Cute Kid Things

KIDS SAY THE CUTEST THINGS...



While I sat in the reception area of my doctor's office, a woman
rolled an elderly man in a wheelchair into the room. As she went to
the receptionist's desk, the man sat there, alone and silent. Just as
I was thinking I should make small talk with him, a little boy slipped
off his mother's lap and walked over to the wheelchair. Placing his
hand on the man's, he said, 'I know how you feel. My mom makes me ride
in the stroller too.'.
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As I was nursing my baby, my cousin's six-year-old daughter, Krissy,
came into the room. Never having seen anyone breast feed before, she
was intrigued and full of all kinds of questions about what I was
doing. After mulling over my answers, she remarked, 'My mom has some
of those, but I don't think she knows how to use them.'
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Out bicycling one day with my eight-year-old granddaughter, Carolyn,
I got a little wistful. 'In ten years,' I said, 'you'll want to be
with your friends and you won't go walking, biking, and swimming with
me like you do now.'

Carolyn shrugged. 'In ten years you'll be too old to do all those
things anyway.'
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Dinosaurs are fascinating. My three-year-old is obsessed with them.

Recently we were riding on a bus, and he asked another passenger for her
name.

'My name is Deena,' she said. 'Can you say Deena?'

'Deena,' said my son. 'Can you say pachycephalosaurus?'
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Working as a pediatric nurse, I had the difficult assignment of giving
immunization shots to children. One day I entered the examining room
to give four-year-old Lizzie her needle. 'No, no, no!' she screamed.
'Lizzie,' scolded her mother, 'that's not polite behavior.'

With that, the girl yelled even louder, 'No, thank you! No, thank you!
________________________________

Jake is 5 and learning to read.

He points at a picture in a zoo book and says,
'Look Mama! It's a frickin' Elephant!'

Deep breath ... 'What did you call it?'

'It's a frickin' Elephant, Mama! It says so on the picture!'

And so it does ...

'A f r i c a n Elephant'

Hooked on phonics!!! Ain't it wonderful?
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One afternoon while I was visiting my library, I noticed a group of
preschoolers gathered for story time. The book they were reading was
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. After the librarian
finished the first page, she asked the children, 'Do you think she'll
die?'

'Nope,' a little girl in the back said. 'I saw this last night on Fear
Factor.'
________________________________

My sister had been ill, so I called to see how she was doing. My
ten-year-old niece answered the phone. 'Hello,' she whispered. 'Hi,
honey. How's your mother?' I asked..

'She's sleeping,' she answered, again in a whisper.

'Did she go to the doctor?' I asked.

'Yes. She got some medicine,' my niece said softly.

'Well, don't wake her up. Just tell her I called. What are you doing,
by the way?'

Again in a soft whisper, she answered, 'Practicing my trumpet.'

________________________________

On the way back from a Cub Scout meeting, my grandson asked my son the
question. 'Dad, I know that babies come from mommies' tummies, but how
do they get there in the first place?' he asked innocently.

After my son hemmed and hawed awhile, my grandson finally spoke up in
disgust.'You don't have to make something up, Dad. It's OK if you
don't know the answer.'
________________________________

Even though the toddler was having a furious tantrum, his mom was
unfazed. 'You may as well give up on the crying,' I heard her say as
she led him to the store exit. 'You're stuck with me for 18 years.'
________________________________

Paul Newman founded the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for children
stricken with cancer, AIDS and blood diseases. One afternoon he and
his wife, Joanne Woodward, stopped by to have lunch with the kids. A
counselor at a nearby table, suspecting the young patients wouldn't
know that Newman was a famous movie star, explained, 'That's the man
who made this camp possible. Maybe you've seen his picture on his
salad dressing bottle?' Blank stares. 'Well, you've probably seen his
face on his lemonade carton.'

An eight-year-old girl perked up. 'How long was he missing?'
________________________________

Like all growing boys, my teenage grandson, Jermon, was constantly
hungry. I went to my refrigerator to find something he might like to
eat. After poking around a bit and moving the milk and juice cartons,
I spotted a bowl of leftover chili. 'Hey, Jermon,' I called out
excitedly. He came running into the kitchen. 'Look! I found some
chili.' Struggling to be polite, he said, 'If you're that surprised,
I'm not really sure I want it.'
________________________________

My last name is a mouthful, so when my three-year-old niece learned to
spell it, I was thrilled, until my cousin burst my bubble.

'You can spell Sczygelski any way you like,' he pointed out. 'Who's
going to know if it's wrong?'
________________________________

For the first time, my four-year-old daughter Kelsey was coming to my
office to have me, a dental hygienist, clean her teeth. She was
accompanied by her grandmother. When they came in, I greeted them
warmly, seated Kelsey and, as usual, put on my gloves, goggles and
mask. About ten minutes into the procedure, she got scared and cried,
'I want my mommy!'

I quickly pulled off my mask and said, 'I am your mommy.'

Without hesitating, my daughter yelled back, 'Then I want my granny!'
________________________________
as copied off an e-mail

For my 100th post

This is the 100th post for this blog site and I wanted to post something special. Ava shot this video tonight as we tried to capture Nova laughing. Nova is getting so big and becoming a little girl and less a baby. She sat in a "big girl" chair tonight at Kennedy's Diego Table and ate with the girls. It won't be long now before she sleeps in bed with them. I am going to miss my baby being just that A baby. This post is dedicated to my girls growing up.

