Birth Order in your Family

I'm sure many of you know the "rules" of birth order in a family. If not, it usually goes like this... the first born is bossy, goal-oriented, and strong willed. The second born or middle child is more easy going,  independent and a peace maker. The baby of the family is well, the baby. He/she might be more outgoing and competitive or maybe creative.

This may not apply to everyone because there are definitely exceptions, but I've found in our house that this is pretty much true. It makes things difficult sometimes because Bailee and I are both first born daughters and tend to butt heads a lot. Mia is also a typical middle child that goes with the flow often and tends to be flexible when needed. Jack is starting to show signs of being the baby and likes to be pampered and babied.

I think birth order is fascinating and love reading about different birth order traits and seeing them play out in all kinds of relationships (marriages, siblings, parent/child, etc...) I found a few interesting sites about birth order and this interesting chart... Check them out and see where you fall! :)

First	Middle	Last	Only
Natural Leader	Flexible	Risk-taker	Close to parents
High Achiever	Easy-going	Outgoing	Self-control
Organized	Social	Creative	Leader
On-time	Peacemakers	Self-centered	Mature
Know-it-all	Independent	Financially irresponsible	Dependable
Bossy	Secretive	Competitive	Demanding
Responsible	May feel life is unfair	Bored easily	Unforgiving
Adult-pleaser	Strong negotiator	Likes to be pampered	Private
Obeys the rules	Generous	Sense of humor	Sensitive

Are you a first born? Read here for first born traits

Are you a middle child? Read here for middle born traits

The baby in the family? Read here!

How about an only child? Read your traits!

So, what do you think? Do you fit in with your "birth order" traits, or are you a variable and don't fit it? It's fun to watch your children and see if they fit in to their birth order and to think about your marriage and if birth order affects why it does or doesn't work well for you both!

It's just fun to think about! :0)

You NEED to buy a CO2 alarm!

For the past 10 days or so our family had been dealing with the flu, or so we thought. Four out of the five of us had vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, headaches, fatigue, and other "flu-like" symptoms. It didn't seem to go away and our littlest children seemed to be affected the most. I was basically taking life one day at a time, one hour at a time, one vomiting spell at a time because there was nothing else I could do.

Well, yesterday morning at 4:30 am Tom and I both sat straight up in bed and looked right at each other. There was a high pitched screeching beeping sound coming from our kitchen. We didn't know what it was at first but quickly realized that our CO2 monitor was going off. It was VERY loud and so we quickly removed it from the wall and brought it into our bedroom. (We were hoping it wouldn't wake the kids.)

When we looked at the number on the monitor we realized something was wrong. It always blinked "0" but at that moment it was in the 60-70 range. We weren't sure what exactly that meant, so we got out the manual and started to read it very closely. The first thing it said was to get outside and call "911." We opened all the windows and called 911. They told us to get the kids out of the house and wait for the fire department to arrive.

Well, anyone with little children knows that waking 3 babies up from their sleep and getting them out of the house wouldn't be an easy task. So, first I asked Tom to start the van and I called my mom. She said we could definitely come stay there until things were figured out. I quietly scooped the kids up out of their beds and told them (with a smile of coarse) that we were going to go for a little ride in the van. They looked confused but were calm and happy to be "going bye bye!"

The fire department sent two fire trucks, a ton of fire fighters and a few police cars. We had our own parade in our front yard and the kids thought it was great. They determined that it was our coal stove that was producing CO2 and that we needed to leave the house unoccupied and open for the remainder of the day. Tom opened all the windows and we left for my mom's house where we spent the day.

I am just SO thankful that we had the alarm and that it was working properly! We could have had a much more severe or deadly experience and I am just thanking God for keeping us safe!

Since yesterday we have turned off the coal stove until we can figure out how to make it run properly and are enjoying lots of fresh air! I cannot imagine what would have happened if that alarm had not woken us up. I am counting my blessings!!!

So, I am begging you to go out tomorrow and buy a CO2 alarm. They don't cost much and could save your lives! (This is the one we have.) We never would have expected this to happen to us, but it did and we were grateful for the protection!

We thought we had the flu, and we still might have, but the symptoms of CO2 poisoning are identical to what we were suffering with. So I'm just trying to educate all of you out there and just giving you a warning that it could happen to anyone!

Where has the time gone?

