Recent Pics

Today makes 39

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!!

Farters in the house....

Apparently, my kids like to fart in their sleep. I went in several times to check on them last night and each time they let out the "toot". Sydney even went as far as one really foul SBD. Yeah... I'm such a proud parent.

Heather is so right

I watched it again... "The Holiday"! I think it's one of my new favorite movies to watch. I watch it every time it's on Encore/Starz. I remembered, after I watched it yesterday afternoon, that Heather blogged about this very thing several months ago . I just love the storylines - slightly unrealistic at best, but still very cute. Now I'm not at all a Jude Law fan, but he is seriously yummy in the flick and Jack Black is finally tolerable. It's a great "make ya feel good" kinda movie that everyone should watch at least once. If you get a chance... try it! I bet it will make you smile & laugh.

My New Favorite Thing to Make

Thanks to the MIL and Aunt Denise, I have a new favorite "party treat". I've made these four times now and they've been a hug hit. I'll be making my next batch for Rick's squad party then for Christmas sweet boxes for all the friends and neighbors. My SIL, Amy, thinks they look like nipples or boobs or something like that. I tend to agree... hehe

Here's how you make them:

• bag of waffle pretzels
  
• bag of your favorite color candy melts
• bag of M&M's

Put about a dozen pretzels on a plate. Add discs to each one. Nuke for about 45sec-1min (50% power). Add M&M's. Leave on baking rake for about 1 hr or until disc is hard again.

28 to GO!!!

With all this election craziness and starting Girl Scouts, I totally forgot to do Ryan's 11m post. Yeap - 11 months! Not long before the big YEAR OLD.

Here's what he's been up to:

• eating Gerber Graduates now, not into baby food anymore
• Loves grilled cheese sandwich, chicken nuggets, yogurt, cinnamon rolls, toast, bread, grapes, hotdogs, yogurt melts (those Gerber things), Cheerios, steamed broccoli, basically - he wants everything we eat now!
• likes his sippie cup finally
  
• can climb up onto of the coffee table with noooooooo problems
• climbs down from whatever he's on (sofa, chair, coffee table)
• wears 12-18m clothes
• size 5 poopers
• loves bath time - makes a bloody mess and walks around the tub picking up toys
• starting to throw toys, food, anything in his hand
• can play alone in the playroom for a short amount of time before getting into trouble
• loves music and dancing
• sits on the dishwasher door, if he's got the time
  
• can reach the top of the kitchen table and pull down a plate
  
• is looking forward to having his carseat turned forward-facing
• walks to the bus stop with us now - is the talk of the town I tell ya... the kids love him
• starting to wrestle with Sydney & enjoys it
• like to swing outside
• still likes eating rocks, dirt, grass, paper, shoes...anything he touches goes in his mouth
• HATES wearing bibs
• still only has 8 teeth
• sleeps from 7:30-6ish each night
• take 1-2 naps each day. length varies each time

I'm sure there's more, but I'm tired and have to work tomorrow... You get the idea though - he keeps us hopping! I love every minute of it, except for the spitting food thing he does - gross.

Oh... got all his party stuff! Thought this was a really cute theme & since his room is planes/trains/automobiles, I couldn't pass it up.

Good Morning America

Hmmmm.... how does this one get written without pissing off people???? Well, it doesn't, and that's OK. That's the great thing about living in these United States of America - I get to say things that piss people off and that's OK, crazy, but OK. Just like you get to say "she's nuts" after reading it.

So here goes...
I am not all all surprised by the election results. I knew Senator/President-Elect Obama would blow Sen. McCain out of the water. I understand this was a "historical election", but was it going to be that for the right reasons. Yes, it is historical that our country, after forty+ years of desegregation, had a black person on the Presidential ticket. Yes, it's historical that a black person will now, finally, be President of the United States. Yes, it's historical that there was such a huge influx of newly registered or first time voters.

