Saturday, November 29, 2008

25 Christmas Q's

I got this via e-mail a few times over the last couple days, and on myspace too. Posting on the blog is much more fun!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper.

2. Real tree or Artificial? I like real, but we have an artificial one that really needs to see the city dump in January.

3. When do you put up the tree? Day after Thanksgiving.

4. MISSING!

5. Do you like eggnog? EWWWWWWW!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Soooo many of them. My Cabbage Patch Kids, rank the highest.

7. Hardest person to buy for? Jason.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Juliana and Kevin.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? I probably should, but I don't.

10. MISSING QUESTION... maybe I should make one up... nahhh!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I can think of a lot. I have to confess, apple teacher stuff. The first year it was kinda cute. The second year was annoying, after the third and fourth year it was, well uhhh, nevermind.

12. Favorite Chirstmas Movie? Miracle on 34th Street, but Nat'l Lampoon Christmas Vacation is a close second.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? This year is easy. We are poor, so not many people are getting gifts. I did start already.

14 Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Of course I have. Proud of it! If I think someone else will like it better, I'll pass it on. I know it has happened to me too. We've all done it... right?!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? those peanut butter cookies with Hershey Kisses in the middle.

16. Lights on the tree? white is nice, but colors ROCK!

17. Favorite Christmas song? All of it! I need doses of the funny stuff, along with the traditional.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? travel anytime before Christmas Eve, and after Christmas morning. Rules change with kids. Santa will get lost!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? Silly, Moody, Cranky, Funny, Messy... oh wait, that's my family!

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? we've had both. Now it is a star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One on Christmas Eve. Isn't that written into law by now?!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? People that complain about crowds and traffic. LIKE ME! And Grinches. Oh, and over-the-top political correctness.

23. Do you have an ornament theme or color? YUP, kids crap! I mean stuff.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Honeybaked Ham.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? My iPod. A new Canon Rebel would be nice too. A vacation to the Bahamas perhaps. A babysitter every second saturday of the month. Am I asking too much?!

Friday, November 28, 2008

Nov. 27/28

THANKSGIVING. I went to my mom's house the night before so I could help her get organized for turkey day, and because I was participating in a "Race for Hunger". We woke up early, did a few things to get ready for turkey day dinner, then headed out the door to the race.

We met up with Meara. I am not sure how. There were 30,000 participants, plus bands, vendors, etc. After a few minutes with Meara, she left to go with the real racers. Mom and I stayed back in the "walker" section. Kinda made me feel like an AARP member, but oh well. Everyone was energized when the race began. I had in my head that I would go the full distance. I walked with mom until I saw the turn off for the "5K Race". I wanted to complete the full 10K, so I said goodbye, and she made the turn with the rest of the 5K'ers.

As I went about, ehhhhh, another 3/4 mile, I was starting to regret my decision. Each mile seemed to go on and on and on. Around mile 4, I slipped when someone threw their water cup. I didn't fall, but it hurt like hell when I slipped. Mile 5 I was nearly cursing the crowds cheering us on. "Great job!", "Keep goin'", "You're doin' awesome!" I wanted to hear, "FREE FOOT MASSAGE", "TAKE A SEAT, DON'T LOSE TIME", "NEW SNEAKERS OVER HERE", or the best, "FINISH LINE!!!!"


To conclude, I ended the 10K race (a bit over 6 miles) in 1 hour 42 min.

After the race, I got completely lost trying to walk back to my mom's house. Her house is about a mile away. That was the last thing I wanted to do after crossing the finish line. So, I made it back, and we continued to get ready for Thanksgiving turkey.

Jason and the kids arrived mid-afternoon, my brother and his wife arrived, then we all ate. Yummmm! It was a wonderful afternoon!!! We ate, talked, ate more, played, and ate some more.


We met up with the "Mez" family for dessert. The kids were the entertainment for the evening. It was a great time to catch up, laugh, and eat more, until it was time to make the 2 hours drive home.
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BLACK FRIDAY. Today we did as we always do. We cleaned the house like crazy people, then prepared the house for Christmas decorations. As Jason was getting the Christmas boxes from the attic, I hear, "HOLY SH**! I'M IN JULIANA'S ROOM!" I was cleaning in the kitchen when I heard the noise and his scream at the same time. I go into the garage thinking I was going crazy that he said he was in Juliana's room. He yelled, "I FELL THROUGH THE CEILING, GO TO JULIANA'S ROOM!" So I did. And there was his leg all the way through the middle of the room.

Since he was ok, we laughed about it, then continued to get boxes down from the attic. After the boxes were down, he headed out to H@me Depot. He came home with sheetrock, and a bunch of other things to repair the ceiling. The repair job is not completed quite yet, but it will be done tomorrow. It was pretty darn funny!

