Happy New Year!!

Some good friends of ours rented out an ice skating rink last night to ring in the new year.  We had such a blast, even though I totally suck at ice skating.  I think the blue skates added a nice touch.  This picture was taken right before Tommy threw me into a triple lutz.

Christmas In "Ootah"...

Unlike most normal families that like to spend Christmas with all their family, we like to escape ours.  We've sort of started a tradition with our kids where each kid only gets one gift and we take a trip instead of lots of gifts that they'll never remember in a few years.  So this year, we had planned on going up to McCall, Idaho with some good friends and then off to see my sister and her family in Boise, but the day before we were to head up there, our friends called and said there was a huge snow storm and a the highway between Salt Lake City and Boise was closed.  My poor father-in-law's eyes were beaming and asked what it would take for us to stay in Mesa for the holiday, (that's because Tommy and I happen to be the life of the party.  Well, me anyway.)  I'm thinking, "Oh Heeell no!"  So we made a few phone calls and decided to drive up to our old stomping ground  and some super nice friends of ours offered their condo in Provo.  Let me just say, this pad was nicer than your house AND mine put together.  I didn't ever want to leave.  Tag even said, "Hey Mom, I bet if we save up all our coins in our big water jug, we could buy one of these condo's."  Sure buddy.  Whatever you say. (and I thought he was doing so well in math.) Since when does a full water jug equal $400,000?  If that's the case, I'm hitting my local Coinstar stat!  We ended up having a great time, ate some tasty food.  I highly recommend Pizzeria 712.  It comes in at a very close 2nd to Pizzeria Bianco.  (which, in my humble opinion happens to be every bit as good as Oprah says).  And for those of you who don't like it, well then, you need to have your taste buds checked.  All in all, we ended up having a wonderful white Christmas.

Leaving Santa some goodies.  The kids were a little concerned that Santa wouldn't know we were in Utah, due to our change in plans.  We reassured them that Santa knows everything and would surely find them.

The kids checking out their new loot.

Someone must've been a naughty girl this year.  Her stocking didn't get filled.  So sad... but not to worry.  I have my own little brown Santa.  His name is the UPS man.  My package should be arriving in 3 - 5 business days.

Braving the Arctic cold to see the temple lights.

More temple lightage.

"Leigh is..."

So, for all of you who haven't hopped on the Facebook bandwagon, let me expand.  There's a section on Facebook where you can write what you're doing, feeling, etc.  For example, "Leigh is going on a super-duper hot sushi date with her hubbers.  Yum-O!" and so on.  And really and truly, not to offend anyone, but this part of Facebook just isn't my thing.  I think it's a little gay.  Anyhoo, with that said, this is how I'm feeling at 12:55 pm:  "Leigh is bugged that her whole freaking forehead can't move due to too many cc's of Botox injections.  Needless to say, I can't give crusty dirty looks to a certain someone tonight.  I'll give you a hint:  his name rhymes with "schlommy."  In 3-6 months (when this crap wears off) he'd better watch out.

I really do need to go to bed now.  I'm such a groucher.  No worries Dad - it's all good in the 'hood.  We don't need therapy.  Just wish he had gotten home sooner.  (I hate cleaning up throw-up by myself, and the "hubbers" wasn't home to help me out.  Remember our deal?) 

"Then And Now..."

Well, a few things have changed in the almost 12 years we've been married:

- hairlines have gone back a little

- someone's teeth got a little whiter

- the hair color has gotten a little lighter (and Tommy stopped bleaching his)

- eyebrows got a little fuller (yikes!  I swear, thin was in back then!)

- our hair isn't quite as poofy now

- someone isn't as tanorexic as they used to be (or quite as skinny, either)

I know it's not our anniversary for another 4 months, but I found these pictures, and couldn't help but post them.  I love this guy so much.  Every once in a while he busts out that certain smile.  I love it.

Merry Christmas To All...

Just wanted to give a little Merry Christmas Shout-Out to everyone.  (and because I'm too cheap to send EVERYONE a card this year.)  We love you all and are so grateful for such wonderful friends and family.  Thanks for all your love and support.