Home after Christmas

It seems Christmas has came and went and we are back home. Our girls had a fun time and were sad to leave as always. We had some memorable moments; I found Jakob in the bathroom struggling to put his dark night costume under his clothes. Being the mom of girls I couldn't understand this behavior and I told April she might want to stop him since he would get to hot she told me "He wants to be able to throw off his clothes and be Batman!" Duh! Both Kennedy and Ava got camcorders. Kennedy is not quite sure what to do with her crayola one and I do not look forward to watching the crazy swung around shots but it she is happy to be like Ava. She is not happy that Santa gave Ava the tripod and not her.lol Ava got the flip and started her own blog to accompany her videos. I am adding a link to it on my blog. I did ask her to let me preview every video before she posts them.lol Ava has a habit of getting me at my worst. I have to laugh at the second video she posted while I was sleeping. (Shane posted it without my permission) During the video she tell me were broke!lol I guess I need to watch my off handed comments to Shane. Buying Christmas presents always stresses me out even when I buy ahead.lol I am always so relieved when we are done and every gift is wrapped and packed and we are headed to Grants. My parents had planned an wonderful meal and we all enjoyed it. I made my parents each a blanket and I hope they use them as they sit on their porch and watch their cats. They have 4 beautiful and very different cats. One is called Sunshine/Tommy. He is a huge(fat) orange tabby. I think April said he had been ran over and is still gun shy. Then there is Midnight. He is the most beautiful. He is completely black hence the name. He loves Natasha above all and I only saw him a few times. He reminded me of the cat Shane and I had before Ava. Then there is Luna who is black and White and another one which was stripped but I can't recall his name. Nova, Dad, and I sat outside with some Turkey to feed them but Nova ate more of the Turkey than they did.lol It was right before dinner and they were hungry. That night Shane, Mom, Dad, and I played Hearts. I beat Shane but on the second round my parents killed me. I should have learned never to shoot the moon with them but you can't beat a girl from trying. And now we are home and I have laundry to catch up on and find a place to put all the new stuff.lol Here is looking to the New Year!

And I think three is hard

She did it again. Michelle Duggar had gave birth to her 18th child. Wow! I just can't even imagine it. 18! After watching her show I think the kids seem happy and loved so more power to them. That being said I just can't imagine! (Did I already say that?)

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20248075,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines

Santa, Kennedy, and Wonder Women

Yesterday I had some kind of stomach bug and had to miss Ava's holiday party in her classroom. Ava understood how sick I was but when the party started she cried to her teacher who thankfully made her feel a little better. When I picked her up from school she told what had happened and I began to feel really bad. Kennedy then told Ava I was a bad mom. That made Ava more upset and she asked Kennedy to stop which gave Kennedy encouragement to contiunue. She said it over and over while Ava cried more. Kennedy really nailed it when she said that she hated Momma. I still don't know where she has gotten that from but she likes to say it when she gets into trouble. So last night I was telling Shane about it, (I wasn't mad I know she has no idea what she said but Ava was still upset) so Shane took Kennedy to his lap to talk about it. He began with telling her that she is never to say she hates anyone. Her response is she does hate, (again she said it with a smile as she knew she was being naughty.) He tried again but she kept it up. So then he asked her "Where did you learn to say I hate" and she replied "From Santa"!lol Yesterday she also put on a Wonder Women costume and told me she was awesome.

Adam Walsh

I try to avoid any news that involves children being hurt, murdered, or mistreated in anyway but I had to read this article. As you probably know Adam Walsh went missing in the early 80's and was only 6 years old. He was only a year or so older than me at the time of his disappearance. His abduction changed, at least for my family, the idea of the world being safe for children. A few years later one of my mom's co-workers and our neighbor had her little boy go missing during a hunting trip with his father. It was believed at first that he was kidnapped and there was a very televised search for him. Eventually his body was found under the bush he had crawled under to keep warm. His disapperance and his death was an event has marked my life in a profound way. I pray everyday that my children will never be lost or taken. I have to say this one of not the largest fear of things that I worry will happen to my girls, my nieces and nephews and to the children of my friends. If I could rid the world of one evil it would be that all children are safe from predators of all kinds. Anyway back to Adam Walsh. His murder gave a death bed confession that he did indeed murder little Adam. I feel so sorry and sad for his parent today. I know that they must have gotten some closure but my heart still aches for his family. So I say a little prayer for Adam and his parents and loves ones today. The article for those who want to read it is linked at the bottom.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28257294/?GT1=43001

Pet Society has ruined my life

Thanks to Misty for pushing pet society on us. Shane created his pet, El Conquistador, Friday night and quickly became addicted. This game is like crack and I am telling you we can't stop. Mystery Boxes are the drugs that keep us coming back. Shane is the pet washing king and I his faithful sidekick as we go along trying to get enough coins to equal 50 so we can buy a box or two. We have got to stop but if we do then how will we ever get the Tiffany Lamp? I don't know but I do know this if we don't get some kind of pet society intervention real life is going to get real bad. I mean where will the fun be in the real store when we can't buy a mystery box? Also in life it's not funny when you poop on the floor but in PS it is. Heck you can gift poo to people.lol Also I think it's a sad fact that my pet, Ellie, is better dressed than I am.lol

Help us!

