thoughts on a sunday

Rapunzel blowing our her candles.  You may not have noticed, but that's a ponytail-braid-bun in her hair.  It was a special request from Rapunzel herself and she thinks it's the most beautiful hair combination ever.  

• We spent most of this last week in Newport with Brian.  The weather was wonderful, which was a very lucky thing, and we all had fun being together.  McKay still wants to live there.

• McKay lost his first tooth while we were sitting at dinner on our way down.  He was shocked- we all were- and it was very exciting.  He's acting like he's about fifteen now, and the toothfairy needed to act fast because we were on vacation and she hadn't anticipated a tooth under a hotel room pillow.

• It's no secret that I am addicted to cherry chapstick.  Ellery hates the smell of it.  Every time I get close to her after putting it on my lips, she gives me this disapproving look and says, "Moooom!  I don't like your chapstick smell," in a little sing-songy voice.

• McKay was having a hard time saying goodbye to Brian tonight.  He was pretty sad that he had to leave again.  Brian helped put them to bed and just as we were tucking them in, McKay's sad face lit up and he ran out of the room, only to come back with Brian's pillow.  Somehow, he started sleeping with it while Brian was in Florida, and he was excited to get it back.  I guess that's one good thing about him leaving.  McKay said that when dad's here, he's happy, and when dad's gone, he's happy to have his pillow because it reminds him of him.  Awwww.

• I swear Layla took six steps today in the mother's lounge at church.  Don't worry, I wasn't feeding her in there, I was changing her diaper.  And then we sat down on the floor and hung out and I listened over the speaker and I think I really love sacrament meeting that way.  I might make it a regular thing.  She wasn't bothering anybody, we practiced walking, and I just sat there and listened while she climbed around.  

• Sometimes I think the brand-new-mother Sarah would be freaking out that her almost fourteen month old baby is not walking yet.  Luckily, I'm not her anymore, and I'm not freaking out at all.  Besides, I think she's pretty close.

• I finally stopped nursing that big, old, almost fourteen month old baby on Friday.  It's almost like she doesn't even care.  I am trying not to feel sad about this.

• We celebrated Ellery's birthday on Saturday, so Brian would be around for it.  McKay is almost about to die because we let Ellery think it was her actual birthday, but he knows that it's really on Tuesday.  So he wants so bad to explain it to her, but we've just been telling him to let it be.  She keeps saying she's four and he keeps going crazy because she's not, yet.

• She is so easy to please.  She was so grateful for everything we did and repeatedly said, "Thank you for my party." all day long.  It was so cute.  What a sweet girl.

• Layla has been teething for what feels like two months, but really has just been the last two weeks.  She has had a horrible diaper rash due to some pretty constant diarrhea and she's just not been herself.  But the very worst thing about it has been her lack of appetite.  You'd think I've never had a teething baby before, but I am so upset that she isn't eating.  Seriously, some meals she eats like a cracker and that's all.  Tonight she ate a ton of dinner, so hopefully her appetite is coming back and I can stop going crazy.  I may not be freaking out over her walking, but I am still paranoid at other things, like this.

• This week was the Fun Run at McKay's school.  Brian was able to go and volunteer to help out and watch McKay.  McKay had fun and did awesome.  Brian was so impressed with his determination and drive to keep running laps for half an hour.  He never rested, he never stopped, he never walked.  Brian thought he might pass out he was running so hard at the end.  We have no idea where or why this determination hit him so hard, but he was working.  Brian was so proud of him, but it created quite a controversy at our house.  You see, McKay ran the most laps in his class, and the kid who ran the most laps, got recognized and awarded a water bottle from the local bank.  But the trouble is, whoever looked to see who the winner was, miscounted and another boy won.  McKay ran 33 laps and the boy who won ran 28.  McKay had no idea, but Brian knew how many he had run and knew that he should have won.  It was almost painful for Brian to not see little Mack get the experience of being recognized for working so hard.  He didn't know if he should say something, or just let it go.  He could do neither.  He came home and was really bothered by the whole thing.  It took him the whole rest of the day to get over it.  He wanted McKay to realize what can happen when you work hard for something, and knew that McKay would have been so thrilled to have ran the farthest.  Oh well, we're still proud of our little runner.     

• Speaking of running, Brian got a new pair of snobby running shoes.  They are fancy and expensive and the brightest green you ever did see!  He really loves them, as he does most of his running shoes, and the first day he got them I kept catching him looking at them on his feet as he walked around the house.  I'm starting to realize that he gets very enthralled with certain items.  It was his sleeping bag and pads, and now it's these shoes.  

• He is training for a half marathon next month.  It's been a long time since he's run an actual race.  He just hasn't been able to train or be around for any.  He misses races a lot, and I'm happy that he is so happy about his upcoming race and his new shoes.  He ran 10 miles on Saturday- I think he's ready!

• This seems like a good time to tell you about how I went to the dentist on Monday.  First, in Oregon NO ONE has laughing gas- at least not the many dentists that I have been to here.  This is very sad for me.  Second, I have THE WORST teeth.  Third, I am still recovering from the work I had done.  Words like "monster," "ginormous," and "exhausted" were all uttered by my dentist.  He's a funny man, and if I didn't like him so much, I would be totally offended at him saying these words in regards to my mouth.  And finally, fourth, I need about five crowns in the near future- as soon as we have insurance that covers them, and a job to pay for the rest.  Brian thinks I should just go ahead and get dentures.  I told him he wouldn't like waking up next to me with no teeth in the mornings.  We're going to be saving up for those crowns.

• For the record, and so no one is completely grossed out, I had no new cavities.  All the work I had done this time was from past work that just needs to be re-done.  Maybe that grosses you out even more?  

• I try not to get mad at my parents for my teeth, but really, who else is there to blame?  

• I guess I'm a little to blame.

• I love you mom and dad, despite our sad teeth.

Happy Sunday!