Locks of Love!

I've been talking about donating Rachel's lush locks to "Locks of Love" for over a year now, but haven't had the guts to do it (her dad perfers long hair...blah blah blah). I decided that it had officially reached the "polygamist" length (my sister Kate's term) and something HAD to be done about it. So, I decided at the last minute to just do it. I called and made an appointment, and 2 hours later it was done! "Before"How cute is this picture? She LOVES it!!!"After" 11 1/2 inches!

This, That, and the Other...

I know I have been a blog slacker lately, but I have a really good excuse. His name is Cole and he likes to turn the "Master" switch off on my computer any chance he gets...and he thinks he's hilarious! But how can you get mad at a face like:
He is a naughty little stinker though. The other day I was in the shower and I looked out to see him like this:

Excuse me? What do you think your're doing there buster?

Anyways, since I've posted last we've had 2 birthdays and Halloween. I thought I'd post a few pics so that I don't feel like a B.M. First was Alex's birthday on October 25th. He turned 7 and wanted a vampire cake.

We surprised him with a 4-wheeler for his birthday and he loves it! We don't usually spoil our kids like that, but we justified it because he only wears hand-me-downs (cute ones though) from his older cousin Graeme.

Next was Halloween. Alex was a vampire, Rachel was a devil (her choosing!), and Cole was a skunk...and a cute lil' stinker at that!

Finally, we had Rachel's birthday on November 19th. She turned 5 and REALLY wanted a devil cake, but she got this instead. My first experiment with fondant...I ran out of white and didn't have time to make more. It coulda been tons cuter, but lesson learned - don't leave it to the last minute!Her Nana Ann made her this darling apron for her birthday...man, I wish I had her skillz!She insisted on wearing this crown all day because she was the "Birthday Princess". Girls, I'll tell ya what...So, that's the update for the last little while. Everyone have a good Thanksgiving and eat lots of turkey!

What the . . .

At Cole's 9 month appointment last week, Dr. Thompson and I were talking about our spring break plans. Rachel kept saying, "Mom!" "Mom!" "Mom!" and I kept ignoring and shushing her. She kept at it until finally I said, "What Rachel?" She then proceeded to say, "Every time lately when I have to have a toot, a little bit of poop comes out with it." I looked over at Dr. Thompson as he started to crack up. I just buried my head in the back of Cole's head and said, "Well, Rachel, thanks for sharing that in front of Dr. Thompson." And then she replied, "Well, it just happened!" Oh my! The joys of parenthood! I've never seen Dr. Thompson make a quicker exit from the room than after that comment! Mind you, this is not only the man that delivered my baby and cares for my family, but someone I work with. How embarrassing!
On to Cole. He is definitely my "smallest" baby! At his appointment, he weighed 22 lbs and was 28.75 inches tall. That would put him 67% for weight and 57% for height. I have NEVER had a child below 85% on either! I guess this boy does have some of me in him after all!

How-Lay-Loo-Ya!

I know I already did a post today, but I just had to share a MAJOR milestone that just occurred. I made a homemade chicken pot pie for dinner. In typical Rachel fashion, she ate the pie crust but none of the filling - then asked for more. I told her she had to eat some of the 'healthy' stuff before she could have anymore. She, of course, started to whine because this child has NEVER eaten broccoli or carrots (which were part of the filling). When I told her that if she ate 3 bites she could have dessert, she surprisingly agreed. Her first 2 bites consisted of chicken and corn (which she will OCCASIONALLY eat), but in the third bite I gave her broccoli. I could see the surprise in her eyes when she actually tasted it and liked it. Then I offered her a carrot. She accepted it and liked it too! She continued to finish the rest of her filling and is currently eating carrots dipped in Ranch. Finally, after almost 4 years of offering this child veggies, she tried them! Lets all do a HAPPY dance!

The Haircut

After Jason threw a serious Mantrum (is that a word, or did I just make that up?), I decided that my marriage was more important than cutting Rachel's hair short. I was accused of trying to make her look "Dorky". Okay, whatever. You really don't need to hear all the details. However, we did both agree that she needed a few inches cut off to get rid of the damaged hair. So, this is what we ended up with: This is the before picture, you can see how uneven it had grown. Trying sooooo hard to hold still!

Half way done, still smiling. Just about done. This is the length we went to. I didn't get a very good "after" shot. And a blurry picture of what came off.

Okay quick, I need HELP!

I have been contemplating cutting Rachel's hair for a few months now. I originally wanted to donate her hair to Locks of Love. Her hair is surprisingly thick for only being 3 and I would LOVE to help someone else out who has cancer and needs a wig.

Jason, of course, is against it. Just like every typical man, he loves long hair. So, I began to think that I would still cut it, but just not the 10 inches that is required for Locks of Love. Her hair is really pretty, but man, what a pain in the butt! She cries every time I have to brush it and it gets so tangled doing normal "kid" stuff that I usually just have it in braids anyway.

Thanks to Lindsay, I discovered the She Does Hair Blog and have been trying new hairstyles on Rachie. Not all the hairstyles require long hair, but a lot of them do.

HELP! I want your opinion. Her hair appointment is tomorrow, so I only have 1 day to decide. Tell me what you think.

Oh, oops, that's a picture of a hair experiment gone terribly wrong!