Well Hello There!

I apparently needed a little break from blogging after all of that NaBloPoMo business, eh?

To catch you up, it's been a busy busy month so far. Almost all of the Christmas shopping is done and then some. Some of the presents though, have unfortunately not made it all the way to Christmas. Namely, one beautiful NIKON camera given to me by my awesomely awesome husband man.



I haven't been able to stop taking pictures since last week when I opened it (completely against Ace's wishes, might I add.... but NIKON!!! SHINY!! WANT NOW MINEMINEMINE!!) and my children are now beyond sick of it all. The moment ZK sees me pull out the camera he either darts from the room or turns on that nasal-y whine that makes me want to claw my ears out.

Ah, well. Tuff noogies. I've wanted a nice camera for years and I'm not about to let a little grumpiness stop me from taking photos to my heart's content.




That's his signature move.






The rest of the Christmas gifts will definitely make it to their spot under the tree I promise. This one, though, is not leaving my sight. Neither are any of these toddlers, until I can get them to pose for "Just one more shot!"




Gah! Fine. Never mind.

w00t!

LASTPOSTLASTPOSTLASTPOST!!!! It's my last post for NaBloPoMo. Can you believe it? Because I can't. I've done thirty posts in thirty days. It's like a third of that requirement they give you for AA when you have an alcohol problem, except it's for writing and I TOTALLY DID IT. I was a once-a-month poster and this month I posted every single day. Are you proud of me? ... No?
Well I totally don't care because I AM. I totally did it.


I had a really good day today. I'm not sure if it was the fact that I was finally able to find Ace's Christmas present, that I was able to finally get our Christmas cards done and ordered or just that ZK actually took a nap today and gave me some peace and quiet all to myself... or maybe a combination of all of those things, but today was a really great day. It was a Monday and everything! Amazing.
Tomorrow Ace will be home and we plan to put up our Christmas tree and decorations. In the morning he has to get up on the roof and hang the lights. I'm not looking forward to that part because I get to worry about him falling off the entire time. Our roof is steep and I'm an incredibly paranoid person by nature. I need him to outlive me, okay? That was part of our deal that he doesn't know he ever agreed to. I don't like him being up on high dangerous slanty roofs (rooves? Roofesses?? Eh?). It's not good for my nerves.
Anyway, tomorrow we will have all of our Christmas decorations up and I can't wait! I know I say it every day but This is my favorite time of year. Did I mention that I love Christmas time? Because I do. I love it.

And now, I will leave you with a picture of my family because I really have no idea how to end this post...



Dangit! He always has his eyes closed in the good ones.

Happy NaBloPoMo to me.

Black Friday Adventures

Okay, so Black Friday. Now that it's over 48 hours later I really just don't feel like explaining all of it so I'll just give you some cute little bullet points instead.

* Toys R Us was stupid ridiculous. I'm sorry but I can't think of any other way to describe it. I arrived at 11pm to find a line that stretched almost 360 degrees around the building. I was about 2/3 of the way back but no more than 15 minutes after I arrived the line more than doubled. I am not kidding. There were police officers patrolling the area and it was loud and it was a frigid 47 degrees Fahrenheit. When I was finally inside the building it was as crowded as downtown Deep Ellum on a Saturday night. Probably even more dangerous with all of the bleary eyed soccer moms up at that hour fighting to get their hands on the last Zhu Zhu pet.

* My next stop was Kohl's and that went ever so much better in every way. I was one of the first people in line, I was able to get a shopping bag and I got every single thing I'd set out to get there while spending only about 25 minutes in line to check out. In comparison to Toys R Us, it was lovely.

* My third stop was actually a gas station. I'd been awake for about 23 hours by this time and I definitely needed a coffee refill, a bathroom break and some food.
I was able to get all three and it helped to wake me up a bit.

*I went to Target at 5:15 AM, purposely arriving late to avoid the whole mob-rush thing. It went just as well as Kohls and again I found everything I'd been looking for there. Target will always be my favorite store. I love my Target.

* Next I hit Walmart. OOoooh Walmart, I love you and hate you all at once. I was disappointed with the "deals" they were offering on their toys and most of the toys that I wanted to get there couldn't be found. The aisles were a huge mess and most of the doorbusters were just out on wooden pallets in messy piles after being rummaged through by the frenzied mob that had arrived before me. I don't think I'll be stopping by there next year on my Black Friday Route.

* My 6th and final stop was Once Upon A Child. I worked there for about 2 years back when I was fresh out of highschool and they always have great deals on Black Friday. By the time I got there I was beginning to feel dizzy with exhaustion and I knew I just needed to get in and get out. It didn't work out that way. I found my few things there and had to wait in line for about 35 minutes before I could check out.

By the time I left there, I was beginning to see double and I was feeling pretty shaky. I hadn't slept in 27 hours and I had had enough. I drove home, unloaded my loot and hid it safely. Then I crawled my delirious self into bed and slept for about 3 hours before Ace came in to tell me he'd picked up lunch.
I spent the rest of the day in a half-awake shopped-out stupor. It was not cute. All in all, I feel like it was definitely worth it. I saved a lot of money and really did have some fun chatting with the people I was stuck in line with and making my way through the crowds to find the right toys.
Next year I will definitely remember to get a good long nap in before I start shopping. That would have made a world of difference. Also, next year I'm going to try to bring a shopping buddy.

Anyone interested? C'mon, it'll be fun! Bring your good running shoes!

GARRRSMASHRAWRRR!

