Merry Christmas Everyone!

A Thousand Times Thank You!

Jared's dad and brother came over and cleaned our carpet.


















It looks so pretty! I didn't know it could look so good!

I'm scared to walk on it because it looks so nice.

We appreciate all your hard work and all the trouble you went through to do it for us. Thank you Greg and Grayson! We love you!
























Hannah is very excited about the clean carpet too.
























She loved having you over as you can see.

Can You Guess What Happened?

Hannah was drawing at the computer desk.

We heard a panicked scream...

And this is what we found.
























Any theories as to what happened?

Picture Of The Month

Thanksgiving 2008

Nastalgia: Operation Matching iPods

I had an idea a while back to sell hot chocolate to people standing in line at Best Buy the morning of Black Friday.

Two years ago Lisa and I did it. It was called "Operation Matching iPods".

We planned it out perfectly. We would wake up at 2 am, boil 15 gallons of water, drive down to Best Buy and sell people hot chocolate.
It worked out that we would make enough money to buy His and Her iPods for Christmas.

Phase 1 - Preparation

We decided it would be a good idea to also sell those big Costco muffins to people. So we took a trip down to Costco earlier in the week and filled our cart with cups, napkins, bulk hot chocolate and about 150 muffins. We got a few looks.

We also borrowed a few 5 gallon water coolers to dispense the hot chocolate on the big day. Luckily we found a red cart that we could wheel the coolers on. It even had a bottom shelf to store the muffins. We had everything we needed.

Phase 2 - Pregame
















We were up at 2 am. There was an excitement in the air. We could feel our big moment approaching quickly. Soon we would unleash hot chocolate on the droves of people standing in line at Best Buy. We would be paying full price for our iPods with the money they gave us while they were standing in line for a great deal on their iPods - the irony.

It took about an hour to boil the chocolate and get everything into the car.

Phase 3 - Game Time

When we pulled up to Best Buy we were a little scared and full of self-doubt, but with 15 gallons of hot chocolate in the back seat there was no turning back.
At first we priced everything at $2 a piece. By the time we got to the end of the line we probably only sold 20 cups and 5 muffins. It wasn't going good.

Plan B

We decided to regroup. We went to another Best Buy and priced everything at a $1. Now the hot chocolate was flowing.

We got alot of feedback from people standing in line. People commented on how "entrepreneurial" we were. When we replied with, "Thanks. Do you want to buy some hot cocoa?", they promptly said, "No" (thanks for the support - jerks). People also told us we should have sold coffee. One guy said we should have sold alcoholic coffee.

It was nearing 5:00 am and the stores were about to open. We were trying to get rid of everything. It was now a muffin and cocoa for $1. The very second the doors opened it was all over.

The Aftermath

68 cents profit. That was our take after everything was said and done. Our downfall was the muffins. Hardly anyone bought muffins. If you think about it, it's kind of hard to eat a huge muffin while standing with your hands full. We should have conducted some user research. We had over 100 muffins left over and no iPods.

Would we do it again?

I would. Lisa wouldn't. She can tell you why.

Mine Mine Mine MINE!

Hannah used to have a 30+ word vocabulary.
Now it's down to 1 word.

Mine!

She's like the seagulls on Finding Nemo who constantly say "Mine."










She says it over and over and over again. It all started last week. We don't know where it came from. But it's a storm that has settled over our house and it's trying to drown us.

When she wants a drink, she says "Mine."
When she wants up or down, she says "Mine."

When I ask her if she wants to go outside, she says "Mine."

She even just says it to herself for no reason.

Sometimes it's funny, but most times it's not.


Mine Mine MINE! from Cute Allens on Vimeo.

It's hard to tell from the video, but Hannah is more sweet than sour.

Swedish Rootbeer

Every year at Christmas time in Sweden they sell this soda pop called Julmust. It's only sold during Christmas time so for only two months you can buy Julmust in the store.

Here are some interesting facts about Julmust from a trusted source:

• Julmust was created in 1910 as a non-acoholic alternative to beer
• 45 million litres of Julmust are consumed during December (to be compared with roughly 9 million Swedes, you do the math)
• The consumption of Coca-Cola drops by as much as 50% over Christmas.
• There is also påskmust (påsk "Easter") and Sommarmust (sommar, "summer")

Julmust has a very unique flavor. It's kind of rooty/earthy and carries a bite. It's definately an aquired taste, but when you aquire it you become addicted. (Maybe Lisa will weigh in on this)

They sell Julmust at Ikea during this time of year. I tried to get some last year but they were sold out. I was fortunate to snag half a case a couple of weeks ago. That first taste of Julmust in over two years, in the Ikea parking lot was amazing.

