Change of Plans...

We are totally bummed, but we are ending up not heading out for Thanksgiving to Utah because of some complications on the homefront. We really are sorry, Jeremy and Hallie- we wanted to meet Cambria so bad!!!! Audra was looking forward to meeting her little cousin and her great-grandpa, but things were not meant to be this year...

But, because we are not going, it gave me some time to blog, and I am totally stealing this from my friend Carrie, but I absolutely LOVED it- I was crying I was laughing so hard!!!! If you are Twilighter, casual Twilighter, or have heard a lot about all they hype, you need to read this:

http://www.ericdsnider.com/snide/my-rejected-twilight-screenplay/

It is a spoof from the screenplay Twilight, and it is incredibly funny!! (At least I thought it was...)

I saw the movie last weekend (thank you Ann and Beth!!!) and I really liked the movie- in fact, I was surprised at how much I liked it. I don't need to see in a million times or anything, but it was good.

Thanksgiving

We are heading to Utah tomorrow for Thanksgiving- we are very excited, Audra finally gets to meet her Great Grandpa Marriott for the first time! We come back next Monday, and I will post some pictures then. Until then,

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

And, remember, next Tuesday, December 2nd at 10AM we will have our let's-get-everything-done-for-Christmas- (or at least attempt to) party at my house!!! Brings the kids and the to-do-activities, and I will provide lunch!!

Nursery

Last week we took Audra in to test out nursery, and she gave us a look that said, "there has been this magical paradise here this entire time and you never showed it to me?!?"

Well, yesterday was her first full day (ok, only 2 hours) of nursery and to say that she LOVED it is quite the understatement. We walked her in, and she never looked back- even when we tried to say good-bye! Obviously, she is quite the independent Little Miss!

18 Months

On Tuesday Audra turned 18 months, so all you moms know what that means: shots and stats!

She is now 23 lb 0.5 oz (31%-tile) for weight and 32.75" tall (81%-tile). The doctor said her stats are fantastic and she in perfect health- she was ecstatic when I told her I was strict with what I let Audra eat and that she eats very healthy- she wants me to teach their parenting class:)

Then, she had her shots. I was a little worried, but she was great! She didn't fuss or cry AT ALL!!! I was so proud of her, being so stoic! The nurse said she wished all babies were as good as her!

Aud is a bit behind in speaking. The doctor said she thinks it is one of two reasons:

1. She has very good gross hearing, but maybe her fine hearing is not very good. We can test for that, or

2. She is simply taking everything in and in a month or two she will just start speaking in full paragraphs.

I think it is #2, and I don't think I am just being a proud mom. She really does seem to hear EVERYTHING- I think she has better hearing then I do. She will hear dogs barking and start pointing to them before Ben and I do. She'll hear noises outside and turn her head to things I don't even notice. Plus, her personality has always been one to observe and watch everything, so I could see her doing that with her speaking. So, we are waiting 2 months, and if her speech does not improve then we will have her tested.

Of course, she definitely gets full points for cutenes!!! We just love this little girl!! (oh, and she doesn't get her binky unless she is sleeping or cranky, so don't think she wears it all the time, even though it might look like it from this picture!!)

Let it snow! Let it snow!

Our first snow of the season! We took Audra outside- this was her first "real"time in the snow, last year she was too little to play in it, and she absolutely LOVED it! Here are some pics:

Ben pulled her around in this little sled I bought for 3.00 at a garage sale, and she was laughing and giggling the whole time! Perhaps the best 3.00 I have ever spent!

This is Ben attempting to give Audra her first snowball to hold!

Of course, the sun came out later in the day, and now all the snow is melted- but not until after all the fun!! She was sad to come inside, but I am certain there is MUCH more snow to come!

Here is a video of Ben pulling Audra around- unfortunately, it doesn't really capture all of her giggling. Oh, well:

Save The Date!!!

On Tuesday, December 2nd at 10AM I am going to host a holiday get-everything-or-at-least-something-done morning at my house. Bring the kids and whatever activity you need to accomplish: gift wrapping, Christmas Card addressing, finishing Super Saturday crafts- whatever it is!!!

We all have a million things to do in December, let's get together and get it all done!! I'll provide Christmas music, hot chocolate, and lunch (don't expect much- it will probably be mac and cheese for all!). The kids can play, while we work- or at least try to!!!

So, remember- Tuesday, December 2nd!! All are invited- even if you live 2,000 miles away!

