She's Baaaaa-aaaaack!

So... I had to go on a little "blogging va-cay" as the last 2.5 weeks of my life have involved a very sick, very irritable little girl.

A couple of weeks ago, Malia came down with, what I had ignorantly diagnosed as, possible allergies. David & I were both doing a little sniffling, and while Malia definitely had a lot more.... fluid... and was coughing quite a bit more then either he or I, I just chalked it up to that. (*warning:* any non-Mommies not fond of reading about bodily functions and/or the substances that come with them may want to stop reading).

We had a rough Saturday night where she was up all night coughing. That Sunday, her nursery leaders expressed a concern that Malia was quite grumpy, and that, while mostly well-behaved, that she was unusually touchy and that maybe there was something more. I now knew how other parents felt. My kid, the nursery favorite, actually had to get disciplined once or twice! *gasp* (I know - we're probably a little spoiled by her good-nature).



Two days later, it all began.

A little tug on her ear, a trip to the doctor, an ear infection diagnosis, and my child disappeared for 2 weeks. That is, to say, her body was here, but some unrecognizable, evil little "something-er-other" had replaced her wonderful spirit. For the next 2 weeks, we had a screaming, cranky, "must-be-held-constantly-and-only-by-Mommy-even-though-OB's-orders-are-Mommy-shouldn't-carry-her-anymore," doesn't sleep more then 2 hours at a time all night, Mommy actually had to bring her into her own bed 2 nights in a row (breaking my own cardinal rule), won't eat a thing and is losing weight, don't even look at me wrong, making it worse by not pooping at ALL no matter WHAT I do (although, that's actually nothing new), fever never dropping below 99.5 for 5 whole days, little monster. Joyous joys. It was a blast.

After 5 days of antibiotics as well as packing her full of Children's Tylenol - which I despise doing... am I the only Mom that lies awake at night, afraid her child is dead due to some freakish reaction to a pain killer...? - her pains seemed to get progressively worse until, finally, on a Saturday evening (of course. It is ALWAYS on a Saturday) we had to take her to the ER... or what I like to call "Purgatory." I'm telling you... if you want in and out as quickly as possible, you had better come in with a severed limb or a protruding organ or something. Malia's screaming was so loud and so constant that I had to sit outside with her while David waited inside to hear them call her name. I'm sure we were a sight: she & I sitting on a bench, both crying, her bundled up in her blanket, both hands pressing on her ears.

SIDE NOTE: This was the night of my high school 10-year reunion. Good thing I hadn't purchased the stupid tickets anyway. Meh. Who goes to those things anyway.... :(.

After 4 hours, she was "diagnosed" (even though they took no culture) with strep throat, where they gave her a shot that we then had to wait another 1/2 hour to make sure she didn't have any severe reactions to, and sent us home.

That Sunday, Malia fell asleep on me in Sacrament meeting. This, the child who must sleep in perfect conditions in her bed, in her room, at a specific schedule (which I created). The worst part was when she started asking to go to nursery. She acted as if I had completely broken her heart. "No, Lili-bug. Not today. You're too sick." "No, I not sick! I just fine! Want to see my friends!" Followed by a heart-wrenching pout, and then burying her snotty face in my sleeve and sobbing hysterically. Needless to say, I took her home and left David to fend for himself in Primary so that I could drug her with more Motrin.


Monday morning: I wake Malia and see that, on one side, her ear and her sleeve are completely covered in green, ear-waxy, almost like snot, "goop." There is also quite a bit on her sheet. Is this a good thing? Dunno. But hey, at least she smiled at me! I call the doctor to do a follow-up and he tells me her ears have begun to drain. He wants to prescribe more medication, and me, the anti-medicine-warrior that I am, ask if we can avoid anything taken internally. So he prescribes eardrops. What a novel idea! Let's give her something that actually goes right to the source! About freakin' time! (@#$%ing medical community).

For the last week, I've been having to get her to lay on one side at a time for at least 10 minutes per ear, 2 times a day. Let's just say, she hasn't loved it. And when each ear is done, I take a Q-tip and start cleaning away because, let me tell you, for such a little girl, there was a lot of crap coming out... a LOT. It started getting on my clothes and I came to realize why I generally avoid getting too primped for the day. Why bother.

BUT - we now see the end! She is herself! By herself, I mean, she laughs and plays and is happy and smiles... and obeys! (my personal favorite) And even goes to Daddy again! YAY!

