1. Sometimes gambling can be real fun.....especially when you win enough to pay for the rest of the trip's expenses.
2. Sleeping with a 16-month-old is never beneficial to anyone.
3. Kaleb and Garet can sleep without their blankies if needed....I forgot them:-( But they never complained.
4. A pack-in-play can fit on the rims of a bathtub. Thus, giving said 16-month-old her own room for the night; making the rest of us hold it till she wakes up. Definitely worth the discomfort!!
5. A five year old is great at disappearing into thin air. We lost him three different times. One of the times, we were close to hysterics because we weren't even in the park yet.
6. Friday and Saturday are always the most crowded at Disneyland. We hope to go at the beginning of the week next time.
7. You should never, ever, ever take away a baby's bottle days before a long trip. (Even when she throws tantrums in Church over her sippy.....The tantrums coming later when child is complete beast out of own element are far worse!!)
8. The nearest place to purchase a bottle is close to a mile away from the Park's entrance. One 9 ounce bottle can be purchased at this mini-mart for $4.99.
9. Disneyland gets better each time we go as my children grow and enjoy different aspects of it.
10. We never have enough time to see and do everything at Disneyland. Thus, we always need to go back!
11. Sometimes the rides that you wait the longest for make you queasy. Everyone in the yellow submarine got lucky that I hadn't eaten recently!! I will spare everyone and not do Nemo again!!
12. No matter how much fun we have on a vacation, I am always filled with gratitude when we cross our threshold with everyone safe and sound.
Someone (Autumn) keeps bugging me to finish this. So, here goes:
26. I was a tom boy when I was younger. I got suspended off of the school bus two different times in elementary school for fighting with a boy.
27. My dad's nickname for me was 'garbage gut.'
28. I have three sisters. I am the second. Everyone always thought I was the oldest.
29. My dad died when I was 11. He committed suicide.
30. My mom has never been proud of me.
31. I have naturally curly hair.
32. I broke my wrist when I was 9. I told my mom that I fell off of the top of the swing set. I fell off of a horse jumping fences while my mom was at work. I finally came clean the night before I went thru the temple.
33. I am a perfectionist. I will not leave something alone until it is perfect. I took my acrylic nails off three weeks ago and I am trying to let them grow out. I can't stop chewing them because the edges are ragged and not perfect. Today, I went to Walmart and got the $3 glue-on nails. Superglue is going to be my best friend for a while.
34. I hate it when people act like they are victims.
35. I believe Heavenly Father has a sense of humor. I hope I make him chuckle every now and then.
36. I think 'elective surgeries' are the best things as long as you don't think it will change who you are.
37. I have ribs that tilt outwards at the bottom....hence one of the reasons I love 'elective surgeries.'
38. When I was younger, I never dreamed of being a mother. I did not want to have children.
39. I have never been 'baby hungry.' Heavenly Father makes me feel real guilty and then I finally give in.
40. I have tooted out loud in yoga class and then whispered "Excuse me."
41. I like to make people laugh. Sometimes this world can really suck without a little humor.
42. I have a tattoo. I was the instigator when we went on a Mother's Day trip to Vegas this year. Jeff did not talk to me for two days when he found out.
43. Back to #40, I tooted in front of Great Grandpa Fred and most of the Halliday clan when I was pregnant. I was so embarrassed that I started crying.
44. I like to sing. When I get tired, I have been known to serenade.
45. I hate to workout, but I love the way my body looks when I am in shape. I have some really obese genes that I am constantly fighting.
46. My theme song is "I'm A Bitch." Sorry if it offends any of you. It is on my blog now.
47. After my father died, our home was disgusting. Any time we turned on a light, cockroaches would scatter.
48. I hate snakes. My mom got fascinated with them when I was a teenager. She thought that she could "raise" them. She had 3 boa constrictors--one that was six feet long. She started breeding her own rats to feed them. They lived in our enclosed sun porch. Every now and then a rat or two would escape, but we could not see them for the clutter. When we packed to move to AZ, one of my mom's snakes had been missing for a little while (she did not tell me because she knew I would flip out). We found it dead on the sun porch engorged with rats that it had caught.
