its almost here!

My last two posts are BLAH!  Really, I am enjoying some things about this time of year!  The kids are crazy but FULL to the brim of Christmas Spirit!  It does inspire me...so, things to be buttoning up this week:

1. Bake
2. Wrap
3. Relax

I hope to get all that in!  I work every day up until Christmas Eve so we'll see...

Hope your last week is full of joy, laughter, and excited anticipation (as it should be!)

Top 10 Christmas Bah Humbug's...

10. Black Friday.  Sad what our society is reduced to...mass hysteria to save $50 on a game system!

 9.  The "green, greedy give-me's" that start when all the toy catalogs and commercials start showing up.

 8.  The " biggest Christmas sale" adds that appear every Sunday in the paper featuring discounts that  
      amount to nothing really...

 7.  The pressure to buy, buy, buy wherever you go.

 6.  Watching people you know (and even those you don't know) spend, spend, spend on gifts that are
      purchased out of obligation rather than out of love.

 5.  The weight that I inevitably gain.

 4.  The sleep that I inevitably loose.

 3.  Christmas cards.  How I spend nearly $100 to send out 70 and receive only 35 in return.  People who
      don't send them and have no guilt about it must be smarter than me!

 2.  How I get "too busy" with all crap Christmas nonsense that I cannot do the things I really want to do with
      my kids, even though every year I say "I'm not gonna get too busy with all the crap Christmas nonsense!"

 1.  How the real reason for the season has been virtually eliminated from Christmas.  Christmas has
      become a way for us to boost our economy rather than our spirits!  It's appalling!

I truly cannot believe that it has been over one month since I last posted, but I guess it has.  Life has been so busy!  I feel like all I do is wine about my life and how hard it is to blog.  I love my life...truly, I do.  And honestly the fact that I cannot get around to blogging only saddens me from the standpoint that I'm not recording any memories for my family.  All that's happened the past month will quickly fade from my memory and I'll look back and think "Why did I have a big blank NOTHING right there?". 

It's been busy with "stuff".  That's why.  And not all of it has been overwhelmingly important, but necessary nonetheless.  Thanksgiving, of course.  My favorite holiday.  Should I not have SOMETHING to say about it?  I will refrain this year.  And hope that the not-so-good parts fade from my memory and that all I remember is the good.  I've been shuffling people here and there.  We've been to Omaha to see my beautiful niece, Lilly, dance in the Nutcracker ballet.  I've spent countless hours doing laundry, shopping on-line, paying bills, making dinner, picking up, helping with homework, and working...of course.

And the time flies...ticks...passes and slips... Just another day, week, month in my life.  Busy with the people I love.  Just the way I want it.

welcome

a little piece of heaven...

Ryan Abigail
7 lbs. 2 oz.
18 1/2 inches
October 30, 2010

Congrats Nadalie and Andy!  "She's a beaut!!"

Halloween highlights

As much as I'm ready to put Halloween behind me, I have to share some pics from our weekend...

Pumpkin carving with Dad-Dad



my hottie husband



BOO!



TRICK OR TREAT!!!



But, probably our most exciting weekend event was the arrival of Chris' brother Andy's little girl!  She arrived on October 30th about a week earlier than planned.  For some reason I cannot get her picture to upload, so I'll have to add her picture later!  Nothing beats having your own kids, but in my opinion, welcoming a child of a sibling into this world is a close second!

colin-o-lantern

Who needs a pumpkin?  Have a Happy Halloween!

penis envy {finally} figured out!

So, I'm in the bathroom when Colin comes in to use the toilet.  As usual I have to remind him to please lift the seat because every now and then he misses and, well,... I have to sit on the seat and I'd rather not sit on a wet seat thank you very much!  To which he replied, "Girls have it way worse".

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Cuz they have to get their tummies cut open to have babies. {Oh, poor boy, he only knows the half of it!}  And they have to sit down to pee.  And if they have long hair bats can get stuck in it easier.  And they have that other thing...what's it called? A vagina?"