Wow! It has been 10 days since I've blogged anything! Where does the time go?

Life has been extremely busy for me lately! My days have been full of fun things and new challenges! I get up every morning with 3 busy little bees and sometimes they sting me, but I keep on going!

Our middle daughter has been giving us a really hard time with lots of things, but bed time right now is particularly hard! She will not fall asleep in her bed and has been so naughty that we've had to place her on the floor in the living room to fall asleep. It's exhausting and very frustrating! I used to look forward to bed time, but now I dread it!

I've also been very busy starting up my photography business and it's exploding! I can't seem to keep up with the daily chores and housework, never mind starting a business. I never imagined that it would be like this! Now, don't get me wrong... I'm VERY excited and if you know me then you'll know that I'm a very motivated person to get it all done, but there just aren't enough hours in the day! ;-)

I'll try to write more blogs when I have time (I actually have a few topics that friends have "requested" I write about) but until then... I'll leave you with a few photos of our recent house-happenings...

Handsome Jack playing! He now pulls himself up onto everything and tries hard to walk behind a walker toy! He has 6 teeth and is starting to jabber at everyone!

 I was playing peek-a-boo with the kids and Tom snapped this picture. I never have my photo taken, so when I saw this I laughed! I'm sure you are too!

 That same day I was playing with Bailee and he snapped another one! :)

 Bailee was giving a wink! ;0)

 I was snuggling Jack after bath time! My favorite time of the day!

 Mia is our challenging one right now, but you can't tell that from this photo!

Good night y'all! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gobble, gobble, gobble until you wobble, wobble, wobble! :0) Happy Turkey Day!

Thankful in 2010

I have been so blessed in 2010. That is an understatement because the Lord has been so good to me and my family! I have so many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season and I thought I would just share a few with you!

1. My husband. Tom has been such a faithful, loving, hard working husband and has never failed to give 100% for our family. I could write 100 blog posts just on his love, patience, and kind heart. I just love that man!

2. My children. I am thankful that they cry, that means they have the ability to feel emotions. I am thankful that they fight with each other, that means they have spunk. I am thankful that they always need a snack, it means they are growing. I am thankful they have tons of energy, that means they are healthy. I am thankful that they make messes, it reminds me that they are home for me to enjoy. I am thankful that they get dirty, it means I get to watch them play in the tub. I am thankful they get tired, that means they go to bed! :0)

3. Our health. Even though we are currently all sick with colds, I am grateful that we are generally healthy and don't have any major health problems to deal with. My kids don't have allergies that we have to worry about on a daily basis. They aren't hospitalized regularly. We only visit the doctor's for regular routine check ups and minor issues. Praise the Lord!

4. Our home. If I am honest with you, then I can say that I am often envious of others who have large houses with lots of land. We have a small little ranch on a quarter of an acre, but it's perfect for us! Yes, I would love to have a bigger house and more land some day, but for now I am so grateful for the roof over our heads! Plus, having a small house means less space to clean! 

5. Laundry. I am grateful for tons of laundry to do every day. Piles and piles of clean laundry means we have plenty of clothes to keep us warm and protected. 

6. Dirty dishes. When the sink is piled high with dirty pots and pans I have to remember that it means we ate a huge yummy meal and probably had plenty of left overs for the next day. I hate doing the dishes, but if I didn't have those messes to clean up then we would be hungry. (I'm also soooo thankful for my dishwasher!)

7. Good friends and my sister. As a stay-at-home mom I don't think I could survive my day without good friends to chat with, get together with and have play dates with. Not only do my children love getting together with other kids, it keeps me sane. My sister is also one of those people that I can kill an hour on the phone with and not think anything of it. We get together all the time and spend time in our jammies just chatting and playing referee with our kiddos. It's chaotic but still fun. (Both my sister and my sister-in-law are going to be giving me a new niece and nephew soon too!!! I'm extremely grateful to them for that!) :0)

8. Long hot showers. At the end of my crazy, chaotic and stressful day taking care of 3 kids under the age of 3 I REALLY look forward to my long hot shower before bed time! I'm grateful that we have a shower, plenty of soap and clean water. We take these things for granted and in other countries they are a luxury. Long hot showers also save us tons of money in therapy and trips to the spa! ;-)

9. Chocolate, fresh fruit, warm apple cider, pizza, peanut butter cups, ice cream, home made bread, squash, chinese food, cold milk and cookies. Okay, just a few of my favorites! :0)

10. My new business. I have started a very small and simple photography business that has taken off! I started just taking a few friends photos for fun and they told a few more friends and it has just continued to blossom. I am now getting phone calls from strangers to have their pictures taken and it's very exciting. My hobby has turned into a little business and it has been so much fun for me. It gets me out of the house for a little while, it brings in a little bit more money, and I thoroughly enjoy it! Thank you to everyone that has supported me and has spread the word! 

