Dreaming, or lack thereof

Sadly, I am not a dreamer.

I don't mean that I don't have goals and aspirations...I mean that most nights of my life I have dreamless sleep. Keep in mind that I did say MOST NIGHTS. For example, I did dream a lot while I was pregnant. However, I wish that I had not because most of these dreams were horrible nightmares where I usually lost the baby (I actually heard this is quite common with pregnant women.) The few dreams when I have not been pregnant are actually usually nightmares too. In fact, one that I have had on many occasions is where my sister, Kari, is being murdered/attacked/etc. and I come in either while she is being attacked and have to fight her attacker or I come too late and she is dead or dying. Most times I have had this nightmare I wake up crying (cause I really love my sister and I'm very protective of her and I hope that having this dream more than once doesn't mean she is going to die anytime soon.) Which brings me to my thought on why I usually only remember nightmares (cause I assume that I do have dreams, I just don't remember them.) Well I think it's because when I have happy dreams, I don't wake up...but when I have nightmares they really affect me emotionally or they frighten me so I actually wake up in the middle of the dream and it's still really fresh so I remember it.
Well now that I have you all depressed and thinking about me losing babies and watching my sister die, I'll tell you about a dream I had after I went back to sleep after feeding Adelyn really early this morning (by the way I think I remember this one because I wasn't that deep asleep since I had already woken up a little.) The background of this dream is that in real life Jared and I need/want a new car. The backseat of our little blue Hyundai is so small that when Adelyn's carseat is in, the front seat has to be pulled all the way forward. This is fine for me cause I'm like five feet tall...but not so fun for Jared. Well anyways, we did lot's of looking around and decided on the one we wanted. To make a long story short, we went to purchase the new car but because neither of us has any credit history they said no to us...it was a sad day. And so begins my dream...Pretty much I dreamed that my dad bought us a new car...but he got one that I didn't like. And I wanted to tell him I didn't like that car, but I felt like that would be ungrateful. And that's all that I can remember. But when I woke up, even though it was a really little and insignificant dream, I was so happy that I had remembered having a dream.

In conclusion: It made me realize that you can find blessings and happiness pretty much in every aspect of your life...I mean, I get excited when I remember having dreams! And also, Dad- if you're reading this and my dream was telling me that you're planning on buying me a new car...ask me what kind first! ha ha j/k...but seriously...get a good one. :) OK, I know you're not getting me a car.

Our needs:

I saw this on someone else's blog and thought it was funny. To do this google "-your name- needs" and then write down the first five things that pop up!

Jared
1. Jared needs to go! I'm sick of hearing his pathetic acting and his mini lisp telling me about Subway's new lineup.
2. Jared Definitely Needs to Lay the Smack Down on these Guys
3. Superhottie Jared needs help with his tight underwear
4. "Jared needs extra attention,” Alexandra said. “He is very expressive with both his love and anger."
5. Jared needs to stop making critical mistakes which have haunted him..

Jen
1. Jennifer needs to be in a mental health facility right now
2. Jennifer needs a smack daddy
3. Jennifer Needs A Shave
4. Jennifer needs too much attention
5. Jennifer needs to develop age-appropriate language for social situations

Adelyn
1. Adelyn needs chocolate
2. Adelyn needs a hug
3. Adelyn needs some advice for Europe-hopping
4. Adelyn needs to do some soul searching
5. Adelyn needs a sister or brother someday

Work it Out!

Baby Push-ups

Baby Bench-Pressing

Baby Curls

Baby Crunches

The Lottery

No, Mom and Dad, I have never bought a lottery ticket. However, being a poor young mother has tempted me to have a go at it (don't worry I won't.) But have you ever thought about what you would do if you did play the lottery and you actually won? I think the first thing that a lot of people would do is quit their job...but I'm already a professional mommy, and I don't think Jared would be happy being someone that didn't "contribute to society." I'm not certain, but I think he would still enjoy going to medical school and being a doctor, infact, I think it would maybe even take some of the "pressure" off knowing he doesn't "have" to do it. I also would not all of a sudden live a squanderous life of luxury. I would have and do nice things, but I would still budget and save. So this is what I've come up with:

What winning the lottery would mean to me:

• Being able to see our families whenever we want to
• Doing something really nice for my parents in an attempt to "payback" for a lifetime of service and spoilage
• I would pay for rehab and a fresh start for my brother and for anything else mine or Jared's other siblings needed
• Jared would never have to work a crummy "pay the bills," graveyard job that he hates
• A nice, comfortable house; nothing crazy elaborate, but something to be proud of
• Never worrying about bills, bounced checks, paychecks, etc.
• Knowing my kids can do dance, sports, lessons, art, or whatever they're interested in
• Knowing we can help them financially when they go on missions/to college/get married
• Seeing the world as a family
• Having hobbies
• Going on dates...frequently!
• Spoiling my grandchildren someday
• Leaving a nice inheritance instead of debt
• I would also have my groceries delivered...for some reason I hate going grocery shopping
• While I don't mind cleaning, I would have someone do my laundry and maybe the dishes
• And as far as charities/causes go: I would donate money for breast cancer research, homeless people in America, and I haven't really done research on specific charities but I have a soft spot for sick, orphaned, hungry and/or badly-parented children.

