The Value of Love

So, a little backround info...
There has been this kid, Braxton, in Abby's class who seems to be "courting" her. Here are some of the reasons why I believe this is true:

• Within the first couple months of school, Abby came home and told me that "Braxton keeps chasing me around at recess, and whispering in my ear that he thinks I am pretty."
• Abby came home from school a little while after that and told me, "Braxton kissed me on the blue rug when Teacher wasn't looking." (To which Blair responded, "Do I need to go to school and kick this kid's a**.) Probably not.
• While picking Abby up from school in January, Braxton asked me if he could move into my house. Again, Probably not.
• While helping Abby clean out her cubby one day at school, I notice she has some change. When I asked her where she got it, she replied, "Braxton just keeps bringing me money." When asked "Why," she just batted her eyes and said, "I don't know?"

Today:

Abby walks to my car after school today, as usual -oh, but today, she was not alone. Braxton opened up the car door for her, waited patiently as she climbed in and "buckled up," and then said, "I hope you have a good day Abby." He then very gently (and with a very suspicious grin) closed the door. I looked at Abby who had the funniest, little, crooked "I don't want to smile, but I can't help it" smile on her face.

I then became concerned...This kid might appear to be a gentleman, but he has also asked to move in with us. Maybe he does need a good butt whooping.

I asked Ab, "Abby, do you like Braxton. He seems nice..."

Abby thought about it for a minute and then replied, "Well, I like that he brings me money." And then she opened her hand to reveal a nice, new, shiny penny.

It was then I realized that Braxton may be in love, but to Ab, he is just a sugar daddy.

Good Girl.

Whatever Works...

(That is shoe, not a wild animal. Not so great of a picture :)

An actual conversation with Abby last night as I was putting her to bed:

Abby: "Where's my blankie? I need it!"

Me: "You must've left it at Grandma's today; Can I get you a different blanket?" (in a loving tone)

Abby: "No!!!! Nothing is the same exact size and color."

Me: "That's true, but what can I get you to sleep with because I am not driving over to Grandma's right now." (in a not-so-loving tone)

Abby: "My shoes."

Me: "Oh...What shoes do you want to sleep with?"

Abby: "My pretty new ones."

Me: "Okay."

Nothing warms the soul quite like a new pair of chocolate brown, peep-toe heels.

I have no idea where she gets it from.

She slept quite well (Yes, that pillow does have a picture of Zach Efron).

Love that girl.

Killing Time

I have discovered a major problem - Well, not actually a problem for me, but possibly for my financial well-being.

Here's the situation:

Abby has ballet at 3:00. It ends at 3:45. By the time I drive home and unload Deakon, I have to reload Deakon and drive right back. I don't enjoy that. I'd much rather spend money.

You might think - "Hey, doesn't she have a life, or errands, or something?"

Sometimes I do...but sometimes I don't want to do them.

So, what do I do? I choose to drive aimlessly around Kaysville and the surrounding cities searching for the "winner" of the week (AKA the store/gas station/restaurant that will recieve my money). Sometimes all I need is a Diet Coke and I'm good. Sometimes (as was the case today) I spend close to $100 in 15 minutes. That's right - a big fat "C Note"... at your neighborly Distribution Center; buying Mormon underwear and a DVD of the Testaments to show to my Primary class.

I have such an exciting life. Maybe I'll try exercising next time. Or not.

(I must admit, some of that money was spent across the street at Bed Bath and Beyond. I could spend a lot of money in that store. I felt like I "needed" every item on every endcap. I left with towel racks, a shower curtain liner, and a really cute dishwasher scrubbing thing.)

Easter 2008

Easter was pretty awesome this year. We kept it low-key and hung out together as a family a lot. I even made Easter dinner, including a homemade glaze for the ham.

(I impressed myself and congratulated myself out loud for about 24 hours - you can ask Blair; he might've gotten a little tired of it).

The cute kids on Easter Morning.


Deakon taking a bite out of his swimming suit - Good thing they are waterproof.

Abby with the loot.

Dying Eggs

(I'll have you know I took this picture with the thought being: "That would be a good picture for the blog." Blogging should be listed under *other alongside controlled substances (such as Heroin or perhaps, even crack.) I am not kidding.

And then there was a word...

Today is a really good day...Exciting for all parents, but really, really cool for us.