Through all of this, she also became potty-trained and moved to a big-girl bed (I know - our timing of things couldn't have been better, right? We're cruel parents). I'll address those in a different blog.

But we survived, and I no longer have to consider putting her picture on a milk carton.

Welcome back, my little angel. We've missed you.

We're So GLAD When Daddy is Home!

I know we go to Disneyland so frequently over here that it probably seems pointless to actually document our experiences there once in a while. But it's not every day that Daddy gets a day off from work and can come with us. Thus, more pictures can be taken and we make more of a day of it versus our usual 1-2 hour jaunt over. So for Labor Day, we laboriously drove the 15 minutes to Disneyland and headed into the park for a little bit of family fun time. (WARNING: There are going to be a lot of pictures because I like them all - so run now or forever hold your peace).

Malia is so finicky about the characters at the park. Some days, she wants absolutely nothing to do with them. Other days, she wants to wait in a 20-minute line just to give them a hi-5. This day it was kind of off & on. Fortunately - we didn't have to wait in a line for her to "I wanna' hi-5" Chip. It was kind of a hit-&-run experience.

Pluto got all the action this time around. Maybe it's because she loves him. Maybe it's because his nose sticks out an extra 3 feet. Maybe it's because Mommy stood there with the camera shouting like a lunatic, "Kiss his nose! Kiss his nose!"

The one picture that I'm in. It was so muggy and warm that I was growing increasingly uncomfortably pregnant and pretty much avoided the camera after this point so that there would not be permanent proof of my miserable state.

Besides - David obviously poses much more entertaining...ly... than I do. Can we say possible predictions for the future? If Malia got anything from her Mommy, it's being a good offensive, er, I mean, DE-fensive driver...

We've reached a milestone! Malia was finally officially tall enough to go on her first roller coaster! She was so excited (I was probably more excited for her, but whatever). I just wish I could've gone with her. Darn "no expectant mothers" warning.

There were so many characters out this day. maybe because it was Labor Day so they anticipated large crowds. (It actually wasn't too bad... for Disneyland). But Malia had been asking "Where's Minnie Mouse?" ever since entering the park. We were fortunate enough to run into her within an hour. Malia is going to be Minnie for Halloween and has recently decided Minnie is her most favorite thing in the whole world because of it.

We went through Mickey & Minnie's homes for a little bit of AC, and this was the first time we actually decided to go see Mickey at the end because there was hardly a line. The family in front of us was ticking Mickey off. They were pushing and shoving and yelling... and even with that big ol' head, you could read in MM's body language that he was. not. coping. I'm always such a beaming proud mommy when Malia goes to see the characters because she is always polite and waits her turn and is slightly hesitant so they reach out to her and she runs to hug them. You can tell they just love her. Mickey stepped down to give her a big hug and didn't seem to want to let her go... probably out of fear of the next 100 possible hooligans he'd be encountering that day. Poor dude.
Malia wanted to "Go on the hodda coastah again!" so Daddy obliged. They got the front car this time which made it possible to get this cool picture. Dave was being such a good sport, acting like it was the best ride he'd ever been on.

But more exciting then that? Turns out you only have to be be 35" to ride the Matterhorn! So, yes. The wonderful parents we are, we sent Malia on a fast-winding, monster-riddled, dark, and scary mountain! David said she handled it really well. About 1/2 way through, she mentioned to him, "I'm done now. Ok, I'm done." But he said she never screamed or cried... just held on to his hands for dear life. She was such a trooper!
After we came home for Malia's nap, we then dropped her off at a friend's house who owed us a favor and David and I FINALLY got to see:

It was so good! He's my new favorite superhero based on this movie alone. Brilliantly done, this film. I'm a sucker for a good action movie that actually has phenomenal acting and a 1/2-way decent plot. So worth the $16 (thank heavens we went before 6 PM... or it would've cost more)!

The Trip

Highlights of our trip (good & bad):

*Poor David stayed up until 4 AM tying up loose ends for work during our stop in Apple Valley on the first night.

*Stopping at Jan's house for Malia's nap! It was so much fun catching up with a dear friend and talking about shows of the past and our ideals of the future of our perfmorming lives. We've missed her. And she accidentally taught Malia her first swear word. Plus, David got to take a nap, too... bless his heart.

*Malia was really good about being stuck in the car. Watching "A Bug's Life" about 4 times probably helped. Also, me climbing into the backseat to give her my undivided attention didn't hurt either. Oh, and constant snacks... a God-send.