Thoughts

Cooking and cleaning give me the greatest time to have thought about the day. As I was doing the dishes I thought about the girls and what their lives today. Ava had a horrible dream last night and came to our room to sleep with us. It took me a sleepy moment to realize she was sobbing. As I held her I asked her what happened? I figured she would tell me a dream about a monster or such but instead she told me she had a dream that Kennedy died. She was extremely upset and cried until she fell back asleep. Getting ready for school this morning she remembered her dream and cried again. I felt so sad for her because I know how much she loves her sister and I can empathize with her about having a dream be so real. She felt better at lunch because the girls and I went to lunch with her for family lunch day. The new cafeteria is great and a nice relaxing place for them. I love her school!
Kennedy was quiet most of today. She loved being at Ava's school and sitting at the table with her sister and her friends. I should have known something was wrong because among the food choices Kennedy refused to eat fruit and a cookie. She did drink the chocolate milk but that was all. I brought home her quesadilla and cookie figuring she would eat at home. They had small bowls of posole which for a school was really good. Once we got home she said "I have to throw up" and did all down the hallway to the bathroom. (This is why I love the "pergo" floors! After cleaning her up I put her in bed, with a bowl, and she fell asleep right away. Later after her nap she told me she felt better and about 45 mins ago she ate some minestrone. I am hoping it is a small bug but I have to say that she seems to be the one who catches everything and it is something that is bothering me. She is on my list to keep an eye one.
Then comes my Nova. When I was pg with her I really thought I might be having a boy. I felt different and carried her differently. Of course she isn't a boy and she loves her purses and the dolls but she also has some tendencies that the others didn't have as much. She likes to roar like a dinosaur! I got her a stuffed orange dino because it reminded me of her. She crawled like one too!lol Before she walked solidly she was climbing. She climbed on her walker, on steps, anywhere she could. Now she has taken to the next level. She has tried to climb into the bath tub, she climbs up the step stool to the sink, she tires to climb unto the couch. Yesterday she used my sewing machine case, pushed it to the book shelf, and climbed on it so she could climb the bookshelf! I thought ok this is it this will be the thing that is going to drive me crazy with worry. Yeah right! I was in another room when I hear "Mom, Mom" "Mom, Mom, Nova on Dollhouse!" I run to the girl's room where I see Mrs. Nova in the closet standing on the TOP PART of Ava's dollhouse. Unbelievable! Then as the day went on she continued to drive me nuts but the worst was when she was on the rug, fell and bite her lip in the same spot she bit it last week. I think if we had Nova first then we might not have been couragous enough for more. I say that and then she gives me one of her love hugs where she pats me on the back and I think "Maybe we should have one more!" Laughs for Shane!
It's nice to be able to blog these thoughts. I always plan to write them down but it's nice to be able to type them, I can type faster than write. Blogging is a great way to keep these memories especially when moms loose their memories because they have to much new information jammed into them due to their kids. Such as
"What's that?"
"A Hat"
"A crazy funky junky hat!"
"Overslept"
"Hair's unslightly"
"Try to look like Keira Knightley"
"We've been there, we've done that"
"We see right through your funky hat"

See what my brain has come too!

Quiet Night

It's nice when the house is like this. Asleep. The only noise in the background is the dryer which is always music to my ears. I like hearing the dryer work I always have. The tree is giving off a soft glow and it is comforting. This will be the last year for this tree, the top lights have stopped working and it's run it course. I gave it a great send off and dressed it beautifully for it's last show. I almost didn't put up all the ornaments, I always forget how many I have until I open them. In the end I put them all one and added the new ornaments I got for the girls this year. They get one each year and had picked out theirs in early November but I found other ornaments at the antique store and I had an idea for them. The ornaments are oval tins painted with Santa and Snowmen. I took an oval paper and wrote them each a special message on it and placed it in the box. Each year I'll write them a message and when they are grown they will have the messaged for their tree. So they got two ornament this year. Ava did group hers together at first but after prodding she spread them out, unlike Kennedy who staked a claim to every ornament she hung and placed them all in the back part of the tree.lol I didn't move any of their ornaments this year because I wanted the tree to be all of them and their effort. I did hold off on putting the ball ornaments until they were asleep and it helped to balance out their work. I am just thankful that I nor Shane likes tinsil on trees! I can only imagine the clumping I would be dealing with.lol

Merry Decorating to all!

What an unbelievable day!

I have to make this post short seeing as how I destroyed my house earlier today and I would like to have it look semi-decent before I get Shane. First Nova's second booster shot was today. I signed Kennedy in and didn't blink an eye when they told me they didn't write her name down but that they would squeeze Kennedy in anyway. The girls played until Kennedy's name was called. I went to pick up Nova when I realized that Kennedy wasn't the one getting the shot Nova was.lol Talk about being embarrassed. Thankfully they were great about it and she got the shot, did great, and we were on our way. I came home, fed the girls and put Nova down to sleep. Then I finished my essay, sent it to Shane for revisions and got my app. together to take in. Got Nova up and ready to go and went to leave when I realized I lost my keys! That's when the panic hit. To make a long story short I tore the house apart, called the school which did me no good, and finally found them in her high chair. I was 8 minutes late getting Ava who had somehow missed the sec. call her name. She went to the office to call me, I wasn't home I was on my way, and began to cry. In all of our discussion on what to do if I am late she never realized she was suppose to STAY IN the office. So then the guilt set in bad and the decision to get Ava a prepaid cell which she has to keep turned off and a secret was decided. (No cell on campus but screw that!) After I picked up my essays (3) from Shane (he printed them for me) I stopped to get the girls a drink and then to a park where I went over the app one last time. Finally I went to CNM to turn it in and found out I was in the wrong place! Got to the right place, and dropped it off. I was a little disappointed that bells and whistles did go off for me but oh well! I had little hope of being admitted this session, my lack of experience with children in a professional setting has me worried but I'll apply again if I don't' get admitted. Oh yeah during all this hassle I hear that Los Alamitos was in lock down! I don't know the full story so I'm not going to pass on wrong info but I am thankful that my nieces and nephews were taken out of school. I pray no one was hurt. Now I'm off to continue the cleaning!

This has been a day!

An exhausting day!

