It gets better?

It doesn't get better. Ask the kid who sits in a classroom with the words "fag," "homo," "gay," "queer," and "lesbo" flying around his head. Ask the mom whose teenage daughter begs her not to tell her father the truth, because it's not what's he's always wanted for his little girl. Ask the college freshmen whose belongings have been trashed and mounded against the entrance to the bedroom once the secret was out. Ask the Dad who evades questions about his son's taste in toys. Ask the kid who sits at the dining room table and hears how gays are ruining the church because they are all pedophiles. Does it get better? No. It doesn't. Still think so? Ask the men waiting to adopt a baby in their state but can't because they both have penises. Or the couple who can't see each other in the ICU because they aren't "family." Ask the millions of people who live in a state who vote against gay marriage or civil unions. We may want to feel good about ourselves as we whisper, "gay brother" behind cupped hands at preschool to our friends or when we feel that the world is just so much better now because "there is a gay couple living in my neighborhood....you must know them, right?" Truth is, it's not getting better anytime soon. We are lying to the millions of loyal You-Tube followers with false promises of bright horizons when we continue to let bigotry stand in the place of freedom. We lie to ourselves when we allow such events to occur because it doesn't affect me, with my minivan, kids, and husband in tow. We continue to let hatred and prejudice prevail while blaming it on the Bible instead of blaming it on personal prejudice. I hope for my children's sake that this time in history is looked upon in disgust as we shun at the idea of "coloreds only-anything." How can we promise so much better to our children when we have nothing to show for it?

Loving the waffle iron.

Take some cookie dough.
Plop it on the waffle iron griddle.
90 seconds later....
Boom!
Chocolate chip waffle cookies!

Eskimo baby.

Baby it's cold outside.

Best Dad Award

Every day, I am so proud to be married to a hard working and amazing man. He isn't afraid to change diapers, carry babies or blankets, and has been known to wear a tiara or two...

Baby

I'm not having one.

Although, Reese would love it. Girlfriend is obsessed with babies. At last count, she currently has 5 sleeping with her in the crib at the moment. The newest addition, a tinier version of her counterparts, had to watch us eat this evening.

A weekend in pictures.

In summary:
1. Reese can take down some wild mushroom risotto prepared by Chef Kyle.
2. Strawberries taste better when you pick them yourself.
3. Even a Dyson has a hard time picking up popcorn after it's been smashed into the carpet by an 18 month old.
4. Mimi and Papa have the best bed and breakfast.
5. We missed Daddy but made up for it during Sunday snuggle time.
6. Unicorns can be pink AND blue.

Just for laughs

This is not my kid but I sort of wish it was...

18 month check up

Reese had her 18 month check up with the Good Doc. She is happy, healthy, and stubborn with a weight gain of a pound and a half and an inch and a half of height. While there, the girls perfected their paper shredding skills from the exam table and Reese illustrated her hair-pulling technique. His advice was to "separate" them when this occurs. Riley must have thought this was the most brilliant idea because when Reese now acts up she mater-of-factly states: separate.

I also explained to the Good Doc that Reese seems to examine some things very closely, especially when she is coloring or looking at something small. There is a good chance that she is just being goofy, but to stay on the safe side, she will see a specialist in February.

Never a dull moment with the Nutty Professor. (I am totally going to call her this should she have to wear glasses. )

My date with Riley.

Riley has been exceptionally good as of late. I really want to try to reward her good behavior with things other than sweets so I thought a Mommy/Daughter date would be a perfect opportunity.

Side note: I'm pretty sure Dan is using dog obedience school tricks with Reese. Just today, I overheard him use the commands "stay," "sit," and "come" with her all the while rewarding with a marshmallow. The sad thing is, she was totally into it. I think I even heard her bark.

Back to the date...

We ran errands together, taking time to be silly and chat about the important things in life like turtles and alligators during our time together. The guy at Costco even took her picture and gave her an official card. The date ended with what every girl loves to do: drink milkshakes while getting a pedicure.

She sure is becoming a little lady.

Park & Rec

Awesome Saturday with a trip to the Farmer's Market, brunch, and the park. This sounds totally Brady Bunch, but it has been a picture perfect morning...so far. Next up, my favorite pastime, organizing the garage. Dan cannot contain his excitement.

I-phones rule the world!

I'm posting this entry from my phone. I am so hip. Incidentally, I also found out this week that a "whip" is also know as your car, or "ride," if you will. You can also "ghost ride" which has something to do with the car rolling down the street while you dance next to it. Not sure the logistics but looking into ghost riding my whip with my home slices in the m-van.

Enough of my great accomplishments of the week, we also managed to meet daddy for a lunch date at none other than Steak-N-Shake. Still keeping it classy. Take a look.

Ridiculous

I have been crafting up a storm lately. I have been channeling my inner Martha and even busted out some V day decorations around January 2nd. It's a sickness. During nap time while Riley kept herself busy with her mountains of ponies and unicorns I began to assemble a Valentine garland using paper and twine. I hung up my masterpiece in the living room, taking care to swag it evenly across the lower shelf. I called to Riley and asked her what she thought.

Her response:

"Daddy is going to think that looks ridiculous."

She was right. I took it down. It looked damn ridiculous.

Fun Friday Photo (Please people - stop the urge to use an "F" for Photo - it's not clever or funny)

For Riley ...

Ski Trip

Ski Trip with the Arunaharts was awesome. A great get-away with friends and a memorable 6th anniversary present to ourselves. Even though I took out a burly man from Houston at the bottom of the slope, all was saved and the weekend was spent lounging and laughing.
Here is a slide show of some of the trip highlights.

This photo slideshow made with Smilebox