Deak has had quite the range in noises since he has been born. When he was born he would make these sounds that (I kid you not) sounded an awful lot like a fish blowing bubbles. He didn't babble or do the regular baby jabber. In fact, Deakon pretty much didn't have anything to say until he got tubes in his ears at 15 months. We figured out then that he really hadn't been hearing a whole lot.

Once he began hearing, he began making sounds - but still not very typical. More like "Uhhh" (Sounding at times like wild animals). He has learned how to communicate quite well using no words, and we have figured out what his sounds mean for the most part.

Well...a couple months ago he recieved a toy which made a monkey sound. This was apparently very inspiring for him because he has done nothing but make monkey noises since recieving this gift. He has created many many words using monkey noises. This was a good sign for us though because we knew he was hearing and mimicking his world around him.

On to tonight...Deak has had a busy day and was extremely tired. We were at Blair's parents' home and I began to rock Deakon to sleep. As I rocked him, I looked at him and said "Night, Night" several times. Then all of the sudden, he turned and looked at me and said "Ny, Ny." No one was around and I thought no one would believe me. I turned and walked upstairs and told everyone thinking he probably wouldn't say it for them. Ten minutes passed and I lifted him up to go and said "Night, Night Deak." He looked at me again, and with the cutest face I have ever seen, said "Ny, Ny." (In front of everyone, including his Grandma who is a Speech Pathologist and exclaimed, "Yes, it had clear consenants and vowels.")

It is nothing short of amazing -truely.

Most children who are born with Chromosome 18 abnormalities suffer some sort of major speech impairment. Most communicate, but most do it in different ways then we might be used to. Language and Auditory processing are extremely difficult for many children. Deakon also has a cleft in his palate which makes producing sounds even more difficult. To be quite honest, I never expected to even begin worrying about speech with Deak until he was at least three years old. Here he is, not even two - and has said his first word. I am so lucky to witness this miracle which has been given to me every day...His future is so bright; I can't wait.

"Ny, Ny" to you all. My dreams are looking good tonight.

Proud to be an American Today

I know this is a little bit of old news, but I still had to mention something about it, with a disclaimer: I am in no way going to pretend to be a political "know-all," I am far from that. That being said, I'll continue.

We all know the drama associated with the newly resigned Governor of New York, and his professed "moral" campaign and office term (a moral man who spent upwards of $80,000 in prostitution). In the midst of what seemingly appeared to be a tragic indication of our society - something really, really cool has happened.

David Paterson who was Lt. Governor of New York, became Governor of New York. You might be wondering why I care; I don't live anywhere near New York. In fact, I have never been there (would love to go there though). Gov. Paterson is legally blind. He became blind as an infant, and has grown to become this incredibly intelligent and "able" man. Gov. Paterson openly talks about his struggles growing up, how others' made fun of him, and what he has overcome to be who he is today. (If you are interested in learning more about him, click here for a good story.)

How freaking cool is it that someone who society typically views as "disabled" is now running one of the most influential states in our country!?! *Answer: Very, Very, Freaking Cool.

I watched a clip Governor Paterson being sworn in on the news a couple of nights ago and it brought tears to my eyes. What an inspiration this man has become to me, and will become to my very "able" little boy.

Today is a good day to live in America.

Commonalities

So my sister emailed me a bunch of National Geographic "Pictures of the Year", and I had to share what I discovered while viewing them.

The most precious kisses come from slobbery, chubby-cheeked, little people.

But, we all already knew that.

People With Anxiety and Specific Phobias be Warned

I have just spent the past three hours on this Sunday afternoon watching "Mystery Diagnosis" on the Discovery Channel. I am now totally convinced that I have a "Schwanoma" (or very rare brain tumor on the 9th Cranial nerve), and possibly Epilepsy. This show is not for the weak of heart - literally.
Now, I need to mention that the two hours before that were spent watching "Gang Wars" on the History channel. I learned a lot about East Coast Gangs, which really excited me; and the actual murder scene depictions didn't bother me at all.
I have issues. (And apparently not a lot to do on Sunday afternoons.)

*On a different note - Fashion Advice from a 5 Year Old.

Blair was asked, "What are you wearing." - By myself and Abby (Pretty typical).

His response, "What...it matches."

Abby's reply, "Just because it is the same color, doesn't mean it matches."