Shout out to Mariah

I am not a Mariah Carey fan (I'm not not a fan, either- she is a good singer, I just don't have any of her CD's), but I read something yesterday about she and her husband that I thought was awesome. Apparently, she and her husband had a shotgun wedding (got married after 2 months) because they wanted to wait to be "intimate" until they were married. I know, it sounds far fetched coming from a woman who is practically naked in all of her videoes, but I thought that was awesome! Good for her! Here is the article if you want to read it:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27632632/

Sure makes my 7-month courtship with Ben before we tied the knot seem like an eternity!!!

Hair Cut

When we went furniture shopping a couple of weeks ago, this is what Audra looked like:

Isn't this the cutest picture? She absolutely LOVED this chair and sat on it forever- she LOVED putting her feet up on the little ottoman, it was one of the most adorable things I've seen her do. Anyway, you can see that her hair is getting into her face. She has needed a "bang" cut for a long time, but I didn't want to cut them because it is a symbol of the fact she is growing up, and I don't want that as a mother.

But, today while eating Sunday breakfast, I finally decided to do it (I have a sneaking suspicion this was probably more her third or fourth bang cut, because I am pretty sure my mother-in-law has cut her bangs a couple of times while baby-sitting, which is a REALLY good thing, because like I said, she has needed it, but it has been difficult for me). Here is the end result:

Obviously, her bangs are now very croocked, and I think they make her look like a boy, or at least that she has the world's cutest mullet because the back of her hair is still long. But, I have done my job as her mother, and she has now had her first "official" haircut!

A Couple of New Things

In the past couple of weeks Audra has started doing some really cute things:

Instead of her usual breakfast, she now wants to eat cereal like Mommy and Daddy. But, she doesn't like it when it gets mushy- who can blame her?

Then, her new favorite thing is her "Dolly." She takes her with her everywhere she goes and gives her lots and lots of kisses!

She put her in her highchair and then pushed her over to the table. But, then she got REALLY mad when she realized I had to take Dolly out to put her in to eat. She also likes to feed Dolly, carry her everywhere, sleep with her, and everything else. It is really cute, and this is the first thing she has really become attached to. Very cute!!!

Finally, We Are At An End!

Another political cycle has come and gone- I think we are all glad! Now, we can watch TV without every ad being about politics!
I know I have used this blog a little to voice some of my political beliefs. I hope that I have done so in a respectful manner, and I particularly hope that I did not offend anyone in the process. If I have, in any way shape or form, I sincerely apologize. About a week ago on a friends blog, I made the horrible mistake of commenting in a way that was more of a personal attack then on issues- this person called me on it, and I immediately apoligized, but I still feel guilty about it. Character should never be attacked, and I am ashamed of myself that in that particular instance I let my guard down and stooped to that low level.
I think that we have had some very intelligent discussion on this blog- and I thank everybody for that. Even when we disagreed, I think everybody was respectful of everybody, and therefore we were able to have intelligent conversation where people could voice their opinions and not be attacked- thank you. Again, if I have inadvertently offended anybody by anything that I have written (except for maybe Curt Dale, I don't care if I offended him), then I truly and sincerely apologize.
But, for now- no more political post- at least not until the mid-term elections!!!

We Need a Change

Well, Election Day yesterday was a fantastic day for Ben and me because...our new bedroom furniture arrived!

Ben and I have been talking about getting new furniture for years- and now that the economy is in ruins and everyone is worried about paying the bills, we decided to splurge on this wonderful luxury. Yes, I admit, we probably should not have done it. But, I was tired of having our mattress on the floor (yes, the floor), and when we went shopping we both fell in love with this set. I am very excited- for hours we moved around our mattress trying to figure out the best placement of all the furniture, and even though our bedroom is huge, the space still seems limited (the agony of having a king-size bed). So, this was the best we came up with- Dani, you will have to come visit so you can give us your architectural expertise to help us out! You better come up soon:) This was a wonderful change for Ben and I!!!!

I wasn't going to post about the election, because the change I wanted to emphasize was our new bedroom, but I will just give a couple thoughts.

First, being an election judge was about the most boring thing in the world. About 800 people came the entire day- there was NEVER a line, and usually there was nobody there. I guess everybody did early voting, which is a good thing. I bet by 2012, at least in CO, it will be all mail-in ballots. That definitely seems to be the way CO is going.