Adelyn Look-alike Meter

When you have a new baby a very common question is, "Who does she look like?" Now the answer to this question is sometimes very difficult. In our situation I'd say that Jared and I look kind of similar, we could almost be in eachother's families. Plus, depending on who you ask and which side of the family they come from the answer is always different anyways. Well, the scientific results are in...and Jared wins...by 4%. Sorry Madre!

P.S. I think that the results might be different if we tried different pictures...but I'm not that worried about it.

Adelyn's First Tooth!

Adelyn got her first tooth today! Well I guess it would be better to say that I found her first tooth poking through her gum today. I'll try to take a picture of it in the next couple of days. Right now you can barely even see it, but it is really sharp on my finger, so it's definitly there.Some of you might not care very much about this milestone, but when it's your baby's first tooth it's quite exciting. From birth she has been a very mellow child, and she has been sleeping through the night since she was like a month old. But lately she has been really grumpy (well for her) and having a hard time sleeping, and for some reason I didn't even think about teething. But that's what it was! Can you believe that she's already old enough to have a tooth?

Since I don't usually post about my baby I suppose I might as well take this opportunity to tell a little more about Adelyn news:

• She will be 6 months old in 6 more days.
• She can completely sit up all by herself.
• She can get all the way across the room by rolling and scooting.
• She scoots forwards and backwards and turns in circles.
• She can get up in crawling position, but then scoots onto her tummy at the last minute, I think she'll be crawling in the next week or two.
• She no longer fits into "Swaddler" diapers but is now wearing "Cruisers" diapers
• Her favorite things to play with are: trash, cups, cell phones, the computer mouse and banging on the computer keys, soda cans, bags, paper and everything that you don't want her to be playing with.
• She is about 17 pounds and around 25-26 inches long.
• She is obsessed with sticking out her tongue, it is almost always hanging out of her mouth. She even smiles with it out.
• She eats either rice cereal or mushed vegetables or fruit once or twice everyday now.

And I guess that's all that is really new with her. Yay for Adelyn's first tooth! She's growing up so fast.

LadyHawke Lines

Phillipe: Tell me, does this walking corpse have a name?

Phillipe: Sir, the truth is I talk to God all the time, and no offense, but He never mentioned you.

Imperius: I fully expect to meet you at the Pearly Gates, little thief, and don't you dare disappoint me. Phillipe: I'll meet you there, Father... even if I have to pick the lock.

Phillipe: Look at me, Lord. I was better off in the dungeons of Aquila. My cellmate was insane, and a murderer... but HE respected me!

Soldier: Where is Navarre? Phillipe:Navarre? Navarre? Ah, yes. Big man, black horse. I thought I saw him ride south, toward Aquila. Soldier: Ha, then we ride north. Phillipe: It isn't polite to assume that someone is a liar when you've only just met them. Soldier: And yet you knew we would. We ride south. Phillipe: [talking to God] I told the truth, Lord. How can I learn any moral lessons when you keep confusing me this way?

Soldier: [finds Phillipe hiding on an embattlement ledge] Where is the woman? Phillipe: She flew away. Soldier: I said where is she? Phillipe: God's truth! She flew away! Soldier: If you don't... [soldier is shot by Navarre's crossbow bolt and falls to his death] Phillipe: Always pays to tell the truth, Lord. Thank you. I see that now.

Phillipe: [escaping from the dungeon] This is not unlike escaping my mother's womb. God, what a memory.

Phillipe: [after picking someone's pocket] I know I promised, Lord, never again. But I also know that YOU know what a weak-willed person I am.

Imperius: Thank you for trying, Phillipe, and standing up for the truth. Phillipe: I should have known better; every happy moment in my life has come from lying.

Phillipe: We have come full circle, Lord. I would like to think there is some higher meaning in this. It certainly would reflect well on You.

Phillipe: Maybe I'm dreaming. My eyes are open, which means maybe I'm awake dreaming that I'm asleep. Or, or more likely, I'm asleep dreaming that I'm awake wondering if I'm dreaming.

Happy Independence Day!!!

So this is the fourth Fourth of July that I have either known, been dating, or been married to Jared, but the very first time we've gotten to watch the fireworks together because he has always had to work. It was a good year for a first time since it was also our first with Adelyn. We spent the day hanging out as a family and babysitting my friend's 2 year old son. Then we went to a backyard dinner at my Aunt Melinda and Uncle Jeff's house to watch the Stadium of Fire show, play with our own firecrackers and watch Napoleon Dynamite on a projector outside. It was very American and very fun. Oh and my husband loves me so much he was willing to coordinate our Fourth of July clothing! Adelyn wore a red dress, I wore a blue shirt, and Jare wore a white shirt! We are so cute! :) Hope everyone had a wonderful day! Yay America!

