I'm not the only one who does this!

So, some of you probably know by now that I'm not the best housekeeper. I'll usually look for other things to do first before I clean my house, unless it really starts looking bad - then I get busy. (We don't live in filth - we just can tolerate a little mess.) I like to know when people are coming by so I can make sure it doesn't look like a disaster when they walk in. If I've procrastinated and realize I don't have enough time to really clean like I should before company arrives, I've done the mad dash to shove all the toys and clothes behind bedroom doors and shut them. That fools people, right? I've gotten pretty good at "fakin it", and I didn't know if I was the only one who did this, but then I read this article, and I had to smile in recognition. So if you do have a chance to spend some time at my house, and you even get past the closed bedroom doors, and things look pretty decent behind them, well you should feel pretty special, because not everyone gets the "every room clean" treatment, not even us most of the time.

Brian Regan

Mac and I actually have a date tonight! And an expensive one, too. We'll be traveling to Blackfoot to go see Brian Regan, a stand-up comedian. For those of you unfamiliar with this comic genius, well, let me be so forthright to say that you're missing out on something special. I've included a couple of my favorite clips here for your enjoyment. If you go to youtube, you can find a ton of movies featuring him. Enjoy!

Does she look like a boy to you?

I remember when my older sister Aimee had her first daughter, Emileigh. Emileigh was a cute little baby, and, like Lilly, didn't have much hair for a long time. She used to get mad when people mistook her baby for a boy. I laughed at her and said, "It's not a big deal - it's an innocent mistake." I thought she was being way too sensitive to get mad over something like that. Well, now I understand how she felt. I'm going through the same thing she went through with Emileigh, with Lilly, and I'm none too happy about it. Today, two different people at the grocery store thought Lilly was a boy. "Hey little guy" one of them said. It must have been my scowl that alerted the clerk to her mistake, because she then tried to correct herself with, "Or, er, little gal - which is it?" And this isn't the first time this has happened. A lot of people have mistaken Lilly for a boy, actually. And it's happened when she's been wearing pink, for goodness sakes! I don't understand people! Here are some recent favorite photos of Lilly. You be the judge - isn't that the prettiest girl baby you've ever seen, or does she look like a boy to you? There's only one right answer to this question.

Happy Birthday Mac!

Mac turned 30 yesterday! He woke up on the morning of his birthday, turned to me with a dour expression, and said, "Where did my youth go?"

I'm just kidding. He didn't say that. He wasn't even here! Mac is traveling throughout the southwestern states for work, so we celebrated his birthday on Saturday. His parents were in town, and they treated us to a dinner at Red Robin. My brother Mike, his wife Brandi, and their cute baby Bailey also stopped by for a quick visit. Per Mac's request, I made the same thing I always make for his birthday: a yellow cake with rainbow chip frosting. Pair that with some brownie fudge icecream, and you have a happy man on his birthday. Can you say easy to please?

We love our Mac. He is sweet and funny and smart. Our girls get all their good looks from him. Happy Birthday Mac!

Snow Day

I finally decided the girls needed to brave the cold and play in the snow. Actually, I needed to shovel the driveway-again. This is Lilly's first time really being outside for any length of time. This is how she looked the whole time. No smiles, no change of expression, nothing. It might have been a little too much for her, but I just love her little round face peeking out from the hood.

For those of you not familiar with Idaho Falls, you should know that this is a very typical picture of the winter season here. Snow, snow, and more snow everywhere you look. It's relentless. Some kids would love playing the snow, but my girls are not those kind of kids. If their mittens fall off, they cry. If snow falls in their coats, they cry. When Avery thinks she can't move her feet because they're in a couple inches of snow, she cries. When we finally went inside on this day, Kate was near tears as she told me, "When it get's cold, that means no fun!" We really don't enjoy the great outdoors of Idaho like we should.