Sadie's turned two a couple of weeks ago. We had a little birthday party for her last weekend. I made a Dora Ice Cream Cake. Sadie loved blowing out the candles! We all had a fun time! David and I gave her an easel because she Loves to color. Grandma gave her (and Eliza) a big dress up box full of costumes. Some of it she bought and some she had sewn herself. They have really enjoyed playing dress up every day since. After the little party we went to the pumpkin patch. I hope to post more about that later. I have tons of material I want to blog about, I just haven't taken the time lately. :)
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Friday, October 19, 2007
Great Vacation!
This is a quick update from David. Everything is going well. We just got back from a great vacation! We went to the Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, VA. It was so much freakin' fun! The girls had a blast. My mom had just flown in, so we had extra help watching them swim. Eliza, only three, and swimming like we had a pool of our own! She dog paddled all over the wave pool and other pools. She and I went on the waterslides together so many times I don't want to see another stair for a long long time. We'll post more later, but here is a picture or 2.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Little Girl, Big Memory
Eliza has surprised me lately with how far back she can remember things now. A few days ago I stopped by the library with the kids on the way home from running errands. We pulled into the parking lot and I announced that we are going to the library. Eliza says, "I fell down at library with Daddy. I hurt my knee." I had to think about this. I wasn't sure if she was making it up or not. Then I had a vague memory come back to me. Last winter David took Eliza to the library and when they came home Eliza sure enough had a hurt knee. I remember being disappointed because her new pants had a whole in them. I was so surprised she remembered that. Then this morning I mentioned that maybe we should visit the pumpkin patch soon. She excitedly asked me if Wyatt (her cousin) was coming again. Could she possible remember going to the pumpkin patch with her cousin a year ago? Yikes. My baby is getting big.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Puters
David bought a new laptop a few weeks ago. Eliza noticed these portable DVD players sitting on a shelf. She was so excited to see a "little puter like Daddy's." She and Sadie sat so axiously as they watched Barney on their "little puters."
Sunday, September 16, 2007
A Planet With No Red-Heads
ALARMING RESEARCH!!!
An article I read in the Seattle Times today stated:
"Dr. John Gray [from Oxford University] explain[s] his foundation's findings: 'The way things are going, red hair will either be extremely rare or extinct by the end of the century."
YIKES! A planet with no red-haired, pale skinned, rosey cheeked people!!!! Scary!
Right now only 4% of the world's population carry the red haired gene. Only 2% have red hair. The country with the most red heads is Scotland with 13% of the population being redheaded. Ireland is second with 10% of the population with red hair.
A few minutes after my daughter, Sadie, was born, the nurse who was cleaning her up announced, "She has red hair!" I was very excited about this. I have always wanted a red-headed baby. I was never surprised to have a red head; I have red-headed cousins and ancestors and my husband's grand-father had reddish hair. People have always made comments to me like, "Where did she get that red hair?"
So, I did a little internet research so I could explain it. This is how I understand it:
Red hair is a recessive gene. Both the mother and the father would have to carry the red haired gene to have red haired offspring.
So Sadie had a 25% chance of having red hair. I am delighted she beat the odds.
The red hair gene also "mixes" well with other hair color genes. So the red hair gene can mix with the blond gene and you can have strawberry blond hair, or it can mix with brown and give you auburn hair. As we have all observed, red-hair and fair skin nearly always go together, but there are exceptions. A brunette, for example, that has really fair skin or a blond man who has a red beard are extremely likely to be red-haired gene carriers. Red hair is caused by a MUTATED gene on chromosome 16 which causes a change in the protein that determines hair and skin color. So red hair and pale, white skin are "MUTATIONS" of real? hair and skin color. I love it...
While I am a brunette, I have some red highlighting in my hair. I also have the pale white, sensitive skin that a red-head has. Its funny to think that Sadie's hair and skin color is a "mutation." I know that tan skin is popular, but personally I am partial to fair skin. I think that white skin is beautiful. Sadie's is. Mine isn't anymore. Because I have such sensitive, fair skin, I scar easily, burn easily and I have unflatteringly red cheeks.
Wow! I just cannot imagine that the planet could really be redhairedless in just 93 years! I read another article that better clarifies the scary prediction that in less than a 100 years red heads will be extinct. Basically, people didn't used to move very much. Red haired gene carriers lived near each other and it was easy for them to marry and have children. Today, people move a lot more. Red haired gene carriers are moving away to areas where there are few other carriers and places where there are carriers, more non-carriers are moving in. So the odds of two carriers, meeting and having offspring is getting smaller. Oxford University believes that with this trend, soon red hair will be nearly extinct. The red haired gene won't disappear, but it won't come out often because the number of carriers will continue to dwindle and the rate of two carriers getting together will get smaller and smaller.
So there you have it. I really enjoy educating my readers (all two of you) about the genetics of red hair. Plus, I thought a Public Service Announcement about the extinction of carrot tops was quite urgent.
An article I read in the Seattle Times today stated:
"Dr. John Gray [from Oxford University] explain[s] his foundation's findings: 'The way things are going, red hair will either be extremely rare or extinct by the end of the century."
YIKES! A planet with no red-haired, pale skinned, rosey cheeked people!!!! Scary!