"Can I Get That In A Sentence Please?"

Last week, Tag went to the school spelling bee.  He got 3rd place out of 20 participants. He got beat out by two 6th graders.  Mind you, he's in the 4th grade.  I was so nervous for him, I felt like I was going to throw-up the whole time.  After about 8 rounds, he finally lost on the word "haughtiness."  For realz??  Who knows how to spell that, anyway?  So this is how he spelled it:

"H-O-T-T-I-N-E-S-S"

Poor kid.  Oh well, I think he did a great job.  And we didn't even have any tears at the end.

** Just as a little side note, there's a little girl (I won't name names) in his class that has a little crush on Tag, so when the lady announced the word 'haughtiness, she leaned over to their teacher and said, "Oh, he SO better get this word right!"  He's loving the fact that every girl in his class calls him "little hottie" now. **

Way to go Dude!

P.S.  I'd be lying if I said I don't know where he gets his smarts from.  I'll be honest -  he gets it from his momma.  That's right folks, I got 3rd place when I was in the 1st grade, 2nd place in the 2nd grade, 1st in the 3rd grade, and 1st in the 8th grade.  (Tommy says he won't even write on the chalkboard at church because it doesn't have spellcheck.)

Up To Her Same Old Shenanigans...

I think EVERY mom has one of these pictures.  She had an "owchie finga'."

Yes, this is my bra.  And yes, you can tell by the "yellowing effect" I just so happen to wear it everyday.  And yes again, it looks like I'm due for another one.  I didn't realize it was one of those "wear it 5 different ways" kind of bras. The poor girl obviously needs to get out of the house more often.

He Left Without Saying Goodbye!

Well, as many of you don't know, I happen to have a teeny, tiny little crush on Raja Bell.  One of Tag's buddies told me I 'don't stand a chance with Raja.   He said I'm waaayyyy to old for him, and I quickly informed him that Raja and I are the same age.  So he said, "Well, whatever.  You're a mom.  You still don't stand a chance."  I came this close to putting that boy in "time-out." Yesterday happened to be a very sad day for me.  Tommy called me and told me he had some very bad news.  My Raja was traded to "The Dark Side" as Tag likes to put it.  BTW, "The Dark Side" is Charlotte.  I don't know where he got that.  

Now, Tommy doesn't think I should be blogging about this. (he doesn't think I should be blogging about half the things I blog about either, oh well.)  He said this little "crush" of mine can be confusing for a 10 year old boy.  So I reminded Tag that "Dad is always going to be my #1... and Raja is #2.  How hard is it to understand?

After attending many a game, I just don't know if the games are ever going to be the same without my little eye candy. :(

"Funny" Of The Day...

Oh, the joys of owning trailer parks.

I just had the flippin' funniest conversation with Tommy on the phone.  It went a little somethin' somethin' like this:

Tommy, (as he's unloading change from a soda machine) "Ew, it stinks back here.  I think someone took a dump behind one of the trailers."

Me:  "Ew, sick!  How do you know it was someONE and not an animal?"

Tommy:  "Because animals don't wipe their butts with toilet paper."

I'm Sorry To Have To Do This But...

I'm hoping this shiz will not last long, but I've decided to take the 'ole bloggeroo private, just until the dust settles a bit.  Sorry guys.  Just have to protect the fam (although  it was exciting seeing my "Black Lavender" on the 10 o'clock news last night, and Uncle Snacky's cute little tushy.)

I hope to switch to "private" by the end of next week, if not sooner, so please leave your email addresses in the comments section of this post.  I welcome any "friendly" stalkers, lurkers etc. 

But in order to protect my little "kitties"...

I need to do it.

We love and support you Grandpa!

Have I mentioned how much I HATE politics?!

I Love This Place!