I hope you take time this Thanksgiving to reflect on all of the blessings you've been given and how they have impacted your life. It's the simple every day things we take for granted! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

Confessions of a clock freak!

Okay, I have a confession to make. I LOVE clocks. Not because they might be pretty or neat looking (I really don't care what they look like), but because I HAVE to know what time it is at all times! I'm kind of obsessed with it and some might call me obsessive compulsive about knowing the time.

I wear a watch and if I leave the house without it on, then I have a little mini panic attack.

Usually the first thing I do when I arrive at a new place is look for the clock. If there is none, then I use my trusty watch often.

I love buildings that have digital clocks on them! Whoever thought of that is a genius!

When camping or spending nights at other's houses, I have a light-up battery operated clock that I leave RIGHT next to me the whole time.

I have two digital light up clocks in our bedroom. Most people would assume it was because we need two alarm clocks, but I wake up with the kids, not an alarm. My reasoning for two clocks is so that it is easier for me to see them at night. If I'm facing my clock then I can easily see the time, but if I'm rolled over I just have to glance over Tom instead of turning around. Lazy? Maybe, but I like to know the time at ALL times!

If you've ever been to my house, you will notice that there is a clock in just about every room of the house. (Currently Jack's room is the only room in the house that doesn't have a clock.) Even the bathroom has a clock in it!

I may have passed along this obsession to my daughter. There has been lots of evidence of that lately and I'm not surprised. From the time she was a little baby I've had a clock in her room. It was easier to know what time it was if we were in her room playing if there was a clock there already. It definitely beat running to the living room every time I need to see a clock. Therefore, she's always seen clocks in our house and probably watched me look at them every couple of minutes of her life.

A few weeks ago, I asked her what she wanted for Christmas and she replied, "A princess clock for my new princess room." "You want a clock?" I asked. She said, "Oh yes, that would be great!" And she was serious. She really wanted a new clock!!!

She has also been obsessed with knowing the time lately too! (Remember that she's only 3!) Her new question (that she asks about 4 times a day) is "What time is it on the clock?" She used to ask "what time is it?" and I would answer with something like, supper time, bed time, quiet time, etc... She got smart and then added "on the clock" because she wanted to know the numbers.

Tom and I have been slowly teaching her what the short hand and long hands mean and she is catching on really fast! The other day I told her it was 9:55 and she said, "But Mama, the little hand is on the 11, not the 5." I was shocked! She was actually getting it!

Her other favorite thing is to "count the clock." Because we have a clock in the bathroom, she sits on the potty and asks to "count the clock." This just simply means that she counts from 1 to 12 around the clock. She loves doing it and does it over and over again.

It's kind of scary because I remember doing things like this as a kid, but I never taught her that. How is it that our kids pick up on these things? We might be a little crazy, but at least we're usually on time! :0)

By the way... this clock annoys me... 

Not much happening...

Hey there blogger friends. I feel like I've been missing in action lately! I've been so busy with things at home and with family that I've neglected to sit and write something down on here! I've also been laking for inspiration and I can't seem to think of something to write that's of any importance... hence I sit here babbling on...

Any who... I am sitting here with my laptop in my lap typing while my 3 year old styles my hair. It's her new fascination. I think it's her attempt to make me look pretty! ;-) The girls also recently saw me get a hair cut so anything to do with hair styling has been a huge hit!

After I typed that, I decided to snap some photos of the girls and I with the webcam...

Bailee has her princess blow dryer and Mia has the curling iron. They're attempting the impossible... make Mama's hair look nice with toys!

(I told you I don't have anything of importance to say.)

Jack is at a new stage of frustration... he wants so badly to get from point A to point B but is stuck at point A! AKA... crawling! He has that look in his eyes like he wants to go so badly, but when he tries he just ends up frustrated and crying. I know it won't be long now and I'm in NO hurry!

