Some would say I’m a picky eater. Others would say I have a very immature palette. I say I’m a simple eater. I don’t like onions, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, brussel sprouts, steak, fish (anything from the ocean for that matter), or wine. I am sad to say my poor Heaten Bear got the picky side of me and let me say, it is VERY frustrating trying to find things he will eat. Like Mama, if it doesn’t smell good or look good he won’t even taste it. My philosophy is, if it smells bad, it most likely tastes bad (with broccoli being the exception). Shenzie on the other hand eats like a champ, will try new foods, and genuinely enjoys food. The other day we bought some Mandarin oranges. Shenzie immediately dove in and eats 3 or more a day and will eat more if I let her. Heaten refuses to even try one even though I told him they taste like candy. =) I am almost embarrassed to say I have never eaten a mandarin orange (that I remember anyhow). Let me just say that I have been missing out. OMG they are SO GOOD! Like Shenzie, I could eat 5 in one sitting. YUM YUM YUM. It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes my picky bites me in the butt.
All I gotta say is picky or not, this sausage, zucchini, cheese, avocado omelet I made this morning was PURE heaven!
Any of you love birds in Las Vegas interested in getting your photos taken?? I’m giving away a Free Couples Mini Session this month. Head over to my Photo Blog and get entered already!!!
Here is a little Sneak Peek of my Love Birds Couples Session this past weekend. I had SO much fun with these two and can’t wait to do more.
Many of you may recognize my best friend Stacey’s little sister Patricia all grown up! Isn’t she gorgeous (and Chaz, you’re not so bad yourself). =) They were kind enough to model for me while visiting the States from Spain. Thank you SO much for some good laughs, beautiful photos, and yummy chocolate!
January
Say Goodbye ¤ Lisa Gardner ****
The Broken Window ¤ Jeffrey Deaver ****
Just One Look ¤ Harlan Coben *** ½
Every Last Drop ¤ Charlie Huston *** ½
February
The Bodies Left Behind ¤ Jeffrey Deaver ****
Salvation in Death ¤ J.D Robb *** The Gun Seller ¤ Hugh Laurie *****
The Brass Verdict ¤ Michael Connelly ****
Peeps ¤ Scott Westerfeld **** ½
March
The Book of Dalia ¤ Elisa Albert *** ½ Confessions of a Contractor ¤ Richard Murphy ***** Boy Toy ¤ Barry Lyga ***** The Hunger Games ¤ Suzanne Collins *****
The Uglies ¤ Scott Westerfeld ****
The Pretties ¤ Scott Westerfeld ****
The Specials ¤ Scott Westerfeld ****
Safer ¤ Sean Doolittle ***
April
The Mystic Arts of Erasing all Signs of Death ¤Charlie Houston *****
Until It’s Over ¤ Nicci French ***
Reconstructing Brigid ¤ Lee Nichols ***
Mr. Clarinet ¤ Nick Stone ****
May
Promises in Death ¤ J.D Robb ** ½
Dawn Patrol ¤ Don Winslow **** ½
June
Flipping Out ¤ Marshall Karp *****
The Little Sleep ¤ Paul Tremblay *** ½ Bad Things ¤ Michael Marshall *****
One Fifth Avenue ¤ Candace Bushnell ** ½ Eat The Dark:A Novel ¤ Joe Schreiber *****
July
Marked (House of Night #1) ¤ P.C Cast **
Extras (Uglies Book 4) ¤ Scott West ** ½ Addition ¤ Toni Jordan *****
Chasing the Dark ¤ Joe Schreiber ****
Everything Hurts ¤ Bill Scheft ****
Long Lost ¤ Harlan Coben ****
Ender’s Game ¤ Orson Scott Card ***
August
Mr. Maybe ¤ Jane Green ***
To Have and to Hold ¤ Jane Green ***
Wedding Season ¤ Darcy Cosper ***
Dismantled ¤ Jennifer McMahon **** ½ This is Where I Leave You ¤ Jonathan Tropper *****
Relentless ¤ Dean Koontz ****
How to Talk to a Widower ¤ Jonathan Tropper **** ½
Sweetheart ¤ Chelsea Cain ****
September
Bright Shiny Morning ¤ James Frey **** ½ Everything Changes ¤ Jonathan Tropper *****
Look Again ¤ Lisa Scottoline **** A Bump In the Road ¤ Maureen Lipinksi ***** Catching Fire ¤ Suzanne Collins *****
October
Bad Things Happen ¤ Harry Dolan ****
Trouble ¤ Kate Christensen **
The Neighbor ¤ Lisa Gardner ***
Curse of the Spellmans ¤ Lisa Lutz ****
Revenge of the Spellmans ¤ Lisa Lutz ****
Trust No One ¤ Gregg Hurwitz ****
Skeleton Justice ¤ Michael Baden ****
November
Lust, Loathing, and a Little Lip Gloss ¤ Kyra Davis ***
Twenties Girl ¤ Sophie Kinsella *** Die for You: A Novel ¤ Lisa Unger *****
My Dead Body ¤ Charlie Huston *** ½
December
The Pursuit of Other Interests ¤ Jim Kokoris *** ½
Perfect Life: A Novel ¤ Jessica Shattuck *** The Time Traveler’s Wife ¤ Audrey Niffenegger *****
Break Neck ¤ Erica Spindler *** ½
Ahhhh, I just love books. The bold are the five star books I would recommend in a heartbeat. I feel good about my reads this year. A few so-so ones, a few mindless entertainment ones, and a lot of good ones. As a side note, if you’re a book lover and not a part of Goodreads get on there. I have found many a good book from that site.