Midnight War Zone.

During the night, I get up for a drink of water, restroom, or to eat.

I know my house pretty well and can do these things in the dark.

But, there are landmines on the floor that add an element of fear to my midnight activities.
















When you step on one of those things, it hurts!

Before I go to bed, I take a quick glance around and try to remember where all the dangers lay. But still I've tripped into the wall or to the floor a few times.

I should just pick up the toys each night, but I'll just take my chances.

Are you as lazy as I am?

Picture Of The Month

Halloween 2008

The Gem-O-Rama.

Do you watch the T.V. show Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel?

We do too.

A year ago, there was an episode about a treasure hunt in Trona, California. It looked like so much fun that we decided we were going to do it.

So a year later, we went.


















We dug through thick mud, piles of rocks, and scary red water (it's not water).

We were looking for what Jared and I called "the perfect specimen".
We found Hanksite and Pink Halite crystals.


















We had fun, got really dirty, and ate nasty food.
(We should have went to the Sizzler.)

It was like elementary school science camp all over again.



Mom, thanks for watching Hannah. You know we love you!

Butterflies And Benches.

Recently was the World Wide Day of Play.

All over the country you could get into fun places for free! We even saw that Nickelodeon went off the air in honor of it.

We went to the Botanical Gardens to see the butterflies.












There were 800 butterflies flying around.




















Hannah's pointer finger was very busy.































A few workers had a mini-heart attack when they thought she was going to grab a butterfly.
















But to be honest with you, she had just as much fun climbing on the bench.













Silly girl.

My Secrets.

I want to share my secrets with you.

These are things that make my life so happy. I use and love them.

Cooking-

• I use AllRecipes.com to find yummy recipes for anything. I use the recipes that have been rated 4 or 5 stars by more than 100 people. I always read the first 10 comments and follow their suggestions. My first attempt at making these recipes is usually successful.
• I love The Pampered Chef cooking utensils. My Target and Walmart tools break down much too soon. The Pampered Chef make sturdy and useful items that make cooking easier and more enjoyable. My favorite items are the pans, food chopper, micro scraper, and prep bowls.

Feet-

• The PedEgg has made my feet salon-smooth. I bought it at Target for $10 as a present to myself. In just one treatment my feet were so soft. It doesn't hurt and it's fast.

Groceries-

• I have cut my grocery bill in half! CouponSense.com helps me find the best deals, tells me when and where to use my coupons, organize my list, and alerts me when the specific products I use go on sale. I often get stuff for free too. There is a service fee each month, but to me it's worth it. I save and it makes shopping easier. You have to talk to an instructor to really get the hang of it. (AZ only)

Baby-

• For really bad diaper rash, Resinol is amazing. It's sooths Hannah's bum instantly and it heals fast. You can order it at most pharmacies with out a prescription. (Thanks Marie!)
  
• For nursing, I can't live without Mother Love cream. It doesn't stain your clothes, it goes on softly, and it heals you quickly.

Internet-

• I keep up with many blogs. New posts are sent to me through my RSS Feed (Google Reader). I am sent all new blog or website posts that I subscribe too. It makes using the Internet very user friendly.

Shopping-

• I buy most of my expensive items from Craigslist.com, Amazon.com, or Ebay.com. I first see what I want/need at the store and then order it for so much cheaper through one of these sources. Even clothes. Try the pants on at the store and get it for half as much brand-new online. It saves us a ton of money.
  

*This post was really fun to write. I want to know your secrets. Leave a comment or post it on your blog. I'll read about it using my RSS Feed. Wink.

Did We Forget To Mention...?

Oh, by the way...

We're having a baby...

In a few months and...

It's a boy!

Did we not tell you? Opps.



















He's the spitting image of Jared.

What Has An IQ Of 170 And Is Made Of Wood?

While we were in Chicago, a couple of weeks ago, we had the chance to tour the Smart Home at the Museum of Science and Industry.
It was a pretty cool exhibit. Basically it was a 2500 sq. ft. house that you got to walk through with a tour guide.



So what makes this home so smart? (It only lets you use one square of toilet paper when you poop. I hate Sheryl Crow.)