So the other night, I was at Fresh and Easy buying groceries for dinner and when it came time to check out, I realized I didn't have enough money for everything.  I was almost $7 short.  Now, if you haven't been here, let me explain.  There aren't any check-out clerks, you do it yourself, which is seriously my dream come true since I've always been a teeny bit obsessed with scanners and cash registers, only it doesn't have cash registers.  Bummer.  Anyhoo, so I'm checking myself out and get to the total, don't have enough dough on me (that's because I hesitate to say I had already taken my alotted $200 dollars for the day from the ATM) and didn't have a credit card (and quite frankly didn't have time to raid Tommy's wallet before I left) so I had to summon someone over to void a few items for me.  Thinking, 'Oh, it'll probably be just a few items, try like 5 or 6!  It was a little busy, so hence, a little awkward.  

So the sweet girl had the manager come over for the "manager's approval" and she said, "Oh, let's just give them to her, she's in here all the time.  She's one of our BEST customers." (ok, maybe she didn't say the latter of that last sentence.)  I mean, by that time, I was starting to count every dang penny in my wallet AND might I also mention I had set my change on the conveyor belt and when the girl started bagging my stuff, she turned it on and there went my change, so now I'm yelling, "NOOOO!" as I scrambling to chase it down the belt.  It was pretty pathetic to say the least.  So basically, they gave me $7 worth of free groceries!!  

Well, you'd think I would've learned my lesson by now.  Oh no.  I only had $28 dollars on me today and it came down to my InStyle magazine and a carton of grapes (which are my little Swayze's favorite) and, well, you know me.  The grapes had to go.  I mean, come on!  Heidi Klum's on the cover this month!  Not to mention it's the "Sexy Hair and Makeup Holiday Edition."  So I'm handing the gentleman back the grapes and he says, "You can just have the grapes, ma'am."  Have I mentioned how much I hate being called Ma'am?  How about 'Miss, or 'Honey or 'Sweetie? (wait, not 'Sweetie, i.e., previous post.)  Oh well.  Those Fresh and Easy peeps must think I am absolutely pathetic!  Or maybe I'm just really good at batting my fake eyelashes?  (see Tommy, they're good for something!)  Well, whatever it is, this place is the bomb-diggity.

Getting In The Mood A Little Early...

Not that kind of mood, silly's!  I couldn't resist.  Happy Holidays from the Stapleys!!

Tour De Tucson '08

Last Saturday, Tommy and a few buddies went down to Tucson to ride the  "Tour De Tucson" 109 mile bike race.  It's a big bike race every year in Tucson with over 9,000 riders.  The boys had to wake up at 4 am to get in line to get in a good starting position.  He finished 572nd place with a time of 5:15:52 and burned 5,768 calories. Not too shabby!

"My anaconda don't want none unless you got buns hun'!"  

He May As Well Have Called Me A "Sweet Spirit"

Last week, I got this sweet message on my Facebook wall.  I'm not quite sure how to take it.  It went a little something like this:

"Leigh, do you ever fell fat when you stand next to Tommy?  Don't get me wrong, you're hot and skinny, but Tommy looks like he got teased so much that he developed an eating disorder."

-Greg {Wilstead}

Hmmmmm....... should I take that as a compliment??  (It's a good thing we're friends Greg.)  I think it's time to get back to the gym and have the doc order me up a prescription of Prozac.

Thanks for keepin' it real Greg.

Husband Tag

Ok, so I wasn't actually "tagged," but I saw this on a friend's blog and thought I needed to give my Tommy some lovin':

Coronado '07

1.  Where did you meet your husband?  At Timmy Trendler's house in Provo.  Tommy and his buddies were up for a wedding, I think.  (I was actually crushing on Burkin-butt at the time.)

2.  How long did you date before you got married?  3 months plus 3 months of engagement.

3.  How long have you been married?  11 blissful years.

4.  What does he do that surprises you?  He still pees in the backyard like a 2 year old.  He thinks using the toilet is too much of a pain and wastes water.  Something about not leaving a "carbon footprint."  His politician daddy would be so proud!

Lake Powell '02

5.  What is your favorite feature of his?  His eyes.  Brown, with longer eyelashes than my second toe.  When we were first married, he even let me put mascara on them.