The girls wore themselves out today and I was right along there with them. Although we spent Thanksgiving with our huge family we decided that we would have one of our own here and make it simple without a huge fuss. This was also Shane's last day of vacation so it was a nice way to end it. Ava went to school and I let Kennedy sleep in as Shane was here. Once I came back I did a few thing and Nova went to the bedroom to play with Kennedy, who refused to wake up. Nova is walking more and more but she still holds on a lot to wall and whatever will be in her way. She does climb though and when I went to check on her I found her in Kennedy's bed,(Kennedy is tucked down by the Strawberry Shortcake doll), where she had crawled.lol She must have decided to read Kennedy awake because this is what I caught her doing. It was a cute moment. Later after dinner Nova had her second bath of the day, (Spaghetti for lunch), and I brought her to the living room to dress while Shane and our neighbor and Ava cleared the table. Nova got really excited and began to laugh at all of us. It was a great family moment. Later after Vince left we all played Dinosaur with Nova which consists of us all growling like we imagine dinosaurs do.lol Nova has the best growl but the quickest teeth so we all have to be careful. Kennedy went to the bedroom where she passed out on the floor without her bath or even he pj's on. Shane began to crash on the couch and Nova was done. I realized this was my best chance to mop without the footprints of kids.lol Housework never seems done but I am thankful that we have a home to clean and the children who dirty it. I just wish we had the maid to be thankful for too!

Out of the mouth of babes

Ava- "Mom how do you say Ava in French?"
Mom- "You know how"
Ava- "No Ava not April"
Mom- "I don't know"
Kennedy- "Ava I know I know Ava"
Kennedy- "I know I know Ava"
Ava- "What"
Kennedy- "Ava in French"

Everyone- "Laughing Laughing Laughing"

April and I had the great idea to make and decorate Christmas cookies with the girls and Jakob. These cookies are the first one the kids decorated and let me tell you this was no easy feat! The story is to long to share but if you can understand; ear infection, urgent care, girls in bad moods, a boy without "boy toys" to play with, and two tired moms, I think you will understand our day! When it was all said and done we had a fun time and ended the night with the kids watching Journey to the Center of the Earth and the adults playing spoons.lol It's nice to have family to visit with.

Our Thanksgiving

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Holiday Prep

So far this is the smoothest prep yet. Got a huge pot of beans going for tonight and make it x-tra large in case my family make it over for dinner. Got the first loaf of bread in the machine going. Made two pies. I found this new pudding that is Pumpkin Pie. Mix it with milk as per instruction and I mixed in about a cup of coolwhip. Put it in a graham cracker pie shell. Pipe on cool whip in designs and cover. I tasted the pumpkin pie one and I it had the greatest flavor. Next on the list is the cinnamon rolls to be ready for the morning and then if I might make another roll of bread. It's going to be a great time!

Thanksgiving greetings!

Make a Smilebox greeting

Making Bread

Lasagna is the plan for dinner and I wanted to make bread today so I found this recipe on About.com The girls enjoyed watching the bread machine in action. I plan to slice the bread and add garlic butter for dinner. Hope it turns out yummy!

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
1 beaten egg
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dried rosemary, or use 2 tablespoons fresh, crumbled
1 tsp each dried oregano and basil (or 1 tbsp each fresh)
3 c flour
2 tsp bread machine yeast
Preparation:
Place in machine according to machine instructions (or if you make bread by hand, you already know what to do). A few minutes into kneading, check that the dough is the consistency that you want, add any flour or extra water that you need (I usually find I need a little bit of flour). Bake on large loaf, light crust. This herb combination smells heavenly, and goes great with chicken or pasta or on picnics. You can use any combination of herbs you like, and adjust it to complement the meal you are serving if you like.
http://southernfood.about.com/od/breadmachine/r/blbb259.htm

UPDATED PICTURE

This is the second loaf I made. Sadly the first one didn't make it and ended up in the trash bin. It had been a long time since I used the bread maker and I inverted my ingredients. I will brag on this loaf because it was delicious. It went well with the leftover lasagna. I plan to make it again soon.

Thanksgiving Blessings

It's never to early to listen to holiday music and it's never to early to give thanks.

I am thankful for Shane. It might sound sappy and cliche but he completes me. He challenges me when I need to be challenged and supports me when I am in need. I am thankful to be married to my best friend.

I am thankful for my girls. They enhance my life and give it meaning. They are the reason I am get up in the morning (sometimes even in the early early morning), and they are the ones I pray for at night. I am thankful for the love they give to Shane and I and to each other.

I am thankful for my parents. A child can never understand the unconditonal love a parent has until they have a child of their own. I know the sacrifices my parents have made for my sibling and I and I am grateful to them and for their love.

I am thankful for my siblings. We fight as only brothers and sisters can but there is no doubt the love we have for one another. I am blessed to have them as siblings.

I am thankful for my nieces and nephews. They are all unique and terrific. I am thrilled to be their favorite Aunt.

I am thankful for my extended family on all sides. They have shaped me in ways that I cannot explain. I am truly thankful to have their love and am thrilled that my children will carry on our family.

I am thankful for my friends. Most of them are awesome and the ones who aren't I stopped speaking too!

I am thankful for technology. Who knew the internet would bring me closer to family and friends? My Family, Facebook, Blogger have been the "best friend" a SAHM could as for.
(A side note I am thankful to Steve Jobs for inventing the IPod. Without it and
the nifty way to have the West Wing at my disposal I would have made it through
late night feedings.)

I am thankful to my country. Freedom of speech! Freedom of Religion Obama! Need I say more.

Finally but most important
I am thankful to God for all above things would not be possible. I am thankful for his pressence in my life and for his blessings. I am thankful that I am able to pray and speak with him. I thank him for my life and all that it entails.

There are so many more things I am thankful for but eventually I would run out of post room and some are silly like packets of oatmeal that make school day breakfast easier, or for slippers which rock when you want to wear shoes but also want to have bare feet at time. See there are too many things to add that I better stop now.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I hope you are well and happy and if you or your family is traveling I hope they stay safe.

