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Today I learned why a crock pot is also sometimes referred to as a slow cooker!  I make these brown sugar bacon wrapped hot dog appetizers, and Jon and I were craving them.  They are cooked in a crock pot, and it usually takes a couple of hours for them to finish.  I got the bright idea that I would speed up the process by turning the burner on the stove up on high and then place the ceramic part of my crock pot on the burner.  All was going well until I put the lid on.  Bad mistake, not just placing the lid on top, but the whole idea in general!  Smoke filled the crock pot, and the most horrible burnt sugar smell engulfed my kitchen.  I saved the food, but the crock pot now has war wounds.  And, I had to start from square one again.  No time was saved, just lost!  So, in case you've ever wondered if this might be a viable option, it's not!

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be domesticated...     

When I was in the book store the other day I saw the Post Secret Book on the shelf.  I came across this on the Internet a while ago, and completely forgot about it.  I went on line and found some Post Secret videos.  It's such an inspiration.  Some people's secrets are uplifting and some are deep and dark.  Either way, I love the idea!  Here is one of the videos:

On the Vox homepage there is always a Question of the Day.  I came across the following question:  How could you better "green" your life?  What's holding you back? 

I would become a vegetarian.  That's how I could better "green" my life!  There's a couple setbacks I'm facing, though...  Number One:  The only vegetable I eat is a potato, except for when we eat Japanese.  I eat zucchini, mushrooms, and onions, but I only eat it at the Japanese restaurants!  Number 2:  I really like meat! 

My setbacks are fairly major, but I like the idea of being a vegetarian.  You save money because most everything you eat you can grow in your backyard.  Vegetarians are healthier, and I've never came across an overweight Vegetarian. 

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Phoenix has been keeping me so busy that it's hard to post the day something new happens.  Let's See...  He has been sitting up on his own now for quite some time.  He started crawling and saying DaDa last week.  He is just now learning to wave at people when they say hi.  It's a little delayed sometimes, but it's cute!  I also taught him to high five.  He did that for about two or three weeks, but he got bored with it I guess because he won't do it anymore.  He is fascinated with people's feet and toes.  He likes toenail polish especially!  We went to the Doctor Wednesday and he is perfect on height, weight, and head measurements. (Height:  27 3/8"), (Weight:  20.42 pounds), (Head:  17 3/8").  The doctor said he is ahead of schedule on his motor skills, Yay!  Five days until he is 7 Months old, and overall he's just a busy little bee! 

Last Tuesday we had our court date and the adoption was finalized.  We are glad to have that behind us.  He slept through the hearing, but we woke him up at the very end to get pictures with the judge and lawyer. 

I went last May to the Big Brothers Big Sisters Orginazation to volunteer to become a "Big Sister".  Yesterday I was matched with my "Little".  The match went well, and I will be going to her school every week to spend an hour with her.  We set our goals for the year, and next week we are going to start on them!  I'm so excited to do this!  I've always had a younger sister, but she's going to be 17 in a couple of months.  All of her "little days" are behind her.  Now I can start over and watch another little girl grow up. 

A personal update...  I've always been an emotional/sentimental person, but I find myself teary eyed more often.  I'm not sure, but I think it comes along with becoming a mother.  I remember as a child my mom would cry over every little thing.  The most memorable was the first time I watched the movie Ghost with her.  She cried like a baby, and I thought it was the funniest thing ever.  I thought:  How could watching Demi Moore slide a penny up a door make someone cry?  She would just say shut-up, one day you'll understand.  Well, I haven't watched Ghost lately, but I'm fairly positive that I too would cry like a baby!  I can't watch Extreme Home Makeover without crying or Birth and Adoption Stories either.  It's not that I'm sad or anything.  I think my heart just aches a little for the people who experience those things.  I keep watching the shows because I love the positive outcomes, but I just have to brace myself for the tears.  The lesson I've learned:  Don't make fun of your parents because one day You will be Them, and the same things will happen to you.  The annoying stray hair on my neck that grows at random times will always remind me of this.  I have fertility hormones to thank for that, and "The Mother's Curse" my mom cast on me!  So Mom, go ahead and say it:  "I told you so!"

I meant to write a little about Phoenix's milestones.  He is a little over a week away from being 5 Months Old.  He weighs 18 pounds and is 25" in length.  He rolls over from his stomach to back and is almost rolling from back to stomach.  He reaches and grabs for things, (a lot of times my hair).  He makes all kinds of cute noises and coos.  He loves television.  His favorite thing to watch right now is The Wiggles.  He is eating Stage 2 Fruits and Veggies three times a day in addition to his formula.  We also got to start him on juice last week. 

While we were camping out together during the ice storm my niece, nephew, brother-in-law, and I were all sick.  We tried our best to keep Phoenix from getting sick too, but he ended up getting RSV.  At first we thought it was just a cold, but literally overnight he started wheezing and you could feel it in his chest.  So, we got him swabbed, and the test came back positive for RSV.  I think we caught it very quickly because he didn't need to be admitted into the hospital.  We have just kept him in the house since Saturday, and he is doing much better.  The breathing treatments three times a day seem to help out a lot too! 

I think that's about it!  I'm ready for Summer to get here.  I am not the biggest cold weather fan.  I can't wait to be able to go outside and play with Phoenix, get in the pool with him, and do fun warm weather stuff.  It's not too far away, but it can't get here soon enough!