1) Smart Design
It's designed to feel bigger than it really is with the use of high ceilings, abundant light and by "borrowing" space from outdoors.



2) Material Efficiency
Since the home is prefabricated and modular designed it takes less time to construct the home using fewer resources. Most of the material, including the furniture is made of recycled materials.

3) Energy Efficient
The green roof (plants on the roof) help keep the home cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Solar rooftop panels help generate much of the home's electricity. Electricity costs are about half of what a normal home costs.

4) Water Efficiency (this is my favorite one and something we could use in the Arizona desert)
The home is built to collect rain water to later use to water the plants and garden outside. The home also filter and recycles "grey water", (rinse water from the washer, showers, sinks, etc) and uses this water to flush the toilets. Speaking of toilets, the home is equipped with dual-flush toilets, that use half the water when you go number one and more water when you had the big burrito the night before (that was the tour guide's joke).

5) Healthy Environment
Home is built with non-toxic materials. It also has a air and water filtration system.

This home was loaded with technology and made Lisa and I look down upon our dumb home back in Arizona. But at a cost of $500,000 (not including land) maybe we'll have to wait a little longer before was start saving the earth with our smart home.

It was pretty cool though.

Tall-Sticky-Wet Onions.

Our tour guide told us Chicago means, "Tall-sticky-wet onions" and he said they weren't proud of that fact.

We went to Chicago to check out a school Jared might attend and see if we like it there.

We do.



After the school's open house, we stayed a few days and had some fun.



Saw the sights, took some pictures, and ate really good food.



We walked everywhere! Our legs were screaming for us to stop.

But we didn't.



It was such a fun trip. You would have to spend a month there to do everything you want.

Maybe someday we will.

A special thanks to Ely, Chris, and Mom for watching Hannah for us.
We know she had fun.

Does Anyone Speak Baby?

Jared and I often wonder what Hannah is trying to tell us.

It would be so fun to know what she's saying.



This is a very small taste of the usual long conversations she holds all day long. We love listening to Hannah and her talk.

Any guesses as to what she said?

The Many Hairs Of Hannah.

In the morning, it's big and has a mind of it's own.
























It calms down a bit during the day.


















After bath time it looks so nice and tame.



































Then she goes to bed and the hair monster returns.
























She gets it from Jared.

The Monkey Missed.

At the zoo, we went into the monkey village.

The best part was when Hannah tried to grab a monkey and the monkey tried to jump away onto a branch...

... the video says it all.



Actually, I'm lying. That wasn't the best part...



Before we left, we fed the turtles a ham sandwich.

Pointless Games: The Golden Run

Lisa and I like to make up pointless games just for fun.

One game we made up is called "The Golden Run".

Here are the rules:
1) Drive home from your mother-in-law's house.
2) Hit every green light on the way home.

That's it. If you hit every green light on the way home you've just completed The Golden Run and you win.

Here was our 15.2 mile course (we lived in Tempe at the time).
The green markers are stop lights (8 traffic lights in all).



Making it past the first light is critical. It takes skill and precision to hit your first green.



After the first two lights, the rest was a breeze until you hit downtown Tempe.



The best part was the steadily-building anticipation of the next light if we were on a roll.
There was always one unspoken rule though; during The Golden Run course, never mention The Golden Run or you'll jinx it.

There were also the less illustrious Silver Run (hitting 1 red light) and the Bronze Run (hitting 2 red lights). But those were for chumps.

I think we completed The Golden Run only twice.

Anyway, does anyone else have any pointless games?

We're Having Pigeon For Dinner.

Hannah has a ton of books.

She can barely sit through one book before casting it aside to read another.

There is one book that she wants us to read over and over...

... and over.

It's called The Pigeon Has Feelings Too! by Mo Willems Just wanted to share Hannah's all time favorite book.







































It's basically about a pigeon that gets tricked into showing his happy face.










































This morning she had a tantrum on the floor because I wouldn't read it for a fifth time in a row. She can't get enough of it.

Jared and I have tried to make reading this book less repetitive by reading it in one breath or backwards. Hannah calls us on it and cries until we read it normally. What's a parent to do?

What does your kid make you do?

Tons and Tons of Sand.

We went to the beach.



















It was so much fun!
















We buried Jared...













And built him a new body.
















We went with Marie, Alan, and Grace.

(Jared's sister, our brother-in-law, and neice)

Hannah liked the beach...




















But not the ocean.



That wave was bigger than we thought it would be.