The Secret of the "Will"

Marley is laying on the couch the other night and she turns to me and informs me of some very important information. Something I should have known before I got married and assumed my new last name. She says "Mama, I want people to say my name Marley Iams (sounds like ums)" As usual, I replied with the standard "what?" and she again repeated that she wanted to be knowns as "Marley Iams". Again, as a standard my second reply to her was "Why?". She then informs me that she doesn't want people to know the "Will" part of her name because and I quote "then they will know the secret of the Will!". I chuckled a little and asked her what "the secret of the Will" was and she just kept repeating the "secret of the Will" I guess she is quite the crusader to the cause since she would not divulge to me what exactly the "secret of the Will" was. Apparently it is something really important and she is worried that people are going to find out about it.

Below is a picture of Marley before her Cheerleading awards ceremony. I told her to do a cheerleading pose and this is what I got... I suppose it may not have been totally worth the money, she isn't exactly evoking the "bring it on" spirit here, but the outfit is cute. The funny thing about this was not two seconds later (minutes before leaving for the program) Marley slipped in the garage and got her white sleeves muddy and we had to quickly change her without messing up the ponytail before leaving. Not a fun 5 minutes. Luckily in this small town, the theatre was only 2 minutes from our house!

Here is a video of the her performance on stage. Not bragging, Marley was one of the best in her group. I should say sharpest with the moves. As Mac took the video I asked if he could see Marley (Second row all the way to the left), but apparently he could only see the top of her head. If you listen hard you can hear her voice!

A letter does not blush...unless it is an Epistle

For Family Home Evening on Monday, Mac decided to give a lesson on how half of the New Testament is actually letters. Mac did this because Marley has started writing a little more and is understanding the concept of the written letter and Mac had a bunch of letters to send out for the Bishop that he was working on, so it all made sense to talk about the New Testament and how a lot of the books are actually letters.

Anyway, he gave a really good explanation of this idea. He was telling Marley that before there were phones and email people used to communicate by writing letters. This was quite a foreign concept to Marley. Mac loves to teach Marley new words that are not typcially part of the 5 year old vocabulary, so he taught her the world "Epistle". We repeated it a few times to make sure she could say it, etc. Marley then wrote a letter to Bro. Ellison in our ward who had knee surgery telling him she missed seeing him at church and hoped he felt better soon. She wrote it on Hello Kitty Stationary and closed it with a dog sticker (what a crazy kid, doesn't she know dogs and cats hate each other....that is a lesson for another time). When we were finished we reviewed what we had learned and asked her the following "What is another word for a letter?" She thought really hard for a second and then yelled "Piss!" We all kind of chuckled about that and then laughed at ourselves for not forseeing the association she would make when she wasn't able to recall the entire word! I think for the next FHE we will do a lesson out of a book!

A few other things she had told me this week that made me laugh:

• On Saturday I was getting onto her about cleaning her room. I told her I used to have to clean my room , bathroom, dust the living room and vacuum on Saturdays before I got to do fun things with friends. She protested this argument by telling me that "that was the olden days, we don't do it that way now!"
• Driving home from Florence yesterday we drove by a farm and it smelled like manure. We were joking with her that we thought it was her that was stinky and he said "Oh, that reminds me of something back from the Christmas parade there was a horse that pooped on the street in the parade and it was golden!" Now, I realize this doesn't really sound that funny, but the parade was December 10th, 2007 and she hasn't made on mention of that curious sight until now. Plus the golden poop thing. Kids are crazy. I told her I wished we had a horse that pooped out gold.
• Jack I suppose deserves some face time too. He doesn't say much, but yesterday at IHOP (It was National Pancake Day) a toddler was crying really loud and he looked around pointing his finger and said "Guying....NO!"

Tagged

My Sister-in-Law tagged me, so here goes~

The rules of the game should be posted at the beginning of the post. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comments, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. I don't like to talk on the phone. Sure I worked as a Project Manager where I managed people doing market research over the phone, manage is the key word though. If I had actually been on the phones calling I would have had a nervous breakdown! Truthfully, I am easily frazzled on the phone and find myself saying strange things or too many things, especially when it is someone I don't know. This fear is also why I think I am really bad at keeping in touch with friends and family.

