Interesting

I think it's time to start potty training? Tycho complains about "poopoo" when he goes number two...Only problem is he says it AFTER he has done the deed. Still, he has been impervious to the presence of "poopoo" in his "dyer" until now, so complaining about it now is a good sign... I guess. I've heard most doctors say you can't really start potty training boys until age three without failing miserably. Okay, maybe not that grim, but you get the gist.

Interesting tidbits of information about boy babies versus girl babies:

Girls start out with better hearing from birth, right down to the frequency, which is critical in understanding speech. On the flip side, the verbal centers in girls' brains also develop more quickly. Here's something random: girl babies have a far greater capacity to hold a grudge. They also favor looking at colors and textures (whereas boys are drawn more to movement).

BOYS are less verbal, more impulsive, more rambunctious, and aggressive. With studies on the brain, research shows that taking risks lights up the pleasure centers in boys' brains. Boys are unable to hold eye contact for long periods of time. They also have trouble connecting feelings with words and tone of voice (this explains why a spanking goes a lot further than a talking to with Tycho). Boys learn to talk later, and even then use limited vocabulary, but this does not mean they don't understand you.

In other words, boys are more FUN!! Just kidding... or am I?

The Weekend

So we made it down to Houston in one piece on Friday (or early Saturday morning, I should say). Said our hellos to Seth and the rest, played soccer in the morning, and came back to the house to find that the brakes on our car do not work. Ungh. Fortunately, my in-laws are chock full of men who have better knowledge about cars than Average Joe. So, between them all, we figured out the problem. UNfortunately, they could not fix it and it had to be taken to a shop. Ungh number dos. My very generous father-in-law gave us his car to drive back to Sherman (because Jacob has to go to school and I have to go to work) and he is going to drive our newly-repaired car back up to us this Saturday. Of course he brushed it off, saying that he wanted to come up and visit us anyway... those crazy-generous Morrills.

So, all is well in H-town. Seth is adjusting (still using Spanish more than English and feeling guilty watching even a PG movie). I think another fabulous uncle is in the works, though. I can see Tycho really hitting it off with Seth. Excelente!

Grood Day (Great and Good)

It is a GOOD day.

It's Jacob's birthday and we are going to celebrate!

I woke up super early this morning and cleaned the downstairs (and I'm not tired!).

The manager of Subway came by to give H&R Block employees a FREE lunch.

The UPS guy came a day EARLY to drop off the paychecks (the eagle usually flies on Wednesday).

Jacob got a 96% on the CTO exam (highest grade in the class)!!!!!!!!!

Cici's Pizza for Valentine's Day

Hear me out before you judge. I. Love. Cici's. Seriously. It's the best. And, while Utah has many a good restaurant, it is not blessed with the presence of Cici's. So I've wanted to go ever since we moved to Texas. Best Valentine's Day ever.

C'mon people, all you can eat pizza!! Doesn't get much better than that. No wait, it does. Kids under 2 eat free!!! Don't be fooled by the size of Tycho (last time he was weighed was at the doctor when he was sick... only 23 pounds, but I'm sure he's back up to 25 by now). The kid can EAT. Definitely got our money's worth. And probably a few days worth of our recommended calorie-intake.

The End

Well, I have finished Elantris. Brandon Sanderson's writing style seemed oddly familiar to me throughout the whole book, and then it hit me in the end. Mary Higgins Clark. Yep. Elantris is a totally different genre and your average MHC book is an easier read, but my impression at the end of the novel was the same--now I need to read something happy. The last 50 pages or so is when everything happens and you feel like you just had a rear-end-load of information dumped on you. But it was good, I liked it, would recommend it, etc. Yeah.

New Alarm Clock

I am sooo loving my new alarm clock. Seriously, it doesn't get much better than waking up to your toddler yelling "Mooooom... Moooom! MOM!" from the next room. While we always knew that I am the first thing Tycho wants to see in the mornings, it's nice to hear him vocalize that fact.

In other news, the left side of Jacob's face is swollen a LOT, and his tooth hurts like the dickens (got that phrase from my dad... don't know what it means, but I use it anyway). So he's going to the dentist tomorrow morning. Yay... not.

I'm half way through Elantris and I gotta say, it's not bad. Started off slow and, well, it's still slow, but it's interesting. Very... political. More thoughts to come when I finish.

Good Afternoon

I like the idea of just posting things that are on my mind, random though they may be. Right now:

1. Here are a few names of cities I have heard of since I moved to Sherman: Whitesboro, Pottsboro, Hillsboro, Jacksboro, Goldsboro, and Brownsboro. Interesting.

2. Quote from a pregnant woman's blog I read: "After all, Dr. Oz says preggos produce more estrogen in one day than a normal, sane woman does in 3 years. There. I have just offered the trump card disclaimer for every shortfall in my life that reaches ahead into the next nine months. I am not ashamed of playing this card, and do not begrudge others to do the same. Life has so few free passes." LOVE. IT.

3. Words that go together: "Good afternoon" and "Nice day." These are not interchangeable--"Have a good day" just doesn't sound right, and neither does "Nice afternoon."

4. One thing I didn't miss during my extended stay in Utah: SMOKERS. I just saw a smoker guy walk past who was holding what looked like a 9-month-old little girl. Ugh. Barf me.

That is all.

Snap

Few things on my mind:

1. I think it's hilarious that my father-in-law says "snap." I have a really hard time not laughing when this happens.

2. Jacob's CTO exam is on Wednesday, and I am getting super nervous. More nervous than I ever was with any of my exams...

3. What should we do for Valentine's Day?

4. I feel sorry for/slightly annoyed at this guy, Jerome, in the office, who happens to be realllllly slow at everything (walking, writing, typing, talking). I feel slightly annoyed because of the slowness... I am a fast-paced person. Wanna get everything done and I wanna get it done efficiently. I feel sorry for him because his own clients get annoyed at his slowness--some walk out, some get angry, some yell out so the whole lobby full of people can hear them say "I don't want that guy again!!!" and then everyone else in the lobby decides they want to wait an hour for someone else to do their taxes rather than have Jerome do it. Okay, so the latter has only happened once. I feel sorry for him because he is totally oblivious of all of this... or is he? This man is probably the nicest man I will ever meet. He is always kind, no matter how a customer treats him. And he's always happy and upbeat, no matter how the day is going. When he has rough days (which is pretty much every day), I can't get it out of my mind how utterly depressed I would be if I were him. He calls each name on the check-in list with nothing but a proud smile on his face. He chooses to be happy. He chooses to be happy with himself. Poor Jerome? Or poor me?

5. Joy is a woman in our ward who watched Tycho for two weeks when I started my job (to give me time to look for a new babysitter). She. Is amazing. She has six kids, five of which are adopted, and still volunteered happily when I desparately plead in relief society for a babysitter. And the most amazing part? She didn't want to be paid for it. So I'm thinking for "Valentine's Day" (my excuse to get her something), I will pull together a movie basket and a card with money or a gift certificate or something. She noted earlier that she was in need of some disney movies...

6. I am annoyed. About stuff. Car stuff. In general, I think we would all be better off if there were no such thing as cars.