Our Christmas tree is up, although looks sad right now. It isn't done yet. We'll finish decorating tomorrow.
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FINALLY, today is my sister's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEPH! Muahhhhhh!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

I am thankful for...

Juliana has asked me countless times this week what I am thankful for. Her response, "I am thankful for Mommy, Daddy, Kevin, Shadow, but mostly God." Hey, that works for me. Kevin's response, "ME TOO!"

I thought I'd post random pictures of moments, of people, and places for which I am thankful. Maybe Juliana will see this.












Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Don't ask me where I got this!

Who did you last talk to for longe​r than 10 minut​es on the phone​?​
Kerri.

What is the last thing​ you did befor​e you went to bed last night​?​
The usual...

Is it easie​r to forgi​ve or forge​t?​
Forgive. I never forget.

Look at your plann​er for may 20th,​ what are you doing​?​
Oh Lord God, I don't know.

What is your favor​ite thing​s to spend​ money​ on?
Gifts for other people.​

Do you belie​ve you have commo​n sense​?​
Yes, although common sense isn't too common anymore.

What were you doing​ at 8 this morni​ng?​
Dropping Juliana off at school. More specifically dropping off the movie in Room 22.

Do you cry easil​y?​
Ehhhh, depends.

Is there​ anyth​ing you are cravi​ng right​ now?
A Starbucks hot cocoa would be really nice.

How often​ do you hold back from sayin​g what you are think​ing?​
Frequently. I'd be in a lot of trouble if I didn't know how to keep my mouth shut.

Is somet​hing bothe​ring you?
Not at this moment.

If you could​ chang​e your eye color​,​ what would​ it be?
I would​n'​t.​

Has anyon​e ever told you you have prett​y eyes?​
Yup. That's the only thing you tell a fat girl. OR that I have a pretty smile. HAAAAAAA!

Do you miss anyon​e?​
Of course I do. Many many people.

Would​ you go back in time to chang​e somet​hing?​
No sense asking since it's not possible.

Is it hard leavi​ng peopl​e behin​d?​
Depends who it is, and why.

At the momen​t are you more warm or cold?​
the heat just came on. Feelin' cozy.

Who do you trust​ the most in your life?​
they know who they are.

Can you handl​e the truth​?​
The truth according to who? Truth is one thing, opinion made to look like truth, is another story.

Your ex calls​ and says he/​she wants​ you back,​ what do you do?
GO INTO HIDING!

How is your life latel​y?​
Lately, hectic with a dash of chaos and peace.

Have you ever been in a perfe​ct relat​ionsh​ip?​
NO such thing. I will say, I'm pretty lucky.

What was the last movie​ you watch​ed in theat​ers?​
Madagascar 2. Ummmm, I'm in need of a chick flick!

Have you heard​ a song that remin​ds you of anyon​e today​?​
Not today.

Do you liste​n to love songs​ when you'​re down?​
Not really. I listen to sappy songs that always remind me of someone or something though.

Who were you with last night​?​
Kids and me.

Have you ever seen someo​ne you knew & purpo​sely avoid​ed them?​
Yeah. Who hasn't?

Can you run a mile?​
Yup, although I look like a freak of nature. LOOK AT THAT WHALE RUNNING!

When you are home alone​,​ do you still​ close​ the door when you showe​r?​
Home alone... what's that?!

What are you think​ing about​ right​ now?
wondering what being home alone is like.

I'm tired​ of:
i'm pissy lately. Don't get me started.

Maybe​ I shoul​d:​
be cleaning or doing laundry right now. Nahhhhh!

Today​:​
has pretty much just began.

Tomor​row:​
I'll be going to lunch with Kristen.

I get annoy​ed:​
with people that don't know how to laugh.

Is your hair wet?
Nope.​

Is your cell phone​ right​ by you?
Nope

Are you weari​ng chaps​tick?​
Nope

Dated​ someo​ne twice​?​:​
Nope.

Found​ out who your true frien​ds and best frien​ds were?​:​
I'm a lucky girl. I've always had fant-abulous friends. I just get new ones to add to my life!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

End of November days

Days have been busy, although nothing too exciting. Yesterday we had our Christmas card photo shoot. I have a friend that is a photographer, and she did the photos "ON LOCATION" for us. It was fun... until the last 10 minutes or so. Kevin had enough of "cheeeeeese", and "look into the circle" (camera). Ha ha!

This is the only picture I am going to post from the shoot yesterday. The rest will be a surprise on Christmas cards. Maybe once I send Christmas cards, I will post more photos.

