Is it Weird...

Is it really weird that I have a crush on a man my Father's age? I have been so intrigued and infatuated with Steven Tyler since high school. I can't really explain it. When I see him on commercials or mention of him on movies etc., my heart just pumps a little faster. I wanted so badly for him to perform with Adam Lambert (another secret crush - YES, I know he is gay) on AI - wouldn't that be absolutely perfect! When I first heard that he was going to be a judge on American Idol this year I was ecstatic. I immediately called Maryann because she loves him too, and has been lucky enough to see Aerosmith in concert.

I love him as a judge, especially when he busts out in song to aide the contestants. I don't think I could even pick my favorite Aerosmith song - they are all awesome. I think it bothers James a little - my obsession for this rocker. He told me the other day that Steven Tyler smokes, and I responded "so what." James thought I wouldn't like him if I knew that he's a smoker!

The other night I was a little late to dinner with some friends and missed the whole discussion about Steven Tyler. They were addressing the issue of "is it okay to think a man the age of our fathers is hot?" I'm told the answer is a resounding YES! I'm glad I'm not the only one!

My Addiction...

I have had this naughty addiction for as long as I can remember. Most of us probably share this craving and addiction to a degree, but mine is out of control. It's even worse during the periods of time when I am nursing - like right now. SUGAR! I can't get enough of it. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and still not be satisfied! I may as well go be one of Santa's elves at the North Pole and enjoy a diet of candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup! I have a "hobby" of looking at food blogs and going straight to the dessert section and making lists of things I just have to try. I'm talking everyday! It's bad... really bad!

So I was reading interesting facts about sugar and overcoming my addiction, and I really try to remind myself of these dire consequences of my addiction. Like most addicts, I like my addiction too much and no matter how much I try to convince myself to stop, I just can't.

So sugar is a mood altering drug. We eat it, get a high, crash, then need it even more. Too much sugar inhibits the absorption of Vitamin C, which lowers your immune system and leave you susceptible to chronic fatigue, ADD, diabetes, autoimmune disorders etc. A French study in 2007, looked a rats who metabolize sugar much like we do. They were offered unlimited access to either sugar water, or water with cocaine in it. They found that 94 percent of the rats, even those addicted to cocaine, preferred the sweetened water. That was after they had even increased the amount of cocaine in the water! The research concluded that intense sweetness is more rewarding to the brain than cocaine! SCARY! We are conditioned to sweetness from the time we are born and start breast feeding. Breast milk that is associated with comfort and security, and is very sweet. Sugar is even and emotional addiction from birth!

The article I read had many suggestions on curbing a sugar addiction. Eat regular meals, have a piece of fruit instead of sugar, get enough sleep, exercise, drink plenty of water, yada yada! I'm trying, but it isn't easy with a new baby - hence my sugar addiction has sky rocketed! Oh well, I am going to keep trying. I might just have to bury all of my bags of sugar in food storage so it's very difficult to get them out!

Daddy's Little Valentine...

When James and I were dating and talking about getting married, I remember having conversations with him about how he might treat our little girl - if we were lucky enough to get one! He is not the sensitive thoughful type in the least. He is very uncomfortable with feelings, public displays of affection, or even compliments. This worried me because my Dad has always treated me like a princess, and I wanted the same for my daughter.

Then, one night, we hung around while my roommate was babysitting her little cousins - two of whom were beautiful little girls. They loved James and cuddled up to him during the movie and fed him chips and popcorn. His whole demeanor changed, and I could see right then that he would be putty in his own little girl's hands!

I was soooo right! I have yet to see James fail to do anything that his Princess Alanna would like! They are best friends and have a very special bond between them. Alanna calls James at work everyday and leaves a message that says "Hi Daddy. This is Lana. I love you Daddy. Bye bye." It's the cutest thing, and James saves every one of those messages. Alanna asks her Daddy to sleep with her at night, so he will lay down with her until she falls asleep, and then escape back to our bed. She still stays up with him at night to share his dessert - a tradition they've shared since she was about 3 months old! If anyone ever tells him that Alanna is beautiful, smart, etc., he will say something like "yes, she is", or "of course she is". If you give one of the boys a similar compliment, he might roll his eyes or discredit it in some way.

So, right after Christmas, Walmart decorated their store with Valentine's merchandise. For more than a month Alanna had her eyes on the mylar heart balloons and would talk about them during our entire shopping trip. I tipped James off, and so he brought her home a balloon for Valentine's day. It was the most exciting thing for her since she got her stick horse for Christmas! And, of course, it was extra special for her because it was from her Daddy! The boys weren't totally left out- they got each got a can of Pringles potato chips?! And I got a Blue-ray 3D player :) I actually asked for that - it wasn't just a gift for him in disguise! One might wonder if I am a little jealous of the feelings Alanna provokes from James. I'm not, I love it. I have enjoyed a special bond with my dad, and I wouldn't want any less for my own daughter!

Stats a 4 Months...

I keep forgetting to post Blaze's 4 month measurements. He weighed in at 16.31 lbs/ 77 percentile, and height was 26.38"/ 91 percentile. People always guess that he is 7-8 months old - he's a big boy!. Yesterday I took him into the Dr. because he has a pretty bad cough, and his weight is up to 17.4 lbs.