"And what, exactly, is wrong with that?"

"Well, it's not long enough to hold on to."  {said in the most matter-of- fact, innocent way only a boy of 7 could say it}


It has been a very long time since I have laughed that hard and that long. 

He is all boy...no doubt about it!

Bill Cosby once said, "I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody".

Really?... Crap!

It seems that this is my goal on a daily basis...to keep everyone happy.  Let's break this down, shall we?

By definition.....
Please: { pleased, pleasing, pleases} v. To give enjoyment, pleasure, or satisfaction to: make glad or contented.
Happy: delighted, pleased, or glad, as over a particular thing.

So, essentially the same thing.  And, yes, that is my daily goal.  To keep the kids happy so I don't have to listen to screaming and yelling and begging.  To keep the schools happy by getting my kids there on time, helping out, keeping the teachers happy, paying the tuition bill on time.  To keep the coach happy, the den mother happy, the other parents happy.  To keep my boss and co-workers happy so I can keep my job.  To keep our parents happy so that they will continue to help us out with the kids.  To keep our siblings happy so that we don't have to deal with all the baggage that comes along with unhappy relationships.  To keep my husband happy (...and he would say that I don't try hard enough with that one).  To keep my friends happy so that I can keep them. And, lastly, to keep me happy... { in no particular order}.  All those reasons and because I want the people I love and care about the most to be happy, after all.

So, according to Bill I'm destined to failure.  Trust me, I realize that Bill is not Einstein...but he does have a point.  Failure may be a harsh word, but then again maybe not...

We all seem to forget that in pleasing everyone else we sometimes fail ourselves, whether it's failing to get enough sleep, failing to finish our own projects in our own homes, failing to stay well, failing to clean the toilets, failing to give the most attention to the person or thing that needs the most attention at that moment...

Maybe Bill should be held in a bit more esteem...?

why was I going to blog tonight?...

This is a post in which I say nothing really.  You've been warned. 

What exactly is the phenomenon that makes our brains forget if we did something 20 seconds ago?  Did I add the soap to the wash yet?  Why did I walk in here?  Oh crap, I forgot to turn the drier on!  I mean really... I'm only 37...yet I feel like I need 24 hour care!  Jeez-o-peet.   Yes.   I just said that.

Perhaps it's my lack of sleep...

just sayin'...

This is for Sarah...if I can manage to get it to work...

I promised pictures, but she's very rarely still enough to photograph... so here you go!  (Yea me!  I did it!)

Gotta go...time for Parenthood....

Sunday

Ahhh...Sunday evening and the kiddos are in bed. It's been a very busy weekend with soccer games, errands and home projects. I had a few moments today feeling crabby because the clock kept ticking away with so much to do...seems like there is never enough time, and a new work week looms...

Sarah had posted this post from Clover Lane several weeks ago. I think it does an outstanding job of putting into words what all us Moms feel from time to time. When I try and blog about stuff like that it turns into a blog tantrum, and who the heck wants to read that?

I thought of her post a lot today and her words brought me peace...I am not alone. Every Mom struggles with life from time to time. It feels good to have company.

I promise to post pictures soon of the baby, but for now I will leave you with this...

The "stuff" that I hope I will always remember...the things that bring a smile to my face whenever I come across them...

because before I know it he won't need the stool and the books to see in the mirror to shave... :)

excuses

Hello all! Top 10 reasons I haven't blogged lately:

1. Computer acting up and making me way grumpy!

2. soccer (practice and games and make-up games...)

3. Colin joined cub scouts and is a month behind everyone else...

4. my darling Eden

5. Chris is trying to finish up the dormer/roof project...so single parenthood

6. laundry

7. work

8. my inability to be organized anymore

9. two boys who cannot get along unsupervised :(

10. did I mention my grumpiness?