49. I have lived in a house that has had calves, kids(baby goats), puppies, and kittens all living in it at one time or another.
50. I have lived without power, phone, and running water because the bills were not paid.
51. I do not like to be close to birds. When I was little, I got chased by a mean goose. I think birds are beautiful from a distance, but I have anxiety if they get too close to me.
52. My favorite church calling of all time thus far has been as Primary President. I never thought I would grow to love it....but, something happens when you teach such sweet spirits the principles of the gospel.
53. I cried when each of my children were born. We are so lucky to get just a glimpse of how Heavenly Father feels about each of us.
54. I was born in Columbia, South Carolina.
55. When I was 3, I went out onto our porch and the door slammed and knocked the light fixture off of the ceiling. It cut my left arm's muscle so severely that the doctor never thought I would have full use of it. It also cut my eyebrow, lips, and forehead. I had to have a blood transfusion because I lost so much blood. Right after it happened, I went and found my Aunt Dixie(who was living with us at the time). She passed out when she saw me. Then I went to find my mom to tell her that "something was wrong with Dixie. She died." I have full use of my left arm. I just have quite a few pretty ugly scars. I used to be really self conscious about them.
56. My favorite color is red.....all of the personality tests always categorize me as red??
57. I only have a couple really good friends. Doing this list makes me feel naked.
58. I love bathroom humor. It will crack me up every time. If Jeff slips the word 'dookie' in while we are arguing, I will always laugh.
59. I love getting pedicures. It is the one luxury I can't give up regardless of how many bills I have.
60. I sleep with my mouth open because I am paranoid about snoring.
61. I love my pug Gizmo. I have always been an animal lover.
62. Emmy is my second 'baby.'
63. I love watching my kids grow up. I just hope they grow up as well-rounded as possible and that they never go without the necessities.
64. I am sarcastic.
65. I have to take Beano when I eat a blooming onion at Outback Steakhouse or else we can not get home fast enough.
66. I get food poisoning every time I eat at a buffet style restaurant.
67. I like to work on my yard. I like how perfect it looks after it has been worked on.
68. I am a clean freak but I hate to dust. I will faithfully clean bathrooms every week, but I put off dusting until about every other week.
69. I am terrified of road rage. When Kaleb was an infant, I was run off of the road by a psycho.
70. I love to read.
71. I am always hot....and I hate being hot.
72. I probably use more Secret than anyone else. I am paranoid about body odor.
73. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
74. My favorite song is "Only Hope" by Mandy Moore. I love it!!
75. I have a testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. I have been offended several times by others, but I can never deny my testimony....so I keep going back.
76. I am far from perfect.
77. I say bad words at my husband when he makes me really mad. I have never cursed in front of my children.
78. I have no desire to do genealogy right now.....there is so much....and it is overwhelming to me.
79. I think having my little girl has made me more sensitive.
80. I am like a mother bear....I will kill if someone hurts my children.
81. I'm a complainer....I wonder where Garet gets it from??
82. I can see some of my best and worst traits in each of my children.
83. I was nicknamed "horse" in junior high school. I had huge gaps in the front of my mouth. Kids can be so mean!! Kaleb has the same dilemma now. He will be getting braces in January.
84. I am fanatical about teeth. It is the first thing I notice when I meet someone.
85. My biggest fear is dying before my children grow up.
86. My side of the family lives in Arizona still. We never see them unless we go down to them. My mom has never met Maddie.
87. I have learned the greatest of life's lessons from bad examples.
88. I often say what I think because I think it needs to be said.
89. I hate clutter. I do a D.I. run every month. Out with the old, in with the new.
90. I hate to waste food. I always think of the starving Ethiopian children when I throw out food.
91. I think honesty is the biggest asset in a friend. I strive to be as honest as I can.
92. I love to eat dessert. I will skip meals and only eat dessert when it is something I really like.
93. I am a closet biker chick. I love tattoos and piercings(only in the ears and belly button). I would have dozens of little tattoos all over if the prophet hadn't told us not to.
94. I still wish I could wear more than one pair of earrings at a time.
95. I once ruined Thanksgiving by forgetting the gravy.
96. "Grey's Anatomy" is my favorite T.V. show. I am trying to finish this so I can go watch it!!