Okay people. I know I promised a post about my Black Friday experience and I had every intention of doing one. In fact, I already had half of it typed up!

I have no idea what exactly I did just now, but I apparently bumped the wrong button while I was typing and my entire entry disappeared before my eyes. I'm more than a little bit irritated. I will type it up again tomorrow. Mmmkay?

I took the boys to a birthday party today for a little girl I used to nanny for. ZK and Mak have known each other since they were 18 months old. She turned four years old today. I can't believe how quickly the time goes by. Zk will be four in a month!
The two of them stuck together the entire time despite there being at least 30 other children there. They hadn't seen each other in months and could barely contain their excitement. They bounced in the bounce house, played on the swingset and had to sit right next to each other at the table to eat cake. I was so happy Zk could get some time to hang out with Mak again.

Cj spent the entire party on my hip and ate most of my cake and ice cream for me. We were all completely worn out by the time we left for home.

I got lazy and picked up some Chick-Fil-A for dinner. I'm so glad I have a whole other day off tomorrow! It will be spent folding laundry and doing the grocery shopping. Just the way I like it.

Under-Eye Bags Are HOT.

There's a really long, dramatic, exciting post just sitting up there in my brain waiting to be written. It's a post about my Black Friday shopping experience and how I WILL NEVER EVER NO NEVER AGAIN NO EFFING THANK YOU MA'AM attempt a midnight opening at Toys R Us on Black Friday.

That post, however, will have to be written tomorrow. I am completely spent. I ended up being awake for 27 hours straight and got a short 3 hour nap before reality called me back to my mom and wife duties. On the bright side, after adding up all of my savings today I saved almost TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS. In total I spent $360.00 which means I saved almost as much as I spent! WIN!
But, it is now 9:02 PM and I refuse to waste one more second of my time not sleeping. Now please excuse me as I attempt to drag my poor aching body alllll the way across the house and into my soft, comfy bed. I sure hope I can make it.

I Love Today

I love Thanksgiving. Love Love Love. I love feeling like I could show up to dinner in my Pj's and it would be completely appropriate. I love having a reason to just sit around the table with family to eat and talk about all of the good things in life. Most of all, I love having a day that gives me a reason to look at all of the positives in my life and to think about how grateful I am for all of it.

There was a ton of great food to be eaten, courtesy of my mother in-law and sister in-law (I'm not what you'd call a "good cook"....but I'm getting a lot better at it!) and best of all we had Kitty's famous Pumpkin Roll for dessert! My but that woman can cook.

I made sure the boys were dressed in their Dallas Cowboys stuff and Ace and I wore our jerseys today because the Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving. Before dinner, we all walked down the street to a little grove of trees off the side of the road to take some family photos.







Then we all walked back to stuff our faces.




Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Ours was lovely. I really hope yours was too.



P.S. I'm about to stand out in front of a Toys R Us for a midnight opening for Black Friday. Am realizing I may be much more hardcore about this than I first thought....

I Plead 4 Day Weekend

My workday is over. I have much lazing about with my babies and playing on FaceBook to get done before Ace gets home. I took this picture today as we were all running around the back yard getting muddy and stinky. We had a crazy fun day spent mostly outside and now it is time to enjoy the break to the fullest extent. Just a warning, tomorrow will probably be yet another photo post as I have to get my beauty sleep in tomorrow night before the big shopping day on Friday.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, Internet! Remember, Calories don't count if it's a holiday. SHUT UP THEY DON'T.

Chomping At the Bit

One more day people. One. More. Day.
Today I took pictures with my phone because, I knew you'd be expecting an entry and I also knew that I wouldn't feel like typing one. See how I plan ahead? Please to be believing my bullpoop?

Look! Pictures of some adorable little kids! LOOOOOOOOOOOK at teh squishy baybees!

This one? She totally looked like a boy a year ago. No, seriously. She is now my sweet dramatic little princess squishyface. I love her.


This one? He is too smart for words. He scares me sometimes with how very observant and cunning he can be. He's sly like a fox and cute like OHMYGODSTOPPIT. FEAR HIM.

You know the story on this one. He's a man to be reckoned with. I don't care who you are or what you think you know about kids. This one will give you what-for. This one will show you who's boss. He's the man and you'd better get used to it or he'll kick you in the knee cap.

He's gonna make an awesome adult but GOOD LAWS he's difficult to parent. I'm so proud.



And last but not least, Ace got me a Jason Witten jersey. w00t w00t!

Good enough for today? Eh? Wait... Hey! Look over there!!

* (Scurries away) *

Nothing to report

I have no idea what I'll write about tonight. I can't believe I've (sort of...) made it this far, can you? It's day 23 and other than an unfortunate 18-minutes-late-due-to-falling-asleep-at-the-laptop incident I have blogged every single day this month! I can't frickin believe it.

Today was, as usual pretty uneventful. I had my 9 year old here all day instead of just 3pm-630pm because of thanksgiving break and I always enjoy her company. She goes by CJ like my youngest, but I'll just refer to her as CB. She's quite a character. She spent the day laid up on my couch with some sort of mystery sore throat that doesn't cause a fever. She didn't feel warm ever, but she had flushed cheeks and looked like death warmed over. Normally I would have sent her home, but seriously, no fever at all. I didn't know what to make of it. So, I just kept her in one spot and made sure none of the other kids touched her or bothered her.
My other kids were their usual selves, running all over the place and turning the playroom upside down. They had a great time and one of them even didn't want to go home. I consider that a successful day.

