. Running has become an outlet for me this past year. And when I think about it, its weird. I used to hate running. Trust me - I used to suck at it too. I was aiming to run the P.F. Changs Rock and Roll Half Marathon in Pheonix this upcoming month, but our household was wiped out by the flu bug (I did get a flu shot, in case you were wondering) and I lost valuable weeks in training and had to scratch that plan. I'm still going to Phx. but instead of getting all sweaty I'll just be chillin (haha, its going to be like 70 degrees...) with my little sister who I haven't seen in about two years, and my aunt, uncle and cousins for whom its been three years. I'm stoked.


Please go to Jill's Photo blog to see some of the fabulous photos she took of my crazy little family. She is awesome, and it was stupendous not to have to try and take them myself.

And as a last note, and hopefully a way to brighten up this lame-o post, I'm going to tell you that movies are a bad influence on children. Why you ask? It puts ideas and words into their heads...
A recent example:

Last night I was baking the first of many batches of holiday cookies, and Braxton was helping me. As we got closer to being finished with the dough, Braxton kept sticking his fingers and/or spoon into my stand mixer. I was a little worried about him losing one of those precious little phalanges, so I (after probably the thousandth patient time) said in a slightly frustrated manner "Braxton, keep your fingers out - or you'll get down".
Braxton's reply? "Save your batteries mom, I'll stop".
Where did he get this response? Woody from "Toy Story". Thank you Disney...