Re-blogging a smile box

I wanted to re-post this smile box partly because the song is awesome and partly because I think we need to get to planning a real reunion not just one courtasey of facebook.lol So some of us are in the pictures mostly and some are missing, (like Christy and Belva.) I am really trying to get April up on facebook so look for her profile to come after Thanksgiving!!!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Two loves

Making this little smile box made me cry. My baby is getting so big and I even though I don't want another baby and am looking forward to Nova being more independent my heart is still bittersweet. I love my baby ♥

Make a Smilebox greeting

Parent/Teacher Conference

Ava's conference went well yesterday. She got 3's in all areas. Her reading is really great and her teacher told me she finds Ava a joy in class. Ava has cut down on talking in school and has been able to focus more. That was the best news to me since Ava is her mother's child and likes to talk, A LOT. Mrs. Phillips caught me off guard though when she sent us home with a borrowed book to read called The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. She said this "Because Ava loves all things French!"lol What Ava must say in class I don't know. We started the book for family reading last night and it's a pretty cool book. It reminds me of Harry Potter. Mrs. Phillips hit it on the nail, Ava loves the book and took it to read once she and Kennedy were in bed. I have to say that being able to share the joy of reading with Ava has been awesome. I got her The Velveteen Rabbit at her cousins fall festival and she read it before I even had a chance to talk to her about it. Mrs. Phillips is so pleased about Ava's reading desire she sent Ava home book report forms to do extra credit. All in all it was a great conference.






http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0439813786/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link

Chicken Soup for whose soul?

Well it's been a smelly weekend. Kennedy got sick on Friday, was better yesterday but then got sick again last night and today. I decided she needed homemade chicken soup to heal and set to making it. As I was chopping the onions, carrots, chicken, celery, and potatoes I had a memory back to the good old days of GHS. I came back to school after recovering from the flu and was in history class taking to Scott Gunderson about being sick I guess, (not sure why). Anyway he asked me what my parents did for me when I was sick and I told him that they made me homemade chicken soup. (Our family never was the from a can type and never the chicken noodle type either) Then he asked me what was in and I told him about how my parents made it, (I swear I could salivate right now just thinking about their soup) He told me his mom NEVER cooked. I mean the most she did was microwave a dish or two if they were lucky. They ate out a lot is what he said. As I said I was thinking about this while cooking I started to think more about my parents and myself as a parent and I realized that making Kennedy soup to feel better was as much for me as it is for her. I am pretty helpless here not being able to instantly make her better. I can only be there to hold her hair, to clean up her floor (oh yeah let me tell you how great an idea it was letting Dusty borrow my steam cleaner) and washing several of her stuffed animal that got "attacked". Making her soup made me feel better even if it does little to help her. That being said she does seem better and I had have leftovers ready for lunch tomorrow, (always a good thing) I just want to say a thanks to my parents for always making their kids homemade soup when we were sick. It's nice to be able to carry on a tradition.

A great FREE present

My Aunt sent me an e-mail regarding this free 8x11 photo book. It was on the Oprah show and here is the link http://www2.snapfish.com/info18/

All you have to pay is shipping/handling which is 7-8 dollars. You have to do it by the 16th? I think so you might want to hurry. From what I could tell it's pretty neat. So hurry and give it a try!

A few really odd things about me.

I have this thing that drives me nuts and I think worries Shane sometimes. For whatever reason when I turn on a garbage disposal I HAVE to remind myself NOT to stick my hand down the disposal. I'm not kidding, I really think I will put my hand down there, when it's on if I don't tell myself not to. I have not idea why but it's an urge or something. The first time I told Shane he looked very concerned, like I might be mentally ill or something. Luckily I never have stuck my hand but I warn myself every time. I have a new thing going on now. Several months ago as you may have read in a past post Nova cut her eye. It healed quickly but was very painful for her. Lately I have been thinking that my eye is going to be torn and I imagine that is already is. It doesn't hurt, there isn't anything in it but I continue to picture how it would hurt and it's been bothering me, the idea of it getting cut.lol Not like I don't have other things to occupy my mind or time, now I have phantom worries to contend with.UGGH

An oldie but a goodie picture tag

Got to love girls who will dress up like dorks for their mom!

Geocaching

What is it?
Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment. (Taken directly from http://www.geocaching.com/)

What about it?
This is how we spent our day yesterday afternoon. Sounds like a boring day, it wasn't. Actually it was something we'll soon do again I'm sure. We weren't too lucky in our finding. We only have one cache in which there was a log book and Shane and Ava logged in. It was just down the street from us. Shane has decided that in order to have an easier time we "need" a better GPS device, not just the one on his IPHONE. Great! Have you priced those things? Lets just say that knowing Shane and knowing which one he'll want it's going to be a while. That being said if you have a family who loves a good treasure hunt, or are looking for a family adventure you should give it a try. I think you'll have a fun time.