Of course, last night was an incredibly exciting night for Democrats. But, I also hope that in a small way, it was also exciting for Republicans. McCain gave a beautiful speech last night, and he talked about how now we are a nation "no longer scarred by racism." This was such a defining and wonderful moment in our nation's history- and I would even go out on a limb and say that a black man winning the presidency is more poignant then if a woman had won. I think the African Americans have been forced to endure much more hate and pain then women in this country- but that is a side note, and I am sure there are many who disagree.

At any rate, I believe we should all at least be excited that racial tensions seem to be coming to their last days- let's at least hope they are.

I will admit, though, that now there will be great pressure on the Dems to change the face of this country. They won even greater control of the house and senate, and now they will also have a Dem. president, but with that comes a lot of responsibility. This is the same situation the GOP faced 8 years ago, and it is not an easy situation because you get blamed (probably correctly) for what happens. So, while I am very excited, I am also cautious. I believe that Obama means what he says- that he believes America can be greater then what it is right now, and I believe that he will do all he can to make this nation the best it can be. I hope, in four years, if he is able to cut health care costs, create more jobs, cut down abortions by cutting down unwanted pregnancies (something he has talked in depth about doing), that we will all be willing and able to say that he is a great leader and a great man. If, however, we are worse off in four years then we are now, if Congress and Obama are unable to accomplish the tasks at hand, I will be willing to admit that it is yet again time for a change. Only time will tell which course this country is heading!

But, one thing is for certain: Obama is OUR next president, and we now must all work together from both sides of the aisle to better our country! For now, though, I will be curious to see what kind of a puppy Obama's cute little girls will have running around the White House!

What a great looking First Family!

Just For Fun

On the eve of the most exciting election I know I have ever seen, I thought it would be fun to forget about the ads, the speeches, the attacks, and the inevitable long lines tomorrow and make predictions of what will happen with the election. Of course, this is all just in good fun (no prize money, sorry). So, if you want to participate, simply post who you think will win, by how much, when they will announce the winner, or whatever else you want to predict!!

My prediction:

I think McCain will not be able to win both PA and FL- I think he will possibly win one, but not both, and because of that Obama will win. I will say somewhere around 295 votes for Obama and 175 for McCain (I don't know the exact total of votes there are-sorry). But, I don't think it will be announced until just after midnight CO time, so I think it will be a late night!!!

I will be working as an election judge tomorrow (I am hoping to stuff the ballot box- hee hee) and I will let you all know how that goes- it should be interesting! Long lines, for sure- but I bet there will be a lot of happy spirits! The weather is supposed to be nice, so that is good!

Happy Election Day!!!

Miracle Needed

My dear friends Matt and Jenny have a 3 year old son and twin girls who are 11 months old. Last Wednesday, one of the twins- CiCi- was involved in a horrible choking/seizure accident and had to be airlifted to Children's Hospital, where she remains in critical but stable condition. Naturally, it is a very difficult time for Matt and Jenny, as they wait and pray that CiCi will come out alright. I was hoping to enlist the prayers and positive thoughts of all who read this blog. CiCi has already overcome many difficulties in her short life and produced many miracles- hopefully she will be able to produce one more!

This is another reminder of how grateful I am for my family and friends. Life is such a wonderful and precious gift. Please keep CiCi in your prayers!

Political Junkies

For all of you political junkies out there (and I know there are a lot!) here is an article to help you (and me) through the difficult transition on Wednesday of not having any politics to follow:

"Election Addiction"

http://www.newsweek.com/id/166535

And the Grand Total Is...

We had 30 trick-or-treaters last night. 23 kids and 7 adults- yes, 7 adults. Now, is it just me, or does that seem wrong? Granted, we had plenty of candy- not knowing what to expect in a kid-filled neighborhood, we bought 4 bags of candy, so we have plenty leftover. It just seems to me that Halloween is a KID holiday. I enjoy buying candy for little children, NOT adults (and one of them I think was almost 40)! But, as one person wrote to Dear Whoever in the Denver Post and asked what to do about adult trick-or-treaters, Dear Whoever responded you can do one of two things: 1. Grin and bear it and hand out the candy, or 2. Turn off all your lights and pretend you are not home. We chose to grin and bear it!
Nevertheless, it was a fun night- Audra LOVED having people ring our doorbell, and each time she wanted to leave with them- it was very cute!

P.S. If you are one of those adult trick-or-treaters, I do not mean to offend- I hope you had a wonderful time!