97. I have never smoked or tried drugs. I wanted to try to smoke once just to see if I could do it without coughing, but I resisted.
98. The sight of blood makes me queasy. I have always had to sit with my head between my legs after my children have gotten stitches or staples.
99. I love text messaging. It makes me happy when my phone beeps when I get one!!
100. I like to play blackjack, but I am really nervous to lose money. I once stayed out all night to win back all of the money Jeff and I lost on a trip to Wendover.
Phew!! That gets kind of hard! K, I am buck naked to the world now!
Unfortunately, Maddie is a climber. She does not let the fact that she is one stop her from doing things that the boys do. Today, she climbed up into the desk chair and fell off of it while she was trying to use the computer. I am really glad that she didn't slice it open and need stitches!! I hope she doesn't have a black eye tomorrow!! Of course she has to look abused for our family vacation next week!!
I'm feeling a little pressure here, so here's the first twenty-five:
1. When I was little, my parents (yes, both mom and dad) were in the Marine Corps. My first memories are of living in the Philippines. We had a maid named Fili, went scuba diving, and rode motorcycles with our parents. There was a big river that we called the "Stinky River." I believe it was raw sewage.
2. When I was 7, we came back to the US. We ate at a McDonalds in the airport. I remember thinking it was the most disgusting thing ever.
3. We moved to South Carolina and bought a farm. We had goats, cows, pigs, ducks, chickens, geese, donkeys, ponies, and horses. My mom has a soft heart for animals and does not know when to stop....so we were always busy. My older sister and I used to play in the pig pen and have mud wars. (There are pictures to prove this unfortunately.)
4. When I was eight, I got my very own horse. I named her Dawn's Maagic. She was a pure-blood Arabian. I raised her from a colt. She was pretty stubborn. She would only let me ride her. I remember riding her and when she thought she was done, she would nip my foot when I tried to kick her to make her go. When she was two and a half, she got spooked and pulled a post that she was hitched to out of the ground and broke two of her legs. I still remember how traumatic it was to have her put down.
5. My childhood seemed to go down hill from there, so we'll skip a lot of that....I'll tell you funny stories that I remember. I remember finding my mom's razor in the shower one day. Being the brave person that I am, I proceeded to shave my legs, arms, and eyebrows. I just remember being proud of this accomplishment, not the aftermath.
6. When I was a teenager, I finally became active in the LDS church. I owe my activity to some wonderful Young Women leaders and some great friends that fellowshipped me. Our branch's boundaries were so big that we lived 45 minutes from the church building. I was the only church member in my high school of 1000.
7. I was pretty geeky as a teenager. I listened to classical music and studied....I was a nerd. I was constantly aware of my class ranking.
8. I played church basketball. I was not nice.
9. I ran track all thru high school. I went to state finals three out of the four years.
10. My first job was at Taco Bell. I worked so I could buy clothes at K-Mart and my own eyeglasses. (My mom thought I just 'wanted' them.)
11. When I was 16, my family moved to Clay Springs, Arizona. I was scared that I was going to get abducted by aliens (Snowflake was 20 miles away). This was my first experience living in a little Mormon community. It took some getting used to.
12. I finally started dating in AZ. My first date was target shooting.
13. I worked at Burger King in Show Low, AZ. I still have a hard time eating there...
14. My first kiss was on Valentine's Day of my senior year. I was thoroughly disgusted and avoided the boy from then on.
15. I converted to 'hickism' the end of my senior year and went to prom with a cowboy.
16. I went to BYU from 1995 to 1997. It is the only college I applied to.
17. My room mate Susie Eagar taught me a lot our Freshman year. We are about as different as two people can be, but we had a lot of fun. There was always an invisible line down the middle of our dorm room--I am fanatically clean and she was not so much so.
18. I have OCD. I believe my father had it also. I remember how our house ran when he was alive and he definitely displayed classic signs. I am now medicated for it and everyone is a lot happier.
19. I met Jeff at an off-campus BYU homecoming dance. My roommates and I had just done home perms, so we stank. Jeff's group was dancing by ours and I asked him if my hair stank. Later, his roommates left him at the dance so that I would have to give him a ride home. He asked for my phone number and was pretty sure I gave him a fake.
