Caught!

I am sure all of you have had one of those moments, no matter how good of a kid you are/were, where you were trying to do something sneakily to avoid your parents. Like when I fell asleep at Jason's until 5am and didn't want to run into my mom when I got home (of course I did) or when Beka first got her cell phone and was hiding under her covers talking to me at night so her mom wouldn't catch her (of course she did). Or there was the time when I snuck out (we were sleeping on the trampoline, so did we really 'sneak'?) with my cousin and just after we met up with some boys, one of their dad's found us. Hmmm, maybe I was a bad kid? Anyway, we all know what it feels like when we do get caught, which I experienced last night for the first time in a LONG time. You see, Jason and I have created a nightly ritual that has been going strong for the last few weeks. Right before we go to bed, we go 'check' on Clara. We both like to watch her sleep and talk about how cute she is, so we wait until the other one is ready to go. Last night, we were doing just that, admiring her over her crib, when Clara started tossing around. Then, Jason hit something and her head shot straight up (the way it does when I say she looks like a prairie dog :)). Instantly, Jason and I both dropped to the floor so she couldn't see us. We were down there for three or four minutes trying so hard not to burst out in laughter because we knew she was awake. Somehow she quickly found her pacifier, laid her head back down and had her back towards us so we made our escape without her seeing us. Isn't that great, Jason and I acting like kids... but not only that, hiding FROM our kid. HA!

Senior Citizen Alert

My lovely mother turned FIFTY-FIVE today and she made sure to tell us all that today is the day she became a Senior Citizen. Now we'll be sure to take her with us to get all the sweet senior citizen discounts. We had a little get together at Ryan and Kathryn's so my mom didn't have to cook or clean. My camera isn't that bad, this is right after the candles got blown out and my mom is teaching Elsa where the fire went (she's always teaching her grandkids). On a more serious note, I love my mom to death and think she is absolutely wonderful. She is the most selfless person I have ever known and lives to serve. Many people don't know that in addition to her NINE kids she birthed, she helped raise four of her sister's kids. I often wonder how she has enough love and energy to make all her kids feel like they are her favorite and treat her nine grandkids like they are the first (like she did towards Clara). I never worry when she babysits and she is always willing to do so. Well, she's not just willing, she's THRILLED to do so. My mom is a great example to me and a very sweet woman. So much of what I am is because of my mom and I have loved the opportunity to spend more time with her now that I am not working so much. And don't tell her I put pictures of her on here, she will be SO embarassed (she hates pictures of herself and always tries to hold a grandkid in the event a picture is taken of her). I just told her I wanted a picture with a Senior Citizen, that's all. :) Happy Birthday Mom! I love you.

Secrets

I love to read people's blogs and I love the "four things..." or "seven things..." and I have never been specifically 'tagged' (can we think of another term, I don't like that one...). As I was doing my blogging rounds yesterday, I read Maren's four things and almost didn't read who she tagged because we've hung out like once in the last two years... but then Surprise! There was my name. I actually did the four things (see Anna's Rule of Fours...) but shhhh, don't tell Maren. :) So, I've decided to defy all the rules and list seven things people don't generally know about me because I like to share secrets. Again, I think these are a little goofy, but it will be a fun thing to look back on and for my posterity to look back on...

1. I am constantly thinking of white collar crimes I could get away with... embezzling, money laundering, forgery, etc. I would NEVER do any of the like, obviously, but as an auditor I was trained to look for flaws in accounting systems and procedures and weaknesses in a company's internal controls so I notice them when I see them and think, I could totally get away with that.

2. I secretly wish I was a programmer. I LOVED programming in college (hence the second major in CIS). I can't part with my coding books, my printed code and the disks containing the programs I wrote in college or my e-mails from my old teammates with different blocks of code. Most of the languages I know are pretty much a thing of the past, so these books wouldn't be much of a resource even if I was a programmer, yet I seem to keep them as a symbol that deep down inside I'm loyal to my love of coding.

3. Many of you know I have an OCD when it comes to a lot of things, to the point where if it can't be done perfect, I don't bother. But, especially when it comes to the piano, which I believe has limited my piano playing skills. Jason calls me the stuttering pianist. When I am alone, I play very well. However, when ANYONE is listening, I get nervous, anticipate I'll mess up, stop and re-start the measure I'm in even though I haven't messed up. I do this freqeuntly, not just once or twice in a song, so it makes it annoying, if not impossible to accompany people unless I have the song memorized.

4. I wish I could be annorexic. I love the emaciated look, but we all know my obsession with cooking and food far outweighs this wish, of which my health thanks me for. I have only seen a few girls in my entire life that I think are too skinny...