My question is: because of the race or because of the race? I went to bed last night wondering if people, in general, vote for/against a color - black/white, red/blue? Were they voting for/against the black man, for/against the white man, for/against the blue, for/against the red? It just naive, almost ignorant, to think that it's possible a good percentage of new voters came out because they were for/against a color and that is just stupid. Whether it's "No black man will be my President", "John McCain is just another Republican - no more George Bush's", "I don't think his running mate is qualified to be President", "He's a Socialist", etc. When voting for the President, you need to make your decision based on qualifications and views on matters that are most important to you and your family. I understand that this is not atypical of elections. When you don't know the right answer, votes get made based on a color sometimes.

With that said, no, I don't think the best candidate won. I don't think we had the best option, either way. I don't think "we the people", in general, voted for/against the right reasons. Unfortunate as that may be, such is life. We will see how our decision pans out.

I watched two remarkable speeches last night. One very gracious, one very inspirational. I have high hopes for President-Elect Obama. My children's futures are in his hands for the next four years. I hope he does great things and is seen as a great leader because of his actions, not just because of the moving words he's says. Yes, there is a place in the history books for Barack Hussein Obama, our nations' first black President. Rightly so. Last night was huge for the black citizens of this great nation. I hope his presidency will provide bigger and better, more important, things to put in the books than just that. It can't and shouldn't be just about a color. Good luck to you Sir.

"Young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled — Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America." B. Obama

Hey, Hey... I will Survive

Last night was our first Girl Scout meeting. It went, surprisingly, very well. All FOUR girls were there. I was down one because of the flu. My group has five extremely different little girls, one of whom lives in my house. We got in our "Friendship Circle" and started... pledge of allegiance, GS (Girl Scout) Promise, sang our song and went over the rules. We talked about all the things the girls would be doing, what to expect. They made paper dolls that resembled themselves in their Daisy uniform. We had our snacks outside, cleaned-up, got in our circle again, sang our song again, went home. That was the strangest 1.5 hours. I didn't know how it would go, but overall - great! I know where I need to focus my attention and how I'll need to "teach" them things. Should be a good 13 more meetings.

All Hallow's Eve

Like everyone else - last night the kids went Trick-or-Treating. We got them dressed in their costumes again (Monkey/Pink Punk Pirate) and sent them into the dark streets on the quest for the goods. I stayed home to hand out candy and Rick took the kids out. Ryan crashed out in his stroller so he was dropped back off and out they went again. It was a rather warm night, little to no breeze and an eerie dark sky. Good for the occasion.

Halloween Fun

The kids... Monkey & Pirate

Ryan and the only other boy - playing with crepe paper

Inside Debbie's office. Me & Deb

Marissa, Sydney & Julianna
Checking out the "spooky stuff"

The kids & I went to the Myer Family Halloween Party Saturday. As you can see, we were dressed like Medusa, Monkey & Pink Punk Pirate. The kids enjoyed the night - had lots of kids to play with and he got loads of attention. They did a remarkable job on the decorations and had some really tasty treats. We made it home around 11:30 that night...

Shenanigans - Part II

Last night we discovered that Ryan likes to climb. He's been pushing things around the house - chairs, walker, playdoh center, boxes, etc. Anything that can move, he tries to push it around. We've had Sydney's playdoh center in the kitchen for years now and have never had it be an issue. It's usually under the window or under her desk, but since he's the new kid on the block, things are changing. He loves that thing. It goes all over the place with him. He uses it as a seat, stool, cart and now, a step. He's been pushing it to the coffee table for a few weeks now. The most he would do would stand on it so that he could better reach whatever was on the table. HA... not anymore. He pushed it to the table, opened the top drawer, then proceeded to step on top, then into the drawer, then up on top of the table. He just sat there... like a bird on a perch. Checking everything out - smiling and laughing! What's next??? He already gets himself off the sofa, cocks his leg up on the side of the tub, and now this!

We have Taylor Swift fans!

Falling Asleep

I thought this was funny...

HB Radish!

Happy Birthday to our favorite Radish!!! We love you Amy & hope you have a great day today.

Apple Annie's

Finally walking around & kettle corn


her pumpkin - see how little it is, but she loves it!


