One hit wonder

That's what Chris has decided to call me. Apparently, we only have to 'hit it' once, and I'm pregnant. My sister is now pregnant with twins, conceived after her 5th attempt at IVF. It just doesn't seem fair. Chris wishes we could 'try' for longer than one night. I guess it's a good thing I was not a promiscuous teenager, my life could have gone down a whole different road...

So wish me luck. I'm pushing 40, this pregnancy is the equivalent of insanity to me, but what do you do when you know there's one more up there?

My friend Bonnie thinks it'll be twins. I told her if it was, and I didn't lose it during the pregnancy, she could have one of them. We shook on it. In the temple. She thinks that's binding. I think she'll be the one to renege on our deal once she remembers what nighttime feedings are like. Her baby is 13. She has no recollection whatsoever.

We were talking about twins, and I told Chris, "The Lord wouldn't do that to me."
He said, "Oh yes, he would, especially to you."

It never fails, I say 'never' and it happens. Call it bad Karma, or just the Universe playing tricks on me. But my sister isn't the only one in the immediate family with twins. My brother has a set of identicals. 2 of my cousins have twins. My grandmother was a twin. But I don't know why I'm even entertaining this line of thought, because I really believe that line about the Lord not giving you more than you can bear. I think we all know that twins would push me over the proverbial edge...

Lets just call it what it is. A single male fetus. Embryo. Grain of rice. Whatever 'it' is right now. How do I know it's a boy? I just do. Trust me. I correctly 'guessed' the sexes of my sisters twins (both girls! LOL! Now we'll see how she likes it!) AND, I've got a few other predictions waiting in the wings. We'll see how I do.

For now, I'm aiming for a NO nausea pregnancy. 5th time's the charm!

A Rose by any other name...

My friend did a post on her kids' names. I thought it was fascinating (I'm easily amused apparently). She has 3 girls and their names are beautiful. So we have some interesting names at our house, and thought I'd share why we named them the way we did.
Luke Nakaya, Chris picked out Luke. I hated the name, but I just couldn't come up with anything better, so Luke it was. It's fairly common now, but 12 years ago... not so much. I can't tell you how I'd shudder every time someone would come up to him and say, "Luuuuuke, I am your faaaather" (hear: Darth Vader) Star Wars is a favorite of Chris', but he swears that that is not the reason he liked the name. Luke is short for Lucius, Latin for light, or bringer of light. He has lived up to that name, as he is a source of light in our home.
Nakaya is my maiden name, and it's sort of a family tradition to give your boys the mother's maiden name, something about it making geneology easier...blah blah blah. I just wanted him to have some connection to his Japanese heritage, but didn't really care for any of the male Japanese family names (My dads name is Masaru (ma-sa-du) my grandpa's is Ichiroji (ichee-ro-jee).
Tess Reiko (pronounced 'ray-ko'): Tess is a name I have loved since my first Ballet. There was a dancer with Ballet West named Tess Hooley. That's when I decided my first little girl would be a ballerina named Tess. Tess started ballet at 3, but sadly, she quit it last year. She really would rather do Hip Hop, but I refuse. Not on my dime. Tess is a short form of Teresa, Greek for reaper. I don't know how to fit that definition into her life. I just love the name.
Rei- means beautiful and ko- child, in Japanese of course. This is also my sisters middle name, and since I have no middle name, I have always coveted it. What parent doesn't think their child is beautiful?
Kate Nariko (nadi-ko, hard r): By the time Kate came along, we realized we had inadvertently established a pattern. 4 letters, 1 syllable. Kate was easy, because there aren't many girl names that fit this pattern. Kate is short for Katherine, Greek for pure. She's pure alright. Pure energy. I also liked the fact that Kate was a famous Shakespearean name, from Taming of the Shrew. Boy, did we peg her personality with this name. She was all hellfire and damnation for the first 3 years of her life. But she seems to have been 'tamed' now.
Nariko is not a real Japanese name. Nari- means thunder. Thunder child. I somehow sensed that my little Kate would be full of spirit, so when I came across this kanji (Japanese symbol signifying a sound or word) I knew it would fit. I think I doomed myself just by naming this girl. But now she's delightful. I've almost forgotten what a trial she was.
Ella Cheiko (chee-ay-ko): Ella breaks with the pattern. Two syllables. Chris wanted to go with Elle, but I didn't want anyone thinking I'd named my baby after a supermodel. So shallow. We kicked around Jane, and Emma, but in the end, Ella won. Ella is short for Eleanor, Greek for light. Interesting that 2 children have that link in their names. I also liked that it's a little old fashioned, aka Ella Fitzgerald.
Cheiko means 1000 blessings child. I liked that. She is named after one of my favorite women in the church Cheiko Okazaki. I love that lady, so full of spunk and good humor. I'm not sure Ella will ever live up to her name sake. She's full of spunk alright, but I don't find it very humorous...