5. I feel like a slacker for not passing the CPA exam and I wish I were a CPA. I feel guilty when the subject comes up and I feel foolish when people ask, "You're a CPA, aren't you?" I still keep telling myself... someday.

6. I often look at Jason and wonder how we ended up together. We come from such different backgrounds and have SO many different opinions on things. Our attitudes towards a lot of important things are completely opposite and I swear he pretended to be more like me when we were dating. I suppose it was love that led us to wed, but that's just speculation.

7. I wish I was adventurous enough to have traveled more before I was married and had Clara or that I could live somewhere else, especially in another country, temporarily. Before I had Clara (even before I was married) I was so focused on work and school and left little time for adventures. I had fun, but as my good friends Jeff and Geoff said: "My head was on WAY too straight for my age."

Now I ping (that's better than tag... and it's a better internet word than something as physical as tag) my brother RYAN since he hasn't posted anything on his blog since April and before that, it was June 2006 and because I know he'll come up with the most entertaining list of seven secrets ever AND these people: SHAWNA SMITH, BRITTNEY BOND, ANGELA HARDISON and BRITTANY McCALL (because I don't think she reads my blog... he he).

FRIDAY

Don't ask why, but the other day I decided looking out a peephole is the coolest view.A few nights ago Jason was laying in bed and his bangs were hanging pretty low so I decided he needed to borrow Clara's clip. When I went to get the camera he decided to pretend he was sleeping because I told him I needed to take a picture for my blog. But don't worry, I told him I would say that he was fake sleeping so he shouldn't bother, but he wouldn't listen to me. A little while ago I bought this little toy for Clara and hadn't given it to her. It's amazing to me that a new toy is so exciting at such a young age. It seems like a 7-8 month old would just like a toy and not realize what is new versus what's been around since birth. She loved it though. Each of the little shapes has a hole in the middle. Jason took one of them and was blowing through it and Clara took her's and did the same thing. I am constantly amazed at how smart kids are and I don't think they get enough credit. Either that or we're raising a genius.

She would also grab the bucket with her legs and lift it in the air, then rollover with it. It was funny. Of course I made her do it a dozen times so I could get a picture of it. Yeah, it took a dozen times because my retarded camera takes about 30 seconds to take a picture after the button is pressed... and in a baby's world with the attention span Clara has, 30 seconds is literally FOREVER.
Am I the only one that is absolutely OBSESSED with my sweet baby? Her faces are so rad. This is her crawling as fast as she can towards me and I love when she does this with her top lip.
Nakey baby on the prowl... much against daddy's wishes. What's the harm in letting Clara roam free for a few minutes after bath time? Jason doesn't approve, but I'm pretty sure I'm in charge. She just gets so hyper, until the PJ's are on, then she knows it's time to eat so that's all she thinks about.
Eventhough I don't have the weekends to look forward to as a break from work like before, I still get excited when they are here. I think it is mostly because I feel like I am getting ahead when I'm working on Saturdays because that is one less day my client is working so I gain a day. Isn't it amazing how a thought can effect us so much, whether it's true or not? The only problem is I still think that since it's the weekend that I don't need to work as much as I should, so I don't. Ha ha, I'm so funny.

Goose!

In case you forgot, I LOVE my little goose (aka Clara). When I was at Beka's the other day, she just crawled right into the exersaucer to grab some toys. It was pretty funny. Good thing Beka is responsible and had her camera handy. And this first picture, I'm not sure what Clara is doing with her face but it sure made me laugh! What's interesting is the bottom of our exersaucer is exactly the same as Beka's and Clara has never even tried to climb into our's. Maybe it was the toys inside of Beka's. Either way, she sure makes me laugh with her intense desire to explore and go places she's never been. She loves new things. Cute goose, happy goose, grumpy goose, silly goose and now curious goose.

The Notebook

So tonight instead of being responsible and working, Jason and I watched a movie. That's right, I'm a total REBEL It was all his idea... he asked, "Should I borrow 'The Notebook' from the neighbors?" Ha, he's funny. I have only seen it once and couldn't remember much about it. It is a pretty good movie. About ten minutes into it, I told Jason that I don't get guys. They know why girls like chick-flicks. It is because the guys are so sweet and romantic in them. So they have a great example of what to do to make their women happy... and they still don't do it! Sheesh, we make it so easy and they just don't take advantage of it. :) Then, the part where they are at the beach, Jason said the girl's headband looks like Clara's. HA! He was right. So now I'm up way too late, thinking I should've worked and totally starving. I get so hungry late at night if I don't go to sleep. Good thing I already brushed my teeth, otherwise I'm sure I'd be eating.