Well, that's it for today. Not much, but thought I would say hi! :0)

Can't keep up...

Phew! This has been a busy few days for me! I haven't posted a blog in a while and you can probably tell from my "lack" of blogging that my life has been a little crazy! I spent the weekend with family, went to my sister-in-laws baby shower, kept up with the kids and house work, took a young ladies senior pictures and have been trying to start up a new business.

That last part about starting up a business has taken up a lot of my time and energy. I am launching "NicoleLee Photography" soon and have been spending all of my extra time on a website, business cards, making appointments for photo shoots, and contacting clients. It has been tons of fun, but lots of work too! I'll post more details about all that later!

In the mean time, here are a few photos of the baby shower!

Tasha's baby shower!
Tasha and her mom giving a small devotion...

 The beautiful diaper cake!

 Aunt Pauline with Jack!

 The beautiful mom-to-be!

 Her cute niece playing peek-a-boo!

 Look at all of the wonderful gifts!

 Isn't she so sweet!

Have a great Monday everyone! :0)

Do you have "only Facebook friends?"

I LOVE Facebook. I find it so convenient to type in anyone's name and send them a quick message, reply to a question, or just check on their "status." Okay, I guess it's really all about just being nosey, but I find it fun to peek into someone's life and snoop around without them knowing.

Oh, come on, you feel the same way too. I'm just the only one saying it out loud!

I also find Facebook extremely helpful for me, as a stay-at-home mom, to feel connected with the world. I can set up play dates for my kids, I can chat with other moms that need support, and I can use my "adult words" and form complete thoughts while sending someone a quick message. 

There is only one thing that I find awkward about having friends on Facebook. Some of those "friends" are "only Facebook friends." Do you know what I mean? 

The term "friend" that Facebook.com uses is pretty broad to me. Not everyone on my "friends" list is an actual real life friend. Some are relatives, some are previous co-workers, some are classmates, and some are simply acquaintances. 

So, what's awkward to me is when you meet one of those "only Facebook friends" on the street or in the store. What do you say? What do you do? Should you look away or approach them? We've all been there, right? Or am I the only one?

It's kind of tricky because you know about their whole life (because they've posted a status for every event they've ever participated in) but you don't really know them personally. You comment on all of their statuses and photos, but you haven't spoken face-to-face in years. So? Again, what do you do?

This actually happened to me last week. (I'm not going to say where I was, or who I saw because that person might actually be reading this!) I saw an only Facebook friend in the distance and we made eye contact, but that person turned away. Neither of us said anything and I wasn't sure what to do. Should I turn around and be my usual friendly self, or does that person not want to chat. I chose to just keep walking and pretend that it never happened. But that bothered me. I'm a naturally outgoing person, so to ignore someone that I'm supposed to be "friends" with seemed cruel and rude. 

So... I'm curious if this has ever happened to you and what you've done about it? Please share with me your thoughts and if you're one of my only Facebook friends that wants to be ignored please tell me so I don't feel so badly next time it happens! =0)

Happy Fall Y'all!

We hope you're all taking the time to pick apples, look at the beautiful leaves and make pumpkin pie! Happy Fall Everyone!

A brilliant new reality tv show idea!

I've come up with a new idea for a very entertaining reality tv show...

10 adult contestants are chosen from the general population... a good mix of old, young, females, males, parents, business people, educated, uneducated, etc...

Each adult is given 2 children chosen from the general population... a good mix of newborns, crawlers, walkers, runners, teethers, hungry, tired, happy, high-strung, easy-going, etc... (Notice I only chose 2 kids, that was going easy on them!) :0)

They are then allowed to choose the grocery cart of their choice. They must choose wisely because some don't work well, some push hard, some are covered in sticky chocolate, some squeak loudly, and some are covered in flu germs!

Once the adult/children matches have been assigned and every one is situated with their grocery cart, they are then given a list of essential items to seek and find at WalMart before lunch and nap time arrive! They also have to buy all of these items within a set budget and cannot go over their money limit or they'll be charged an overdraft fee! Ready, Set, GO!!!

Here is the list of things needed... 

~ An appropriate sized package of diapers for every child in your presence.

~ Formula for a child with a soy allergy.

~ Ketchup.