Right now only 4% of the world's population carry the red haired gene. Only 2% have red hair. The country with the most red heads is Scotland with 13% of the population being redheaded. Ireland is second with 10% of the population with red hair.
A few minutes after my daughter, Sadie, was born, the nurse who was cleaning her up announced, "She has red hair!" I was very excited about this. I have always wanted a red-headed baby. I was never surprised to have a red head; I have red-headed cousins and ancestors and my husband's grand-father had reddish hair. People have always made comments to me like, "Where did she get that red hair?"
So, I did a little internet research so I could explain it. This is how I understand it:
Red hair is a recessive gene. Both the mother and the father would have to carry the red haired gene to have red haired offspring.
- If both parents have red hair they have a 100% chance of having red haired children. (I met a family in CA where the parents and all five of their children had varying shades of red hair. Its quite striking).
- If only one parent carries the gene, the child could be a carrier, but the child could not get red hair.
- If one parent has red hair and the other carries the gene, they have a 50% chance of having a red-haired child.
- Two non-red haired people who both carry the gene, have a 25% chance of having a red-haired child.
- If one parent has red hair (or carries the gene) and the other parent doesn't carry the gene, then they have a 0% chance of having a red haired child.
So Sadie had a 25% chance of having red hair. I am delighted she beat the odds.
The red hair gene also "mixes" well with other hair color genes. So the red hair gene can mix with the blond gene and you can have strawberry blond hair, or it can mix with brown and give you auburn hair. As we have all observed, red-hair and fair skin nearly always go together, but there are exceptions. A brunette, for example, that has really fair skin or a blond man who has a red beard are extremely likely to be red-haired gene carriers. Red hair is caused by a MUTATED gene on chromosome 16 which causes a change in the protein that determines hair and skin color. So red hair and pale, white skin are "MUTATIONS" of real? hair and skin color. I love it...
While I am a brunette, I have some red highlighting in my hair. I also have the pale white, sensitive skin that a red-head has. Its funny to think that Sadie's hair and skin color is a "mutation." I know that tan skin is popular, but personally I am partial to fair skin. I think that white skin is beautiful. Sadie's is. Mine isn't anymore. Because I have such sensitive, fair skin, I scar easily, burn easily and I have unflatteringly red cheeks.
Wow! I just cannot imagine that the planet could really be redhairedless in just 93 years! I read another article that better clarifies the scary prediction that in less than a 100 years red heads will be extinct. Basically, people didn't used to move very much. Red haired gene carriers lived near each other and it was easy for them to marry and have children. Today, people move a lot more. Red haired gene carriers are moving away to areas where there are few other carriers and places where there are carriers, more non-carriers are moving in. So the odds of two carriers, meeting and having offspring is getting smaller. Oxford University believes that with this trend, soon red hair will be nearly extinct. The red haired gene won't disappear, but it won't come out often because the number of carriers will continue to dwindle and the rate of two carriers getting together will get smaller and smaller.
So there you have it. I really enjoy educating my readers (all two of you) about the genetics of red hair. Plus, I thought a Public Service Announcement about the extinction of carrot tops was quite urgent.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Beach Fun
Last Saturday we went to the beach with our friends! It was sooooo fun! When we first arrived Sadie would not let me put her down. I tried to but she put her feet out so they wouldn't touch the ground as she struggled to attach to me like a monkey. In the process her feet and hands got a little sandy. She whined, "Mommy, I dirty, I dirty." She sat in her beach chair for a little while. Then when the other kids started to play with the sand buckets she got interested. She let me move her to the towel on the ground. From there she worked her way to the sand pails. She had a cautious start with the beach but it wasn't long before she was LOVING it! Eliza loved it!
The weather was perfect. It was around 85 degrees. It was not too hot but it was warm enough for the water to still be comfortable. It was great! Eliza threw a tantrum when we left. Back at the car she screamed because I tried to take her swim suit off and she wanted to go back to the beach. Hey, at least she had a great time. Virginia Beach is near a military base. We enjoyed seeing lots of military planes showing off cool stuff in the sky. A pirate ship showed up. We had great company too!
Afterwards we cleaned up at our friend's parent's home. Then we had dinner at Red Lobster...Endless Shrimp! Yummy!! It was a super day! Thanks, Nikki and Ray for inviting us. Thanks to Melissa for showing Eliza all the "stuff at the beach" and for sharing your beach toys! Yesterday I asked Sadie if she liked the beach, the ocean and the sand. She responded, "I liked the sand buckets." :)
Did I mention we had an AWESOME time?
The weather was perfect. It was around 85 degrees. It was not too hot but it was warm enough for the water to still be comfortable. It was great! Eliza threw a tantrum when we left. Back at the car she screamed because I tried to take her swim suit off and she wanted to go back to the beach. Hey, at least she had a great time. Virginia Beach is near a military base. We enjoyed seeing lots of military planes showing off cool stuff in the sky. A pirate ship showed up. We had great company too!
Afterwards we cleaned up at our friend's parent's home. Then we had dinner at Red Lobster...Endless Shrimp! Yummy!! It was a super day! Thanks, Nikki and Ray for inviting us. Thanks to Melissa for showing Eliza all the "stuff at the beach" and for sharing your beach toys! Yesterday I asked Sadie if she liked the beach, the ocean and the sand. She responded, "I liked the sand buckets." :)
Did I mention we had an AWESOME time?
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