Tagged...like forever ago...

Yeah, I got tagged, like a month ago and completely forgot about it, so, lest I be rude, I will comply..

5 Things I was doing ten years ago...
1. I was at BYU...for one semester
2. I was working with a catering company
3. I was engaged...at 18 years old
4. I was a lost soul...no, seriously.
5. I got a tatto and died my hair Strawberry Shortcake red - it was hot.

5 Things on my "to do" list today...
1. Go to the grocery store - did it
2. Send a great conference article to my mother in law, and hope she actually reads it. - did it
3. Work out - did it
4. Send out instructions to the 2 people who now come to Park n Play - did it
5. Be awesome - yeah, didn't get to that one

5 Snacks I enjoy...
1. Tortilla chips & melt n' dip (a dip made by Lou that ROCKS!)
2. Fresh fruit (preferabley raspberries, blackberries or strawberries)
3. REALLY good chocolate - no nasty Hershey's bars for me
4. fruit snacks - the good kind, not those rubbery ones
5. Homemade cookies

5 Things I'd do if I became a millionaire...(after paying tithing)
1. Pay off student loans, for sure!
2. But an old house with a HUGE yard so that I can have an apple tree, and a cherry tree, and a pear tree, and grape vines, and, well, you get the idea
3. Invest a LOT!
4. Go to Costa Rica, Spain, Scotland, oh and so many more places...
5. Buy cool stuff for my family

5 Places I've lived...
1. Syracuse, with my parents
2. Provo, UT (BYU)
3. Solvay, NY (could be cute but isn't really)
4. Here in the valley of Syracuse!
5. Wow, I actually don't have a fifth place. Am I the only one without a fifth place?

5 Jobs I've had...
1. Salesperson at Finishline at the mall (that's how I met Lou!)
2. Bank Teller at Chase bank (I got held up by a robber and everything - really).
3. Sales/customer service for small business customers at AT&T (no, I was NOT a telemarketer)
4. Lifeguard at OCC and SU
5. Spanish teacher at SU

5 people I tag...
Jana Bailey
Linda Tolboe
Rachel Bryson
Christine Bondi
Cathy Duffy

One of those moments...

Being the parent of a toddler can be physically and mentally draining. That is why you need to really enjoy the lighter moments that come along, those times when, yes, you could get mad, but isn't it better sometimes to just laugh instead?

Take these next two pictures for example. Josephine had asked me for a snack and I told her that she would get one after I finished with my hair. Well, I was blow-drying my hair when I suddenly realized that Josephine was no longer in the room and it was waaaay too quiet in the house. I found her downstairs, in the kitchen, looking like this:

Yes, she got tired of waiting and helped herself to the mango sitting on the counter - she was eating the skin and everything! Tell me she doesn't look like a starving wild animal...

When she looked up and saw me watching her, she said "Oh hi, mommy, I got snack!" She was so proud of herself, and went right back to ravaging the helpless mango.

You would think from Josephine's antics with food that she doesn't get enough to eat or something. Today I was upstairs doing Maria's hair when Josephine shows up with a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup in her hand (she had apparently found the rest of the Halloween stash). I told her that we were NOT eating candy at 10am and took it from her. I went back to doing Maria's hair, and did not hear Josephine sneak back downstairs. She appeared in my room again with her mouth obviously full of something. I asked her what she had, and she of course replied "nothing". I told her to open her mouth and of course it was filled with yet another Peanut Butter cup. I told her that she had been disobedient and put her on the punishment step. When it was time for her to get up, I asked her why she took it when I had told her no. She said, and I kid you not "I don't know Mama, I'm speechless!" Actually it was more like "speechwess", but you get the idea. I mean, are you kidding me? Where does she get this stuff?! They know just when to pull out the cute stuff - seriously, how can you be mad at a kid after that?!

Mean parents and shattered dreams

So, we were at my mother-in-laws for dinner on Sunday. Good old Grandma Louise gave Maria this Wizard of Oz wand to play with. It was one of those toys that flashes lights and plays a tinny sounding electronic tune. Lou and I hated it instantly - it was playing this warbly, high-pitched, truly horrible sounding version of "Over the Rainbow". The pitch and sound quality were offensive-sounding at best and immediately annoying. Well, of course Maria just loved it, and spent the rest of the evening walking around and playing it over and over and over and over...well, you get the idea. Lou was getting more irritated by the minute and would tell her to turn it off, but after a few minutes of blissful silence, we would hear the sickening sound once more.

Well, I was trying to fix something on Louise's computer and Lou was looking at the paper, when all of a sudden we heard a thunk and a crash - it almost sounded like breaking glass. I turned around to see what had happened, and saw Maria splayed out on the floor with the wand in front of her, looking like this:

Well, Lou started laughing hysterically, and I have to admit, I couldn't stop the smile that immediately spread across my face. I thought "Hooray, problem solved! No more obnoxious toy to listen to!" Meanwhile, Maria was almost in tears, saying "it's not funny, it's NOT FUNNY, Daddy! Oh, my beautiful wand..." Oh contraire, Maria, it was SO funny, that I started laughing myself. I couldn't help but think that Lou and I had almost wished this event into reality, and I just couldn't stop laughing at the irony of it all. If you just could've seen it - the annoying music over and over, then suddenly the crash and Maria's and Lou's subsequent antics...maybe you had to be there...