Tomorrow I expect more of the same. This week though, I only have to work Monday to Wednesday and I could not be more excited. Thanksgiving break, here I come! Then, on to the shopping!

Yakkity Yak

Today was definitely not exciting. I tackled the huge pile of laundry and finally got everything clean AND put away. Okay, wait.. for me that's definitely exciting.
The boys ran around the house in their pajamas and watched cartoons until it was time to get dressed and head to the grocery store. By that time Ace was home from work and CJ was ready for a nap so ZK and I got to go alone. It's always interesting taking him anywhere alone because it always makes me realize just how MUCH he really talks. It's literally nonstop. I find myself having to stifle the urge to tell him to just hush because (1) I know for a fact that he inherited that trait from me and (2) because of that I really understand WHY he does it.
If I know you well and am comfortable with you, I will literally talk your ear off. I don't know why it is that I must always be talking, but I find it difficult to stop once I get started. I express everything verbally and I must work out any and all stress in my life through words. Usually Ace has to deal with most of it, as he's the only one around for me to talk to that has more than 40 words in his vocabulary. Poor guy.
ZK is exactly the same way. He asks a million questions. He has an opinion on everything and he's not afraid to tell you about it. He has to fill every little bit of silence with words and singing and talktalktalking because it just feels like that's what he's supposed to do. I get it, I really do. I also feel a bit sorry for him because HOO BOY is it difficult to keep friends when you're known as the one that never shuts up.

Trust me, I know.


Anyway, he talked the entire time and I did my best to just listen and be interested and ask questions back. He had a good time and I had a good time watching him smile and tell me about Santa and how he was going to get presents after "Turkey Day" and "Mama I need this! I need it! I need those cookies!".

I have a 3 day work week this week and I am looking forward to it. I am so excited for Thanksgiving and family and fun. This is definitely my favorite time of year.

Stripety

"PFFFBBBBTHHHTTTT...."












MuuuuAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!




Heh...




Heh-Heh...




Heeee.





Today was fabulous. Thanks for asking. I have to go snuggle with some stripety little babies now. Goodnight Internet!

It's All Good.

It's Friday night and ZK is at his Mimi & Grampa's house. From what I hear, he had a fabulous time and over at this end it's not too shabby either. CJ conked out at about 7:45pm and Ace and I got to watch Orphan on Pay Per View. We can't get movies like that when he's here for obvious reasons, so we jumped at the chance to watch a scary movie. If anyone's interested, I loved it and hated it at the same time. It was adequately frightening and not excessively gory. It played on my maternal instincts and made me scream at the television more than a few times. BAYBEES IN DANGER!!!! OMFGSTOPPIT!!!!

I miss ZK terribly and wish I could give him a kiss goodnight but at the same time I'm so relieved that he's in his favorite place on earth with his favorite people EVAR, having fun making paper chains and baking peanut butter cookies and eating "poppa-sicles". He needed to get away and Ace and I needed to be able to watch a scary movie and we need to be able to sleep in until a whole 7:30am.

I'm grateful for people like my mother in-law that can see when I'm past the point of no return and know that all it takes is to give me a break and help my baby to have a good day when I know I just can't give him one this time.

I'm blessed to have people like that in my family's life and I'm definitely grateful for it. Tomorrow I'll be able to pick ZK up and both of us will be able to feel refreshed and actually have a chance to miss each other a bit. It's good.

Everything is good today.

You Better Not Pout, I'm Telling You Why...

So yesterday I had the brilliant idea to tell ZK about Santa coming to bring his presents next month... BRILLIANT.
The negative is that I didn't think about the fact that a 3.5 year old has absolutely NO concept of time and therefor has asked me at least twice every hour "Is it Christmas yet Mom?... Is it now?". I amaze myself sometimes with my genius.

The positive side to the situation is that ZK is now aware that Santa "can see you all the time" and will know if he's being a good boy or not. He doesn't want Santa to bring him "Just a little rock!" instead of presents.... How do you explain a lump of coal to a toddler? It's a rock. A rock instead of cool presents. That's explanation enough for him to understand that Santa means business.

Anyway, I have a teeeeeeensy twinge of guilt each time I remind him about Santa watching when he's trying to make trouble but the guilt is quickly replaced by the satisfaction of knowing that this awesomely effective little tool will be good for more than a month. It just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. You know? Santa totally rocks.

Like a Moth To A Flame

Today was better. It wasn't great, but it was definitely better than yesterday. Baby steps, I guess. I took the boys shopping after the kids left and it was great to get out. We visited Ace at work and went to Old Navy. Awesome sale. I spent a bit more than I had planned but COME ON. All clearance an additional 50% off? I was like a moth to a bug zapper light. There was no fighting it.
I'm definitely a shop-a-holic by nature, I just never have time or money to actually shop anymore. Before I had kids, I remember spending half of my paycheck every other week on just clothes. How on earth did I ever think that kind of thing was okay? It's not like I had some job where I was in the public eye and had to present myself a certain way. I did things like retail and waiting tables and construction and working in a CUBICLE.

Now, when I do go shopping I end up looking around for a bit before inevitably going straight to either the little boys' clothing or the toy section. I just can't buy myself something anymore without first thinking "ZK really needs some better PJ's right now.." or "CJ needs pants". I can't justify buying myself a shirt when I know there are shirts in my closet that do fit me and my boys are in need of new shoes.