2. I am a reality show junkie, much like the relative that tagged me. I DVR most the major reality shows, but get hooked on occasion by a marathon of others here and there. I love watching people with various backgrounds interact in different situations. Although some may say that these shows aren't really reality, I think that whatever they are they are primal in their ability to entertain me.

3. I am a sucker for tradition in the kitchen?!? I am not sure if that is the right word for it, but maybe it is more like nostalgia. Mac found me a set of 4 Corelle plates like the kind we had in our house growing up at a yard sale and I was the happiest person. Now whenever we have pancakes I eat them on one of these plates and for some reason it is comforting. I also use a salt and pepper shakers that my Grandpa Burgess had sitting on his kitchen table for years. We also have a set of those kid tupperware cups that I feel the need to make my children use. We also consistantly use Mardi Gras cups for our everyday drinks. Mac and I even bought two Training Table glasses when we lived in Utah because that is where we had the majority of our first few dates.

4. I love staying in motel rooms, travel and everything that goes along with it. It doesn't matter where we go whether it is Costa Rica, DisneyWorld or two hours away. There is something magical about not having to make your own bed, and/or clean your own room, and of course little shampoos, conditioners, and lotions.

5. I can touch my nose with my tongue. Some think this is amazing, others do not. If I am contacted for a reality show I will let ya'all know!~

6. One of my biggest fears about getting married was coming up with something to eat for dinner for the rest of my life! Consequently, I love to eat out. Luckily I am easy to please an don't mind eating at McDonalds, Pizza Hut...etc I also almost always get the same thing everywhere we go. This drives Mac C-R-A-Z-Y! I just hate the thought of spending money on something I probably won't like! FYI if anyone out there has this in common with me you may want to visit this webpage: http://www.ihoppancakeday.com/

I don't really have anyone to tag, because I read more blogs than I comment on, but this was a fun exercise. I hope those that read enjoy!

Marley's Muses

I thought I would just list a few of the funny things that Marley has mused about lately that make me laugh. A child's mind is a terrible thing to waste and she is certainly getting the most of her brains lately.

• "Mama, I am strong. I am so strong I can carry a hog!" She has said this several times this week and I would love to know where she got that idea from. It just makes me laugh, maybe it is just another step to becoming totally immersed in southern culture. You also have to realize she makes this statement with a very heavy southern accent.
• "I have identical memory" She tells me this a couple of times a day, I think just to remind me that she is smart. The last time she said it, she was trying to say she forgot something, so she replied with the following "identical memory, means I will remember it when I am six"
• "Mom there are Democrats living in our yard" I was somewhat puzzled by this remark, so I asked her how she knew they lived in our yard. "Ya, Democrats see the holes in the ground they live in there". I am pretty sure she meant rats, but who knows. Maybe she has a better understanding of the political system than I thought.
• "Mom, guess what I have inside me... one of those things that tells you when the steak is done" Hmm....I was sort of disturbed by this, but then I saw the latest Golden Corral commercial where a chef talks about being able to tell you when the meat is at a perfect temperature and I was suddenly totally enlightened.

• When asked what she was going to do when she got older and couldn't dress up like a Princess anymore. "I am going to work at Disneyland as one of the characters!" I guess she told us!

Just a few fun things from the craziest girl around. Here are a few pictures we took when Marley had "Crazy Hair" Day for Cheerleading.

Hartsville Ink

So, do any of ya'all out there catch those shows on TLC called "Miami Ink" or "LA Ink". Well, I will admit that I have watched a few and have been lured in by a marathon set in my time. I can't help but watch. I am fascinated by "WHY" people get the tatoos. I myself would never have one, nor do I think they are in any way attractive, but I am intrigued by the stories behind the tatoos. Mostly the idea of getting something so permanent is crazy to me. People get them for all kinds of reasons, overcoming adversity, sickness, death of a family member, something associated with their job, or they just love the way they look. Fascinating stuff.

Anyway, recently around our house I have been reminded of these shows for the following reason....