So True. Props to Ab.

"Ky-Ky" and the "Ho's"

Warning: The following post contains the use of the word "Ho" (I am not quite sure how to spell it when not referring to the garden tool) -Anyway, if offended, do not read.

So, after writing the prior post, I got invited last minute to go to the Dallas/Jazz Game last night with a good friend. Nat and Cam are friends with the Chiropractor for the Jazz and he has access to extra player tickets, which he sometimes offers to Nat and Cam. The really cool part is that the tickets are in the family section, and they are really close (12th row). I was really excited to go, knowing that it was going to be a good game, and possibly hoping that I'd get a few closeups with a particular player -whom I'll refer to as "Ky-Ky." (Details in a moment).

We got to the game a little late and proceeded to enter our row and sit down at our seats. I noticed quickly that there were two very giddy girls sitting next to me. They sort-of stood out in an area full of players' wives, chidren and unmentionable "bling." They were dressed very trendy, wearing the skinny jeans, riding boots and handmade hats. They had perfectly messy hair, and probably weighed a combined 135 pounds. They were pretty, but not too pretty.

I didn't think much about it until Kyle Korver made his second quarter rotation entrance a few moments later (which I was happy to see has now happened two games in a row). All of the sudden, the "ho's" demeanor changed - they became instafans. They clasped their little hands together and watched for the moment that Kyle might touch the ball or even perhaps, look their way. I noticed the sudden change in attitude and began to wonder about their connection to the family/friend section.

Then, my deepest fear became confirmed by this phrase, "Oh...Yea! Ky-Ky!"

Seriously.

At that moment I began to spy. Ho#1 ( I believe she was the chosen one) grabbed out her phone and began texting. All she could come up with was, "Nice Seats." (I tried to make out his phone number, I wasn't quick enough :) She didn't even dare send it - the wuss. That also showed me she was a first-timer. (aka...new Ho).

So, during the 3rd quarter when Kyle was out...Ho #1 became very friendly. She asked where I lived and so forth. She then asked if I knew sign-language and if I could show her the sign for the letter "y." I had a momentary lapse in judgement and showed her. I completely regretted my kindness when I turned and saw Ho#1 and Ho#2 posing for a picture which, yes people, depicted the sign for "Ky-Ky." Gag me.

I decided I wanted some info...and thanks to some prodding from Nat, I asked Ho#1 who they were there with. Here is the following conversation with interpretation:

Me: "So, who are you here with."

Ho#1: "Oh, Kyle gave us the tickets...(giggle, giggle). How about you?"

Me: "My friend knows the chiropractor and he gets extra family tickets."

Ho#1: "Oh, that's so cool."

Me: "Well, if there is someone to be here with, Kyle is the right one. He is pretty hot." (I am pretty sure he and I are on a first name basis - but not yet pet names)

Ho#1: "Yea...(giggle giggle). He is soooooo nice." (Meaning: "I totally met him at Lumpy's on Saturday, and now I am trying to sleep with him - if I haven't already - I can't remember...Giggle, Giggle.")

Me: "Yea, I bet."

Well, the sad thing is, I don't have a funny ending for this story - but the game was awesome. The fourth quarter came and the "Ho's" became instafans again because Kyle returned to the court. They didn't have much to say that was intelligible; just random giggles and "Go Ky-Ky!" I left with memories of the time I too was a groupie (a story for a different blog - clues: sneaking in to Downtown Marriot pool afterhours, Orlando Magic with Shaq, and room invites of which I did not partake.), and the realization that Kyle will never be "Ky-Ky" to me - Thank Goodness.

(Confession: I admit to acting like a jealous girlfriend - and was totally snobby to the "Ho's". I am now over it mostly :)

*Nat did catch a picture of the "Ho's from behind on her camera phone, so you may be getting a picture with this post in the future. Until then, scroll down a little and look at my picture of Kyle in the bar with other "Ho's." It will suffice.

Our Best to the Jazz this Week...

We would like to go on record as saying that we are fans of the Utah Jazz, and we wish them the best of luck as they face a tough upcoming week. To show our devotion, and to overcome our frustration with their lack of effort on the road (Seriously Boozer), and my personal frustration with a certain someone's lack of minutes (with the exception of the last game, which they won, I might add) we coerced our young child to pose for this picture.

Go Jazz!