Jared has a Beard

Ok, so those of you who know me know that I don't like facial hair on Jared - usually. The typical threat is that I won't kiss him unless he shaves. He'd been having a lot of late nights and all of the sudden the shaving went out the window - and it's funny I don't really mind. Yes, I have kissed him with his beard on - I just won't let him rest his head on my shoulder anymore! We'll see how long it lasts - my current stipulation is that it remain trimmed...

Sam's First Joke

Amy: Ok, time to go to Sam's Club.

Sam: No, we go Pearla's Club (laugh at his own cleverness)

More room redecorating

I just got these Stanton Peg boards and cork boards from Pottery Barn Kids today. I was trying to make this vanity last as a desk for as long as I can...it's small, and so is Pearl! So, I needed a solution for the TONS of paper she brings home from school. I think this will work nicely and will keep us out of a real desk for a long time...the challenge for Pearl is that she can only keep as much stuff as will fit up there...we'll see how that works!

I did put a magnet board and a peg board and a corkboard in Sam's room too, but it's not that exciting yet. We'll do pics of that after I get it painted and we get him a big boy bed in there:)

Now she just needs a few framed pictures above her vanity and it will be perfect...I'm thinking of putting some of Sara's flower pictures there in brightly colored frames that match her bedspread - something that is not pink! I think we have enough of that...

Redecorating Pearl's room is way more fun than almost any other room in the house!

Tagged 8

Ok, since Sara asked me to...

8 tv shows I like to watch
1. Ugly Betty
2. House
3. Monk
4. Alias (when I work out - fabulous stuff!)
5. Eli Stone
6. Pushing Daisies
7. Good Eats
8. Burn Notice

8 things I did yesterday
1. Potty Train (somewhat unsuccessfully, I might add)
2. Had cheetos and peanut butter and honey for lunch with Sam
3. Went to Grandma Weir's
4. Picked out fabric for valences with Annie (and actually made them today, I might add)
5. Patched and Painted in Pearl's room
6. Babysat Roko
7. Went to mutual, where I learned a rap and watched a wonderful synchronized water ballet number for our roadshow
8. Checked out election results

8 things I look forward to
1. Our planned trip to Italy (next time Jared has business there...)
2. Sam being potty trained
3. Pearl's 6th birthday - she's so excited!
4. My new neice
5. laundry nirvana (yeah right, like that will ever happen - it's never all done at once!)
6. Christmas
7. my paycheck:)
8. time out with my sisters

8 things Jared did yesterday that I didn't have to:
1. bathed the kids
2. took Pearl to school
3. went to work
4. checked election results at midnight
5. took Pearl potty at midnight
6. watched the kids while I was at mutual
7. halfway made his half of the bed:)
8. drove the corolla (he lets me have the nice car:)

8 things on my wish list
1. another baby
2. minus about 20 pounds
3. Headboard and footboard for Pearl's bed
4. little display bookshelves for over both of the kid's beds
5. Nikon d40
6. An extra day every week!
7. SAM TO BE POTTY TRAINED!!! Can I hire someone to do this for me?
8. Bunk bed for Sam

8 people I tag
Gosh, I don't even know if I know 8 bloggers...so I guess just Tami L., Lora, Maryann, and Amy K!

Room makeover

So, Pearl has had her own room for about 9 months now. We never had gotten a new bedspread finished for her, and no window treatments more than basic pulldown shades. I hadn't even patched and painted the brad holes on the drawers of ther bed (made by her Grandpa Hulbert, we are lucky to have that guy around!). So, it was time, and, as all re-decorating projects are, it was inspired by a really good sale at Pottery Barn Kids. I am lucky enough to have Annie working there, so when she sees a really good deal, she calls me and snatches it up for me. So fun. So, with a new bedspread, we took down our flower decals and my friend Kelly is going to paint us a birch tree. I actually also got valences done today (so much for potty training, we both needed a break!) which Annie helped me design. I think decorating a little girls room is so fun because you can do all sorts of crazy things, like pink walls, that your husband would never allow in your room! Pearl is happy to have things more finished, and I am happy to have some variation to ALL the PINK!!! Now we have just a few more projects for Grandpa....

Halloween

Here is a picture of our "after trunk or treat eat all of our candy party." Sometimes I think it would be so great to be a kid again!

Mom, stop taking pictures and just open my candy!

Battle!

Amy and Sam are locked in an epic struggle, neither side willing to give an inch.

Sam is defending his ground against the best the enemy can do. In the end he is sure to lose, but he is making a brave stand. Poems should be written about it. His long held strategy is to unnerve the enemy, to get her to decide it's not worth it.

However his tactics have increased in desperation and cunning, as the enemy's resolve increases. Weeks ago it was enough to simply have a simple accident and the enemy would give up. Last week it required a clever ploy, urinating on clothes not yet worn. This really got under the enemy's skin. It was very unexpected as the enemy has not had experience fighting against the kinds of weapons Sam brings to the battle.

Sam's first plan today was to win simply by attrition. He tried to soil all available underpants as quick as possible. 2 hours and 10 underpants later he reached this objective only to find it did not break this enemies will. The battle continued without underpants.

As the day has progressed his tactics are reaching a remarkable level of psychological sophistication. His current method of operating is to hold it while on the potty seat and not release until 1 minute after getting off potty seat. One well timed operation involved making a second mess not 5 minutes after the first while the enemy had her head turned away just starting to clean up the first. This was indeed deeply disturbing to the enemy, however it did not bring a end to hostilities. Quite the opposite, now the enemies fire has been lit. The full force of her considerable strength of will has been brought to the battle now. Now the cold calculating side has overpowered the weaker emotional side easily broken by potty-terror tactics. And there is something else, maybe just a touch of raw fury.

I fear Sam's untrained days are numbered. The enemy has declared that number to be less than 4. Will Sam invent new horrifically unsanitary and distasteful tactics? Only time will tell. One thing is certain, they won't work.

Let us hope, for the sake of the noncombatants here (Pearl and Jared) that this is over quickly.