Jack has recently really discovered Pens, Pencils, Markers...etc Until this week I think he just thought it was a great achievement to get the lid off of a marker, rather than actually use it to write. Well, the synapes fired this week and he now knows that markers have a greater, more reactive purpose! I have discovered that his favorite place to write is on his skin, feet in particular. The pictures above are his latest creations! He knows he needs to write only on paper, since I think I have said "paper" about a gazillion times this week, but apparently it isn't as satisfying. Also, Jack exhibited that behavior all mother's will recognize. I saw him with a pen near our recliner and I kept telling him "No, paper only!" and he put one arm back on the recliner with the pen and kept looking at me, but sort of sideways to throw me off. You know the "I am doing what you are saying, but I hope you can't see my other hand because it is misbehaving, but I can't help it" look. It made me laugh on the inside. Then I walked over and took the pen from him. I flipped on the hall light the other day to find his "art" along each wall, bedroom door, and the closet handles! Wow, luckily the PINK marker is washable. I also didn't have a meltdown because we have been planning to paint that hallway soon anyway, so Marley and I actually chuckled a little bit. Needless to say I think Jack's current behavior will leave me with a six sense for the location of any writing utensil within 2 feet! If only I could put that on a resume!

Tears of a Clown

I took Jack to the Eye Doctor on Tuesday to have his clogged tear duct looked at. Needless to say a 19 month old at a very busy eye doctor's office was an experience in and of itself. Plus, I had to pick Marley up from school early because Mac had class and there wasn't going to be anyone home when she got off the bus. With Marley along you figure she would be a lot of help, but at 5 1/2 (going on 14) she is FULL FULL FULL of questions about everything! She wanted to know about the people she saw, the equipment they used, why a regular doctor couldn't just look at his eye...etc. She wasn't really misbehaved, just her normal talkative self. I figure she gets that from Mac...ha ha.

Anyway, I was really curious as to how the appointment would go since Jack doesn't really hold still for more than 5 seconds at a time, especially if someone is trying to look at his eye. They put a few drops in his eyes and kept us in a dim room waiting for the doctor. Again, waiting much too long considering it was a 19 month old in a room with very interesting eye equipment, no a/c it was really warm in there, and a 5 year old freaking out that the lights were off and using all her strength not to take the nurse forms and write on them. Once the doctor came in I held Jack why he looked at his eye with a few different instruments. Granted I know nothing about being an eye doctor, but it seriously looked like hocus pocus to me. Jack tried to grab everything that he tried putting in front of his eye, so I have no idea how he figured out that Jack is farsighted (normal for his age I guess). He of course says "He has a blocked tear duct" which is obvious since Jack typcially has "duck poop" in the corner of his eye and at the moment there was a lot of it from the drops they had put in earlier. So he says that since Jack is 19 months old it isn't going to go away by itself, so he needs surgery to clean out the tear duct. I figured that is what would have to happen. Apparently the procedure is simple, takes less than 5 minutes, but Jack has to be put under with gas and they do it at the hospital. Needless to say I want the problem resolved, but it is kind of scary to think about him having surgery. He is scheduled to have it done on February 26th.

If you look close on one you can see the dried "goop" on his nose.

Sweetness!

Just a few things that made my day sweet yesterday...

First of all Marley cleaned up her room all by herself without any help! I seriously almost fainted. Usually she cries about how she can't do it by herself and that she needs a lot of help. This typically means that I pick up the room while she moves around TALKING about how she can't do it and how she is just a kid...etc. You would figure a tornado blew through the house rather than a 5 year because according to her there is no way she made this mess. Oh ya, even better a lot of times she tells me how Jack made the mess! But to my suprise, Marley cleaned it by herself and it looked pretty good. I did ask her where she put all the clothes that were on the floor and she said back in her drawer! She also then blurted out that she pushed a few things under the bed and under her dress up chest. Because I can't imagine where she got this idea (my closet and under bed were always full of junk), I calmly told her why she couldn't put dirty clothes back in the drawer and also told her why pushing stuff under the bed was a bad move, but all and all I was impressed that she did it herself and didn't complain once! It didn't hurt that she must have found an old Mother's Day card she made for me last year while cleaning up and when I went to bed I noticed she had placed it nicely on my pillow.... how Sweet!

Jack loves opening and shutting cupboards and drawers all over the house. Today he got his fingers pinched by a drawer after dinner and instead of running to me for comfort, he went straight to Mac! It was so cute. He also cried when Mac came home from school for lunch and then left and also yelled really loud when he got home "Daddy!" -- Yes, indeed another sweet kid.

Here is a picture we took of the kids while attempting to get Christmas Card photos. Both kids are looking at a backhoe (not in the picture), but I think it is such a sweet picture of the two of them together.

Sugar overload!