Priorities

What, do you ask, is so important that it has kept Anna from blogging for nearly a week? I know, I'm sure many of you have thought I was on vacation and I certainly wished I was on vacation, but the reality is, I've just been busy! There have only been a few times since I had Clara that I have felt "busy" relative to how busy I felt when I was working, and this last week came close. Of course my business was made up of fun and work, so I can't really complain. I have been most busy with work. I feel like I can't get caught up with my client (not KS). Here's why: he has to file his personal return for '05 and '06, a partnership return for '03, '04, '05 and '06, which includes several other entities, one of them a very active one and another entity return for '06. There were a few other companies, but apparently the tax folks determined it unnecessary to file those. So, I actually feel like I am making progress and I have told the client and the tax people I will try to get them everything early next week. Then, I will have to catch up on all the current stuff I have been slacking on to try and get this stuff done. Wah wah wah, that's right. I am hoping I have pretty much everything done when I go to Utah for Rob's wedding.

Other things I have done in the last week: loved Clara, looked at a model home that Jason and I have been eyeing for a few years, shopping with Angela, actually met the client I am working for, visited my neighbor, went to a Pampered Chef party (those are always fun), got my new and improved recommend (anyone know how long it takes for Salt Lake to get the information?) and visited Beka and her babies.

So, more about this house... Jason's company does work for Lennar, a homebuilder, and so a few years ago, I was looking at their website and noticed they are building in Gilbert. Well, we found a floorplan we LOVE and they were supposed to start January 2006 and didn't start until September 2006. Before they started building houses, I drove by the subdivision. It is such a cute little development, the kind that goes white fence, grass, sidewalk, grass. And I would always just look at the floorplan, it's really cool. So last Saturday, I decided to go look at the model. Angela went with me and now I like the house even more. Yesterday, Kathryn and my mom went and looked at it with me too. They don't just sell any house on any lot, everything is pre-determined and they only release so many houses at a time. Currently, they don't have any of the one we like for sale, but that's okay because currently we can't buy a house anyway. :) Here are some benefits: new BIG home with storage, lots of room to grow, beautiful neighborhood, close to the brand new hospital, not too far away (Recker and Elliot), affordable (great incentives going on now, can't imagine why...), LOTS of greenbelt in the development, two lakes that are 'catch-and-release' close to the 202 and the 60 (not that I like the 60) yet it's off Recker, so we shouldn't get too much traffic from the freeway and a wonderful floorplan. The cons are: further away from Jason's work (only 2 miles), not in Mesa (why do I care about this?), things would have to align perfectly for it to work out (sell our house in Mesa quick and get the model we want on a good lot) and the worst... we just realized this... it's VERY close to Williams Gateway. Which currently, this isn't a problem. The sound decible are is very low. However, Jason tells me they have HUGE plans for this airport in the next decade or so. So, now what am I supposed to think? For now, I just enjoy looking at it and I'm sure I'll go to the models at least a few more times (Jason hasn't been yet). Here's the elevation we like best, but you don't get to pick it, so I don't know if we would buy one with the other elevation or not buy one unles we get the one we want. This is not a good situation for a person that over-analyzes everything...

Lack of Adult Interaction

I don't know what it is about Costco, but I love that store. I generally get excited to go there and be there. Today, was no different. It's amazing how eventful a trip to Costco can be, or seem to be when you are a stay-at-home mom and are easily entertained. Anyway, I had to go to the bank and realized snowbirds aren't just here in the Winter. It took the old couple in front of me at least six or seven minutes to do whatever they were doing at the ATM. The woman kept pounding the keys and then they were arguing... good thing I'm patient. So off I go to Costco. I ate lunch there because it is cheap, good and SO bad for you. It was packed, as usual, and I sat next to and older couple and then an old lady. They were obsessed with Clara, particularly the old woman. She was a riot and I hope when I'm that old (I'm guessing she was 70 or 80), I will have the same attitude. When I got there she wasn't there, just her purse and her pizza, she had gone back in line to get some ice cream. When she got back and took a look at her pizza and her ice cream, she said, "Hmm, it looks like I am celebrating something today... what could I celebrate? ... I'm retired..." Then the man next to us pipes in, "You can do whatever the heck you want!" And the lady laughs and agrees. She said for years she wasn't spoiled, so now she's spoiling herself. She was just so happy about life, which is not the case for a lot of older folk I have run into. She guessed Clara only weighed 5 pounds when she was born. When I told her she weighed 8lbs 2 oz, she was completely shocked and asked me if I watched my weight gain very closely. I'm guessing she thought a baby that big is avoidable. Hmmm, actually, I'm pretty sure it has much more to do with genetics than your weight gain. The lady asked me if I was going to have more kids and I said, yeah, six, seven, maybe eight and her and the other couple freaked out. They asked me how my husband felt about that and how we were going to afford it.That is what cracks me up about people and having kids... you can manage on very little and it all works out. I guess not everyone in the world has the blessing of tithing in their lives. I told them I will just do what my parents did and teach us that we need scholarships so college is paid for. The old man said with the love you have, you can do it.

