Blake's first official haircut

I ask him to smile, and this is what he does. Too funny!

After seeing Joel get his haircut today, I asked Blake if he wanted his haircut, too. He said, YES! Anything to be like Daddy, right? Blake did a GREAT job--no squirming or crying at all. And I think this lady gave him a really nice cut. His hair was getting so long, and not in a cute way, so it was definitely time. And they even gave me a piece of his hair and a little card with the haircutter's signature and date. But I didn't have my camera with me, so I took pictures when I got home.

Afterward, Blake said, "Nana's turn now." Meaning, it's Julianna's turn to get her haircut. So we talked to Julianna about it when she got home from school, and she said no, she didn't want to get her haircut (we've never cut her hair professionally before--it's not even that long yet!) So I said, "What if Grandma cut it? She's really good at cutting hair." And she thought about it, looked at the bag of marshmallows on the counter, and said, "If I get marshmallows, Grandma can cut my hair." So, Mom, maybe before you move away, you can cut her hair? I'll provide the marshmallows. That's our story for today.

Bread balls and butterfingers

The bread ball--a childhood favorite of mine.

Yes, gross, Julianna showing her bread ball (already in her mouth--it's not chewed up! Just a bread ball).

I know, you're all going, has Kera gone crazy? Well, after what occurred at the dinner table tonight, there was no denying what my next post was going to be, and I've been due for a post for a few days now. I almost felt like I took a trip back to my childhood tonight after what happened.

First, Blake's contribution--bread balls. I gave him a crusted piece of bread with butter, folded in half. I do this often to supplement their dinners (which actually, tonight they ate a LOT, but still wanted bread and butter.) So, when he got down to a little bit left, he started squishing it in his fist, and the butter was oozing out--a very boyish thing to do. And as I watched him, instant flashback! Okay, sisters, do you remember doing this? Making bread balls! (Or was I the only one?) Here's how you make one: 1) Crust a piece of bread. 2) Squish it into a ball. 3) Eat the bread ball. Bread actually tastes really good this way--I suggest you try it. I did it again tonight, and forgot how good it is. So, that was the first thing that happened.

Second, Julianna's contribution--butterfingers. I didn't get a picture, because it came out of nowhere, but we had the tub of butter (spread) on the table. All of a sudden I noticed Julianna had a BIG glob of spread on her finger. Joel and I immediately said, EW! GROSS! And asked her, are you going to eat it? She look down at her finger, and despite all the ew's, said, "Yes." So she did it--and we asked if she liked it. She said she DID! Again, Joel and I GAGGED. We have a daughter who likes to eat PLAIN BUTTER. Sound familiar (sorry, this is a family thing, everyone, but I had to post it). Yes, of course, CINDEL! If you happen to read this, you can now be a proud aunt of a niece who eats plain butter, just like you did in your younger days (I don't think you still do, right?)

So that was our eventful dinner tonight. Just wanted to share with everyone. We are enjoying Joel's spring break this week and next week. Good times!

Ice Cream Man, SD Temple, Mystery Lawn Mower Revealed, Sad News

So here's what's been going on with us since I last posted. First, Friday was the kids' lucky day. For once, we actually had cash when the ice cream man came through our street! The kids are always talking about the ice cream man, and I swear it drives by our house twice a day! So finally they were able to experience the wide variety that ice cream trucks provide. Julianna picked the SpongeBob ice cream, of course (see picture above). And Blake picked the Batman ice cream (again, see picture above). Julianna didn't like hers, so she traded with me and got my fudge bar. They were very excited about this big first event. I'm actually glad I don't have cash around all the time for the ice cream man--I'd be broke!

Saturday we went to the San Diego temple for the Johnson's sealing. When we told the kids that we were going to a sealing, Julianna looked up and replied, "But you don't wanna go to the ceiling!" It was really cute. Anyway, my sister Karina and brother-in-law Adam watched the kids for us while we went. They had a great time! Karina spoiled them with fun crafts and St. Patrick's Day stuff. The sealing was WONDERFUL. What a great experience to be there. And it was nice to be in the SD temple again--we haven't been since Karina and Adam got married over 3 years ago! Fun day.

Then we got home Saturday late, and as we left for church the next day, we noticed our grass was mowed! This has happened once before, and we think our neighbor to our right is doing it to be nice. So after church Joel knocked on their door, and sure enough, he did mow it. His reason was he doesn't like his grass to be shorter than ours, since our lawns are connected. But he even mowed the grass on the other side of the driveway. He is very generous! How many neighbors do you know that will mow your lawn without asking? We got lucky!