Ahhhh, how I love these kids so. Every month just gets better and better. They love each other so much and are finally playing together so well (most times). They have learned what sharing means and are so great about sharing with one another.
At night Daddy reads Heaten a story and I read Shenzie a story in their separate rooms. Every night Heaten peeks open Shenzie’s door and gives me a kiss goodnight followed by a kiss for Shenzie. Melts my heart every time.
Shenzie is the dominant one of the two and Heaten is happy to follow along in whatever mischief she is getting into.
The other day Shenzie pointed at Heaten and said Sister and then pointed at herself. It was SO cute. They like to blow spit in each other’s faces much to my dismay. They like to play piggy back where Shenzie is the horse and Heaten grabs on her clothes and she drags him around (crazy kids). They still do not like to share my lap, but occasionally do which is sweet.
They give each other random hugs or neck holds that are meant to be hugs which is, of course, adorable.
Heaten is also growing up way to fast before my eyes. Here are a few of the little things.
Heaten still loves him some TV. He rotates thru favorites, lately we’ve rotated thru Up, Wall-E, Shrek 3, Madagascar 2, Bee Movie, and Little Einsteins. He still loves milk and when asking for it always makes the sign for milk which is just cute.
A couple of weeks ago I told him I loved him and he clearly replied back “I love you too Mama”. My heart melted and I told him how happy that makes me. Since then he does it quite frequently and I can say with certainty that it will NEVER get old.
Heaten is very ticklish and LOVES tickle time. If you get him going he will just laugh and laugh and laugh until he almost pees his pants. His laugh is infectious and I love it so much.
He is constantly tugging at his weiner. Everybody always thinks he has to pee, but nope, he just likes it. =)
He STILL isn’t going poopoo in the potty {minus that one time}, and when he gets really upset, usually in time out, he will knowingly pee on the floor which just makes me furious.
He still is a horrible eater and I have to feed him bites of fruits and veggies or won’t eat them
He LOVES to play with the bigger kids. He doesn’t quite get their games and thinks it is so funny to run up, yell in their face, and then run away. Poor older kids don’t know what is going on. He chases them around and babbles his little Heaten talk that they can’t understand and has a grand old time doing it.
Heaten can FINALLY ride his bike, pedaling all by himself.
He is [finally] learning to be patient and share. He is speaking much more clearly so this has lessened the tantrums of frustration.
He is still our little cuddle bug and LOVES to cuddle with Daddy. His favorite is drinking his milk on Dadddy’s lap and then shivering and shaking saying “brrrrrr” because he is cold.
He started referring to himself as Heaten which is just too cute. “Heatnee got an owie”.
Shenzie is changing and growing up right before my eyes. There are SO many little things that happen daily that I forget so I started jotting them down. Here are a few of little things.
Everything in Shenzie’s world is defined by what she is or isn’t ‘Shenzie is big now, Shenzie grow up’ is her very favorite thing to say. Second would be ‘Shenzie no boy’, meaning Shenzie is not a boy. ‘Heatnee is a baby, he goes poopoo in his diaper and Shenzie is a big girl, she uses the potty. Heatnee is icky.’ I laugh at all of the funny things she says all day long. Shenzie do it, Shenzie big now. No Mama, NOW. Privacy mama. Der Mama (this one Daddy taught her and while it is hilarious, it is also NOT hilarious).
Her new and very annoying thing is to say Mama, mama, mama, mama over and over and over again until I actually look at her and say What Shenize? This is particularly annoying when I’m driving on the freeway and can’t just look back a hundred times.
Shenzie is ALL about princesses. Out of nowhere came this fascination with them and it is non stop. Her favorites are Ariel, Cinderella, and Tinkerbell, who isn’t technically a princess, but she things she is so therefor she is. She loves to dress up in her princess shoes, tutu, wings, wand, bracelets, necklaces (LOTS of these), and of course her Princess Crown.
She can count to 10 and then goes up to 20. The teens get a little mixed up, but she knows them pretty well.
Every night {and nap} after I sing her songs and lay her in bed she tells me to close the door all the way. And I mean EVERY single nap and night she says this.
She is stubborn as all getout and refuses to say sorry. She doesn’t end up in time out often and when she does she won’t stay there, won’t say sorry, and is just insane about it. I know my Mom is just laughing reading this as some would say I am stubborn as all getout too. =)
She loves food and will pretty much try anything. There are a few foods she just doesn’t like, but for the most part her eating is awesome. She has a serious sweet tooth, just like her Mama, and loves her some candy.
She is also fascinated with ALL things Princess. She has a many Princess books that we read nightly. Her favorite is Cinderella who she calls “No Broken Necklace” because her Evil Step Sisters break her necklace. She also likes to pretend she is married and wear her dress up shoes and a gauzy fabric on her head. So far she has married Heaten and Cinderella, but not Mama because I’m too old. =)
She is really into playing games. Her current favorite is to run up to you with her hand out and say “nice to meet you”. She is silly, loves jokes, and loves attention.
She can ride her bike with no hands! Look Mama, NO HANDS. Shei is CONSTANTLY in motion and loves to dance, jump, spin, twirl, and run around like a loon.