So there you go. Why we named our kids what we did. If I were into tags, which I'm not, I'd tag you all to post accordingly. It's for posterity right?

New ways to strangle your child

So I was vacuuming, when the cord got stuck on something, so I just gave it yank and kept on going, when Tess ran in and yelled, "You're choking Ella!"

Come to find out, she had wrapped the cord around her neck (why? Because she's Ella), and when I gave it a yank, she couldn't breathe. Luke said her lips were blue. He was trying to get her out, but was having no luck.

What would've happened if the kids weren't there? I could have literally killed her. Makes me sick to think about it. I mean, I know I say that I want to strangle her all the time, but come on, that's just not funny.

Apparently vacuuming can be hazardous to your child's health. Guess I'll just have to forgo that chore for a while...

Exercise day 2

This is the view from my front door. Winter wonderland? or workout day 2? It snowed yesterday. ALL day. I went out every 3 hours with my teeny tiny snow blower and my shovel. My back aches, my arms ache, my legs ache. I was sweaty three times yesterday. So that actually counts as exercise for the next 3 days right?

And while it does cover up the mud front yard, it is bloody cold. 5* when I dropped off the kids at school. BRRRRR! I got stuck in my driveway twice yesterday, and my wipers only worked on about 1/5 of my windshield all day. I think they were frozen. I'm wishing I was in sunny SoCal about now.

Just Back OFF!

That's my warning to all you drooling pre-teens trying to take away my sons innocence!

Back up, here's what happened:

We are out to Pizza with some old friends. They have a daughter Luke's age. The two of them are at the far end of the table with 7 kids in between us. I have no idea what the conversation is like down there. On the way home, Tess says, "Mom, guess what M___ dreamt last night?"

Hmmm. No idea. Don't really care to be honest. She's 11. "What did she dream about Honey?"

"That she and Luke were in HS and he asked her out."

Is it just me, or is that the most transparent attempt at flirting you've ever heard? And again, THEY ARE 11!!

I asked Luke if he would ever ask her out, say, when he gets OFF HIS MISSION, he said, "NO WAY!"

That's my boy. Did you hear me girlie?! Just back off!

(I'm sooooo not ready to be the mother of teenagers.... sigh... )

Groundhog Day

This is my life. How about you? Day after day, I do what feels like, the exact same things. I get up. I pray. I do yoga (maybe). I get the girls a bowl of cereal. I clean up after Ella. I clean the kitchen. I vacuum. I sweep. I pick up crap. I yell at the kids to pick up their crap. I clean up after Ella. I wipe snotty noses. I change diapers. I make lunch. I clean up lunch. I clean up after Ella. I take kids to school. I pick up kids from school. I run errands. I yell at kids to practice. I clean up after Ella. I do homework. I make dinner. I do the dishes. I clean up after Ella. I clean the kitchen again. I get kids ready for bed. I read bedtime stories. I brush teeth, and not just my own. I pray with the kids. I clean up after Ella. I get into bed and try to unwind with a book, and my scriptures. I say my prayers. I turn out the light. I lay there and think that this day will just repeat itself tomorrow, ad infinitum.... OK. Well, not forever. Eventually I'll die. They can't make me do these things on the other side, can they?

What was the lesson Bill Murray had to learn in order to stop re-living Groundhog Day? I know he tried suicide, and it never worked, he just kept waking up to Sonny and Cher day after day. Besides, I'm not that sick of my life. He tried to take advantage of his fellow men by using his knowledge of the days events. That got old too, and I'm not sure it would work in my case. What would I do? Make the mess before Ella got a chance to?

Oh, now I remember, he had to learn to truly love others and to serve them unselfishly. Crap. I may be re-living Groundhog Day for a long time...

New Years Resolution

I didn't make any. But I have been meaning to lose a few lbs. before my 20th reunion in July. I started today. Big cheer, please.