Today we went to the pumpkin patch. Got there around 10:30 and headed straight to the produce area. I needed more things for my fall display in the front yard and they usually have some nice gourds and things like that. Much to my excitement, they had gorgeous corns too. Stupid me, I forgot to take pictures of them today, but will and will get them posted tomorrow. They look fake they are so colorful and shiny. On top of my six ears of corn, we got a half dozen gourds, 4 sunflowers and a few mini pumpkins. Rick also got himself of apple butter. He told me about all the times he could remember Amy eating cottage cheese and this stuff. Personally, it look disgusting, but he said it is delicious, so I will give it a shot at some point. The kids had a great time. Ryan loved being in all the dirt and dead leaves. We had a short-of freeze last week, so all the stems and leaves on the pumpkins were all dead and ugly. They did, however, make for a great crunchy sound as we walked around. Sydney made sure we had good picks. She searched, and searched, and searched even more for the right one for herself. She ended up with a grapefruit sized, solid green keeper. It was cute... After doing all the pumpkin stuff, Rick and Sydney got their bags of caramel kettle corn and I got a few more pictures. As we headed back to the car, we stopped and cut down our sunflowers. It was a great adventure and I look forward to next year!!!

The Moon

After hours of running around town yesterday, on our way home, Rick pointed out how ginormous the moon was. It was dusk and it was already big and bright. It sat very low in the sky - Sydney thought it we kept driving toward it she would be able to touch it. She's always loved looking at the moon and it's possible she may still think it's made of cheese, thanks to her father. Anyway... as we were getting closer to the neighborhood she asked that I go and take some pictures of the moon for her. Of course I said yes. I've been wanting to try shooting the moon for some time now. I told her I would after she & Ryan went to bed. She said "That is a big moon - you gotta take a picture of it!". As we turned into the neighborhood she asked this question - "Is ass a bad word?" We were a little confused, but answered "It depends, but in most cases, yes and you shouldn't be saying it. Why do you ask?". She then laid this one on us - "Well, I was gonna say "That's a big ass moon" but I didn't think I should say ass." Silence fell upon us both... then hysterical laughter. The way she said that one little sentence was sooooooo awesome. It was priceless. I laughed so hard and cried. It was great!!! She's a funny kid, that little Sydney Paige.

His Latest Shenanigans

On top of the walking, climbing, pulling down things, eating everything, etc... he now enjoys this! And, he says "up".

Freakin' OUT...

It's official... I'm having some SERIOUS anxiety about this Daisy Scouts thing. In case you don't know this - for some reason (guilt, I think) I decided last month to be Sydney's, and 5 other girls, troop leader. Ummm.... hello.... what was I thinking! I have no idea about this stuff. Granted 20+ years ago I was a Brownie/Junior Girl Scout but that doesn't prepare me for this. I have no idea what I'm doing and I have all this shit to get done before I can even have a meeting. I had to set up a business checking account for our "troop funds". I'm wondering where they want me to get these funds from.... Mom said "Don't worry about it, you'll have lots of fun!". Things have changed since she was my troop leader all those years ago. There's forms, files, documentation, background checks, checking accounts, requirement of "two adults" at all times (gotta find another adult in my spare time), a crap ton of training classes, CPR requirements (thank god for the RN part)... the list goes on! I feel very unprepared and overwhelmed right now. I got the list of my girls last night at this meeting I had to go to. ACK - contact time, let's all give email a hand. I hate the uncertainty of it all. I'm sure it will all work out in the end, but HOLY SHIT!!! I just want some guidance - thankfully, the web is loaded with great tips. I love the fact that Daisies don't really DO anything. They don't work for badges, they do a lot of crafts and field trips. It's basically a scheduled play date for them all. I like that about it. Everyone at the meeting last night kept saying "it's just Daisies, you can't screw them up". Here comes the internal puking... this seriously made me want to drink last night.

More to come later... heading into town to get Girl Scout stuff & Sydney's uniform stuff.

Thirty-two

That many years ago, a big beautiful baby girl was born in a New Orleans hospital! Her parents were Robert & Linda and her big sister was Heather. They are, of course, my parents & my only sister.... the best ones in the world, in my opinion.



Will I ever realize that MY birthday, today, is "just another day" to everyone BUT me? Maybe when that happens, I'll stop being so disappointed in the day.

Oh well... I'm hoping to make this one a good one. A day of shopping with my kids...