6.  What is his best quality?  Tommy has the ability to make "best friends" wherever he goes.  We can be on a plane and by the end of the flight, the guy next to him will have practically asked him to be the godfather of his firstborn.  No joke.  My friend Angi once told Tommy he has a "potpourri" of friends.

7.  Does he have a nickname for you?  Hun (honey), and when I've spent too much money, he calls me "Sweetie," like a papa bear to his cub (when I'm in trouble).

8.  What is his favorite food?  Filiberto's.  (yuck)

9.  What is his favorite sport?  Surfing.  It's pretty hot watching him, too.  He said if the "sexy-time" was considered a sport, well, you know my Tommy.  He said that would definitely be #1 over surfing.

10.  When and where did you first kiss?  The Raintree parking lot in Provo.  Very romantic.  And I'm not kidding about that one.  Tingles for days.

11.  What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?  Vacation WITHOUT kids.  I know, we're lame parents.

12.  Do you have any children?  Taggart (10), Keagan (6), and Swayze (2).

13.  Does he have any hidden talents?  My particular favorite is the "all-leather wristband."

14.  How old is he?  33 years young.

Solana Beach '07

15.  Who said 'I love you' first?  He did - but I was chomping at the bit to say it.  I just wanted to say, "Me too!  Me too!"

16.  What is his favorite music?  That one's hard to answer.  He likes everything - except country.  And the "Happy Birthday" song sung in Italian at the Macaroni Grill.  Really.  He'll leave the room.

17.  What do you admire most about him?  How hard he works for us.  And that even after 33 year ripe 'ole years, he's still the same Tommy.  Always will be.

18.  What is his favorite color?  Blue?  (I don't know that one.)

19.  Will he read this?  Fo Sho!  He's my #2 blog fan.  (after Ryan, that is)

20.  Who will I Tag next?  Anyone else who wants to suck up to their hubby for a new pair of jeans!

Love you Tommy.  

Just When He Wasn't Looking....

I snapped a quick picture of Tommy post-full-body shave.  He looks a little caught off-guard.  See, I told you he looks a little Sphynx-ish.  I think he looks hot.

And I Thought I Was Having A Bad Hair Day....

Well, as you can probably tell, I'm bored as heck and all by my lonesome on a Saturday night.  Tommy is at a buddy's house for fight-night and I don't have anything great to blog about, and since Tommy has put the KIBOSH on my blogging (or rather, ripping on) about him, which, by the way, I would've had some GREAT material today on him.  He's getting ready to do a big bike race next weekend, so he shaved his ENTIRE body this morning.  Can I just say Egyptian Sphynx Kitty Cat?  It would've made for a great picture guys, sorry, but there was no way he was going to let me snap one of him.

Ok, back to my post.  I was looking through old pictures trying to come up with something to write about, and I ended up finding these beauties:

I will never - and I repeat NEVER put those little pink curlers in my daughters' hair again!  I thought Keagan would look so cute with curly hair, so I put wrapped it in curlers the night before preschool and Whoa!  I was too embarrassed to send her to school looking like this, so I let her ditch and I'm sure we did some cutsey arts and crafts (yeah, right.  Poor thing probably just watched Dora all day.  I'm such a good mom.)

Swayze's little antennas.

Since Keagan has too much hair to know what to do with, she decided to throw baby Swayze some love and lend her some of hers.

When Keagan was really little, she never wanted her hair pulled back.  She always loved it down in her face so she could swipe it away with her hands.  She's always been such a valley girl.  Tommy was sick of it being in her face, so he took her in the bathroom for like (speaking of valley girl) 10 minutes and this is how she came out.  

I love this one.  The kids had just woken up from their Sunday naps.  Tag was in a mood.

Does This Look Like A Hickey To You?!

So my Tag came home from a birthday party with this bad boy on his neck.  What the?  What kind of birthday party was this??  Don't worry, Grandma.  It's not what it looks like.  He says he got it while sliding down "Spider Mountain" at Bounce-U.  Ummm-hmmmm.  Right.)   