First I did yoga with a friend. Then I rowed on the machine for 15 min. Not a long time, I know, but it gets harder the longer you do it. So to keep my heart rate up for 15 more min. I did 20 sit-ups, 20 half-push ups, and some squats. Then I had a grapefruit for breakfast, and some hummus, crackers and half an apple for lunch. For dinner, I made vegetable soup.

Right about now, I expect you are all rather impressed with my first days efforts, and not to ruin my reputation as 'healthy girl', but I feel the need to confess a few other things...

I had a few bites of German chocolate cake before the grapefruit, 32 oz. of Coke(don't even start, I swear the stuff IS meth!) with lunch, a couple of squares of chocolate, a handful of sprees, and a few slices of banana bread. Still, not too bad, right? At least I can remember everything that I put in my mouth today, that's a feat in and of itself!

I don't plan on doing anything tomorrow. I'm exhausted from all my exertion today. I think a few days off is warranted, no? Plus, typing this up has certainly burned off a few of those cake calories...

Happy 5th Kate!

My once difficult child is 5. Where did my life go? Just yesterday I was screaming in agony, giving birth to her at home. I'd go into that, except then this post would not be a happy one for Kate. This year she's started pre-school, is learning to read and do math, has decided she does not like to be called Katie, (that's not my name Mom!) and has almost kicked her finger sucking habit. Yes. We had dentist appts. last week (4 kids, 0 cavities, yessss) so the whole week before, I'd been threatening her, to stop sucking or she was getting the 'thing' put in her mouth to make it impossible to do so. She really didn't want that 'thing', so she tried really hard. One day she said, "Mom, I just can't help myself!" So I explained how we all choose what to do, and she could certainly stop if she tried hard enough. The next day she told me, "I didn't suck my fingers all day Mom, I choosed not to!" She really has been trying. She still sucks them in her sleep though, and I'm not sure how long that will take to break. Luckily, the dentist says her teeth show no sign of sucking, so he gave her another 6 mo. reprieve, to get the habit kicked. I think she'll be able to do it. She's really such a delightful child, I'm almost hard pressed to remember the days when she was my worst child. I guess when Ella came along, that mantle passed immediately. Nowadays, Kate is just a joy to have around. So cute and bubbly. We love her. Happy Birthday Kate!

Snow Canyon

We decided to spend our Saturday with dad at Snow Canyon. Chris' sister was in St. George for a swim meet, so they joined us. Her kids are all the tow heads. The sand dunes in the canyon are the high light for the kids, but after filling everyone's bum crack with enough sand to start our own beach (notice the picture of Ella's head, full of sand, and the kids making sand angels), we moved to pioneer rock for some bouldering(click on the collage for a close-up and notice the names on the rock above Chris and the kids, that's graffiti from the 1800's!), and then finished off the trip with a 2 mile hike to see an arch. It was a great day at 60*, we dug out our sandals and thoroughly enjoyed the sun. When we went to get Pizza after, I took Ella for a diaper change. After wasting 4 wipes and still not even coming close to getting all the sand out of her 'crevices', I finally stuck her bum in the sink. There must have been a cup of sand in the bottom when we were done, and she'd been in that for 4 hours! The chaffing! Poor girl.

That's Chris' sister Jenny and her husband Sid. The kids don't see these cousins much, as they live in Heber, UT, so they really had a great time.

Things you can do with a rubber tube

Make water weenies of course! Chris had to get some tubing to bleed the brakes on his Cruiser, and said he just couldn't resist getting an extra foot to make the kids a water weenie. Did you have those growing up? I remember them from my childhood. Well, you'd think Santa came again, because the kids were so excited, and so amazed at how big the tube got, and how far the water would shoot out of it. Of course the only problem is, it's winter, and we have a mud pile for a front yard, so I'm not too keen on them going out and making it worse. Luke was spraying water into the tub for fun, when Chris says, "Spray it into the toilet, it'll sound like the longest pee ever!" Yep, there's a quote for the record books. Of course, the kids thought that was hilarious and can't wait to 'fake pee' when someone comes over(I'm raising WT kids here). So tonight as we were getting ready for bed, Kate says, "Luke, where's the water gina?" (that's short for va-gina) Gina, weenie, parts are parts, right?

Happy 39 Chris!