So my question is, is it awful that we found this so amusing? I'm laughing now just thinking about it! Are we the most evil parents ever?

HaPpY HaLlOwEeN!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!

Well, this was our first year to have trick or treaters, and everyone told me that I needed to be prepared for the mass droves of costumed children who would be swarming my house to get candy. I heard talk of more than 200 trick or treaters. Well, I had only bought two large bags of candy, I so I freaked out and went out last minute to buy one more. I now had a total of about 10lbs of candy, which would technically STILL not be enough according to the estimates of everyone I talked to. Well, let me tell you - tonight I handed out about 20 pieces of candy...TOTAL! Now what the HECK am I supposed to do with all this leftover candy?!! And don't you dare say eat it...

Trunk or Treat

Last night was our ward's annual Trunk or Treat Halloween Party. We had a great time, but then again, how can you not have a great time when candy's involved?!


We had a royalty theme going on with Princess Maria and King Louie (I'd say prince, but when did you ever see a prince with a beard like that?! It's just not right...). They even won first prize in the costume contest for best family theme. Aren't they cute? Well, all except for Maria's infamous forced, half-wincing, looking away from the camera smile...

We also had a Wizard of Oz theme going on with two Dorothys, one scarecrow (my mom) and one flying monkey (Robin Bush). I realize I have kind of a weird expression on my face here, but in the other one, my Mom looked like a complete freak and Josephine had her finger shoved up her nose, so I took one for the team...

Here is Lou with his two girls!

Josephine was obsessed with Lou's cape (it WAS pretty cool - custom-made by Debbie Riddel), and kept hiding under it all night - can you see her here?

And here is our family all together, although not all smiling as you can see - sigh, maybe SOMEDAY we will all be smiling and looking cute in the same picture!

Anyway...HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY!

Am I the only one this stuff happens to?

This is an image that represents what my children are like lately when we go to the store - seriously...
Usually my children are pretty well behaved at stores, but all of sudden lately, they act like wild beasts that have been uncaged for the first time everytime we enter any sort of shopping arena.

Let me tell you a little story about my shopping trip yesterday. I had to exchange a couple of pairs of jeans that I bought for Lou (picky man that he is), and I had both of the girls with me. We were in Sears and I was looking for a different size for him. The girls were chasing each other around, but causing no real harm, and the store was dead, so I let them burn their energy out. All of a sudden I look up to see Maria crash straight into a clothing rack, knocking it over. On it's way down, it had a domino effect, knocking over the next rack, which knocked over the next rack, too. We now had three clothing racks (and one crying child) lying flat on the ground, with about 100 gazillion mens button-up shirts lying scattered all over the place. I was, as you can imagine, a bit peeved. I spent about 20 minutes helping the old lady employee put the whole thing back together again (in the fall, all three racks had come apart, and were lying in pieces).

After we exchanged the jeans, we headed over the to JCPenney to do another exchange. While we were there, Josephine peed herself, and, after announcing this, tried to climb one of the displays. Of course, she pulled the whole thing down on herself, manikin, metal bars, price displays, folded jeans and all. Another 15 minutes cleaning up that mess - all while apologizing profusely to the VERY annoyed salesperson helping me. At this point, I decided to forget about the exchanges and head home. Better to leave on your own than to be asked to leave, right? Sigh.

Fun in the fall!

Autumn is one of the times of year when I am so grateful to live where I do. The Fall here is just so beautiful - the trees, bushes, etc., all come alive with amazing colors, creating an absolutely breathtaking landscape to look at everywhere you go.

In the DeGaetano family, it's a tradition to go out to Beak and Skiff Apple Farm to pick Empire apples (they are the best!). It's perfect, because it's always right around the time when the Fall colors are in full force. The drive out to the farm shows off all the rolling hills in central New York, and left us all ooing and ahhhing at the beauty all around us - bright oranges, reds, pinks, greens and yellows...oh, how I LOVE the fall in New York!

We took the ceremonial tractor ride out to the picking spot...

...and Maria went straight to work!

Josephine, oh Josephine, what a face. She is always making the strangest faces at us!

Josephine kept taking the apples and chucking them in the bag as hard as she could, like she was slam-dunking them or something, so we had to show her how to place the apples gently in the bag.

Lou helped out by getting the ones that were WAY up high! Go, Daddy!

After picking an insane amount of apples (15 pounds, to be exact), we went to the snack shop and got some maple candy (can you say "yum"?) and some apple cider donuts (again - "yum!!").


And now...what to do with all these apples...any ideas?