Speaking of buying my boys things, I was reminded today that it's almost time for Black Friday! I can't even begin to explain how excited I am about it. I've participated in it every year since ZK's first Christmas. Seriously, I make it into my own olympic shopping event. A week or two before thanksgiving every year, I start scanning the ads for all of the best deals on the toys I know I want to buy. I write everything down and categorize everything by store and by that store's opening time. I make a plan of which stores i will hit in what order and where I need to go in each store. I'm up at 2:30am to be out by 3:30 and in line by 4am. I love it.

This year will be a bit harder because I'll be shopping for two kids' Christmas AND birthday presents as well as for Ace and my extended family members. I'm ready though. I'm looking forward to it! I shop, therefor I am!

I Have Pink Hair.

If you didn't already notice, I did a redesign today. I love it and it makes me happy when I look at it. Yay me, right? I feel like this layout fits my personality a lot better. On the inside, I'm a girl with not two but 20 tattoos and not 7 but 17 piercings. I'm a lot louder and I have pink hair and I wear a lot more leather and skinny jeans with converse.
I'm too old to dress like that now, but on the inside I'll always think like that girl and I think that's okay. I think that's a good thing.

Today, I want to ask you a question. What does the real you look like? What do they wear? How do they act? What do you see when you think of the you on the inside?

I see a girl. Not a woman, but a girl that loves to be different and loves to seek out the obscure, the special, the unknown little awesome things in this world that make it interesting and fun. I see that even though right now my life is all about being a mama and a good wife and home maker, I still know who I am at my very core. I;m a little strange. I'm quirky. I love to like the things that you don't like. I love to make you uncomfortable. I love to witness awkward situations. They make me laugh. I love to make you look at the situation another way and to see that you may be wrong.
I also love to make you happy. The girl with the skinny jeans and the pink hair and tattoos is also a people pleaser. Some would call that a character flaw. I don't think it is, but maybe I just have a lot more to learn. I mean, of course I do.

I had originally intended to write about ZK today and the difficult time we've been having. I don't want to write about that tonight. I think tomorrow I just need to remember the girl I'm looking at now and what she would do with a defiant little boy commanding her complete attention and pushing all of her buttons to get it. She would definitely be doing things differently than I have been. She would definitely be a lot more fun.
I'm going to trust that tomorrow she'll be able to work all of this out for me. I think Zk needs a lot more of someone like her and a lot less of the person I've been recently. I've been letting the stress and fatigue from my job get to me and it's hit him the hardest.
I think I have a lot of work to do. This calls for some serious artillery. Imay have to break out my playdough.

One Foot In Front Of The Other

I really need to start blogging earlier in the day. I've been trying to do this in the late evening after the boys are in bed because it's so much quieter but it's keeping me up way too late and Ace is complaining. Also, the dark circles under my eyes are definitely getting darker.

Maybe tomorrow I'll try blogging during the kids' nap time.... or maybe not. We'll see how I feel then. For tonight, I'm giving you more pictures because I cannot resist showing these ones off.



Mimi's got the camera ready...




Not that I get excited about it or anything.....


Grampa lends a hand.


Good JOB little man!


And then he blows a celebratory raspberry.

This kid sure is a lot of fun. I think I may keep him, you know?

Donut you love me?

What a weekend this has been!

So I'm going to be completely honest here and point out the fact that the post date for the previous post is the same as for this one..... Innocent! I'm innocent, I tell you!
Yesterday was absolutely ridiculously fun and exhausting. We got home around 9pm and got the boys to bed about 930. After getting everything put away and ready for the next day (as you all know this is a mandatory procedure per my OCD) it was about 10pm. I sat down on my usual perch on the love seat with the laptop on my knees, ready to post an entry. I remember there was some silly Kardashian wedding playing on TV. The next thing I know, I was opening my bleary eyes and staring at a dark laptop screen. I remember thinking "Wow I need to go get in bed" and setting the laptop on the coffee table as I groggily picked myself up off of the couch. Then, a lighbulb went on in my brain. Did I blog?... No! I didn't! Oh no, what time is it?!
Instead of looking at my cell phone like a normal person, I quickly picked up the laptop and turned it back on..... still a dark screen.

....... "What the...?"

It was dead. After plugging it back in to the charger, I looked at the clock in the corner and it read 12:18. 12:18 AM.

FAIL!!!!

I felt like I was back in high school, sitting hunched over at my desk trying to become invisible as the teacher looked at me expectantly for my big report that was due. I didn't have it. It wasn't ready. I get a Zero.

I quickly posted one of the photos from our amazing dinner at Kobe's and left a short birthday message for Ace. I wasn't going to just not post, you know?

So internet, now I shall do what I always did when this situation came up back then. I shall ask you for another chance. I'm asking for your understanding.
Weather you think I'm disqualified or not (and I will completely understand if you do), I will still continue to post here each night until the end of the month. I know that technically I did not post on November 14th, but I was 18 minutes late.
Ah well. Tonight, you get pictures!
Yesterday was awesome. I definitely overuse that word but it really was just that. We all spent the morning together around the house until Ace and ZK left for a Monster Truck Rally. MONSTER TRUCKS! Not only did they get to meet The Bigfoot

but they also got to ride in a monster truck and meet the drivers! They had a total blast and I'm glad they were able to go, especially because Bigfoot was Ace's favorite Monster Truck when he was ZK's age. Awesomeness.