Happy 39 to my one and only. (Kate's birthday is the 19th, so they shared this lop-sided cake. And the candles are 3+1+1=5, for Kate, obviously. You just don't do candles at 39, we already tried burning down the house last week....) Chris was 22 when we got married. In a few more years, we'll have been together longer than we've been apart. I love this guy. He's the best dad, husband, and friend a girl could ever have. Love you babe! Here's to 39 more years!

Our Tree

Is gone. I feel like a beloved pet has died. It makes me sick to look outside and see nothing where our once proud tree stood. Gone is my summer shade, my fall leaves, my swings perch, and my lazy summer days. I'll have to find a new place to escape with my books. The swing will have to find a new home. Or maybe Dave will reclaim it. We may not even still be here in the summer, but I am still in mourning for our tree. *sniff*

A good cleanse

Everybody needs a good cry now and then right? Well I've had mine and now I'm fine. That last post was a bit melodramatic (soooo unlike me) so I apologize. I did a good energy cleanse last night and I'm back on top of my game. The laundry/cleaning/organizing/packing game, that is. Yep. I'm fine with whatever comes our way. If we move, we move. If we have a baby with no insurance, it'll work out. If my landlady cuts down MY tree, I'll find another house and another tree to put my (Dave's) swing in. Hindsight is 20/20, and it's much easier to look at your problems/stresses/worries with fresh eyes. It's all about perspective right?

I am still stewing over this photo thing though. I hope to get that worked out this weekend, when my man comes to town with his computer savvy.

No photo blues

Still can't post photos. Every time I get a good idea for a post, a photo comes to mind, and since I have yet to figure out my storage space dilemma, I opt not to post.
Well, this post needs no photo, since no one needs this particular image haunting their waking hours. I'm talking about doing it. Getting pregnant. I'll be ovulating next week. Just in time for Chris' 24 hr. visit. I'm sadly not really excited. I know there is one more up there for us. I know I'm not getting any younger. I know Ella is already 2.5. I know I've put it off too long already. I know. And yet, I still don't know if I can handle one more. Ella is birth control in and of herself, but it seems the winter blues have hit, and I'm single parenting for the next 5 months, and I'm mourning the very possible, and ever more likely loss of our beloved life in Cedar City, and the landlady is going to cut down MY tree out front (all in the name of proper sewer drainage, a whole other post) and, and, and... you get the picture.
Is that poor child sitting up on his cloud (it's a boy) developing a complex because it's clear his mother-to-be is not really up to the challenge? Is it possible to screw up a child pre-conception? I don't know. All I know (don't say it Chris) is that I'm feeling blue, and I'm not sure adding nausea to the mix is such a good idea.
And just one more thing to worry about. We won't quality for Medicaid. Chris' new job came with a raise. Not a huge raise, just big enough to push us over the limit. We also don't have insurance, because he was hired as an Independent Contractor. We can't get insurance that covers maternity unless I wait another 3 months to conceive, and then we'll basically end up spending twice as much as it would cost to just pay for it out of pocket. Honestly, if I wait any longer, I'm not sure I'll ever do it. You know what happened last time I got pregnant with no insurance, I had a home birth! Well, money or no, I'm not doing that again! I like my epidurals very much thank you. Oh the Joy.
Before Chris left on Sunday, we sat in the car in the parking lot of SUU, because we're so romantic, and thought up possible boy names. You know, to help bring some excitement to the mix. I know I'll regret this, but here are the possibilities. We don't care what you all think, but feel free to comment nonetheless...
Adam (Luke's pick)
Gabe (Maybe Gabriel)
Zeke (Actually it will be Ezekiel after Chris' g-g-g-grandad, but for all intents and purposes, since we have an established pattern to think of... just Zeke)
Kyle (a nephew's name, and he's darling)
Toby (Kate's pick and her best boyfriend)
Joel (my favorite cousin, a good friend, and a Johnson family name)
Zack (NOT from Zack and Cody. I hate that show.)
Well there you have it. Pile on. I may never get pregnant, and this will all be a moot point anyway.

Going up in Flames

Literally. Plastic handle of pancake turner touching boiling teapot. Handle melts. All over stove. Scoop up gooey plastic and deposit in garbage. Garbage bursts into flames minutes later. Completely unaware of fire until Tess yells, "FIRE!" Having one of those surreal, what-do-I-do?! moments, turning circles, looking for -- what??? Settle on a tea cup filled with water to throw on flames. Fire sizzles out. Amazingly. Whew! Crisis over. BEEP BEEP BEEP!!! Ella and Kate screaming. Great. Smoke detector. Wave a towel at that for a few minutes. Examine damage in garbage. Hole in bag, burned up garbage, melted dustpan and hand broom hanging above can. Add said items to shopping list. Show's over people. Move along. Just my life going up in flames. Move along.