 **UPDATE**

Ok guys, this was a total joke.  It's not really a hickey.  He really did get it at Bounce-U.  Tommy and I can't even so much joke around about girls with him yet or he totally goes ballistic.  He still thinks girls are gross, thank goodness.

My Angi.....

Thanks for a great weekend!  Here are a few highlights:

• The most wonderful cupcakes from Cupcake Chic.  Dare I say they were better than La Grande Orange?  (I may as well have worn my old maternity pants all weekend.)
• Cheap facials from Acadia
• Kranky Frank's "Danger Dogs."  I think it's safe to say they were dangerous dogs indeed.  (she always takes me to the nicest places in Springville.)
• California Pizza Kitchen with the chica's
• Getting bedazzled by Angi with eyelash extensions

And most of all, spending time with a great friend.  Love you, and miss you always.

Can You Keep A Secret?

Good, because I can't.  I went up to Utah last weekend to visit a good friend of mine, but there was another reason behind my visit.  So I had what I like to refer to as a "mommy tuck" last year, (there, I said it) and for the past 8 or nine months, I had this little growth thingy around my scar I also liked to refer to as my "nubbin."  At first I thought it was a hernia, which I had heard can happen after having stomach surgeries.  I went to my family doctor to get it checked out and he said it definitely wasn't a hernia, but maybe a stitch gone bad from my "mommy tuck."  By the way, that's what Angelina Jolie is calling her "supposed" tummy tuck after the twinners (because the tabloids are always right, aren't they?!)  I thought "mommy tuck" sounded cuter.  Anyhoo, I kept putting off calling my doctor in Utah because I knew I'd have to find a babysitter, fly up there, etc., etc. so I held off for a few more months until it finally decided to break open and a friendly little green stitch was poking out to say "hello."  TIME TO CALL THE DOCTOR.  Long story short, it didn't end up being the tiny little stitch that we all thought, but more like a flippin' THREE inch stitch.  Don't ask me how that happened, even my doctor was pretty shocked.

Now, why on this glorious earth am I writing about all this?  I don't know, to be honest with you.  My friends all think I'm a little sick and twisted i.e., THE kidney stone post.  Maybe I'm just trying to get people (mainly my husband) to feel sorry for me.  You see, I'm a pretty open book, no skeletons here.  (Aubri and Angi, you keep your mouths shut.)  And it's like Joan Rivers says, "Our bodies are like cars.  Every once in a while, we need a little tuning up." Amen sista'!  I mean, we all get braces for our crooked teeth, don't we?!  Well, mine pretty much needed an overhaul! 

Happy Birthday Cindy Lou Who!

Just wanted to send my sweet Aubs some Super Happy Birthday wishes today. She says she's feeling old. A whopping 35 years old today. And doesn't she look it? I mean, look at those sagging eyelids and smokers' lips. Don't you feel SO bad for her? She looks more like she's 15!

Now typically, I have a funny story for each of my friends, but my favorite Aubri story involves Craig, a wad of bubble gum, disposable razors, and a can of tuna. Um... yeah, I think I'll skip that story.

Love you so much. Wish I could be there to give you your birthday spankings. The Depends and Ben-Gay are in the mail. Happy birthday Old Lady!

xoxoxoxoxoxo's

That's It? That's All She Wrote?!

**NOTE**

Do NOT Read The Following Post If You Haven't Read "Breaking Dawn" Yet (so as not to ruffle any feathers)

Ok, so I know everyone read "Breaking Dawn" months ago, I just barely finished.  I had put off reading it because I figured, if it was going to be anything like the previous 3, it was going to take over my whole existence, sooooo..... I thought I would take it slow, read a few chapters at a time, make a bed or two, read a few more chapters, make some dinner, a few more chapters, you get the point.  Well, I'm just going to say it.  Mom, I know you hate this word, but this book S-U-C-K-E-D!  Come on Stephanie, for rizzle?!  I swear this chick had a brain fart from middle to end.  Don't get me wrong, fellow vampire/werewolf lovers out there.  I adored the last 3 books, but man alive, what a disappointment.  