And lastly, some sad news for us, happy news for them--my Mom and Dad are moving to UTAH! They sold their house last week and had already planned a trip to see the Draper temple last Thursday. So while they were there, they found a great house and already had their offer accepted on it! So very soon, they will be moving! I'm so sad. But they do plan to buy a small condo in Murrieta so they can visit any time they want.

That's our update for now! Oh, the picture of Blake in the fridge is just for fun--he figured out how to do that one day. Don't worry--he can't shut himself in, but he sure did try! He's always into something.

A random post

1. On Monday I got the Bed Bath & Beyond ad in the mail. I noticed they are selling "Smooth Away," (as seen on TV.) I've seen the TV ad and must say it has always been intriguing, but I'm not one to order things off TV. It's basically a large and small buffer pad for your legs, underarms, face, etc. They make it look very easy to use. So, on a whim, that same day, I went to BB&B in Beaumont (only took me 14 minutes to get there--this is how I convinced myself it was okay to go there on a whim for one thing.) I got the Smooth Away, and didn't try it until Tuesday afternoon. So far I'm not impressed--it was kind of painful, and difficult to use, even though they claim it's pain free and easy. I'm considering returning it now--it cost me $9.99. Here's a link: https://www.getsmoothaway.com/ver20/index.asp

2. The other day, I made Blake a PB & J sandwich on wheat (enriched) bread, so not even whole wheat. He took one look at it and said, "I want white bread." How does a 2-year-old know that? I'm pretty sure I haven't spent time teaching him the difference between white and wheat bread.

3. We have a big tree on the right side of our house--mostly lots of long branches, no big trunk. On Saturday I convinced Joel to cut all the gangly branches that had grown at the top so it didn't look so thin. We noticed that there were little green leaves shooting out of the branches already--spring is coming! I decided I really like the look of shoots of leaves coming out of branches--it makes me happy just to look at it. Now there are a lot more shooting out. It's very pretty.

4. I am HOOKED on a show on the Discovery Health Channel (Ch. 279 for DIRECTV users). Every Monday at 11 pm (yes, 11) is a show called "Mystery Diagnosis." Since we don't have a DVR, I have to watch it every Monday night (at least for the last two weeks now.) It's an hour long show that tells two different stories of people who have had very strange symptoms that no doctor can figure out, or most of the time they just dismiss the symptoms--sometimes for years or decades--and finally they get an answer. They usually have some very rare disease or infection--Monday's episode was about a boy who kept getting extreme pain all throughout his arms and legs since he was an infant and was finally diagnosed with a disease where he cannot be in direct sunlight. This coming Monday will be about a 18-month old boy who suddenly starts getting very clumsy and can't walk and slowly starts to lose all mobility, in addition to other strange symptoms. I can't wait to watch it! I don't know why I like stuff like this.

5. Here's one more--those of you that watch the Noggin channel with your kids might know it's Music Month on Noggin (or maybe I just pay too much attention to know this). Anyway, March is also a music month for me--I am singing with some Primary leaders in Sac. mtg. this Sunday, and the next Sunday, I'm accompanying the choir with my flute in "Jesus the Very Thought of Thee." I love singing and playing and look forward to it!

Trike fun and piano playing

Our wonderland of weeds

Time for a quick update on things around here--I finally got Julianna a new tricycle that she's riding above. It's the same model as Blake's--I got his for Christmas. Blake has loved it, although he can't seem to reach the pedals all the way. And the old bike of Julianna's was a big wheel that we bought her when she was 3! She still can't use the pedals on it because it's just a heavy bike. So anyway, after I got Blake his Diego tricycle, Julianna would keep stealing it because she could use the pedals on it. Blake would of course get mad and say, "My bike!" But poor Julianna just couldn't ride her other one. So today at Walmart there was one Barbie trike left, and I forced myself to get it. So I put it together, let them go out and ride, and Blake discovered how well Julianna can use the pedals. He even said, "Nana pedal!" So he's trying really hard to do it now, since he has to be able to do everything she can. Now they can have fun outside without fighting! And by the way, our backyard is turning into a weed paradise--we actually had it weed-free, and then all the rain came, and overnight, it turned into a jungle. We've got so much variety out there, it's actually becoming pretty to look at with all the yellow, white and purple flowers. But it needs to go! We are so busy (Joel has assignments due every Saturday afternoon for his class) that we don't have time to deal with it! And I'm not going out there with a weed wacker! No way!

I also included a video of the kids on the piano. Since we've had our piano tuned, it's actually fun to play! I love to play it and am trying to improve my talents. But Blake LOVES it. He tries to play like I do--one finger at a time, turning the pages of the piano books. It's cute. I can't wait to teach them how to play. Enjoy the pics and video!