20. After our first date, I went home to help my little sister with her High School homecoming. On the way back, I got in a head-on collision 45 minutes outside of Blanding, UT. Jeff's parents came and picked me up from the clinic. I had a busted lip, cuts all over my face and body, and a leg brace on. That is how I met my future in-laws.
21. Jeff is the first guy that I had ever dated that I could totally be comfortable around. I used to be so nervous on dates that I would not eat. He cooked me dinner for our first date.
22. On January 19, 1997, Jeff proposed to me in the play area at McDonalds. My ring was in a chicken nugget box.
23. We got married on May 1, 1997 in the Salt Lake City temple. There were snowflakes falling during our pictures.
24. We went on our honeymoon to the Bahamas. We had plane trouble in Florida, so we flew really late into the Bahamas. The flight was really rough and we thought we might die that night. When we finally got to our motel, the airconditioner was not on in our room. Jeff went to turn it on and leapt backwards into our bed. He got me in the eye with his elbow. I had never seen stars before. Needless to say, I looked like a battered wife for our entire honeymoon.
25. The first three months of our marriage, we camped in a little travel trailer we called the "Love Shack" on their family's ranch in Colorado. We had no running water or indoor facilities. We used an outhouse. I am squeamesh about swimming in lakes, so I would not bathe all week until we would go into his parents' house for the weekend. His little brother Greg slept in the same room with us for most of the three months. (Welcome to Marriage!!) I am no longer a die-hard camper, not that I ever was.
Wow, this took forever!! Thumbs up to all of you that can do all 100!!
In the past two weeks, we have had the Rotavirus, really bad colds (bad enough to cause throw-ups because of the congestion), and now the stomach flu. Every time I think that I am done cleaning up and done with the laundry, someone else starts throwing up. I know we are not supposed to get more than what we can handle......but when is enough ENOUGH??????
This week on Grey's Anatomy, there was a touching story about a little family where the mother died and the father didn't know if he wanted to keep their newly adopted baby. Merideth asked the dad to think of five things that no one else would know about this little baby (he claimed to know nothing about taking care of her). He eventually could come up with six and decided to keep the baby. Well...., this got me thinking about my little princess, and I thought I'd share some cute stories about her that many of you may not know:
1. On Wednesday, we went to the DMV to renew my driver's license. When they called my number to go to the window. Maddie blew kisses to everyone since she was leaving.
2. Two weeks ago, Maddie wore her first pair of pantyhose for the fall season. They lasted twenty minutes into Sacrament meeting. She tried to pull them off (she hates socks!) and ripped holes in the toes of both feet. We are trying thick stockings this Sunday.
3. She has to have a blanket to fall asleep. She rubs the edges together as she sucks her thumb. When we went to Park City this summer, I forgot a blanket and had to resort to giving her a changing pad so she could fall asleep.
4. She loves to dance. She will dance to anything that has a beat....even the washing machine.
5. She is dramatic. When she throws a tantrum, she throws her arms up into the air and throws herself onto the floor. It is really humorous, she doesn't make a sound as she concentrates on the drama!
6. Gizmo is her best playmate. She fights with him over anything new....even if it is his bone.
7. She loves to go places. She cries anytime anyone leaves our house.
8. She thinks that every animal growls.
9. Aunt Autumn is her "Second Mommy" and will make her happy over anyone else when Mommy #1 is unavailable.
10. She is starting to talk now. It is so fun to hear her repeat things that we say!
11. She was our late bloomer. She was content to lay on her back and play with toys until she was nine and a half months old. She finally walked around fifteen months. (Not that we are complaining in any way!!)
12. She refuses to drink milk out of a sippy cup.
13. She loves to put this hideous bright orange baseball cap on her head anytime she can find it.
14. She is such a girl... She loves purses, necklaces, and shoes. I can usually get her to come to me when I tell her we are going to put on "pretty clothes."
15. She is really affectionate. She loves to be hugged and kissed and give them in return.
Thanks for letting me indulge a little. I think I just want to cherish these memories since she is my caboose!! I love my sweet little girl!
