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When you are a boring couple, sometimes this is the best you can do. My brother introduced us to 'The Worst Music Video Ever'. Thanks for the video clip Steve-0. If only I could see you doing these sweet dance moves again, I would be as happy as the psycho Swedish couple driving into space. I think some of these moves survived the 70's and made it into my step-class at the gym. Listen to the words, and you are sure to get a kick out of it. Even though we may not always be the leaders of the free world, I think it is safe to say that we are still cooler.

Presidential visit

The other day, we woke up and saw this outside our window...

There were also a few of these running around...

And some of this was raining down from the sunny sky...

There was also beautiful music that filled the air. Needless to say, we were confused, until we remembered that President Obama was speaking at a school two blocks away from us. All sarcasm aside, this is the closest we have ever been (physically) to a President. As boring as we are, this is probably the closest we will ever come. Oh well, at least we get to keep a Unicorn as part of the stimulus package. I think I'll name it Romney.

It's Potty Time!

Most people agree that you shouldn't begin potty-training your child until she is ready. But how do you know when you're child is ready? Here is a brief questionnaire that can help you answer this question.

1) My child's favorite book is:
a. Goodnight Moon.
b. Green Eggs and Ham
c. Toilet Training in Less than a Day
d. Twilight

2) My child's favorite snack is:
a. Cheese
b. Candy
c. "Poop Yogurt" aka Activia
d. Laundry detergent.

If you answered C to both questions, your child is ready. If you answered D to both questions, your child needs psychological help.


The story behind this picture is that I had borrowed the book from one of my friends. The system described in the book is a very intensive day of training, and I was planning to do it with gusto. However, it seemed like the big day just kept getting pushed back. Then one day I turned around and Lily was flipping through the book, "reading" it to herself. That night she asked Alec to read it to her instead of reading a princess story. Which gave me an idea--I'll teach her how to read, then she can just do it herself!

Long story short, the day went very well and she has been using the potty ever since. I think the system is well-designed and based on solid behavioral principles and I highly recommend it to anyone who dreads potty training as much as I do. That being said, it also had the added benefit of providing some humorous reading material. After describing the system, the authors describe a training scenario--complete with the mother's ruminations. Here is an excerpt for your reading pleasure.

"Her hopes were soon realized. She had just given Mickey a drink at one of the dry-pants checks and was setting the glass on the table when she saw him walking over to the potty chair. He pulled down his pants and sat on the potty. This is it, she thought, he is going to the potty by himself. Then began the sweetest sound she had ever heard. "Pee-pee, potty!" he said. Her heart skipped a beat" etc. etc.

Practical advice and a literary masterpiece in one book.

It's Already Happening!

We can't believe how fast these kids are growing up. This week Eric lost his first tooth. Unfortunately this seems to symbolize the beginning of the end of the cute years. That may sound a little harsh, but if Eric has inherited his oral genes from his father then there is a good chance that he will look like he is wearing horse dentures for the next 6 years.

Company!

We were so lucky last week--Katie came to stay with us for the entire week and Spencer and Janelle came for a few days. We have always loved having people stay over, and it doesn't happen as often for us now, so we loved this! We enjoyed gorgeous weather and took advantage of it to hike at Papago park. The kids loved it and came away unscathed by any cactus encounters.

The day Katie came, we went to Chuck E. Cheese because Eric had earned it on his rewards chart. I think the last time I was there was when I was five years old myself--I remember it being a lot bigger, but the decor was exactly the same. The kids had a great time, as did Katie--we couldn't get her off of the 'Flaming Finger.'


Thanks for coming to see us! And for anyone else out there who wants to get away from cold, unfriendly temperatures, you know where to find us. In the Valley of the Sun. Strange how the same title can be so appealing and repulsing, depending on the time of year.