*Locking our keys in the car at a Cedar City gas station. Funny story... kind of. Depending on which of us you ask. I'll share it some time.

*Tina's dog tried to violate Malia. It was traumatizing at the time, but funny, now that we look back on it. Malia probably couldn't have cared less.

*Cafe' RIO!!!!! I had a list of places I was hoping to eat at while in Utah. This was the only one I had a chance for... but also the most important. YUM! And I only needed a TUMS for about 2 hours or so. (*grumble* pregnancy heartburn *grumble*)

*Observation: Utah gives me really chapped lips and my nose was always full of boogers. I didn't remember noticing that while I lived there... but it was driving me crazy during this trip! I borrowed chapstick from so many people. Who knows what kind of and how many diseases have now been spread.

*David gave Malia Hawaiian Punch in an open cup while she was wearing white pants... did he really think that would work? Really? Speaking of which, why did I not take any pictures the whole time I was there?!!

*David got some NASTY blisters on his back from his grandparents hot tub. They look painful. Like, open-wound-burn-blister painful. Not quite sure what to do for them...

*The wedding, of course. So awesome to be in the SLC temple with all of my siblings, their spouses, and my parents. When I got married, Tina couldn't attend because she was too young. No one was missing this time. AWE-some. And my Uncle Kent did the sealing... he has sealed all 3 of us girls, now. Very cool. He always says the most awesome things.

*Malia, the friendliest, sweetest, most outgoing & social child you could ever meet pretty much lost any semblance of herself for the entirety of the wedding day (which means I sorta', kinda' did, too). It had been 4 days since she'd even pooped, she hadn't been sleeping well, I forgot to pack her a lunch for the time we were at the temple so she ate 2 hours late, and then I had to discipline her for biting her cousin. My child has NEVER been a biter. I think she's crying in every. single. picture. Poor thing. It was not her best day.

*Cindy's hair wasn't 1/2 bad considering I just looked at some pictures on the internet and hoped for the best. I'm no professional, but I think she looked gorgeous... and I think I lost part of my fingernail in her hair. They're not fake or anything... it just cracked and then broke off. (Shhhhhhhhh - don't tell).

*I think I looked silly in my dress at the reception. I love the dress... but when I put it on that morning, I looked like I was concealing a squashed cantaloupe. I mean, who CHOOSES to wear a form-fitting get-up when almost 5 months preggers? Yes, folks. Me.

*Family, family, family. Usually I get sick of too much of them at one time. But it's been too long, so I definitely loved it. And they gushed over Malia, which I approve of, cause she rules.

*Malia pooped a TON on Sunday! (maybe quite literally a ton). HALLELUJAH! We finally had our little angel back after 3 days because of it.
P.S. Prune juice might make your poop turn green. Just sayin'.

*Playing Phase 10 with David's grandparents the last night until way too late. YIKES! But that cheesecake was soooooooo good!

*The majority of any drama occurring over the 4-day chaos was not caused by me! Quite possibly a family first. I'm all growed up.

*The girl at McDonald's in Beaver, UT saying, "You're talking to me like I'm slow or something!" at the drive-thru. We left and decided to go to Wendy's. I think I'll make a call and get her fired, maybe...

*Trying to get Malia to fall asleep in the car as we finished the last stretch of our drive home late last night. The kid was yawning and rubbing her eyes, she was in her PJs, in the dark, snuggling her blankie, but she just kept looking at me with wide eyes and a silly grin. THIS is why I will not share a bed with my children after they are 4 months old. GO TO BED, KID!

Overall - it was a success.... I'm exhausted... but that means it was a success, right?

Catching Up

Ok, so I guess some things are going on and my life is a little bit hectic right now, and apparently, I haven't blogged in a while. I didn't realize people cared that much until I started getting e-mails saying, "Um... what happened?!" So, this'll be one of those "Drive-by blogs," where I just throw a ton of random information your way.

David and I celebrated our 6th Wedding Anniversary a month ago, and my mom came down to watch Malia so we could go to the temple. It's a tradition of ours to do sealings on (or as closed to) our anniversary every year. The only year we "missed" the tradition was last year, but that was because L.A. traffic was so bad that the temple wasn't doing anymore sealing sessions. It was too late at night and and so we had to do a different ordinance. It still kind of counts. Here are a couple of pictures from the day:

This is Malia in front of the Newport Beach Temple, taking her "baby" for a walk.

