But I Birthed You!

So I'm trying to not eat sweets.  I completely fell off the Paleo wagon and have succumbed to the temptation that is sugar.  It's a drug I tell ya!
In my efforts to regain control and kick the habit, I have designated Halle as my personal sweets police.

When I appointed her a few weeks ago, she was a little more than hesitant about taking on the job.  See, I've tried to do this before.  I've appointed her as my sweet police before.  I'll tell her to take the muffin/cake/cookie/whatever away from me and go hide it before I can get it.  (My hand has a mind of its own and it will grab it without me knowing.) But, the problem is she's my daughter and is very obedient.  She WOULD hide it, but then I'd bribe her.  Or I'd sweet talk her into it letting me have it back.  She was a push-over and I would eventually get my crack candy back.  So when I told her she had to be my personal sweet Nazi again, she's wasn't too keen on taking on the job again.  She said, "Last time you guilted me into giving it to you by saying, 'But I birthed you!'"

I told her this time she had to be strong.  She had to be forceful and not be a pushover.  She had to be firm and not give into any of my tactics.

Whoa, this girl has done her job!  Over the last few weeks she has brought it.  She'll snatch the sweet away from me or knock it out of my hand.  She's like a ninja.  From the time I can reach down and pick something up until I get it into my mouth, she's there to take it away.  Like, if I would have had just a hundredth second more, it could have passed my lips, and I would have had a sweet victory.  A few times I've managed to get it into my mouth without her knowing.  As soon as she sees it, though, she's forces me to spit it out.

Last night we literally had a fight over the Nutella (Nutella in our family is worth a whole 'nother blog post.) I was armed with my spoon and headed to the pantry.  I opened the pantry door and grabbed the jar of heaven.  I got my spoon and scooped a heaping mound of Nutella on it.  She was there in a flash to stop me.  She yanked the jar out of my hand after an initial struggle.  She got the spoon out of my clutch, too, and after more struggling she got Nutella all on her shirt.  That's okay, I thought, because I'd managed to keep the lid in my possession.  There was a smidgen of Nutella on the lid, enough for me to get my fix.  But Halle was too fast.  We were physically wrestling over the lid.  She was finally able to pry it away from my grip (she's freaking strong!).  Brian was in the bedroom wondering what all the commotion was about.

By this time we were laughing at the madness.  I gave up and after all the fighting my cravings were suppressed.  Halle later said she actually saw a monster come out.  Ha!  So, all I can say now is thanks, Halle!  You saved me from myself.

But, there's always next time......  :)

Sick in bed.

It doesn't get any sweeter than this.  Bear is comforting him while he's sick.

Jack and Bear have been through a lot together.  Bear has literally been through the wringer (many times) and I've had to sew him back up.  But, he's always there for Jack.  ;)

What's behind your back, Jack?

Jack thinks he's being sneaky.  If he has something he's not suppose to have, he will put it behind his back as soon as you look at him.  It's usually something I've already told him no to (marker, thermometer, candy, whatever).

Me: "What's behind your back, Jack?"
Jack: He'll shrug his shoulders and make an "I don't know" sound.
This is when I usually give my well-practiced stern mother look.
Which is then followed by a big mischievous grin by Jack.  Then in his sweetest voice, he'll say, "Hi," as if that's going to make me forget he's doing something wrong.
I continue with an even more furrowed brow and mean look.
This then prompts him to chunk the object away quickly, hoping I didn't see him in the act.
He'll then walk over to me and give me a big kiss to butter me up so he won't get in trouble.

Little Stinker.

Curly Girly

Arden is going to be Merida this year for Halloween.  I practiced curling her hair for her costume.  Isn't it darling?!  

This girl is such a diva.  Miss Priss carries a brush with her to keep her hair looking nice.  I had to convince her that she didn't need to carry a brush in her backpack to school.  She has to make sure she looks pretty before she heads outside to play.  For such a confident little girl, it surprises me how she worries about her appearance.  She reminds me of when I was little.  She loves braids and ponytails, and absolutely hates if there's a single bump in her 'do.   

Jackanenglish?

Jack's Jackanese is slowing becoming more comprehensible.  It's becoming less Jackanese, but not quite English; hence, Jackanenglish.   He has finally stopped saying Hahwah for Halle, and now it's closer to the true form.  He calls her Hi-E.

He's hit a few milestones this week, as well.
1)He learned his colors!
2) He learned many of the animal names
3) He learned to ride the tricycle..... THE RIGHT WAY!

I have worked with him the last half year to learn colors, etc.  He always acted like he couldn't care less about anything he was learning.  I knew he was absorbing it even though it didn't seem like it, and it would only be a matter of time before his vocabulary would start exploding.  This week it did!  I'm a little sad to see a small piece of babyhood chipped away, but happy to see he's not going to grunt like a caveman for the rest of his life.

He refuses to count with me, though.  I've heard him count once, but now he just laughs at me when I try to get him to do it.  little booger.

Jack has also discovered Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on Disney channel.  He is obsessed with Mickey Mouse.  I mean OBSESSED!!!

My family's a bunch of cheeseballs

Halle and I were at Klein high school for her swim meet

Sudsy Santas

Brian on a mission at Garden Ridge trying to find outdoor cushions.  He was too impatient to wait for the worker and ladder.

he used his skin as a canvas

Brian's ingenious way to wear a Snuggie

This would be the oldest looking like a creeper