Photographer contact info:
Katherine Prudhomme and Nikki Judge
Essence Photography
http://www.essencephotography.ifp3.com
K: (916) 719-7830
N: (916) 601-7770
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Today, we went on a walk on the Golden Gate Bridge. Just a random outing. We took tons of pictures. Here are a few.


Thursday, November 20, 2008

Epidemic in Blogland

This is spreading around Blogland. I am here to keep the epidemic going.


1. What is your funniest childhood story?
Too many to write. Haaa, maybe trying to sell a drink concoction made with leftover dinner in Santa Cruz with Meara and Danny. After a guy stopped to get it, I think we panicked and ran inside the beach house. Totally not funny telling the story, is was funny as an 10 year old if you were there.

2. What would your dream dress look like if you could design it?
Remember Titanic when Rose is walking up the staircase to Jack for the first time... she had on a deep reddish maroonish dress with beading on it. LOVE IT!

3. What weird habit does your hubby have?
Ohhhhh lord god, where do I begin?! For the sake of my marriage, I'll keep my mouth shut. Just one thing... he blurts out children's music or quotes all the time. It gets the kids excited, but many adults think he is nutty.

4. How many cookbooks are in your kitchen?
About 10. Don't ask me how many we use.

5. Granny panties or loyal Victoria Secret girl?
Victoria Secret, please.

6. My favorite memory from 2008 so far is...
Seeing baby Sadie for the first time, and little Anna too. I finally got to see my two best friends in action as a mother. April 12 Girls night out was a great night, and my birthday weekend too.

7. I secretly...
want to fly away on a vacation with my girlfriends. Actually, that's not really a secret.

8. I could really go for...
a trip to the lottery office with a winning ticket.

9. We are going to have a big snow storm and you will find me...
next to the fireplace watching it fall, and dreading the shoveling, snow blowing, and driving to come.

10. I knew he was the one...
when I saw him hold Juliana for the first time, change her poops, snooze with her, feed her, catch her vomit barehanded, sleep countless nights in the hospital rooms, read to her... I could go on forever. I know I know, I should have really known when I took the diamond, or when we said our vows, but having his baby girl confirmed everything, and now his baby boy too.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Monday, November 17, 2008

S'more please

There are half days at school ALL week. So what is a mom to do? Today, I thought I'd get creative with snack time. We had smores! Yummy for your tummy smores!

Recipe:
One graham cracker split in half
One Hershey Kiss
One smear of Fluff (or as us West coasters call it, Marshmallow Cream... it's not the same.)

Ok, I am not exactly waiting for that recipe to be published in the next edition of "The Joy of Cooking", but it worked for me. And the kids were completely impressed with mommy for a split second or two. The impressed part actually came when I inserted the graham cracker into the toaster oven for about 20 seconds to melt the kiss. "Whoaaa Mommy, yook at dat!"

Both Juliana and Kevin were impressed with this snack, although Kevin wanted NOTHING to do with eating it. That's the definition of a picky eater! He chose to eat a bag full of Teddy Grahams instead.

Go ahead and try this incredible recipe at home. Just don't blame me if you burn your house down from putting it into the toaster.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

He's how old?!

Happy Birthday Patrick! My big brother is, ummm well, an old man today. Well not really, I just have to use the 4 year age difference to my advantage somehow.

First photo: Uncle Patrick and Kevin at Patrick's rehearsal dinner, April 2006.
Second photo: Uncle Patrick tickling Juliana. Taken during one of our California visits in 2004.
Third photo: Patrick, my brother-in-law Kyle, and Jason at Kyle's house. Taken in 2004, I think.


Thursday, November 13, 2008

Box o' Smiles

I tried Smilebox again. Here is "FALL IN OUR HOUSE".
Click to play
Create your own photobook - Powered by Smilebox
Make a Smilebox photobook

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Veterans Day adventure

On the next ballot... Veteran's Day should always be the first monday of November. Just an idea.

We took advantage of having a day off from school and went somewhere fun. We drove about an hour to our destination, had lunch, then went on a bunch of rides. Kevin had a blast on ALL of the rides. You'd think he would have gone on one or who during our Six Flags adventures, although he has always been so terrified. Today, we went to a smaller amusement park and he loved every ride. Obviously Juliana did too.




Afterward, we stopped at McDonalds for ice cream. The kids were so excited to find out that McDonalds has ice cream. They had a few bites, then played in the play area for about an hour.

From there, we came home. Then off to the gym for gymnastics and mommy get-rid-of-fat-hips exercises.

That's our day.

Monday, November 10, 2008

No more tubes, needles...