Malia felt it was necessary to drink both drinks at the same time just because the waitress had given her 2.

Malia actually took this picture of us herself.... no lie!

As far as "Wannabe Wicked" is concerned: I had to perform first (that sucks), but I did get picked to be a finalist which basically means I will be performing again on August 20th, and I will be competing against finalists that were chosen on other nights. I tried uploading the video, but I'm guessing it's just too huge....?

Next week we should be finding out what the gender of Peanut Nutter is. That's exciting. Of course a boy would be nice in order to even things out, but we wanted a boy last time and ended up with a girl and couldn't be happier. So whatever God sends, he sends... as long as it's healthy. We'll try to keep you updated.

In 2 weeks we'll be taking our first road trip with a toddler (YIKES!) because we're heading up to Utah for my sister, Cindy's, wedding. We wish we could fly, but, heavens, if prices aren't ridiculous right now... and Malia is no longer free. Guh. Good thing the kid loves her pixar movies and thank the technology gods for the portable DVD player. We'll let you know how it goes... if we're still alive. A 2-tear-old strapped to her carseat for 10 hours and a pregnant woman needing potty stops every hour. This should be a joy.

That's the nutshell for now. I may go bananas because our Church callings and obligations on top of everything else is overwhelming us right now. Seriously. It's like, we're bored out of our minds with nothing to do and then KA-BLOOEY! When it rains it pours.

Gonna be in CA next week?

So, I'm scheduled to perform on July 9th at Citywalk by Universal Studios Hollywood at 7 PM (well, the contest starts at 7.... who knows when I'll be singing).

So if you're bored and it's not too far of a drive, I'd love any & all support!

Introducing....

And THIS time around, we're aiming for no colic and blissful sleep from the get-go! (I can dream, can't I)?

... and anyone who knows me has to know how desperately difficult it's been for me to not say anything until we saw the ultrasound and the baby's heartbeat. I mean... it's been, like, a MONTH & A 1/2!!! That's big for me. This was the coolest thing, too, because we could see the baby so clearly. The machine was really new and the technician was incredibly good at her job. She had to tell me to stop moving a few times because she said the baby was all over the place and I wasn't helping (heh. Genetics). We even watched the little guy/gal do, like, a full-on bronco kick. It was incredible.

It really is miraculous.

If you ever come to visit...

... and the idea of going to Disneyland causes your wallet to tremble in fear of black-holeness, then we can go to Atlantis! No, really! And it's only $1!

A friend from Church told me about it a couple weeks ago, and when Malia and I were in the mood to get outside, but were on a block-out day from Disneyland, we decided to check it out. It costs $1 per person, and if you are an adult, you can't get in unless you already have a child with you. It's a cool way to create a feeling of safety so none of those pedophilic perverts can get in. Kind of cool.

It's basically a big park with a few of your typical jungle gyms, but then it is also dotted with some oceanic-themed goodies. It's a little old and out-dated, but I really had no complaints seeing as how it cost next to nothing to get in. And Malia had a blast.

Our first stop was the Sting-Ray, and Malia was so excited to get on that she biffed it about 1/2 a dozen times down the hill. But she was a trooper. She would just say, "whoops!" and get right back up and continue on in her haphazard manner.



So, Malia isn't a huge fan of slides. She used to be. I'm not sure exactly what happened... and David won't admit that there was trauma when I was away once and he took her on one. I'm still investigating. But once she went down the slide, I put her back in the whale's mouth just for a picture, and, I don't know if you can see it, but in this picture she is saying, "Wheeeeeee!" and clenching her fists and body in excitement.... but she's not even moving. She cracks me up.

Malia loves these rocking-springy things at whatever park we go to. But she looks miserable on it in this picture. I think I just caught her during a random pause.

Ok. Again, Malia isn't a huge fan of slides, but when I saw this thing, I had to take her on it. Note for future reference: the darn thing is, like, 6 inches wide and twists and turns. Needless to say, I don't think it was meant for adult female hips.

It took us a while to get down. I was embarrassed.

We found a little boy digging, and Malia kept saying, "Dig? Dig? Please? Dig?" Eventually the little boy told us it wasn't his stuff and that it was just there, so he told Malia she could join him.

She was so happy.

He took a liking to her and decided to come over and sit with her. Let me just say, my little girl is a shameless flirt! I am in severe trouble in the future...