While they were gone, I was busy with a secret mission. I had to get 28 donuts and I had to get them quickly before the rally ended and everyone came back to Mimi and Grampa's house to go out to dinner. I had fabulous plans for a Krispy Kreme Donut birthday cake. It was an idea I got from This Chick Again. She did her wedding cake out of Krispy Kremes! Why didn't I think of that?!
Anyway, my plans were completely dashed to pieces as I drove up to the Krispy Kreme store only to see that all of the signs were removed from the building.... It was closed down. I called my mother in-law in a panic, wondering how I could possibly make the cake I had planned for without delicious Krispy Kremes. She assured me that we would figure something out and I decided to try Market Street because I know their baked goods are both fresh and exceptionally delicious. I didn't just want some stale pre-packaged donuts for this cake. I wanted fresh, squishy, gooey ones. I drove all the way back to the Market Street which happens to be mere blocks from my house only to walk in and realize that they actually make everything BUT donuts.... GARRSMASHRAWRAAAAAAUGHHHH!!!!
I walked to the car with CJ on my hip and I was nearly in tears. I called my mother to vent about the whole thing as I started the car. I was just going to head over to Walmart and buy the dumb pre-packaged ones and get it over with when she said "Well why don't you just go to Dunkin?"
I am so very slow sometimes. I have no idea why it hadn't occurred to me to try there in the first place. I mean, that's what they DO. THEY MAKE DONUTS. ALL DAY LONG.
And so the day was saved, thanks to my mom and her common sense. I got my 28 donuts and rushed to my in-laws' house to put the cake together with Mimi.


I think it came out pretty great if I do say so myself.

As soon as the guys and my sister in-law and her son got back from the Monster Truck show, we went to dinner at Kobe. The food was delicious, our chef was hilarious and the little boys were completely awed by the whole show as he made our food on the grill in front of us.
Onion Volcano!


They made Ace wear a funny hat. Heh.

When we got back to Mimi and Grampa's house, Ace finally got to see the surprise.

He said it was the best birthday cake he'd ever had. Then, my heart exploded into a bajillion pieces of happy sparkly confetti. I made him happy! WIN!

We all ate donuts until we couldn't eat any more.

They're stuffed. Get it? .... Heh...

When Ace and I got home he told me it was "An awesome day". So even though I blogged 18 minutes late, I feel like I really did do my job. He had a great birthday.
I love him so much.
Happy birthday again, sweet husband. You're the best.



Love, "Babe".

Happy Happy

Happy 28th Birthday Ace!

Adventures! Sort of.

Dear Internet,

After work today I went to Walmart. I know! Action! Adventure! I have no life! I have no idea what my original reason was for going there except that I needed to get out of the house. I neeeeeeeeeeded to get out. By the end of the week I'm beyond stir-crazy and even grocery shopping seems like a fabulous vacation from my routine.
I ended up getting a few great ideas for Christmas gifts for the boys. ZK and CJ were so good! I was bracing myself the entire time for some big meltdown or for something to get broken or someone to need a diaper change mid-shop, but no! They were perfect angels. I needed that today and they totally delivered.

ZK has a habit of asking "Mama can I have this?" as he points at Every. Single. Item. In. The. Store. Today was no different. He made me laugh though, as we were walking through the toy section he looked up at me and said "Mama, I fink I jus need everysing" in his lispy little toddler voice with a serious look in his eyes. I couldn't help but hug him right there because boy do I ever remember that feeling. The feeling of wanting all of the toys in the store and asking for each and every one in hope of getting just at least one thing before we went home ohpleasepleasepleasemompleeeease???

And so, I left Walmart with two tiny stuffed reindeer, a tiny wooden airplane and a couple of things for Ace's birthday tomorrow.
Oh yes! Did I mention that tomorrow is Ace's birthday? Because it is. I have fabulous plans for a really fun cake and we'll be having dinner at one of our absolute favorite restaurants with the whole family. Ace is off all day and I look forward to all of us being able to have a Saturday together again. We all enjoy our together time so much, no matter what we're doing. We like us, you know?

The Itty Bitty Bully

Hi! I'm tired. CJ is walking, ZK is Mr. Defiant and the toys- oh how they pile up. It was a really good day though. We played outside for most of the day and I let CJ just crawl all over the yard and explore. By the time we came inside his knees and hands were covered in mud and grass clippings. He looked quite proud of himself.

That child is 100% B-O-Y. Seriously. He grunts and growls. He climbs up on ZK and the other kids like they're playground equipment and then he pulls their hair or takes their toys or just smacks them until they have to call out to "GET HIM OFF!!!". I have no idea what to do with a kid like that. He is the polar opposite of his older brother and I have a feeling we all have a lot to be nervous about when it comes to him growing up.



He's pretty cute though, if I do say so myself.

Eleventy Bajillion Little Pieces

Awesome. I need to thank my sister (In-Law = Same thing)for telling me about this because it's giving me something to write about tonight.



"I Wish"- I didn't have to pick up fifty bajillion little plastic toys eleventeen times a day.

If you know me or have read my blog for any amount of time, you know that I have a home daycare. Now, imagine (if you have children of your own) your kids' playroom after a long day at home. Think about the attention span of your children when they are small and how they move from one toy to the next like a little hummingbird from flower to flower- flitting about and zooming here and there, never tiring or slowing down. Think about the mess that kind of play leaves in its wake. The scattered blocks, flipped over Hotwheels cars, the stray pieces of race track and the broken crayons.
Now, imagine that mess multiplied by 5 children. Add in to this equation a crippling case of organization OCD.... and you will get a vague idea of what I face each day with my job. My house is like a giant playpen. You can tell that adults live here, for amongst the bins of hotwheels, the buckets of Legos and the shelves of board books you will find nice furniture and lovely family photos hung on the walls(Oh, HELLO THERE run on sentence! I'm too tired to care right now. You can stay if you'd like). But there is no denying who runs this place and it isn't Ace or myself.