Nice Saturday

So today started off not too good. Nova woke way to early for me. I haven't had a Sat. in a while where we could sleep in and relax and I was really looking forward to at least getting to sleep until 8:30 but first Kennedy woke about 6:45 and got in our bed. Then just as I had fallen back asleep Nova began to fuss and next thing I know I am up and at it with her. I brought her to the living room, got some fresh milk and turned the tv. I decided to just lay on the couch and try to get her to fall back asleep and as we watched the History of New York (pretty interesting program) she was almost there when Kennedy came to the living room with the cries for Dora. I pretty much knew it was over with then and gave up. I got up, put on the coffee and started to clean. Eventually I went to see Shane and discovered he was in one pissy mood:( That's pretty much when the morning went to pot. After I threw my mind into sweeping and mopping and ignoring his mood I decided that I would make the most of the morning and keep up with the housework. Eventually Shane left to get his lab work done, (dealing with the HBP stuff) and he came home a happier man. After a delicious brunch I took my shower and put Nova down for her nap. Then I spent 2 hours taking one myself!!! (I miss naps) We spent the evening taking the kids the park and then to ITZ. If you have ever been there on a Sat. right at dinner time then you turned out to be as crazy as we were. First several parties had reserved the best rooms and then there were no forks to be had. Hello! Have you ever tried to eat pasta alfredo with your fingers? Finally I bugged a helper until we got several forks and we tried to enjoy our dinner. Once we headed to the games it was a little better. Shane won Nova some weird doll from Pirates of the Caribbean and she was happy to chew on it for a while. The girls played some games and we tried to get on the deal or no deal game but people were not giving up on winning. Last time we scored the big prize so we really wanted to to play again but it wasn't in the cards for us. We then thought we were down to only a few points and decided to go back to the tv area and drink coffee and let the girls have their ice cream. We went to the toons section and relaxed and watched a toon or two. By then I was pretty tired but we decided to finish our points when Shane realized I had a card with 43 points on it so we played for another 40 or so minutes. Kennedy and Ava did the train which Ava hated but Kennedy loved. We never got to do deal or no deal but Shane did win all the girls ugly stuffed animals. Then it was home were the little ones crashed out and I watched Juno. Now I am looking forward to bed but thought I'd post this little message. Now I am reading what I wrote and thinking that no one cares about all this but maybe next year I'll read this and wonder why I wrote it. I think when you are tired and you post stuff you always regret it later, I do.
So that was today and I just heard Nova cry. Crap! Hey I just had to share this real quick. I just went to spell check this and it gave me crap for spelling pissy wrong and Spell Check wanted to supplement a word for me instead of pissy. Want to make a guess?

Amazing

Heather called me last night shortly after it was announced Barack Obama was announced as our future President and I couldn't talk. She told me "You're never short for words" and yet I was in stunned amazement. It must have been all the emotion flooded my system and I shut down a little. It has slowly been hitting me today that it happened. YES WE CAN! This morning I was speaking with my girls and I told Ava that Nova will grow up with her first memory of a President being Barack Obama! What an amazing memory. Kennedy most likely won't remember Bush but she will remember Obama! Only Ava will have the memory of a president before Barack Obama. Just now on ABC someone was discussing the building of the White House by slaves and knowing that they were forced to build probably never believing an African American would be President! What a great day for African Americans and for America!!!

Happy Halloween 2008

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Flu shot galore!

Just got done with Ava and Kennedy's flu sprays. Nova got her first shot on her birthday and will get her follow up in November. All girls did excellent. In Dr. De La Torre's office the staff went all out as far as dressing up, for the most part Shrek was the theme. After Little Red Riding hood gave the girls their sprays then we went to the "haunted room" and while it was a tiny bit scary for Kennedy it was a fun place for them to get their rewards. Tonight we'll pick up Shane and head to Summit park for the Jack O'Latern lighting and then maybe hit a few houses with Dusty and his family before coming home. Kennedy spent most of yesterday throwing up and while she didn't have a fever today I think we all need a good night sleep and come recouperation. I for one am looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow!!!

Happy Halloween and will post pics tomorrow.

Trogdor

Obviously this is not the pumpkin I carved. I'm sure you can guess who carved this.lol For those who wonder what the heck here is a link to help you understand.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gz1DIIxmEE


Boys! What can we do with them?

Guess who is who?

At a glance guess which girl is Ava, Kennedy, and Nova. Since Nova turned one today we took a look back memory lane. It was a wistful look and I wish in a way I could stay there but I can't. I am so thankful for my three little ladies.

Tomorrow is a big day

The babies and I were in the store today looking for a phone splicer. It suddenly hit me that Nova will be one tomorrow! Having such a busy weekend and getting sick on top of it(I think the dust from setting up the EF set off a huge head cold and now I am a foggy, medicated head), I forgot about her birthday being tomorrow.lol You can tell she is only one otherwise she would have mentioned her upcoming birthday everyday. I think we are going low key this birthday. Look for pictures to be posted soon.

Experiencing History

Yesterday after a brief visit to the Halloween Carnival, (I hope to post some pics later), my family as well as Dusty's family headed down the street to Johnson field where an enormous Barack Obama rally was being held. We knew there would be a lot of people but we were amazed to learn how many. One estimate was 35,000 people attended the rally. The line wrapped around the University and back up and we quickly realized that if we wanted to hear Obama's speech we would have to hold back at the parking lot across
the way. We waited for 2 1/2 hours to hear his speech, and it was awesome.We got a
glimpse of him but most importantly we got to hear him deliver his heartfelt speech. The crowds, for as packed and anxious as they were, were pleasant and cheerful. You could feel the excitement in the air. Ava and Hope were dancing, cheering, and chanting. Kennedy and Nova enjoyed the excitement for as long as they could before the finally fell asleep. The only regret I have is that I left my camera home since I thought I would be coming home for it and I thought Shane's phone would work but it didn't take good pictures. But I don't think we'll ever forget that we went to his rally! Also I saw pictures of the crowd in Denver today and they are just mind blowing!!! 100,000 at least attended the rally to see and hear Obama. Something changing!!!

You and daddy are the worst math teachers ever!

Well that's what we heard tonight. Here is the math problem

_______ = 90 - 30 Ok I have to admit that it threw me for a moment. I wasn't sure why they did it like that for a second grader and then I thought it might be some kind of trick problem. Oonce I looked at it again I figured it out and so set to explain it to Ava. The problem came in when she keep wanting to subtract 30 from 90. After I explained it several times I could not get it through her head so I sent her to the "math expert" and he tried. Frustrated like me he ended up with "I am right and you are not".lol It went downhill at that point until much later when Shane took her aside again and patiently worked with her. Then it was all cake and smiles. Meanwhile my head is throbbing and I just want to sleep. Seriously I wonder how the hell am I going to do this for another 10 years? (I just freaking remembered that it's not just 10 years due to the Nova factor!!!:( ) I think I am going to stick to explaining the birds and bees and politics and just leave the rest to Mr. Math.