I saw Katy and her sister Sherry (from the restaurant I used to work at) and Sherry's cute little baby. She's a month old and is very sweet. I think I see someone I know almost every time I go to Costco. Some people think kids slow everything down. For me, it isn't because of me or Clara, it's because every single person that walks past you has to say something and look at the baby and then tell their shopping partner, come look at this baby. What do you say when people say, "What a beautiful baby." ... "I know" Just kidding, but today it seemed like everyone that walked by commented on how cute/beautiful she is. I went to check out and realized when I was eating, I gave Clara my Costco card... lesson learned, don't do that again! It was gone even though I totally planned on watching her the whole time. :) They looked up my number so everyone behind me had to wait forever (including Katy and Sherry). I hate being the person I hate to be behind in line. After I checked out, I walked around the whole store looking for it, because I didn't want to get another one. I went to Customer Service on my way out and there it was, in the "Lost Cards" box.

Tonight I fed Clara carrots, and she would shudder a bit and make a funny face, but then she'd open her mouth for more and ate a decent amount, so I guess she liked them. Ha ha! I got the spoon!Shudder, shudder...I swear I ate more than is on my face.Oh look, my straps, once I discover those, mealtime is INSTANTLY over because they are much more fun to pick at.Then, we gave her some watermelon and she LOVED that. She would chomp off a big piece with her gums if we weren't careful. She grabbed a huge chunk from Jason and stuck the whole thing in her mouth and sucked like crazy. Luckily she didn't try to swallow it and Jason took it out. In the first picture, notice the large chunk she is trying to grab and then if you look in the next picture, you'll notice the chunk is gone but there is a wet spot on her right arm... she tried to grab it and it shot off the tray. It was funny.
She has some in her mouth that she is chewing on. She makes funny expressions all the time, but they are even better when food is involved.
Another first for Clara tonight was her first kabonk. Somebody let her sit up a little too close to the TV stand and didn't grab her fast enough as she toppled over, so she bonked her forehead on the edge. She has a little bump, but she handled it well. She sits up for a little while, but when she leans one way or the other, she falls over. Maybe if I had a little more adult interaction during the day, my blog entries wouldn't be so long... I used to talk like 10 hours a day with people. :)

A Picture is Worth 1000 Words

Unless you are me... then a picture is ACCOMPANIED by 1000 words. :) What can I say, I love to talk, whether it be verbally or by typing. Another reason I LOVE Arizona: the sunsets. I have never seen a more beautiful sunset than in Arizona. Clara has the most hilarious facial expressions. I hope I can get a new camera soon so I have to take 10 pictures to get one with Clara's eyes open... my camera is SO slow and it gets extremely agitating when I'm trying to capture something.
Clara loves to crawl under the table, the chairs and the piano bench. Sometimes she tries to crawl 'through' the legs of whatever it is she's under and gets frustrated when she can't.
When Clara sucks her sippy cup laying down, a lot of times, she'll wait until her mouth is flooded with water, then try to breath or something and freaks out and after she swallows, gasps for a breath. You'd think she almost drowned.
Clara LOVES pens, markers and highlighters. I think because they are long and easy to hold as she chews away.

Let's Take a Vote

I am very grateful for my home. HOWEVER, I would also like to move. :) When I say this I sometimes feel like a little brat because we have much more living space than some people, but there is NO storage in our house. Clara's room is 8' x 9' and it's a good thing we didn't get a dresser because there is no room for it. Plus, our third bedroom is a guest room so our desk is in our room. Our room is big, until you try to make it into a bedroom+office, and then it gets a little cramped, especially since I'm working from home and Jason has plenty of reminders of when he worked from home. Aside from our little house with no storage, it would be nice to be closer into 'town'. Although, we really aren't that far away and in less than a year, we will be about a mile away from two different on-ramps to the 202. The downsides of moving would be, well, to move everything, leaving our great ward and friends out here and I would miss the feeling of being a little distanced from the chaos of the city. We obviously can't move anytime soon, or at least until our blessed little home in Utah sells, but it is fun to plan and think about what we would do if we could move. So, the more I look and think about this, the more I realize there are essentially four options if we move:
A. Buy a good sized lot on Power and McKellips and build in oh, five or six years
B. Buy a much smaller (not quite half the size) lot on Lindsday and McKellips and build in three years or so
C. Buy an older, smaller (smaller than what I'd like, but definitely bigger than our current home) home closer to my parents
D. Buy a newer, bigger home out here where we already live
So... now is the time for everyone to leave me their comments and tell me what they think and why. I need all the help I can get when it comes to making decisions.