And I might be the only one to put myself out there and say this, but I'm just a sayin' what everyone's a thinkin'.  Give us some more freakin' details about you-know-what!  We're all just a bunch of silly housewives that want a few more juicy details!  Now I know why my grandma was so into those romance novels.  Bring it on Fabio!  I'm going to my local Wal-Mart to pick one up STAT!  (joking)  No, really, I get why she can't put that stuff in her books.  All I can say is, I'm so glad Tommy thinks these books are ridiculous because if he ever read what vampire couples do ALL NIGHT LONG I'd be in some major doo-doo.  (Sorry Nicole, isn't Brian already on book #3?  You're gonna be in trouble soon.)

And don't even get me started on the whole Jacob/Renesmee story.  What a flippin' joke.  I knew he and Bella were never going to end up together (although I was on Team Jacob the whole way), but for Heaven's sake!  p.s.  what the crap kind of name is Renesmee, anyway?  Gag.

And then there's the Volturri.  We all know my brain is too small to understand all that jibberish!

Now, I certainly don't want to make any fellow bloggers mad, but am I the only one that feels this way??  I read blog after blog after blog about how wonderful this book was, and how there were so many twists and turns and well, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but all I can say is BORING.  

Sorry Steph.  I couldn't even finish the book.  I gave up early.  I'm not usually such a playa' hata'.  I know you'll make it up to me someday.

Have You Voted Yet??

I'll make this short and sweet, just PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get out and vote.  Swayze and I went down in our jammies this morning, trying to avoid the long lines, but it was surprisingly very short.  I can't stress enough, the importance of voting this election.  I must say, I felt very invigorated after voting, (I felt like I just stepped out of my Bishop's office.  Oh, get over it - You get my point!)  To any of my ladies in the hizzo, if you need a sitter, drop them off at my house!  I'll be the designated babysitter today.  

Ok, I Lied...

Here's one more.  No, this isn't my little girl, but I did a major double-take when I saw little Callista last night.  A few posts ago, I wrote about why I've never liked dressing up for Halloweiner (Kim :).  Remember the story of my frenemy, Lauren dressed up as Wonder Woman?  Well, I had a little deja vu when I saw my friend's daughter last night.  This is what I SHOULD'VE been dressed up as, instead of an aluminum space martian.  I couldn't help but be a little jealous of you, Callista!  I just had to get a picture for a keepsake!

These Are The Last Of The Halloween Pics, I SWEAR!!

Well, after waking up at 9:45 with a "candy hangover," I think we are officially "Halloweinered" (that's for Kim) out!  We had a lot of fun this year, and thank goodness, my kids still let me boss them into wearing whatever I tell them to wear. :)  Here is the costume low-down:

We (I mean I) decided to do a Michael Phelps costume at the last minute.  This was by far thee most expensive costume yet!  I actually had this kid talked into wearing a "smaller" Speedo, but wasn't quite sure how everyone at the neighborhood carnival would react, so we got the longer version.  Tag was diggin' the shorts.  He said, "These actually make my butt look smaller.  When I'm naked, my butt is so big!" (I've got to simmer down on the "diet talk" around the house.)

I thought the teeth added a nice touch.  I know it's a "jaw issue" our man of gold has, but this was all I could come up with.

My little 50's car hop.  Did someone order a vanilla Coke?

A little parade action.

Keagan and her little buddies at the neighborhood carnival.

And last but certainly not least, my little Swayzegans as a little bee.  I was shocked that she actually got into this costume.  Usually she'll wear them for 2 seconds and will have nothing to do with her costumes.  (I'm sure it helped that I bribed her with some root beer.)

P.S.  Happy Birthday Ben!  We really miss you.

I Was REALLY Trying To Hold On To This One, BUT.....

