Towels and Toes

Last night, Ben ended up working late. I got Maren in bed for the night and got the older two through the shower. I was helping Addy with her hair, drying it with her towel. She then asked if next time I change towels if she could have a grown up towel. She then proceeded to tell me that she did not like using a baby towel. I told her it was a kid towel, it has Elmo on it. She then told me said "Elmo is so babyish, I don't like Elmo." This from the girl that fell in love with Elmo as a 2 year old. It made me laugh that the Elmo towel is too babyish for her to use. It also made me a little sad to realize that she's growing up and out growing some of the things she used to love.

Monday afternoon, I was trying to get some yard work done before Ben got home. I put Maren in her walker on the grass and Addy and Sydnee were riding their bikes. Addy came and took Maren for a ride. Maren's legs were going really fast and I told Addy to slow down. Addy took her to the top of the little hill by our house and started running with Maren. The next thing I hear is Maren crying. Addy stopped and then got really upset. She said that she accidentally put holes in Maren's socks. Then she started to get even more upset, Maren's toes were bleeding. I went and rescued Maren and sure enough there were holes in her socks and she was bleeding. Addy pushed her too fast and her feet drug tearing holes in her socks and scraping the skin off of her toes. Poor girl, no wonder she's trying to walk, she needs to be able to escape. Maren didn't seem to mind too much. I washed her feet and put on some clean socks to keep her toes clean. Let's hope that all three children live through the summer!

If you can't find it...check the lost and found

For the last few months, Sydnee's favorite pretend play has been working at the lost and found. I guess it all started with Ben losing his wallet at IKEA. He went to check for it at the lost and found at the store. All along it was at home in his pants pocket, in the hamper. Behind our love seat is a small space, perfect for small children. Sydnee collects things from around the house that are "lost" and puts them behind the couch. Needless to say, I have "lost" many things. Sometimes, I would set something down for a minute, turn my head, and then poof they're gone. Then I would hear the announcement from Sydnee about all the items in the L&F. After several days of having my things "lost" and then found by Sydnee, the general manager of the house, AKA me, shut down the L&F. I love to see my children use their imaginations and play, but after having my socks, soap and other such items "lost", I had to shut it down and move it to the playroom. Who knows, maybe they will find their toys down there that have been lost for months.

What the man won't do for a dollar...or 50

When Ben was in the MTC in Brazil he wanted some hot sauce. If you know Ben, you know that he likes hot sauce on just about everything. Well, in Brazil they don't really have hot sauce, they have hot peppers in vinegar, and you just pour the vinegar out and that's your hot sauce. Well, someone bet him to eat one of the peppers. Ben pulled one out and popped it in his mouth. Where it touched his tongue, it bled. It burned all the way down, around and through. It completed its noisy, burning trip start to finish in about 45 minutes. There was no prize to be had or reward for this crazy act.
Flash forward about 11 years to the Happy Sumo in Provo. Ben and his co-workers were treated to lunch by a vendor. After finishing lunch the vendor told Ben he would give him $50 if he ate the golf ball size wad of wasabi. Ben told the man to give him the money, with 5o dollars in his hand he picked up the wasabi and popped it in his mouth. He described it as being like playdough in consistency. He got it down and kept the money. His coworkers rolled their eyes and said "whatever" while the vendor was shocked. You see, Ben has an iron gut and nothing he eats really bothers him. In our 9 years of marriage the man has never thrown up once. I must say I'm jealous. Ben's co-workers know he has an iron gut and weren't surprised at all by his wasabi eating. Ben said that it took about an hour before he knew it would stay down, crazy I say. I guess that's one way to make a quick buck. So, I asked if he would eat another Brazilian hot pepper if offered $5o, he thought for a second and then said yes. Crazy!