What dreams may come

Make a Smilebox greeting

A great day!

What a day to remember. Shane and I took the girls to UNM to the early voting station. Although the line was long (actually a great thing!!!) and the girls were restless we stuck it out and voted! Obviously as you can tell by my Barack Obama button who I voted for I have to say that it was such a great and amazing feeling to vote in such an important election. I am so energized by this campaign and by this man. It has been a long and at times heartbreaking campaign (Originally my support was with John Edwards), but I have come to see the greatness of Senator Obama and look forward to his Presidancy! (Knock on Wood) After we scanned our ballots we decided to eat lunch outside the sub and then spent time at the duck pond. The day had some great weather and the duck were big and happy. We hung out for a long while and then came home and the young girls and I enjoyed a nap. Then the second greatest thing happened tonight, Nova took her first long solid steps. 10 days short of turning one and she was doing great on her chubby wobbly legs.lol Going back and forth from Mommy to Daddy as her sisters cheered her on our family was full of laughs and admiration for this little one. What a blessing she has been to all of us. Also she had gotten her 8th tooth to break through. She is coming right along!!! I can't wait to tell her when she is older that on the day she took her first steps is the day that we voted for Obama!!! Hopefully she will understand the significance of it one day!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Some Family Time

Hope had her 9th birthday on the 6th. Like Ava and Nova she is an October baby. We had a small celebration with her and her parents and had a nice time. Poor Sandy was ill but she stuck it out until we did the cake. We gave hope the book Tale of Desperaux because she read a little bit of Ava's and wanted one for herself. She was very happy to get it. Kennedy was happy to get some cake and Nova was happy to sit on shoulders. Sunday will be Ava's b-day and she will be EIGHT!!! Can't wait to post pics then. (I know the date is off, I keep forgetting to fix it)

Because babies come in threes!

My younger cousin Neal had his firstborn today. He and his wife Dalva welcome their son Issac. This makes three in a month for the Nichols side of our family. His sister had her 6th? baby early last month, then our cousin Jenny, and now Neal. I hope to post of pic soon but am happy to hear this wonderful news.

People who have babies born in Oct. are cool and their babies are awesome!!!

Ava is doing awesome with her reading!

Ava had one of her first official reading test yesterday,(am waiting for the info from her teacher) and she said that she caught her teacher off guard with her reading and now is moved up to level 5 to be tested. I am still learning all of this testing stuff and what 5 actually means but I know that Ava is becoming a really excellent reader! We are so proud of her and are doing our best to keep in in books that keep her interested in. She is enjoying the American Girls series and Felicity is her favorite. I love that when she reads those books she gets a history lesson as well.

I am looking forward to sharing the books I read in my childhood with her:)

It took a while for Nova to like her Walker but now she seems to be able to zoom zoom zoom. She still isn't as quick as April aka Hell on Wheels was but she can hold her own! I expect her to be running by the new year!

Some little princesses

The date is wrong because these are the first pictures I have taken since I got my camera back from the shop. They had been watching Felicity an American Girl which is what inspired the dresses. Kennedy wouldn't let me do her hair any better but at least she stopped crying about wearing the dress that Ava was wearing!lol
I am looking forward to posting more pictures soon.

Little Liam

My cousin Jenny just had her first baby! His is a perfect looking 10lb 8 oz little man. Yeah I didn't get the size wrong.lol She had a c-section. This make her the last of the girls to have a baby and now we are all Moms. I just wish my grandparents were alive to see him, although I am sure they are in spirit. We are so blessed to have our extended family growing and Jenny is lucky to have a baby born in Sept which is the best month to be born in.

The first night and second day

Shane left early yesterday for his trip to San Francisco for the Guidewire Conference. I have not looked forward to this day since we learned about it:( Not because I was going to be alone with the kids, (although that isn't the easiest thing to be) but because I knew how much I was going to miss him and how much the girls would. Sure enough Ava cried at different times yesterday and today. That being said it has gone a little smoother than I thought. We had a relaxing morning yesterday just goofing around in the morning. We had an simple mac & cheese lunch with some olives which they loved and we saw a little bit of the movie "Mommie Dearest" If you kids ever tell you "Your the meanest mom" then show them the bathroom scene and suddenly you will be the best mom ever.lol Then the girls straightened their rooms and got ready. We headed to Barnes and Noble for the American Girls Book Club. The girls and I both love it. The lady who does the presentations, (I think her name is Jennifer?) is a teacher and she always has fun projects that relate to the main character of each story. This time we got there late so the girls missed out on the narrative but were in time to do the project. The character was Josephine and in the book they made stuff to go into a Hope Chest. For the project the kids decoupaged minature hope chest. For Ava it was a blast, for Kennedy it was a little hard to do but she did it. After that we normally stay for story hour but that day we left to go look at the animals in the mall and then to look at some shoes. Finally we left to head to Misty's house for our book club. For more about the book club meeting see http://www.twelve-oaks.net After having a nice time with the Bucks we came home and the girls got settled into PJ and we snuggled together on the couch and watched the lifetime premiere of CoCo Chanel. It was an intersting movie albeit rather long. The girls crashed quickly and I watched the movie until the end. I was not looking forward to sleeping alone, (such a chiken) but I was so tired that I fell right asleep and woke only once to find Kennedy getting in my bed. She and I slept until she woke in the morning but for some reason we were sleeping horizontal on the bed.lol Once all the girls woke we called Shane and they got to talk with him. We are looking forward to seeing his pictures since he and the group are going to Alcatraz today. After making a quick trip for diapers and a red box movie we are in for the night and plan to have some soup and salad and relax. Only 4 more night to go!!!