I love that the job I have gives me the excuse to keep so many toys around for my kids. I love that we can always find something to do. I love that they have the freedom in this space to explore their imaginations and to think and create.

I just really wish I wasn't the one who had to line it all up in neat little sets and stacks and piles at the end of the day.... It's exhausting!

If you'd like to participate in Wishful Wednesday, just click here to link your blog!

"Keep Moving Forward"

What a frickin DAY. It's so strange how I can blog about how completely awesome something is one day, and the next day it will get completely thrown back in my face....

ZK and I had a really rough day today. When I say rough, I mean that I had almost reached the end of my fuse. I have a pretty substantial amount of patience, as any childcare worker must. I've learned it and earned it over time through many of my work experiences as well as being the oldest of five children. I have methods. I have systems. I have plans and tools to help me get through chaotic situations. I HAVE CREDENTIALS, PEOPLE.


***(Is Not Impressed)***

The difference with my OWN child though, is that for some reason none of that matters. The kid knows how to push my buttons, and hooooooo boy does he ever push them. I have NO IDEA where he gets it from.....

Anyway, today he had me. He had me feeling a bit like a rubber band I guess. My sanity being stretched tighter and thinner and further and further... I was ready to either cry or scream or throw something. But, I didn't. I kept my cool. I don't know how except by the grace of God, but I did. Thankfully, Ace got home soon after I realized how bad it was getting and I was able to turn ZK over to him for a long talk and some time in his room to cool off. He and I BOTH needed time to cool off.
When he was born, I remember thinking there was no way I would ever be able to feel anything short of jubilant when he was with me. He was the center of the universe. My sunshine and my heart and my everything.

He still IS. He's still my baby. He still has me wrapped around his little finger. I would still jump through burning hoops just to get him to smile. Being a mother has taught me more than just how to survive with no sleep. It's taught me that love really can be completely unconditional. LIKE, however, is not.
I am absolutely ashamed to say this, but in all honesty I couldn't like him today. Even as I type that, I can't go back and read it over. Does that make me a bad mom? Does that mean that I fail? I really hope not.

I know something though and that is that weather I get a Pass or Fail grade today in parenting is not what matters. What matters is that at the end of the day I still love him more than words. I still give him hugs and kisses goodnight and I tell him that I love him and that in the morning I'll have his chocolate milk for him and we can watch "Ant Robinsons" (Meet The Robinsons) with his Mason when he gets here.

Tomorrow is another day, after all.
Tomorrow will be better.

"Keep Moving Forward, Lewis!"

My First Baby

He's so much cooler than I could ever hope to be.




He's also a huge frickin DORK- but in the most awesome way...





And sometimes he watches TV like THAT....... How could you not love this kid?

Mama loves you ZK. You're my buddy. I don't know what I'd do without you.

The Part Where I Jump Up And Down Like A Crazy Person

Today started out as a really typical Sunday- I finished the laundry, cleaned up the house and wrote the menus for the kids for the next week. I got a call from the In-laws early in the afternoon telling me that if I needed to get the shopping done they would love to watch the boys for me. I still have a little trouble leaving CJ for any amount of time so I decided to keep him with me and to let ZK go play with his Mimi and Grampa while I shopped. ZK is definitely a Mimi & Grampa's Boy. He would totally move in with them if I would let him. It doesn't matter how long he's been there or what they've been doing- he never wants to leave.

So, I dropped him off and went to get the groceries. Grocery shopping is always interesting with CJ because no matter where we go, there are inevitably at least 5 million old ladies that feel the need to come over and pinch his squishy little cheeks and coo over him as I try to push him down the aisles. He's a great sport though. He always manages to flash a toothy smile and a wave or to give them a high-five when they want one. He's really easygoing.

When we finally got back to Mimi & Grampa's house, Ace was there and ZK and Mason were up to their usual craziness running and screaming through the house like little wild animals. I decided to show Mimi & Grampa how well CJ has been doing with trying to walk. We all went into the living room so that he could demonstrate and Ace and I positioned ourselves across from each other so that he could walk from one of us to the other. Neither of us really expected him to actually do it, but when I let go of his little hand he took 2 wobbly steps toward Ace all on his own! I couldn't even contain my excitement. I screeched and clapped and probably totally freaked CJ out.
Grampa came over and tried to get him to walk to him and he ended up taking SIX STEPS. IN A ROW. BY HIMSELF.
It was official. Today, Sunday November 8, 2009 is the day my baby took his first steps. He is 9 months, 3 weeks and 5 days old. I have decided my baby is a Genius. Do not try to tell me otherwise.
Also? He totally gets it from me. Shut up, he does.

Family Time

Today was busy, productive and wonderful. Ace had a Saturday off! This doesn't happen often. We made the most of it by spending the first half of the day eating donuts with the boys, lying around the house and playing on the floor. It was fabulous.
After lunch, we headed to Target with nothing in mind except to find some fun new toy to play with. We first had to stop at the snack counter to get our popcorn (we do this every time we go there- ZK calls Target "The Popcorn Store") and then we spent an hour or two just meandering around looking at this and that and talking about whatever.
The boys smiled and ate popcorn and pointed at Every. Single. Toy. saying "I need this!". Ace and I walked out with a Tonka truck, two toy microphones and a car booster seat for ZK.