And this is after the Twinkie incident...

confined to quarters

This is the first week of Chris' new job. It's been 4 days w/o him since he didn't leave till Monday. The kids are all in their rooms. Maybe permanently. It's been non-stop since they got home from school, and after Luke's snide comment to Tess (regarding Twinkies, fat content, and her nutritional needs) I put an end to Friday movie night. They can all just rot in their rooms. I need a large jetted tub and a gallon of Calgon. Sigh. I guess this is my life. I better figure out a way to bring peace to this home, before it implodes...

and btw, apparently I've uploaded too many photos, and they now want me to pay them money for the privilege of continuing to post them to my blog. Any suggestions how to get around this?

Snow bunny?

More like snow ball. I was tumblin' down that hill more than once, and not in the 'swoosh swoosh look-at-her-go' way either... but I'm getting ahead of myself.
January 2nd found me on the slopes at Alta. For the first time in a little over... oh, I don't know... 10 years! I was surprised to find that I actually still knew how to ski. I was NOT surprised to find out that my body was not up to the riggers of all day sustained physical activity. Not at all.
After meeting up at Julie's house (right at the mouth of Big Cottonwood) for a light breakfast, we (7 of us old high school friends) headed up to the resort. Here we are BEFORE the pain began.It was windy when we got out of the car. Really windy. I was worried I'd have to spend the day in the lodge, nursing a cup of hot cocoa, but the weather was actually not a big deal. It snowed and blew off and on, but thanks to my 'equipment team' (dad and my brother, Dru) I was prepared. Dru made sure I didn't look like a dork, insisting I couldn't wear my mom's out of date snow bibs. He actually rolled his eyes at me when I asked what was wrong with them, can you believe that? It was like a teenager with his mother. I'm only 7 years older than him! Anyway, he got me outfitted telling me, "there's nothing worse than equipment malfunction." Whatever. I was just praying I wouldn't have a massive heart attack on the hill... AND DIE! I was glad for the hat though. Back in the day, I wouldn't be caught dead in a blizzard with a hat on. Nope. Headband and pony tail. Had to look good you know! Skiing was as much a social activity as a physical one for me... back in the day...
So we get our passes ($64, thanks Dad, for giving me your pass! Sheesh! $64 for ONE day? How do people afford that?!) and Jana says, "Don't buckle your boots till we get to the top." Ok. I haven't been in 10 years, so I don't remember that that tip is for people with the new boots, the ones that buckle on top, not for those of us wearing 20 yr. old storm trooper boots that are rear entry (really, they're white, I could've been an extra in Star Wars!). If you don't have any idea why this is relevant, let me enlighten you. In rear entry boots, the backs open up, so if you're not buckled, you fall out the back. Which is literally what I did. I got to the front of the line, and just before getting on, I leaned back too far, my boots fell open, I fell out of them, and pretty much couldn't get back up... because they were STILL unbuckled... and I'm OLD! A smarter, more savvy skiier would have taken the time to do them up before trying to get up, but no, I am not that savvy skiier, I was holding up the line, embarrassed, and lets face it, I just didn't have the strength in my legs to really have any business skiing in the first place! Julie had to pull me up, not before I almost pulled her down though. So, not even the first run of the day, and I'm making a total idiot of myself. I was privately thinking, CRAP! What if I fall back when I get off the lift, and clog up the ramp?! I sweated it out the whole way up, trying in vain to do up my boots w/o losing my poles or falling off the lift, all the while trying to engage in casual conversation.
Well I made it down the ramp and did the dang buckles up, only to be hit by a major panic attack looking over the lip of the hill. What if I don't remember what to do? What if I run right into a tree? What if....? Pathetic, I know, but really, 10 years is a looong time! It was OK. 15 yrs. of skills and training came right back, minus the physical fortitude and stamina, which proved to be a problem later on, ok, 2 runs later on. I used to be a 'bump' skiier, moguls, but apparently, that requires much more strength than I currently posses. One run down a black diamond hill, and my knees were toast, and I couldn't catch my breath. When did this happen? When did I become my mother? I remember mocking her in high school, always staying on the groomed bunny hills, taking no risks, missing out on all the fun. That was me. I opted for the cat tracks the majority of the day, and left the black diamonds for the few friends who still have a body that functions properly. At the end of the day, my knees were killing me anyway. When did I develop knee problems? This must be why I don't exercise...
All in all, it was fun. I enjoyed my friends immensely, and the soup at the lodge was delicious (despite the $11 price tag, FOR SOUP! What!? Did the Soup Nazi himself make it? Again, who are these rich people that can afford to enjoy this sport more than once a decade?), and we did get on 'TV'. Well, Park City TV. Don't ask me why Park City TV was at Alta interviewing skiiers, but they were, and one friend, Jessie, who screams a lot, managed to get the camera guys attention long enough to get us an interview. I haven't seen it, but it was a good 3 minutes of us all standing around talking about why we liked Alta, what we had to eat in the lodge, and how it was a reunion of sorts. Bunch of middle aged women, trying to relive their glory days. To be fair, a few of the girls were still in top form. Sadly, I was not among that group. Oh well, what can you expect after 10 years? I brought my skiis back to Cedar though, and with any luck, I may brave another day at Brian Head, the local resort. Then again... maybe I should stick to my current exercise regimen... chasing Ella. I'm still fast enough to catch her... usually.

