Top 10 Reasons Why it's Good to Have All Girls #4

#4: Natural Hair Styling Skills: Kala has two habits--her passy, and her hair. Lately, she has been teething and not feeling well. When this happens, she twirls her hair so much that she curls it! (And it actually looks really good.) Well I guess if you can't have a kid with curly hair, at least have one that will curl it herself!

Growing Up

We have waited for this moment for a long time. And not only is she smiling, she is cooing and laughing as well! We are so excited to finally feel like we are truly bonding with our little belle. She is healthy--gaining weight with the best of them. (A whole 12 pounds.) Sara continues to grow more beautiful every day. She enjoys interacting and playing with her sisters, which is also exciting to watch. We can't wait for her next milestone.

Peekaboo Claire

Claire's First Word is "Peekaboo" . . . or something close to it.

Little Peeper?

I've been meaning to post this funny episode for a while now.

We at the Hood home woke up one morning to find this little bugger camping out in our toilet. (It is a mystery how he got there.) We had fun looking and pointing, and then getting on with our day--me trying to convince Joseph that he needed to release it into the wild, and vice versa. Well, later on, after Joseph had gone to work, junior suction toes was gone. In my naiveness, i thought Joseph had saved him. A few hours later when I was cleaning the bathroom, I found him behind the lid of the toilet seat as I was putting the lid down. He freaked me out. He was the last thing I thought I'd see. And yes, some of us--who will go unnamed--were peeped on. When I calmed down, I got up the courage to capture him in a cup (which I later threw away) and then sent him packing.

I've always wanted to be tagged!

this one will be a little different. this tag will be a joint effort b/w me and joseph.

10 years ago: i was freshmeat, and joe was a senior in high school dating a junior in college!

5 things on my list to do today: get a lawyer (for sara), make a valentine, do three loads of clothes, change a diaper, get primped for my date. (joe) create the cheapest valentine's dinner ever (full explanation to come), finish homework, work on an assignment at work, spend time with the girls, suprise tammy with a really expensive present (hence the cheap dinner).

what I would do if I were suddenly a billionaire: fulfill my dream to pay lots of tithing, get voice lessons, build a home with tons of land a magnolia tree and a weeping willow on the bank of a pond with a swing in its shade, tour joseph's mission and visit old friends. (joe) write music all day and learn to paint, start a vast college scholarship program for young married couples.

3 of my bad habits: smoking, drinking, and beating my husband. j/k we thought this one would be more fun if we answered for each other so...(joe answering for tammy) reproducing, piling up stuff in high traffic areas of the house--constantly, and looking beautiful. (tammy answering for joe) not cleaning up after himself--he's another kid in this aspect...like i don't have enough of those already, using the laptop everywhere but where it was meant to be used, spoiling me rotton.

places I've lived: Newberry, SC, Lexington, SC, (joe) Columbia, SC, Amsterdam, Alkmaar, Nimegen, Kortrijk, Dordrecht, Antwerpen in the Netherlands and Belgium.

jobs I've had: babysitter, gymnastics teacher, dental assistant, wife, mother, (joe) ice cream server, house cleaner, construction worker, missionary, carpet cleaner, administrative assistant, vending guy, student, software develper, junior engineer, assistant engineer.

things most people don't know about me: i broke the school record for most pull ups for girls and boys--i did 27, the girls record was 7, the boys record was 25, and to this day, it has yet to be broken, i was offered a full scholarship to BYU for gymnastics before i got hurt, i've had three casts, but never for a broken bone. (joe) he was the most outstanding artist in high school, he hates video games and sports on tv, he has a really hard time in vector calculus (I don't understand why he would use this as an answer.)

Thomas, Heather, Beth, Melissa, Anne, TAG...you're it!!!

Top Ten Reasons Why it's Good to Have All Girls #5

#5: Culinary Prowess: Yes, that's a load of flour all over the stove. Mikala (shown in time-out) wanted to make bread. She was caught white-handed, shamelessly flouring the kitchen. We're not quite sure why she would do this, except for the pleasure she receives watching Mommy clean up her gratuitous messes. Amy wanted to help clean up. The thought was appreciated, but she only managed to make it worse. Keeping the Hood House clean is an art. It involves constantly cleaning while at the same time preventing Thing #1 and Thing #2 from coming in behind you and destroying your work. If you get behind, it takes a village to catch back up. Here are some housekeeping stats for the interested reader:

Average numbers per Day:

• 2 loads of laundry (yep, two full super-sized loads everyday)
• 0.75 dishwasher loads
• 2-3 living room cleanings
• 12-16 diaper changes
• 2 children bathed
• 5-10 soaked barf rags (Sara)
• 10 changes of clothes (mostly for Sara)
• 10-30 time-out sessions
• 4 books
• 6 prayers

and much, much more!

A Walk in the Dark

It's difficult to go out in the evenings as a family this time of year. It's also diffcult for 4 little ones to be couped up in the house all day, so we took a walk along the river in the dark. The three older girls loved it, while Sara was bundled up and fast asleep in the stroller. The highlight of the evening was a large line of cyclists riding by. Amy and Mikala cheered them on like it was the Tour de France. We had to fudge on the bedtime a little bit.