~ A new pair of sneakers for yourself. (good luck trying them on if you're wearing a child in a sling or backpack!)

~ An appropriate toy for the 8 year old boy's birthday party you have to attend this week. (have fun in the toy section buying ONLY this one toy and not everything your kids want!)

~ A teething ring that can be refrigerated!

~ Vitamins for children. (you must choose between chewables, liquid, gummies, with iron, with extra vitamin c, etc...)

~ 3 dozen eggs (cannot be broken!)

Okay, they have their carts, they have their children and they have their list... now the fun begins! They must successfully race through the store dodging obstacles such as old ladies in electric wheel chairs, teenagers on skateboards, and various distractions the kids might be attracted to. These may or may not include water fountains to play in, free cookies from the deli, sweet old ladies that want to talk for 30 minutes, and toy displays that seem to scream "play with me!"

They are also provided with one diaper bag. Inside the store during their shopping experience they must change a diaper, keep all pacifiers from hitting the floor and administer a snack carefully. Contestants must chose wisely when to reveal the snack items. If given out too soon then they have no back-up when the child is having a melt down, and if given out too late then the child may be unconsolable and may receive many dirty looks from other contestants and fellow shoppers. Each dirty look is a strike. 3 strikes and you're out!

The key to winning this reality show is successfully getting through the check out line. (Every parent knows that this time is the most trying in any shopping outing.) They must wait in line for unidentified period of time, pay for all items within budget limits and return to parking lot without losing their minds! If contestants exit the store with both children still smiling and all items are safely packed in bags in the shopping cart then you win.

What do you win? A nap, because they will need one! :0)

What goes around comes around!

Back in July I blogged about baking lots of zucchini bread and delivering it to our neighbors. The immediate response was great and we had lots of fun conversations while visiting with everyone! But the best part of doing that was not the initial contact we made with everyone, but the continued fellowship between all of us now! It's so nice to walk outside and know everyone's names and to be able to chat for a few minutes instead of just walking by rudely.

I can now say that I am working on building those relationships and have had fun getting to know each of our neighbors in a different way! It's also really fun because we have had bread delivered to our house now 3 different times from those same neighbors that we brought bread to first! I guess what goes around comes around and I'm loving all the friendliness going around! :-D

Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

I can't believe it, but it's September and September is ovarian cancer awareness month. It's the month of teal! If you see someone wearing a teal ribbon somewhere you'll now know what that means! Many know all about the pink ribbon and breast cancer statistics, but few know about the killing power of ovarian cancer.

My sweet mother-in-law Venise suffered her last days battling ovarian cancer and I can tell you from my first hand experience of watching her die that it is an awful killer! Through out the month of September I will be writing about the different aspects of ovarian cancer and also a lot about Venise herself! This will be my attempt at spreading the word about this awful sickness and sharing with you my love for Venise!

What a long week!

I am starting to climb the walls in my house! I have been home all week with 3 sick kids and now I am sick myself. It's that time of year where the "school-starting" season brings colds into the atmosphere! It never fails that at the end of the summer/ beginning of the fall our family gets sick. It must be the changing weather or the new allergens in the air, but either way it's not fun!

You can't tell by reading this, but I have NO voice today! This awful cold has settled into my lungs and throat, so typing this is great because if you were to call me on the phone today you might not understand me! I actually have to strain my voice to speak and it hurts! Therefore the girls will probably watch tv all day so I don't have to play or read to them. It has been a challenge just to speak to them normally!

I can't wait until we all feel better so we can get on with our normal lives and leave this place to do something fun! First thing this morning Bailee begged me to just go somewhere... "Mama can we please go bye bye? PLEASE!" It was pretty sad because she was wiping her nose and barely moving from not feeling good, yet she didn't want to stay home again! We're so used to being busy so to stay home all week has not been fun!

In the meantime I will continue to wipe noses, administer medicine, give cuddles and I might make myself a cup of tea to soothe my throat!

August 24... the BEST day of my life!

Why is August 24th so important?

1456 – The printing of the Gutenberg Bible is completed.

1682 – William Penn receives the area that is now the state of Delaware, and adds it to his colony of Pennsylvania.

1891 – Thomas Edison patents the motion picture camera.

1983- Nicole Lee Couture is born at 7:59 pm to parents Ronald & Rhonda Couture.

1912 – Alaska becomes a United States territory.