Year of the Ox

2009 is the year of the Ox, according to the Zodiac calendar which the Japanese and most Asian countries follow. Here's the attributes of the Ox, in case you will be having a baby this year, or if you were born in the year 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997:

The Ox is the sign of prosperity through fortitude and hard work. This powerful sign is a born leader, being quite dependable and possessing an innate ability to achieve great things. As one might guess, such people are dependable, calm, and modest. Like their animal namesake, the Ox is unswervingly patient, tireless in their work, and capable of enduring any amount of hardship without complaint.

Ox people need peace and quiet to work through their ideas, and when they have set their mind on something it is hard for them to be convinced otherwise. An Ox person has a very logical mind and is extremely systematic in whatever they do, even without imagination. These people speak little but are extremely intelligent. When necessary, they are articulate and eloquent.

People born under the influence of the Ox are kind, caring souls, logical, positive, filled with common sense and with their feet firmly planted on the ground. Security is their main preoccupation in life, and they are prepared to toil long and hard in order to provide a warm, comfortable and stable nest for themselves and their families. Strong-minded, stubborn, individualistic, the majority are highly intelligent individuals who don't take kindly to being told what to do.

The Ox works hard, patiently, and methodically, with original intelligence and reflective thought. These people enjoy helping others. Behind this tenacious, laboring, and self-sacrificing exterior lies an active mind.

Shogatsu

The Japanese New Year's Celebration, and the biggest holiday in Japan. Christmas is not a big deal (how could it be? They're not Christians!) Shogatsu for the Nakaya's has always meant a big feast at Grandma's house. Sushi, crab, mochi sculpted into Mt. Fuji, teriyaki chicken, Japanese vegetables, and of course, the finger jello for the kids, we look forward to it all year. I don't love all Japanese food, in fact, Chris is braver than I, and usually eats everything, and he's white! Go figure.
This was the first year Gram didn't host, she's finally starting to show her age, 91, and it's just too much for her. So this year it was at mom and dad's. Ryan and I made the Sushi, we started at about 6pm, and were finished by midnight! Dad did the rest. Some of mom's family came bringing their 'white people' food with them, which was fine by us, because after all that work, we didn't want anyone taking sushi who wasn't serious about eating it! It was a great spread, and I ate myself sick all day. My kids love Sushi, and I'm glad to have a little piece of their heritage to share with them. I hope this tradition continues in our family for a long time, now that I'm an expert at Sushi...

Naughty or Nice?

The split personality of Ella, captured in photos. Over the Christmas holiday up north, Ella was doing her usual, being naughty. I asked her to stop. She smiled at me and continued wreaking her mayhem. I said, "Ella! For once in your life, obey your mother!" She turned to me and gave me the sweetest smile, and in her sugary voice said, "nooo," then turned back around and continued the misbehavior. Just like that. A casual dismissal. She may have played the angel in our family nativity, but believe me, her Halloween costume says it all.

PS. Why is this entire post underlined? I can't figure out how to turn it off? Anyone? Buhler?