I remember that there was a time in my life when I would never have walked out of a Target without buying myself something. A magazine? A shirt? It's funny how things change, isn't it?
We ended our little excursion with a trip to the SPCA to visit the doggies. Usually, I can be in there and leave with no problem. This time though, I almost walked out with another dog and I am SO GLAD
I didn't. There was a male Yellow Lab puppy with big eyes and huge goofy paws that almost had me. The moment I laid eyes on him I had already named him. I looked up at Ace and said "We need to leave NOW." And we did. I have a weakness for puppies. I'm completely ruled by maternal instinct and little puppies are like Kryptonite for me. I see the little faces and the big eyes and my brain says "BABY!!".... but puppies grow up. They grow up to be dogs that I must walk and care for and feed. It's like adopting another child! I'm so glad I resisted. Someone will snatch that little guy up before next week is done, I'm sure of it. That someone will not be me. Thank goodness.
We came home and the boys and I played with the new toys while Ace mowed the lawn. I made dinner, we watched TV and played some more and now the boys are in bed.

I wish every Saturday could be like this one. Goodnight internet!

Itchy

Today I sent one of my little ones home with LICE. Needless to say, it wasn't the best day. I totally should have known after yesterday being so great that today would be trouble. That's how it goes.
I spent the day washing every single cloth item in my entire house including curtains and every stuffed animal we own. I feel bad for the little one. I won't say which little one it is, because it's not like having lice is a crime or anything but OMFG LICE IN MAH HOUSE!!

Anyway, I don't feel like writing anything funny or interesting right now. Ace brought home a bottle of Chardonnay for me and I plan to plant myself on my couch and enjoy it as Fox News plays in the background. Then, I will fall face down into bed and sleep soundly until 6:30am when both of my boys will be up and ready to start another day.

Goodnight, Internet. Sleep tight and don't let the head bugs bite!

Thankful

This is definitely my favorite time of day. It's 9:30pm- my boys are in bed, the TV is set to MY channel (not cartoons, a Pixar movie or some sports program) and everything is cleaned up and ready for tomorrow to begin.
This is the only time in my day that there are no children pulling at the hem of my shirt and nothing needs to be picked up, folded, cooked, diapered, wiped, fed or entertained. It's just me, my husband and our quiet house.

Ace is still at work on this particular night, but today I'm okay with that. I'm enjoying the silence. It's been a pretty normal week overall. Lots of kids. Lots of messes. Lots of blogging and worrying about blogging and procrastinating from blogging. I've spent the last few days kind of floundering about trying to come up with things to say here, but I feel like finally I'm comfortable and okay to just say what I'm thinking.

Tonight, I'm thinking that I'm grateful. The month of November always seems to get people thinking about what they're thankful for and personally I'm thankful for a lot. Despite the chaos of my day to day, my life is one that I love. I have my days that I get into self-pity mode. I have my days that I feel like I fail at everything.
I also have days like today that remind me of exactly why I love my job and my husband and my kids so much. Nothing really spectacular happened or anything, I just had a lot of those little moments today where things just feel so happy and easy and right.
When I left this morning to go to my "mini-Physical" I mentioned yesterday, I left Ace with all of the kids. Only a husband like Ace would take on such a task without complaint. As I was headed out the door, Ace said "Bye Babe, I love you!" and was followed by two other little voices- "I love you Mom!" (Zack) and "I Love you Andra!" (My nephew Mason). The other two aren't old enough to talk yet, but they both looked up as if to say the same thing.

THAT. RIGHT THERE. That is why I do what I do. That is why I put up with the messes and the squabbles and the whining and the pooooooooop. Because at the end of the day, that man and those little people and their parents and so forth.... they all love me and I love them and they are grateful for what I do. I can't imagine anything better than that.

A Total Cop Out.

60 Questions People Dont Ask Survey from Quizopolis.com

*** Because my life is not exciting enough for every day entries. I really don't do anything.

1. When's the last time you ran? - About a week ago after work. I took the boys out in the jogging stroller. The three of us enjoy it immensely, each for different reasons I'm sure.
2. Do your jeans have rips, tears, and holes in them? - Not anymore. For a long time I was into that kind of look, but I feel like I'm getting to an age where I'm not allowed to wear stuff like that anymore. It's actually kind of sad. I really loved jeans with holes in the knees. They're the most comfortable kind!

3. What are you dreading right now? - going in for a mini-physical tomorrow morning for our insurance company. They're going to do things like take blood and make me stand on a scale..... Yikes.

4. Do you celebrate 420? - Ha! I don't think I've ever really CELEBRATED it.

5. Do you get the full 8 hours of sleep a night? - Absolutely never. Not since I started having children, anyway. Oy Vey.

6. If anyone came to your house on your "lazy days" what would ya'll do? - What are these "Lazy Days" you speak of????

7. Who last grabbed your ass? - Ace has a problem..... A problem I call "Stop groping me in public or I will punch you in the ear". Overshare? Probably. It's true though. And embarrassing.

8. Have you ever been on your school's track team? - HAAAAAHAHAAHA. Ha....Ha ha. No.

9. Do you own a pair of Converse? - I own a pair of FAKE Converse which may or may not have been purchased at a Payless. I can niether confirm nor deny.

10. Did you copy and paste this survey? - Oh I sure am about to. I'm a little desperate for material here.

11. Do you eat raw cookie dough? - It's like Kryptonite.

12. Have you ever kicked a vending machine? - Duh. I kick everything.

13. Don't you hate it when the radio ruins good songs by playing them over and over? - No, because I don't believe you CAN ruin a good song by playing it over and over. If the song can be played-out, then it isn't actually good in the first place.

