Colorful Surnames

Just a werid, random thought:

I've met a Mrs. Green, Mrs. Black, Mrs. White, Mrs. Brown, and Mrs. Gray/Grey. But I've never met a Mrs. Blue, Mrs. Red, Mrs. Yellow, Mrs. Pink, Mrs. Purple, or Mrs. Orange. And I know a Mrs. Goldman and a Ms. Silverman but not just Gold or Silver.

Caden's First Movie

Yesterday on a whim we decided to go the movies--with Caden. Last time we tried that was for Justin's birthday, and Caden and I spent almost the whole time in the hallway. This time we thought he might be more interested, at least in the popcorn (one of his favorite foods) if not the movie. We picked Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, because we liked the first two and it was very kid friendly. Caden sat in a booster seat between us with a box full of popcorn. The movie started and he was mesmerized. The screen was so big! And he went to town with the popcorn. He'd grab a fistful, stick it all in his mouth, including his fist, and then repeat. (Let me tell ya, his diaper this morning was extra gross!) He did well for most of the movie. Towards the end he was a little antsy, but he stayed quiet and manageable. It was really fun! I am so glad we found a new family activity, because Justin and I really miss going to the movies. However, we can only see kid films with Caden. Still, dollar theater, here we come!

Caden's First Haircut

Justin and I both decided it was time for the little boy to lose his locks. On Friday we went to Cool Cuts for Kids, and let me tell you, it really is for kids! The barber chairs are child sized and some of them are little cars with steering wheels. Each station has a TV and bubbles, and the waiting area has toys and XBOX video games.

Happy at first.

Caden liked the car, but as soon as the lady put the cape on him, he tore it off. We had to button all six buttons to keep it on. Then she spritzed his hair with water and started snipping.

And Caden started crying.

He went back and forth the whole time, crying and then stopping, and then randomly starting again. I blew bubbles since Caden isn't really into TV yet.

 

The lady kept some of his curls to put in a special kit she gave us: a certificate with a window for the hair and a place for a photo; we just need to frame it.

All his natural curls came out! He kind of has a little, curly mohawk.

Although it was expensive, I am glad we went to a kid-friendly salon instead of a regular one for the first time. No need to worry about keeping him sitting in a chair or distracting him or if the stylist had ever cut a toddler's hair before. And now that I know how he will react, I think we'll stick to the kid-friendly place.

"Mom, Mom, Mom"

(Not the best quality, but the only one without ads.)

I've never watched Family Guy, but I've seen this clip. This is so Caden right now! He also will say "hi, hi, hi"over and over until I say "hi" back.

2011 Resolutions Report

At the beginning of 2011, we planned five individual and five family goals. (Read about Caden's here.) These were my five goals for 2011 and how I did:

1. Exercise 3 or more times a week: I ran 3 times a week until June when it got too hot. Justin and I went to the gym together a few times during the summer. Once the weather cooled down, I started running again but not consistently. Then a couple months ago I met another running mom at our playgroup and we ran three times a week together until Christmas break. We plan on continuing next year.
2. Submit 4 manuscripts to magazines: I submitted much more than that, and all but the ones to Jen Magazine (an LDS online fashion magazine) were rejected. However, Jen has only published one of my articles so far. I'm going to submit more articles to Highlights next year.
3. Watch less TV: Accomplished. There are still shows I watch by myself or with Justin, but in control and sometimes later online when I/we have time. Sleep and chores come first!
4. Read the scriptures daily: This went up and down all year. Right now it's up from Christmas guilt. I need to improve significantly.
5. Be more affectionate; no nagging: Justin's assessment: "Combined rating of B+. Much improvement from last year."

For Justin's privacy, I will not share his goals. Here are the ones we made for both of us:

1. Clean the house: I did great all year. I cleaned the kitchen every day and stayed on top of laundry. I cleaned the bathroom and vacuumed more often. The only area I can still improve in is filing papers--my worst nightmare!
2. Budget: For the most part we were strict. We had a lot of car troubles this year that cost us and were able to pay off all of them. The only time we did bad was eating out a lot in October and November.
3. Go to the temple monthly: FAIL. I don't even remember the last time we went. And we still haven't finished renewing our recommends. Embarrassing.
4. Have consistent family prayer, scripture study, and FHE. Family prayer and scripture study have been daily. We still need to work on FHE.