The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks

My little sister Abby told me about this blog a while ago, it is hilarious!!  Abby just sent in a post, she is "famous" now!!  Check out this link:

http://quotation-marks.blogspot.com/2008/07/amber-may-or-may-not-be-missed.html

Yet Another Reason to Dislike Barbie...

I saw this article on the internet this morning:

Barbie’s new S&M look has whipped up a storm — with protesters dubbing it "filth."
The doll’s image is transformed with kinky fishnets, motorcycle jacket, black gloves and boots.
Maker Mattel says Black Canary Barbie, out in September, is based on a DC Comics superhero of the same name.
But religious group Christian Voice said: "Barbie has always been on the tarty side and this is taking it too far. A children’s doll in sexually suggestive clothing is irresponsible — it’s filth."

Oh, SO agreed!!!  I have never liked Barbie.  My little sister Dana used to tell me that she was going to buy my kids Barbies to play with because I always said that I never would.  (Okay, I did buy Grace a barbie bike, but even I have a hard time turning down a steal of a deal at a consignment sale!!  And she needed a bike!  But I have never bought a barbie doll!!)  I think that the whole idea of Barbie creates an unrealistic expectation of beauty/body that is virtually unattainable by 99.99999% of the human population.  Combine this with young impressionable girls idolizing her and I just don't think it is a good thing.  I think that young girls are way too overly sexualized by the constant bombardment of images, such as this barbie,  on TV, magazines, billboards, walking through the mall, etc.  I don't know who thought that making a barbie, BARBIE whose target market is young girls, dressed in S & M clothing would be a good idea.  Have we become so desensitized?!   How are little girls going to play with this barbie?  Put her on a seedy street corner and have Ken drive up in his barbie jeep?!  I get it, it is probably supposed to be a collectors item for adults, but come on!!  I will continue the boycott...

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby (#4) in the baby carriage!

Well, we have been gone for the last week visiting my parents, but I thought that it was probably time to announce to the world that we are having another baby!!  He or she will be due early January (hopefully he so I don't have to buy any new clothes!).  I am about 14 weeks pregnant right now and over the worst of it.  I was pretty sick the first 12 weeks (believe me, that is not fun while selling a house/moving), but now I feel great and just want the next 6 months to be over!!  This will most likely be our last baby and I feel strangely relieved that I am almost over this stage of my life, now I can just concentrate on getting them all raised!!  So that's the news from the VanderLouws, more pics to come of our trip!!

Back Yard Antics

I just had to put this post from my family's blog on my blog so everyone can see how hardcore and crazy my parents are!!  Enjoy!

Hi everyone. Decided it was about my turn to share a little experience I had last week. As all of you know, your Dad has a headlamp that he uses outside, to work very late at night. It has been very beneficial, especially last summer getting ready for the wonderful open house. Well, you may have all heard that we had to do some quick cleaning up down at the bottom of our hillside. Someone turned us into the city, so we spent a day shredding branches, probably there from ten years back. It really was time to clean it up. Another thing we have to do is stack up the railroad ties, many of which have rebar coming out the ends. Another wonderful experience with landscapers. Anyway, dad was working out late in the dark last wednesday night. He slipped and fell on the hillside, and there was a spike sticking up out of one of the railroad ties. It pierced his leg. He continued to work for a while, and as we were getting ready for bed, he mentioned it to me. I could see the bloody hole--not too big--in his pants. He took them off, and he also had a hole in his garments, and HE ALSO HAD A HOLE IN HIS LEG! It wasn't huge, but it needed to be sewn up. Well, it was very late, and Dad proceeded to go through his black bag, found some suture, and asked/told me that I needed to put a suture in it. It really was gaping. I really wish you had been here, Colin. So he draws me a diagram, shows me what the needle needs to do, how I need to jab it in. He really is a very good teacher. Next he laid down on our bed, and I begin to jab into the edge of the wound (he also told me how close to put it in). All this is with no anesthesia. He also showed me how to wrap the suture around my tweezers (didn't have the instrument you use to hold the needle), one way, then the other way, forming a square knot. Eventually, I got it done. It was definitely not a sterile procedure. He didn't wince or anything. I am happy to report that there are no signs of infection, and the wound is healing nicely. Jason if you had been here, maybe you would have been called upon to operate! Anyway, it was a very interesting experience for me. I know how to do it if I am ever called upon again to become a temporary surgeon. Life is always interesting here on 20th. mom


Here they are, the dynamic duo!!

OH. MY. GOODNESS.

So, my mom calls last night at about 9:00 and Ray answered.  I am only hearing his side of the conversation.  I hear him say, "What?! Is it?  Oh my gosh!".   Then it clicks in my head.  It is our ANNIVERSARY!!  Both of us completely forgot!!  Someone at the park yesterday even asked me how long I had been married!!  Well, I felt terrible (less so because Ray forgot, too!).  I even made quickie spaghetti for dinner last night, nice!!  It would be funny if it wasn't so sad!!  Things have been so crazy around here since we moved, I have been totally out of it, obviously.  However, it has nothing to do with how important I consider Ray to be to me and how much I love him.  

So, Happy Anniversary Ray!!  It has been a wonderful and crazy 9 years and I am so happy that you have been with me for the ride.  You are such a wonderful husband and father and I consider myself very lucky and blessed to have found you.  I love you!!  We will do it up right for our 10th!!

Silly Grace

Grace has been cracking me up lately with her little kid grown-up thinking.  Here are a couple of examples:

After putting on her temporary tattoos from her kids meal:

Grace:  I love my new tattoos.  Dad says that tattoos stay on your skin forever.

Mom:  Well, these tattoos are called temporary tattoos, so they will wash off your skin in a couple of days.

Grace:  Well, we have to get me a real tattoo.  I LOVE tattoos!

Uh-oh....

When wrestling with dad:

Dad:  Are you the kung-fu panda, Grace?

Grace: Yes.  No wait, I am going to be the girl snake and you will be the kung-fu panda because your stomach is so fat.

OUCH!!!  I probably would have really gotten my feelings hurt by that but luckily Ray doesn't really care and he just started laughing:)  I asked him if he was okay with me posting this and he said that he's not ashamed of who he is :)

Sweet little Elliot...

I was downstairs on the computer with Grace yesterday and when I went upstairs to check on Elliot, this is what I found...



Elliot is such a sweet little boy and I love the way that he falls asleep in the funniest places!!  He used to do this much more often back when he took naps on a regular basis.  This got me thinking about all of the little things I love about Elliot.  Here is a little list:

I love the way he eats his pizza crust first.

I love the way that he plays with my hair whenever he is near me.

I love the way he hugs me and says, "I'm so sorry honey mommy".

I love the way he goes out in the back yard and lays on Max, hugging him for a half hour at a time.

I love it when you ask him what color something is and he answers with the spanish word for the color.

I love the way he gathers things up and lines them up, sometimes by color or shape.  Here are two examples just from today.

His favorite cartoon is "Super Why" on PBS kids, I love it that he calls it "Super Want".

I love it that he loves letters and numbers so much.  He will sit at the table for an hour writing all his letters and numbers on a piece of paper.

I love it that he writes smiley faces on everything.

I love it that he loves Charlie Brown so much.  I love the way he and Grace will still act out scenes from Charlie Brown Christmas.

I love it that he always wants to dress up in Grace's dress up clothes and shoes whenever she is playing with them. (Ray doesn't love this so much!)

I love it that he loves primary songs so much and tries to make requests during singing time in nursery.

I love it when we are in the store and I hear a song I like and tell him to dance, and he does it.

The list could go on and on, but those are just a few reasons why I love Elliot so much!!