14. Do you watch Trading Spaces? - HeckYess (In my best Napoleon Dynamite voice)

15. How do you eat oreos? - I twist open, eat the no-cream side first, then eat the cream off of the other side, then eat the rest of it.

16. Have you ever stayed online for a very long time waiting for someone? - Nope. That's not really something I have the patience for. I have things to do. Like sleep.

17. Are you cocky? - I don't think so.

18. Could you live without a computer? - I probably could, but why?

19. Do you wear your shoes in the house? - Ha! It's hard enough to get me to wear shoes OUT of the house. I'm a barefoot kind of person. I always have been.

20. Who or what sleeps with you? - Ace. Sometimes a baby or two depending on the night, but usually just Ace.

21. At what age did you find out that Santa wasn't real? - FOUR. FOUR YEARS OLD. ThanksSoMuch Dad.

22. How many phones, house phones and cell phones are in your house? - Working or non-working included? 2 working cellphones, one cordless phone, probably 15 dead cellphones we let the kids play with.

23. What do you do when you're sad? - I get really quiet. It's not healthy.

24. Who would you call first if you won the lottery? - Mom!

25. Last time you saw your best friend? - This morning when I kissed him goodbye as he left for work.

26. Are you in high school? - Not since 2002.

27. What jewelry are you wearing? - Wedding rings, 3 other rings and a nose stud.

28. Is anyone on your bad side now? - I don't have time for that stuff anymore.

29. What's the first thing you do when you get online? - Check FaceBook.

30. Do you watch Grey's Anatomy? - No, I never got into that show. I'm definitely a sitcom kind of girl. I like to laugh.

31. How do most people spell your name? - R-O-S-E-Y... oh Hell

32. Would you wear a boy/girlfriends clothes? - I wear Ace's clothes all the time around the house. They're comfy!

33. Where do you work? - Here.

34. What are you doing tomorrow? - Here.

35. Is Justin Timberlake becoming the next Michael Jackson? - Justin who?

36. Favorite name for a girl? - Zoey (never going to use it, though.)

37. Favorite name for a boy? - I refuse to pick any more boys names.

38. Will you keep your last name when you get married? - Now why would I have wanted to do that?

39. When was the last time you left your house? - Truthfully? On Sunday when I went to the grocery store. No really.

40. Do you return your cart? - Almost every single time.

41. Do you have a dishwasher? - Yes. His name is Ace. We have a regular electric one as well, but I am not the one who uses it.

42, What noise do you hear? - The Yankees/Phillies game on TV

43. Would you survive in prison? - Survive, yes. Keep my sanity? No. I have enough trouble with that as it is.

44. Who is the youngest in your family? - That's a boring question. Probably because it's not me...

45. If all of your friends were going on a road trip, who would most likey overpack? - Me. I am a compulsive over-packer. I always have to have every possible thing I may need "just in case". It's pretty obnoxious, even to me.

46. Do you know anyone with the same name as you? - Not right now I don't. I've always liked that about my name.

47. What's the last thing you purchased? - Ace's birthday present online. My debit card is STILL whimpering over that one.

48. Do your siblings ever pay for stuff for you? - HA! Usually it's the other way around. Actually, it's ALWAYS the other way around. Because I'm the best sister EVAR.

49. What brand are your pants right now? - SO. No really, that's the brand. Kohl's carries it in the Juniors department and it's the only brand that fits my wierd shape without squishing anything the wrong way or giving me a lovely muffin top.

50. Ever been to Georgia (the state)? - Only once, and it was just a layover at an airport in ATL. It was yucky. Sorry, Georgia.

51. What irritates you most on the internet? - Surveys like these, actually. I blame NaBloPoMo.

52. What brand is your digital camera? - Vivitar. I'm so ashamed. I want a Nikon D40 SO VERY BADLY. The one we have now was purchased the day we got married. 5 years ago. In camera years, that's an antique!

53. Do you watch movies with your parents? - Not anymore. They live really far away.

54. What song best describes your life right now? - Be Yourself- Audioslave.

55. Do you own expensive perfume/cologne? - Last christmas I was given some Versace perfume that I save for special occasions. It smells so good I want to drink it.

56. Are you taking college classes right now? - Nope.

57. Do you like sushi? - I think its about time for this little survey to be over.

58. Do you get your hair cut every month? - Only if by "Every Month" you mean "Every 2 years"....

59. Do you go online everyday? - Does a bear sh....... well, yes. I'll leave it at yes.

60. Will you pass this survey on to 5 people? - Do 5 whole people even read this blog?


I promise actual CONTENT on tomorrow's post. No, I really do promise. For reals and pinkie swears.

2 hours left!

Wow you guys, it's really not looking good for me, is it? There are 2 hours left in the day and I am just now remembering that I have to blog.

Ace suggested that I write about how "badass" and "great" he is... and since I can't come up with anything else at this hour, I guess why not?

He is pretty neat. Just ask him!

I'm just kidding, he's awesome. He puts up with a lot more than anyone will ever know. He puts up with my endless insecurities and my neurotic quirks and my irrational fears of anything and everything that may-might-might-not-happen-OMFGWHATWILLIDOOOOOO?!?!
He fixes it. Whatever it is I'm scared of or worrying about, he tells me what I need to hear to make it okay. He looks through all of the mess and the talking and the stuff that I have going on and he sees ME. He loves me. Despite all of it.

I don't know what I did to deserve someone like him, but I do know that I'm grateful. I thank my lucky stars every night.



How's that for short and sweet?
I Love You Butthead.