Good Bad Movies

There are some movies that are masterpieces. Braveheart, Gone With the Wind, Casablanca to name a few. Everything is amazing from the script, to the acting, to the music, emotions, scenery, they just have it all. Movies that we can watch a million times and still enjoy. But what about those other movies we love to watch...but are possibly a little embarassed about. The ones that break all the rules of good film making, whether its a ridiculous plot, terrible dialogue, really bad effects, or whatever it might be. Well this post is in honor of them. This is my list of really great, really lame movies that I can't help but love anyway.

In random order:

1. Starship Troopers- The story of an interplanetary war between Earth and colonies of aliens that look like really big bugs. If you have any idea what this movie is you're probably laughing at me. But I've probably seen it like 10 times.

2. Bed of Roses- Romantic drama about an uptight career girl who is swept off her feet by a shy florist. Both have a lot of baggage. Christian Slater is the knight in shining armor in this one.

3. Spaceballs- A really ridiculous spoof on the Starwars films. Interesting fact* George Lucas gave the "go-ahead" on the movie and said he really enjoyed it.

4. Speed- Two words, "Keanu Reeves." A bus actually jumps a huge gap in the freeway.

5. Dirty Dancing- "Nobody puts Baby in a corner!"

6. Con Air- A bunch of convicts hijacking their transport plane and landing it on the Vegas strip

7. Clueless- When this movie was new, I might have had the whole thing memorized.

Heather: It's just like Hamlet said, "To thine own self be true."
Cher: Hamlet didn't say that.
Heather: I think I remember Hamlet accurately.
Cher: Well, I remember Mel Gibson accurately, and he didn't say that. That Polonius guy did.

Cher: Tai, how old are you?
Tai: I'll be 16 in May.
Cher: My birthday is in April and as someone older, can I please give you some advice?

8. Bring it On- High School Cheerleading Squad...drama drama drama. I LOVE THIS MOVIE. Another one that I, at one point, had all the lines memorized to. Here's some good ones...

Sparky: I am a choreographer. That's what I do. You are cheerleaders. Cheerleaders are dancers who have gone retarded. What you do is a tiny, pathetic subset of dancing. I will attempt to turn your robotic routines into poetry, written with the human body. Follow me, or perish, sweater monkeys.

Courtney: Sorry new girl, but nobody hit your buzzer...

9. Center Stage- Really, really, really lame ballet movie.

Well, that's all I can think of right now. If you ever need a really good bad movie to watch. Try out one of these!

Dear Miles, Part II

Let's call it a draw...

Dear Miles,

Before I address why you are wrong, I first have to say thank you for including cheerleadering in your list of female sports!

Your question is "which sport produces the best female bodies?" You have listed Tennis, Soccer, Track & Field, Rugby and Swimming all before cheerleading. I did notice that you said to ignore the extreme nasties like the William sisters etc. but the thing I have to say about most all of these sports is that even if you ignore the extreme nasty ones the majority of these athletes are only average at best, I'd say "the Sharipovas and Kournikovas" also represent an extreme...that's why they're the only ones anybody knows. While these sports do produce SOME very good looking women, you seem to want to know which has the MOST overall best looking. This is why I think cheerleading should be at the top.

Cheerleaders have to be in good shape, but they don't have to be able to do anything extreme. So you automatically cut out all those extremes you mentioned. Cheerleaders have to be light enough to lift but strong enough to lift other people too, so they don't have to starve themselves or lift so much weight that they get all muscle beefy. Cheerleaders are also dancers and gymnasts...but once again not extreme in either of these fields. In high school, cheerleaders are always the popular pretty girls, and very often the homecoming queen is a cheerleader. I'm not saying that the absolute best bodies necessarily come from cheerleading squads. But if you take a tennis team, soccer team, rugby team, track team and a cheer squad and put them all next to eachother, maybe the top best body wouldn't come from the cheer team (or maybe it would)....but the cheer team would absolutely look the best overall.

Below is a picture of 4 totally random professional (as in they cheer for a professional football team) cheerleaders. In my opinion, these four all by themselves kick the only two good looking professional tennis players that you could think of to the curb. Now remember that there are like 50 Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders that all look just as good, if not better, than the ones shown below and that's just one squad. These 4 girls are not the exception to their sport...pretty much all professional (and most college and even a lot of high school) squads look a lot like this.

Also, cheerleaders aren't all short and even if they were...what's wrong with being short!? If you're an average to shorter height and you want to look a little taller, why not marry yourself a petite pretty little thing to make you look big and manly in comparison! :)

"and that's all I have to say about that..."