Blaze is such a social baby - he is always trying to get peoples' attention so he can smile at them or laugh. Last night, Jackson had parent teacher conference and while we were waiting a couple of girls came over to play with Blaze. They were gushing over him, and he absolutely loved it and was a complete ham. He'ts in that stage where he will smile at someone really big, and then he buries his head into my shoulder like he is embarrassed, or it's a funny game. He'll do it over and over because we laugh when he does it. We are getting great use out of our excer-saucer with Blaze - he will stay in it for up to 45 minutes at a time. It's so fun to watch him move his little feet around to get to different toys. It's the perfect place for him to watch his siblings, and they make him laugh like he is being tickled. I can tell he is just dying to get out and run around to play with him. Soon enough that time will come, but I am really enjoying this baby time with my baby. I always tell Blaze that he is my "forever baby", and that we are going to have some special times ahead since he is my youngest. Blaze really makes our family feel complete with his fun loving, laid back spirit. I love him so much!

Happy Birthday Caleb!!!!

Happy Birthday to our favorite brother/uncle/bro-in-law! (There is competition for that spot in our family!) Caleb really is a favorite part of our lives, and it always feels like a party when he is around. Our kids love to talk to him on the phone and Skype with him. He lets them play with his cool cell phone, laptop, and I touch. Often times he pops in for a surprise visit to play hide and seek or spy games with the kids. And, he always loves to cuddle with Blaze or make him laugh. We are so lucky to have you, we love you, and we wish you a very wonderful birthday!!!!!

We actually celebrated on Sunday at our house. He requested a "blue velvet cake", which I tried but didn't really turn our blue after it baked. It was also leaning, JSYK- James's mishap. It still tasted great though!

FHE With the Willies...

A few weeks ago we went to have family home evening at Aunt Melissa's house because she had a new baby, Ashlyn, who we wanted to meet. Grandma Leslie was also in town to help out Melissa. James's Aunt Theresa was also visiting, and it's always so fun to see her. She brought a present for Blaze, and licorice for the other kids. They ate the whole pack that night! They know that if Theresa is around they are going to get candy! I got some cute shots of the cousins, especially Alanna and Mikayla hugging!

Tree House Museum...

Last weekend we went up to my parent's house to see my dad who just got home from Bakerfield, CA, after being hospitilized for about 7 weeks. It was good to see him and the progress he has made after being paralysed. He was up and walking around and got to rock the grandkids. We figured we had better give him a break though, so we went to the Tree House Museum in Ogden, and Caleb was nice enough to accompany us. It's a little overwhelming to do things like this, even when it's both James and I with our 4 little kids. It was very helpful to have another pair of eyes and hands to play with our kids! We enjoyed such a fun and interactive learning experience at the Tree House, and our kids can't wait to go back again. So, here are some of the things that they had fun with!

Just Can't Get It Right...

...trying to be a cool mom that is. It was about 15 degrees outside today, and yesterday, so I thought I would be at the school to pick up Jackson and Chase right when school let out so they wouldn't have to freeze. I usually don't get there until 10-15 minutes after school because of all the traffic etc., but I thought it would be nice to let them sit in our warm car even though we wouldn't be going anywhere for a while. So, I had to jump out of the car again today and search for them. When we got back to the car I reminded Jackson that he needs to be watching for me and that I would be picking them up earlier this week since it is going to be unusually cold. Jackson said he doesn't want me to pick them up earlier, it isn't cold outside, and they miss out on all the fun when I come early! Okay... I guess I won't waste my time then!

I HATED waiting for my mom to pick me up from school. It seemed like I was always the last kid around, and I was always worried that she had forgotten me - again! James has similar feelings about being left an forgotten at work, school, etc. So, of course, I am going to do it differently. I guess our child is different though!

A few weeks ago Jackson got to be "Star of the Week", which entailed bringing a poster of himself and a treat for the class. He really wanted to bring in king sized Reese's for everyone, so I bought them even though I thought it was a bit ridiculous and I don't like my own kids having that much candy. But, I remember my mom bringing Molasses cookies and Divinity in to my classes, and I was totally embarrassed as the kids tried them and thought they were disgusting and asked me why my mom didn't bring something good in! I still wonder why she continues to make those "treats" for people when she knows that very few people like them! And James says to give our kids what they want because he was scarred for life when they first moved to England and his mom bought him the cheaper "Flash" bag instead of paying a few more pounds for the "Nike" bag. His school mates mockingly called him "Flash" the whole year, and he is still bitter about it.

So, all I hear about now is that Jackson's poster is the smallest in his class. A note was sent home saying please display 6-7 pictures of your child to share and hang up in the classroom. I think - no big deal, I can use the smaller posterboard sheets I have that I think are plenty big. But, some of his classmates apparently made posters of themselves on huge sheets of butcher paper! I have to keep reminding Jackson that he got to bring in king sized Reese's to everyone, and then he will agree that's more important than his poster!

Oh well, I'll keep trying. James and I are both the firstborn in our family like Jackson is, so he will probably have scarring experiences due to our actions no matter what!