Overall, it was worth the total $2 and a happy meal from McDonald's. It was a good day.

One Step at a Time

We've been living in our home for just over 4 months now. I was convinced I would have the whole thing renovated and remodeled by now. Silly me. I mean, money and time are much harder to come by then I sometimes realize. So, it's a gradual process. We still have a living rom ceiling to paint and stairs to fix and the entire upstairs needs a good finishing; not to mention I intend to completely renovate both bathrooms and the kitchen when we win next month's lottery..... riiiiiiight.

But we did finally get to our home office. I've been teaching voice/piano lessons in there and it's been driving me nuts how awful the room is. On Conference weekend, since David would be home, I saw it as the perfect opportunity! It took us only 2 days.... probably should've taken less, but it really is hard to do large tasks with an active 2-year-old around.

*disclaimer: please excuse Malia's naked exhibitionism in a photo or 2

Disneyland.... Home Away from Home

So, Malia and I go to Disneyland... a lot. When we first moved here, I begged and pleaded for almost 6 months to get an Annual Passport. David finally complied (mostly because my whine is quite annoying). And we've been going almost once a week for a year now... except holidays and the summer. I'm blocked out on those days. Thank heavens. Why would I want to go on days when it takes 3 hours just to go on Dumbo?

I'm spoiled. I know.

I thought I would share some pictures from some of our recent adventures to the Happiest Place on Earth. ENJOY!

A Malia Update

Usually I try to gather my thoughts into a cohesive dissertation of some sort, but not today, my friends! Why, you ask? (or don't ask.... whatever). Because I have some random and delightful pictures of Malia that are due to be viewed (especially by her grandparents). Thus, in no particular order of importance (i.e. they're just chronological), here she is:


You know? Malia really is such a gentle and sweet spirit. She loves people, puppies, plants... just about everything. But just as I'm about to jump overboard with how often people tell me she looks like her father, she reminds us once again that she's my daughter too... by shouting loud demands at perfect strangers:

We bought Malia a tricycle for her 2nd birthday. She even helped us pick it out. I was so excited for her to have a toy for playing outside and getting good exercise. I even envisioned myself getting some extra physical activity. And our new house is surrounded by a lovely greenbelt with sidewalks. Perfect for such playing! But she rides it like a Flintstone.... feet down, scooting along, ignoring the pedals completely.

This is what happens when I enfringe upon her freedom by trying to get her to use the pedals:

So, Malia has curly hair that is really difficult to manage, because it is also incredibly thick (not surprisingly, considering her genetic make-up). For the past month or so, I've been using a detangler to ease the situation. I noticed it was making her neck a bit red, but nothing too severe. Then, the other day, I used it on her hair when she was naked, and that evening, this is what happened to her legs after they'd been sprayed. So much for "Gentle on Baby."

Malia is wearing her dress that she got from Grandma April for Christmas after their trip to Mexico. And, yes. This is the EXACT face she makes EVERY time I tell her to "smile." And she is LITERALLY saying "cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese!"

THIS shirt (below) came from Grandma Winkel (my mother). I took a picture of the shirt only because I wondered to myself if there was an element of brainwash in my family. I mean, does it really make Malia happy? Or is it something I will be forcing upon her with hours of tedious practice and lessons on weekends? I think the shirt would be more appropriate if it said, "Music WILL make me happy.... eventually.... or ELSE!"

So much has happened...

I have so many things to do right now.

But I don't want to do them.

Then I remembered I started a blog, and figured it was the perfect excuse! Besides, the holiday season has come & passed and we never sent out any sort of card, picture, newsletter, etc. because we were just in over our heads with life. "So much has happened." (that's the title of this blog, you see... I'm so clever....). Heh.

So, it all began with buying a house. WE DID IT! AND it's in Orange County, of all places! How did we manage that, you ask? We don't know, and we may not manage it well. But life is all about challenges, and we've definitely taken one on, especially since I stay at home with Malia and no second income (which is nearly unheard of in SoCal). It's actually a townhouse, which suits us fine. It has 4 bedrooms, which made us very happy, because now we can stay here for a while and donate kidneys to pay our mortgage, while our family (hopefully) expands. One of the greatest benefits of our new place is that it has shortened David's commute immensely. He used to drive 8 miles down Beach Blvd. which could take upwards of an hour one-way during traffic. Now, we live just over a mile away, and it's so nice that he can come right home.