1932 – Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly across the United States non-stop.

1967 – Led by Abbie Hoffman, a group of hippies temporarily disrupt trading at the NYSE by throwing dollar bills from the viewing gallery, causing trading to cease as brokers scramble to grab them.

1995 – Computer software developer Microsoft releases its Windows 95 operating system.

2006 – The International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefines the term "planet" such that Pluto is now considered a Dwarf Planet.

All of these dates were so important in history, but as any mom knows... once you have kids, your birthday is just another day in the year. Nothing special happening here and that's okay! I am incredibly blessed to be sitting here in my house with my 3 children and wonderful husband! That's enough for me to have another amazing year! So, Happy Birthday to me... ;-)

A question for you moms....

Does anyone have any suggestions for a hip sling for babies? Jack is really heavy to carry in a regular baby carrier now and is starting to sit on my hip, so I was hoping to find something cheap or second-hand, but I need some suggestions.

I'm looking for something like this... 

I have never used one before and I'm not even sure if I would like it. Any ideas? Suggestions?

Truly Inspiring!

A friend of mine shared this with me and it made me stop and think of all the blessings in my life! There are so many things I take for granted every day! How about you? Do you complain when nothing goes your way? Should you stop and be more grateful for what you already have? I know that I need to!

Discovering Worms!

Two mothers days ago I was given a gift certificate to a local greenhouse from Tom to buy a flowering crab apple tree. I was thrilled, so when we moved into our new house I couldn't wait to go pick it out! Our summer has been a little busy, so we just got around to it this weekend. We went out and I picked an Indian Summer Flowering Crab Apple Tree. It will now be "My Mother's Day Tree" that will always remind me of how special my kids are to me!!!

Last night Tom went out to plant the tree and he wanted the kids to be a part of it, so he let them "help." (That basically meant that they watched and played in the yard!)

The best part of it all was the girls discovering worms. First they saw them in the ground, then Tom handed them each one from the wheelbarrow. It was funny to watch their responses. At first they were both excited to hold one, but quickly dropped them once they started wiggling around!

Tom then picked up a fat juicy one and was pretending to eat it... the girls freaked out! I thought Bailee was going to cry! :-) It was quite funny!

Yard Sale Finds!!

I love summer time for many reasons, but I really love summer because of yard sales!!! I am a nut for a good deal! I refuse to pay full price for most things and I get a rush from finding those treasures! Here are a few of my favorite things that I have found this summer! :0)

Rainbow Beach Umbrella Normally $30-$80- I paid $1!!! It works great in our patio table to keep Jack out of the sun while the girls play! :0)

For this Fisher Price Crawl and Cruise Jungle Normally $90-$110- I paid $15!

Fisher Price Laugh and Learn House Door Normally $80- I paid $5!

Dora Couch (my kids LOVE) Normally $30-$40- I paid $2

I have clothed my girls for the next few years of their lives from summer yard sale finds... most clothes $.25! These outfits cost $.50 a piece! Until my kids care about shopping for clothing, I'll stick with barely worn/new second hand clothes! Most things were name brands or brand new!

A dress for Alana $.25

Bumbo chair for Jack Normally $30-$40- I paid $10

Learning Journey Count and Learn Cookie Jar toy with "counting cookies" Normally $30 - I paid $.25! Bailee is learning her numbers and she loved playing with it! (She keeps pretending to bake cookies for me!)

This is probably my favorite find! I found 2 online... one was $80 and the other was $280- I paid $10 for this beautiful wooden high chair! It's so nice that I don't mind it sitting in my dining room! Mia also like it because it feels more like a big girl chair than a baby seat!

The summer isn't over... I might have more goodies to share later... :0)

He-be-she-be!!!

We've all been there.

You see someone, something.

Is it a man? Is it a woman?

What do you do? Do you ask them their gender? Do you stare until you figure it out?

We all know that you want to take a second look, but you can't! That would be rude!

This exact thing happened to my mom and dad the other day and I laughed out loud when my mom told me what happened. They saw someone walk into the room and my mom had to take that second look. She leaned over to my dad and whispered, "What is that?" His response was "Oh, that's a he-be-she-be!"

I laughed so hard when my mom told me this! I finally have a name for those few people in life that I can't distinguish between male and female! It's a "he-be-she-be!" :0)