I heard that Jeff thinks that I could not come up with 2 things that I like about him, so I am considering it a challenge. Here goes:
1. This past year he was a farmer.....I really hope it was just a mid-life crisis. I was impressed with how devoted he was to his little farm.
2. He is very patient and seldom raises his voice. I have only heard him swear once in 11 years.
3. I met him 11 years ago at an off-campus BYU dance and asked him if my hair stank.....He was brave enough not to run away.
4. He likes to make people laugh--he will moon me whenever given the opportunity.
5. He is not a mind-reader; I have learned this after many years...
6. He is an eternal optimist.
7. He is the best father!!
8. He would do anything to help anyone.
9. He hates to wait for anyone (hence, we are always waiting for him).
10. He taught our boys a naked, get ready dance.
11. He loves to tell funny stories. He honestly believes that he had the haunta virus when he was younger and is the only person in medical history that survived it without medical attention.
12. He cannot keep a secret--he always confides in me!!
13. His favorite show is "Dirty Jobs."
14. He is addicted to playing games and is easily entertained.
15. He is always willing to help the kids with Tae Kwon Do, Baseball, Soccor... any sport that they are interested in. He constantly shows the boys his love for sports.
16. He has only kissed three poeple in his life. He says he didn't need that much 'practice'.
17. He has never drank, smoked, or done drugs. It was never a temptation for him.
18. He HATES tattoos and does not understand why people like them. I hope he instills this in our kids...
19. He is an aspiring politician and will argue till he's blue in the face to try to sway an opinion.
20. He builds houses for a living and really wishes he didn't have to. But, does it for us.
21. Maddie is his princess. He said he would never treat a girl different....but, there's something that having a little girl does for every Dad.
22. I have never seen a tear fall from his eye.(Real men don't cry)
23. He is the ward financial clerk. God works in mysterious ways??
24. He does not like to pay bills.
25. He loves the stock market and envies Corey's(his little brother's) job.
26. He is real tough. He single handedly put a 900 lb log up in his family's cabin.
27. But, he whines when it comes to plucking his uni.
28. He does not believe in going to the doctor unless it is life-threatening. I think he just likes me to take care of him instead of a stranger.
29. He is stubborn.
30. He secretly likes Gizmo but refuses to claim him because he is a wimp.
31. He believes yard-work is for women but will help if I ask.
32. He has a strong testimony and can come up with a spiritual lesson off the top of his head.
33. He changed all three of our children's diapers for the first two days of their lives.
34. He gave me a black eye on our honeymoon. He claims he had to put me in my place from the get-go.
35. He loves to talk on the phone....as long as it is not work related.
36. His dream room would have a toilet, flat-screen TV, a good book, games, and a phone.
37. He wants his family to have everything they want. He likes to spoil us.
38. He likes to go on vacations, as long as he does not have to plan them.
39. He is awesome in a crisis.
40. He is the first and only guy that I have ever felt totally comfortable with.
41. He loves me regardless of my background.
42. Autumn is the only other girl that he is comfortable to be around. Hence, the only person that he can make fun of me to.
43. He doesn't talk very much around groups. He prefers to be out of the spotlight....unless it is at a Halliday-only gathering. Then he is known to do cartwheels, trampoline flips, or piggy-back racing.
44. While we were dating, he told me he knew that he loved me after he went home for Christmas and got the flu. He said all he wanted the whole time he felt horrible was for me to take care of him.
45. He went on a mission to Guatemala and loved every moment there(rashes, getting thrown-up on, and all).
46. He still came back after my mom introduced him as my fiance to others the first time she met him.
47. He is a kid at heart.
48. He is my biggest fan.
49. His family is his biggest priority.
50. He is my best friend.
We have had ten and a half years together and hope to have many more!!
Today, Kaleb and Garet had a friend over. Being the rambunctious boys that they are, they decided to show their friend Duck's inability to fly. Garet 'only threw her up once.' Kaleb 'threw her up only five times.' It remains unknown how many times our visitor may have chucked her up in the air. ...Needless to say, Duck is no longer with us. ....The boys are grounded indefinitely. Chicken now finds solace at Brother Brewer's house with his two chickens. We are farmer's no more....