When we've done more renovating, I'll be sure to post some Before-&-Afters. For now, that's going to have to wait, because the previous owners had such extreme taste in colors I'm almost embarassed to show anyone until it's been completely remedied. (I swear to you, the living room was orange and lime-green.... no lie)! This project/endeavor we call "homeownership" pretty much consumes our lives, and while it's exhausting and overwhelming, it's also a very awesome feeling. I admit... we're a little proud. What of it.

Malia turned TWO! We can't believe it. She is such an amazing human being. The child is gorgeous and smart and full of personality. We're in big trouble when she gets older. Hopefully, because she has also inherited her mother's volume, that will provide some sort of protective deterrent to any suitors. We'll see.

Here's some fun pictures from her birthday party. We went to the Rainforest Cafe' and then to Build-A-Bear because she got a gift card from our friends, the Suns.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MALIA! YOU RULE!

Malia's Milestones

Our little girl is amazing us every day! We're especially proud when perfect strangers stop us on the street to point out her beautiful eyes or her curly hair. Older women especially love her, commenting that she is just like "a little doll." Admittedly, we're proud... probably to a fault... but we just can't help ourselves. She is accomplishing so many things!

Some of her many, many words are:

"Mommy" & "Daddy"
"eese" = please
"doo doot" = thank you
"side" = slide
"gaykie" = blankie
"nah nite" = good night
"skak" = snack
"geenk" = drink
"puppy"
"sky"
"fries"
"ba-gah" = Grandma
"Sa-sehs" = Jesus & glasses
"buck" = truck
"cars"
"eat"
"no"
"yes"
"shash" = bath
"Lala" = water
& any word she can imitate, without knowing what it means

She also knows the names of some of her favorite toys/characters:

"Gickee" - Mickey
"Pooh"
"Buzz" (Lightyear)
"Dowa" = Dora
"Fee-fee" = Goofy
"Ga-Guck" = Donald Duck
"Ninnee" = Minnie
"E-yoh" - Eyore
etc.

She knows the animal noises for a cow, pig, dog, cat, monkey, bear/lion, horse, duck, sheep... and our personal favorite, is the elephant (we make her do it for strangers... "dance, Monkey, dance!") She can also basically read the book "Moo, Baa, La La La" entirely on her own (she has it memorized). It's pretty adorable. She also can point out and correctly name the majority of her external body parts. Our favorite is when she smacks her backside and says, "bum."

She knows the difference between letters and numbers. Although almost ALL letters are "B" and ALL numbers are "3"s. However, she can point out and name the letters "O" & "Y." WHen I wear my BYU shirt, she points to the letters (correctly) over and over "B. Y. B. Y." And when she counts, she points to items after lining them up and says :"2, 3, 2, 3, etc."

She likes to dance to music and she likes to sing with Mommy when I belt or when we sing in Church. She folds her arms for prayers and ends them with an entusiastic "A-MET!" (she ends a lot of words with the letter "T"). She loves nursery at Church and Sister Tawny tells us every week that she's incredibly well-behaved and never fusses.... unless an aggressive child pushes her down.

There are so many things she can do and we're constantly amazed at the things she learns, especially the things she picks up that we don't teach her. She definitely is a sponge. And children are a wonderful way to learn to censor yourself.

She is an amazing little spirit and gift from God and we thank the Lord every day for our little angel... especially our "post-colic" angel. People comment on how obedient she is and she actually sleeps more then the maximum average amount of hours for a child her age! Noone believes me when I tell them she screamed for 6 months. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

The Bandwagon

So, I'm going to have to do it. I had sworn that a blog would be the one thing I would never fall prey to .... well, that and text-messaging. I guess one out of two ain't so bad. So, here it is folks! Our "blog." Ok. I'll wait for you to take a giddy moment to jump up and down over the sheer exhiliration of it all.

*waiting... waiting.......

I know. Exciting.

Now you will be able to take a small peek into the impelling world that we, the Nutters, call, simply... "life." (Truth be told, all I do is change diapers, kiss owies, and sing ridiculously silly songs that are truly a far cry from the melodramatic belting of my musical theatre pursuits of yesteryear.... and don't even TRY to ask me what it is David does).

So, hold onto yer hats n' glasses, folks. 'Cuz this here's the WILDEST RIDE IN THE WILDERNESS! (*mega-high-five to anyone who knows what ride I just quoted).