The End.

* I just realized how many posts I have about why I haven't been posting...

"What will survive of us is love."

~Philip Larkin

Steven F. Forcht

4.22.1953 ~ 9.16.2004

if, one day, my washing machine fails to operate...

Why can I never remember to check pockets before I do laundry? That was rule #1 when my mom taught me how to do laundry...and now?...

I swear to you that this is what I pulled off the bottom of my washing machine after one load!

No lies. It's ridiculous.

I think that maybe I realize, that if I did I would spend the rest of my life going through pockets of dirty clothes. How much do you think it costs to remove a light saber from the inner most workings of a washing machine? I shudder to think...especially if the repair man is from the dark side...

stay with me, people...

My husband will tell you that it takes me three times as long to tell a story as it does anyone else. I come by this trait honestly...just ask my mother, she'll explain it to you in great detail.

Chris likes the facts. Who, what, when, where and how. No adjectives, thank you very much. In other words, talking to him is a bore...(just kidding).

Now...where was I? Oh yes...I was gonna tell a short story with lots of finesse. Creative writing was one of my best subjects after all. If you are like Chris, you may want to stop reading here...

When I was little, one of my favorite things was the Nutshell Library by Maurice Sendak. So much so that I've kept it all these years. I love Maurice Sendak. His stories...his artwork...and especially my Nutshell Library, which consists of four small books: Alligators All Around, Chicken Soup With Rice, One Was Johnny, and Pierre.

Pierre is the story of a boy who answers "I don't care" to everything said to him. His mother and father leave him at home alone one day because he doesn't care. He meets a lion. He gets eaten by the lion. YES, this is a children's story... with a moral...if the consequence for not caring were not horrifying, then why care? So..., he's inside the lion but gets saved and then he cares! Pierre was a happier boy because of it. Good moral, no?

I grew up in Nebraska. For that reason alone I'm a Corn Husker. (GO BIG RED!) Until I moved to Iowa, I had no idea that so many people hated Nebraska. Including Chris. Sad for me. If I dared to utter a word about Nebraska or wear clothing that represented Nebraska I was shamed by almost everyone I encountered. I am now a "closet" Nebraska fan. I got tired of all the tormenting.

(This is all gonna make sense here in a minute).

Today is the Iowa State vs. The University of Iowa football game. The "Iowans Super-Bowl". I used to say..."I'm a Husker fan...I don't care who wins this stupid in-state rivalry". But then I'd see how excited everyone was about the game, I'd see all the good-natured teasing, and after 10 years I decided to care...because it would be more fun if I did...that's what happened to Pierre after all. So, I chose a team. I based my decision totally on the fact that Iowa has a dental school and Iowa State doesn't. I am in the dental field so that made total sense to me. GO HAWKS!

So, I could have just said, "IA vs. IA State is on today and we are going to watch the game as a family and eat junk food. The End". But that would not have been as exciting of a post nor have a moral... which is, of course, CARE! Life is more fun when you do! Gotta run...game is on...Go HAWKS!

letting go

Every year, right around September, I enter into some kind of reflective state of being. I am more apt to clean, organize, cook and dream than any other time of the year. My own personal New Year is, for some reason, in September. This year has been no different...I feel the urge to sit back and reflect on my life...the good, the not so good, the ways I can change, the things I should change...my resolutions, I guess.

My first realization has hit me.

I need to let go. I need to let go of all the stuff that has been weighing on my mind...what I need to get done...what I should be getting done...what I want to get done but can't afford to do right now...etc.

We, me and my little family, are right smack in the middle of a huge transitional phase. And that, my friends, comes with a big, fat "pause button". Eden has begun scooting around...putting clear Lego pieces in her mouth ( God help me), Ty is going to preschool (sniff, sniff), Colin just lost his front tooth (sniff, sniff, sniff)...

