I was tagged...

Since I'm kinda new to blogging, this is the first time I've been tagged. My friend Heather tagged me - a really long time ago, but I'm just now finally getting around to it. Anyways, here are the rules:

Once you've been tagged, you have to write a blog w/ 10 weird random, things, facts, habits or goals about yourself. At the end, you choose 10 people to be tagged, listing their names & why you chose them. Don't forget to leave them a comment or message saying "You're It!" and telling them to read your blog. You can't tag the person who tagged you. Since you can't tag me back, let me know when you've posted your blog so I can see your answers.

So, here are 10 random things about me:
1. I had belly button surgery when I was 7 - I had a pretty big outtie as a little girl and the boys made fun of me when my tummy showed on the monkey bars. So I got the surgery and now it's an innie.
2. I talk in my sleep - except if you're an old roomate you would know that
3. When I was 12 I swam across Shuswap Lake in Canada - we swam a mile and a half with a boat beside us for safety but didn't stop at all until we reached the other side. Here's a picture of us at the end (me, my Mom & sisters)
4. I hate it when people touch the tops of my ears

5. I fed a full-grown tiger milk out of the palms of my hand (when I was visiting my parents in Argentina with Mike. Here's a picture to prove it :)

6. I once made a goal to visit Mecca after learning about it in my Hmanities of Islam class - (I have a long list of all the places I want to go and things I want to do in my lifetime, so I added it to the list) - the next semester I took an Islamic Art History class and learned that going to Mecca and not being Muslim is grounds for being killed. I had to go home and cross it off my list - it was one of the saddest things I've ever done :( So no Mecca for me!
7. I once swam in a lake filled with piranhas and alligators. We also went fishing for piranhas and ate them for dinner (it was in Ecuador). It tasted pretty good surprisingly
8. I'm scared of the dark...kindof :)
9. When I was starting to walk as a baby I was really badly pigeon-toed. At bedtime I had to wear braces on my legs all night long. I think I wore them for over a year - I still walk with my toes pointing in a bit but nowhere near what it would be like if that hadn't been corrected.
10. I played the lead role of Cinder-rappa (a Cinderella meets MC Hammer story) in the school musical when I was in grade 4.

And I tag everyone who has a blog because I want to hear random things about all of you! :)

Erin in the Swing

Culinary Traditions

Elaina was given a kitchen set for her birthday from Grandparents and Great-Grandparents, and she totally loves it! We have a tea party almost every day and when Mom and Dad aren't around to play, we come in to find her stuffed animals sitting around the table with her. She's such a gracious hostess and always makes sure everyone's cups are filled with water or milk and she's always checking to make sure they like their food - she'll say "like it puppy?" or "mmm, it's yummy, puppy?" She also makes sound effects when she's pouring milk or water into the cups and it's hilarious! And she's so good at spoon feeding her stuffed animals! Even Erin (who can't sit up to the table yet) is included since Elaina will walk over to her and help her eat the food. But best of all are the meals she cooks! Last night we had fried grapes and sometimes we eat banana soup or we find vegetables in our juice cups.

Elaina's also a great help in the real kitchen - she'll always pull up a chair and stand on it to help me cook. She usually hopes we're making cookies, but if not, she's still excited to help. I've never had anyone cheer for me when I crack the eggs, but Elaina always makes sure to say "yay Mommy!" for each egg - yesterday I got lots of cheering when I make a quiche that called for 10 eggs. Sometimes she's a little overanxious and thanks to her willingness to help, she adds extra ingredients that aren't even called for in the recipe.

I thought I'd also write about some of the other funny things she's done in the kitchen - like a few weeks ago when I was in the kitchen finishing up dinner, I turned around to see that Elaina had set the table with every condiment that she could reach out of the fridge. And she was sitting one of her stuffed animals on each of the kitchen chairs. A few days earlier, Mike had walked into the kitchen to find the dishwasher empty and all of the dirty dishes arranged on the kitchen floor and Elaina sitting there saying "look Daddy, a picnic!" She's just such a good little helper and tries so hard, it's just adorable!

Elaina has also been learning to say the prayer at mealtimes all by herself. She never forgets to bless the Halloween candy (which is long gone, but maybe she hopes it will come back?), and we usually bless everything on the table - forks, knives, Mommy's cup, Daddy's spoon....I think it's just her time to ramble on when she knows she has our undivided attention.