THE TYPICAL "NOT ME MONDAY" RULES DO NOT REALLY APPLY TODAY. I WANTED TO DO IT ANYWAY.

I could not bring myself to write about this yesterday. This was our story just one year ago... November 9, 2007 was the beginning of a nightmare. As the days piled on top of each other, my heart sank deeper and deeper wondering what in the world was going on and when it would all end.

I remember sleeping next to his crib hearing the countless monitors beeping, watching the nurses give him new bags of nutrition, cleaning up his bed nearly every hour from bodily fluids all over, listening to his screams each time they missed a vein because they were all collapsing, hearing a doctor and nurse shake their head each shift wondering what was going on, watching his big sister look at him from afar because she was terrified of all of his tubes, looking around at the other children and parents in the hospital with desperate looks upon their faces.... and it goes on and on.

Here we are one year later, and we are still figuring out what is going on with our little guy. Luckily he has not seen a scary doctor or nurse for any IV's, needles, or anything like that since July. I'd like to stay away from all of the pain, screaming, and terrified "help me, they are hurting me" eyes,




You'd never know that he has gone through so much. Right now he is dancing to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and loving every minute of it. He played soccer at the gym today, and told me all about kicking the ball into the coach's tummy. OOPS!

One day, we will figure out the medical mysteries going on. Right now, he seems to be okay, so I'm running with that idea... for now.

Sunday, November 09, 2008

Birthday continued

Ok, my mom arrived yesterday afternoon ready to be Grand for about a solid 24 hours. No small feat for her!

Jason and I left the house, went to pick up friends, and headed into the city. We all got ready for the evening, and met up at the cruise location. It was drizzling out, although just enough to make it look like I threw on clothes to go to the grocery store, rather than actually getting ready for a fun night out on the town. My hair was, ummm well, pretty pathetic after a few minutes of arriving on the pier. So we wait in line to get on the boat, get our photo taken, and head to our table.

As we sat down at the table, I noticed a bucket with a bottle sitting in it, champagne glasses, and chocolate truffles too. I assumed all of the tables had that. I was wrong. Sweet Kerri asked for those to be at the table for my birthday. This is why I always say, I HAVE THE BESTEST FRIENDS IN THE WHOLE WORLD!

Once the boat started moving and we finished the appetizer, we headed outside and froze our tooshies off. It was chilly and windy outside. Hence the windblown photos.

The rest of the boat ride was just as you can probably imagine. Talking, laughing, eating, drinking, doing stupid Titanic impressions, taking pictures, then repeat......

We got off of the boat after 3-4 hours, and knew our night was not quite finished yet. We ended up at an Irish pub to have a few more drinks. The drinks were terrible, it was starting to get late, so we called it a night.

This morning we had a fantastic breakfast, then headed home.





I am having a "night out" hangover right now. Not because I necessarily drank too much. I'm just kinda in a fog right now wishing I had more nights like last night. Awesome friends, fabulous hubby, my birthday, and laughing. There is not much more I can ask for.

Friday, November 07, 2008

I Love my birthday!

I've had one of the best birthdays in recent memory (and tomorrow it is just going to get better). I began the day with a bunch of facebook messages, myspace, e-mail cards, e-mail messages, text messages, and even old fashion phone calls too. I even got a shout out in the school parking lot from a parent after she heard Juliana singing to me. I'm a lucky girl!

Jason, Kevin, and I went out to lunch together while Juliana was at school today. Nothing special, but Jason suggested it, so why not. Then we picked Juliana up from school, came home, and then Juliana and I headed to the movie theater. Just us girls at her first movie theater experience ever! We got popcorn and water (she has never had soda) by her request, and went on to the theater. Her eyes were open wide with the selection of seats to choose. The movie, Madagascar 2, was quite good. There was a lot of adult humor in it, although nothing that would stand out in a child's mind that could be used as naughty language or overtly obnoxious. The characters did say "stupid" and "butt" a lot, so Juliana got all giddy with those words since they are not allowed in our house. I just rolled my eyes and moved on. Anyway, our little movie outing was a success!

We came home, then went out to dinner. Yes, I am now over 450 lbs just from today. Ewwwwwwww!

Oh, I can't forget the yummy Coldstone cake that we had when we got home. We all shared one enormous piece of cake. Now I am full, and ready to veg on the couch for the rest of the night.




Thank you to everyone for all of the sweet birthday calls/messages. I have the bestest friends in the whole world! So what if that is a statement that a 5 year old would make.

Tomorrow afternoon, evening, and night are a continuation of my birthday celebration. ADULTS ONLY... that sounds a bit sleezy. I don't mean it that way, I should actually just say, NO CHILDREN ALLOWED!