My life as I know it has changed. A small shift, but with huge repercussions. My kids are growing so fast. I can feel them slipping through my fingers...and yet at the same time, I feel like our "pause button" will be forever activated. When can my life go back to my "normal"? And every time I have that thought I feel so guilty! How can I be wishing that things get easier? Because that means my kids have to grow...and isn't that essentially wishing my time with them away?

So, when I get frustrated that I can't go on dates with my husband as much as I'd like to, go out with my friends, talk on the phone, blog, clean... I have to remind myself to let go... just for a while. Sit back and appreciate the time with my children...these little gifts, who have enriched my life so much...because before too long, my life will be easier and my kids will be bigger and I know how much I will miss this time.

So, my dear friends and family, forgive me if I seem to be in my own little world...because I am.

And, that's right where I want to be for now.

Q:

Is there anything cuter than bare baby bottom?


A: No.

why I havn't been blogging...

number one...

'nuf said... ok, moving on...

number 2...

ugly as sin, but now super clean and ugly as sin... these hideous things are our basement stairs which have not been mopped since Mazzy was alive...(for those of you who do not know the history of our doggie Mazzy, I am not going into detail because that would allow you to realize how disgusting that last statement was. For those of you who do know how long it's been since Mazzy died...well...know that I am ashamed...)

number three...

A mad attempt to get my husband to overlook the chaos that has become our lives, and fall madly and deeply in love with me all over again...(hopefully the pie turns out...still in the oven as I type)

number four...

the "help" I received doing number three and the clean-up it required...(look out Jamie Oliver!)

number five...

and we've come full circle...hello sweet girl!...she's awake...

until next time...

Parkapaloosa 2010

I found a great idea in the last issue of Family Fun. A Mom wrote in with her idea about ending summer with what she called "Parkapaloosa". She'd wake her daughter up one morning and they'd hit one park, then another, and another...all day. She packed breakfast and lunch and headed home about dinner time. So cool.

So, feeling ambitious, I decided the Friday before school started we would begin our Parkapaloosa tradition! To make it even more perfect, Sarah and the kids would be back visiting from Tennessee. She bravely agreed to join in.

Eden - 6mos.

The clowns! Ty, Holden, Colin and Asher

Eden and Sloan...a blossoming love?

Park no. 1 went well. Weather was beautiful. Holden, Colin and Ty decided to "swim" in the sandy "volleyball court". Asher being smart enough to avoid that mess! We decided to move on when I got a text from Chris that stormy weather was heading our way.


Park no. 2. Big hit!

The boys couldn't get enough of the "spider web".

Sloan and Eden remained pretty content. We hit a school playground within walking distance and left when it started sprinkling. Parkapaloosa would be rained out! Bummer! But we did have a small trick up our sleeves... an indoor playground! Thank God...we salvaged it a little bit.

Bottom line, the kids still had fun. It was totally worth it...

And we all got worn out... i.e. easier evening for me and hopefully a sleepier bunch for Sarah's long drive back to Tennessee Saturday morning!

*miss you and love you TN bunch!

3 weeks ago and $70.00 richer....

Meet Rex. Then say goodbye. RIP Rex. Victim of Ick. (Here I thought only Henry Huggins' fish got Ick and died...I guess not.) He was Colin's pet for less than 2 weeks.



Meet Max. He had ick too. He survived. Yea.

Now, meet the snails.

These are but two of the hundreds...no, I am not exaggerating...of snails who are currently taking over our 5 gallon tank. Apparently snails can reproduce at a seriously, crazy rate. It's called 'snail infestation". Infestation has never been a word that I wanted to use to describe anything happening in my home. But here we are...

"If I'd known then what I know now" applies here, I think...

If you give a boy a camera...

he will probably elicit looks from his brother that no one else can.

He will probably reveal why he gets those looks...

You may see some things he likes.

He is sure to reveal his muse...

If you give a boy a camera, you will see life through his eyes...

and it will be a gift.

The End.