Ta Dah!  No, it's not Tommy we're looking at, look a little bit further to the left and you will see none other than "Mr. Tennis" himself, John McEnroe!  We had an 80's Halloween party (halloweiner if Kim's reading this.  I always try to sneak that word in whenever I can.  It freaks her out) about 8 years ago. (I know, I know, my Tommy looks like he's all but 10 years old in this picture.  He was 24 AND smokin' hot in those acid washed jeans, might I add.)

Well, you see, the reason why I'm posting this picture is because we all know Brother Burkinshaw loves little "shout-outs" every once in a while, and I just could NOT resist.  Before the party, we all went over to Goodwill to find our outfits, and Tommy came across a pair of rainbow underwear.  I mean, seriously guys, come on, who in their right freaking mind would buy used underwear??  Well, that's where our John McEnroe comes in.  We didn't know it, but Ryan actually BOUGHT and WORE them (stuffed, yes, you'll have to enlarge the picture and squint really tight to get a good look) under those short green shorts of his to the party!!

I'm guessing it won't take but about 30 minutes after making this post public, that I'll be getting a phone call or some crazy anonymous comment from our Ryan.  Should I call him and give him a head's up?  Nah!  (He's my #1 blog fan, checks it ALL the time).  I'm so busted, but we all know he is secretly loving it!  So Ryan, I really wanted to save this one for your birthday, but I just couldn't resist.

See Tommy, you're not the only one I pick on!

Case In Point...

So, speaking of bribery i.e., Swayze's shiny new purple metallic shoes, I decided to write about how I fully endorse this concept.  Let me just say, it has gotten me many things in life:

• My first tutu.  I think this one was for not sucking my thumb.  Although it was short-lived, (the thumb-sucking that is.)  My mom used to put this liquid stuff on my thumb called "STOP" or something to that affect.  I got used to the taste and started actually asking her to put it on.  Now, looking back, I bet I just asked her for it to make her mad. :)
• My first pair of roller skates.  Again, probably for the thumb-sucking, or to get me to stop wetting my pants.  And yes, I was probably about 6 by the time I officially quit.  And darn proud of it, too, thank you very much.
• Sticker book loaded with stickers.  This one was to get me to stop biting my fingernails.  My dad once told me that he was dating some gorgeous chick and when he finally got a good look at her hands, they were practically bitten down to the bone (so he broke up with her, supposedly).  He told me boys aren't as attracted to girls that bite their nails.  Well, I scored Tommy, didn't I?!
• My first pair of "bike shorts" with hot pink stripes down the side.  Not the bike shorts we're used to seeing on bikes, but you know, 90's MC Hammer style.  I got them for memorizing the 13th Article of Faith.  Yeah, I was lookin' a little "Too Legit To Quit."
• My mom used to let me watch "Beverly Hills, 90210" IF I read my Seminary Scripture assignment each week.
• My dad promised me the "car of my dreams" if I could get straight A's my senior year of high school.  Let's just say that one DID NOT happen.  Not even remotely close. 

So you see, bribery can be a beautiful thing.  If all it's going to take is a pair of shoes to get Swayze weaned (no Kim, I didn't say weiner) from the bottle, I'm down with it. 

Poor Thing...

So we're going on day 4.  She came to me crying this morning and simply said, "Mom, I just need a ba-ba."  I feel like the meanest mom, ever.  So I bought her a pair of shoes today, thinking they might cheer her up.  (somehow, it always works for me.)  Worked like a charm. :)

"Hi, I'm Swayze, And I'm a Milkaholic."

(Everyone, in unison...) "Hi Swayze!"  Yada - yada - yada.  As of yesterday, my little Swayze has been forced into ba-ba rehab.  She's currently detoxing as we speak.  Poor Swazzle-Nazzle.  She's probably thinking her little world is coming to an end.   

When she was at the sitter's house today, every time she walked past someone's bottle on the counter, she'd tell the sitter, "Mommy says no more ba-ba."  We're down to just one for naptime and bedtime.  (that's pretty good, if you ask me.)  So send lots of love her way this week.  And mine too.  For my sanity.