You Can Call Me Super Ali - Rescuer of Babies

No, I didn't adopt one of those malnourished African children for $19.99 a month or anything saintly like that, but I did save a baby from certain injury last Sunday! We were all at my parent's house baking cookies, playing Settler's of Catan (I know - NERD alert!), and rough-housing with the kids so that my mom could present us all at once with our traditional early Christmas gifts. Usually we get them on Christmas Eve and we always know what they will be, but we don't know what they will look like. This year we did it early because we weren't sure all of us would be there for the actual night since we are all married and have in-laws to tend to as well. The gift is pajamas. Doesn't sound exciting to you? Well, they're not for you and I LOVE them! Maybe this is why every night I sleep in long pajama pants and a big, baggy t-shirt, even in the hot summer months and even though they ride up past my belly button when I tuck myself in and Jared makes fun of me. Once we'd all opened them my mom insisted that we put the huge gray sweatpants and brightly colored, long-sleeved t-shirts on immediately. The pajamas had ironed on Settler's of Catan board game covers that my mom printed. We're not obsessed or anything, just don't play with us if you want to chat and take it easy or have fun. We play to win! Sometimes even storming off dramatically if a streak of bad luck strikes. We each had a different color of the rainbow. I ran into the den to change, but the pants were so big and there was no drawstring so I had to use a chip clip to cinch them from falling down. It's all for the picture... SO, getting to the exciting stuff - we all posed and took about 4 pictures with the timer so no one is missing and then people started to get up off the couch. I was sitting on the back and Jared was on the arm next to me. I was holding baby Joshua, so tiny and so helpless, WHEN Jadon ran to our side and the whole thing began to tip! I screamed and someone stopped it from tipping, but because I wasn't sure if we were about to crash into my mom's Christmas village on the table next to us, Joshua started to slip sideways and almost bonked his head, did a flip and fell. Instead, he just did a flip and I caught him in the very knick of time by his elastic waistband! Bungee jumping freaks out babies apparently because he cried the loudest I've heard him cry for about the next 5 minutes until Lindsey could call him down. His head was a little red perhaps from the crying or blood rushing to it in the flip, but he didn't appear to have bonked it. Lindsey and Bryce called their pediatrician or someone anyways and monitored him closely for the next day and they said he seemed fine. Thank goodness for once in my life, I had reflexes fast enough to do something awesome!!! Ha ha! I will post a picture soon!

It's a fetus!

We're pregnant with our first baby now and I just got into grad school. The feelings of shock and overwhelmedness are fairly accurate ways to describe me right now. I am getting more excited by the day though. Yesterday my sisters and my mom took me out to get lunch and a pedicure, then we went shoe shopping and had a cook-off at my mom's house! It was a blast! The cooking was lots of hard work, but now we have like 10 meals worth of food in our freezer, which is totally awesome!!! I sure do love my family! Everyone is excited because they've been wanting us to have kids for a while. I'm nervous and so is Jared about how to make it work financially and time-wise, but we know we can and we are looking forward to a baby belly and then a cute little baby boy or girl. We already know names we like! Logan Kyle for a boy and Peyton Olivia for a girl. My niece Elie even said she wanted us to have a girl and name it Olivia before we told her the name we'd picked! Jadon of course wants us to have a boy and name it John... Better than Flippers or Fattest! It was so good to see everybody yesterday and I'm really looking forward to the holidays. Then school will start and let the madness begin! Morning sickness hasn't been too bad, I haven't thrown up once still, but I am only about 7 wks along, so we'll see how it all goes down... It will be an adventure for sure! But a beautiful baby will come of it and bless our lives in ways we cannot possibly imagine yet. We are so fortunate that God know's perfect timing better than we do and has a wonderful plan for our lives that never ceases to excite!!!

Studying with my Sweetie

Not that sweetie, my cat Sweetie (who is really usually a witch). Every time I start to try and study, which is important, ya know? Sweetie wants attention and gets in the way. Other than that, she loathes attention. But as soon as I look like I need to focus, there she is purring and snuggly. Here is a picture of her saying, "Don't even think about opening that book, Ali! I am here and I want your attention now." (until I try and shove her away and she scratches my neck. Ow. She is truly a witch...

Mugsy's Neurosis

Here's a tidbit of what it's like when you're crazy in the head like Mugsy (and what it's like to live with him):

"Aroof (tilt head to side as if I might be able to understand if I do this)?"

"What are you doing? Where are you going? You're walking that way? YOU'RE GOING OUTSIDE?! I want to come! Can I come? Open the door! Come on, what're you waiting for?! OH! You want me to sit? I forgot you make me do that every time. Ok, I sat! Can I go? Can I go? I'M IN THE YARD! (run side to side lightening fast and inspect for demons or ghosts or strangers) A flying fly! Arf! Darn! Missed it! (run up onto the raised border, even though I know I'm not supposed to, just to show how excited I am) AH! My tail! Hurry, GET IT! Chase it! GROWL! SNARF! WHoa! A gust of wind! That's shocking! (whip head quickly in opposite direction while looking uber alert) Ok, everything's fine. Don't worry, I took care of it with my manliness. STRANGER DANGER!!!! RRR, RRR, RRR!~ Hazootalo! I have spotted an intruder! Growl, growl, growl. (sniff stranger skeptically, jolting back every couple of seconds in case it lunges at me) Why does it smell like plastic?! I've never seen this before in my life! Eh, it's not movin'. I must've scared it stiff. GOOD! That's what I DO!!!!! (continue running about the yard and being suprised at everything I see)"

In conclusion, if you're wondering who the "intruder" was toward the end there, it was his plastic bin (yes, an inanimate object) that sits in his exercise pen every day with him. I had rinsed it out because he peed in it (which is what it is for) and left it upside down to dry in the backyard last night. It's an exhausting lifestyle, but somebody's gotta do it. The rest of us have no idea what neurotic people and dogs and other creatures go through to protect and serve. I personally am very thankful that Mugsy would never let a blade of grass quiver without bringing it to my attention.