A let down

Yesterday was suppose to be the big day. (See past post)  Sadly it did not happen.  Shane was unable to have the procedure done because he has high blood pressure.  It is something that he has had off and on but we didn't know that it was as high as it is and that it would prevent the procedure.  Now it's another waiting game since he has to leave town this weekend and won't be back until late next :(  That and the fact that we have this issue to deal with which I know will be a struggle for him in many ways.  

On a happier note I got my camera back yesterday and once I charge it I will be taking some updated pics of these girls.  I am so happy to have it back!!!

Post soon!

A New Baby!

I have three cousins who are expecting babies this upcoming fall.  Last night the first one arrived and it's a Girl.  My cousin has three boys and two twin girls so I am sure she is happy to have another girls to round out the family.  The baby weighed 9lbs. (My poor cousin!)  I am so happy to add another girl to our family because the next two that are expected to join are both boys.  One is due this month and the other at the end of October.  The two babies being born in Sept. will only add to the 6 that already celebrate birthdays this month.lol  It is the best month to be born in I must say.

Also my other cousin on my mom's side had a girl last month.  It's amazing how quick a family can add up. 

Family happenings

With luck I should have my camera back sometime next week and then I can post a few updated pictures of my girls.  They are all doing well.  Ava is running for her class president.  I am not sure how this is going to work because most of the kids in her class are also running for class president therefore from what I figure everyone will be voting for themselves.lol  Shane said that the kid who doesn't run is the smartest kid because he will have all the power.lol  Ava has been diligently working on her speech and after a few trys had got the premises down.  Basically she is going to tell them that she can't promise them anything (none of them can but I am sure a few will!) but that she will listen to them and since she is a big sister she has experience being a leader and a helper.  Plus she is going to make some cool book markers to hand out.lol  We'll see what happens.

Kennedy surprised us this weekend with her counting.  She has most of the numbers down to 20 and some beyond that.  Also Ava has been working at night with Kennedy on spelling.  She almost has cat down.lol  Nova, who has been barefoot all summer, seems to have grown up overnight.  I think it has something to do with putting on sneakers.  She is now 10 months, has 7 teeth, and is walking while holding on to furniture.  No doubt she will be walking by 1.  She is a growler too.  Right now I am so happy that she has been sleeping all night without waking up before 6.  Right now she is sleeping until 8.  That is awesome!

Shane still is busy with work and has no idea if he will be going to SF or not.  He really needs a vacation so I am keeping my fingers crossed that he can take some time around the holidays.

We also got the info for his procedure in  the mail.  I, of course, couldn't get passed the first instructions without laughing so I need to read it today.  Can I tell you how excited I am to have this done!!!   Can you believe the holidays  are almost here?  YEAH!!!  April and I are thinking of doing a birthday/Halloween party for the girls.  Starting with Hope then following through to Natasha they were all born between Oct/Nov/Dec.  Kennedy and Jakob are the odd ones out but already had their parties.  Next year we're most likely going to skip a party and just do them every other year.  

Something for the over 30's

Shane set this to me via e-mail and I thought I'd share it.

THE SPOILED UNDER-30 CROWD!!!

If you are 30 or older you will think this is hilarious!!!!

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were when they were growing up; what with walking
twenty-five miles to school every morning ... uphill BOTH ways... yadda, yadda, yadda

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids about how hard I had it

and how easy they've got it! But now that... I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today.

You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia! And I hate to say it but you kids today you don't know how good you've got it!

I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have The Internet . If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog!! There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter .with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and

put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there!

There were no MP3's or Napsters! You wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the damn record store and shoplift it yourself! Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ'd usually talk over the beginning and @#*% it all up! We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal, that's it!

And we didn't have fancy Caller ID Boxes either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your mom, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like 'Space Invaders ' and 'asteroids'. Your guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination!! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen forever! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!

When you went to the movie theater there was no such thing as stadium seating! All the seats were the same height! If a tall guy or some old broad with a hat sat in front of you and you couldn't see, you were just screwed!

Sure, we had cable television, but back then that was only like 15 channels and there was no on screen menu and no remote control! You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your ass and walk over to the TV to change the channel and there was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little BRATS!

And we didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up we had to use the stove or go build a frigging fire .. imagine that! If we wanted popcorn, we had to use that stupid Jiffy Pop thing and shake it over the stove forever like an idiot.

That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled. You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980!

Regards,
The over 30 Crowd

So inspiring!!!

As we watched Obama's acceptance speech last night I was in awe of this man who will change our country. I, like so many others, have become so inspired by him. Although I started off this long process supporting another candidate Obama was always my second choice but I have to admit I think that, for America, the right choice for a Democratic candidate has been made. Also the reports are coming in now that the Republican VP nominee will be a female! What a change America has made in terms of being progressive. I can only hope that the all white all male tickets are a thing of the past and that we can look forward to a new America where ANYONE can become President!

The day is set!!!

The day for the big "V" has been set! Sept. 9th Shane goes in a fertile man and will come out about 1/2 hour later fixed. This is something he has chosen to do and I couldn't be more happy. I love my girls immensely but I am so through with the pregnancy phase of life. I spoke with a friend of mine whose husband most likely will go through the same thing one day and she was telling me how she isn't too worried about getting pg because she isn't super fertile and I was instantly jealous.lol I didn't think I was either until we got pg with Kennedy. With Ava we weren't really trying or preventing but we had long periods of that before and never got pg so when we planned to have Kennedy I thought it was going to be a real test and trial and it happened quickly. After her I was on bc for about a year and when I missed my apt (a few times) we found out we were going to have another. Sadly we miscarried that baby and even though people kept "reassuring" me we could have another it wasn't what we planned. Again we weren't planning or preventing but never thought that 3 months after we would be pg again. Luckily for us we were blessed with Nova but we FINALLY learned our lesson and decided that Shane was going to "take care of business". Now it's going to happen! I did have to inform him that he will have to prep himself which (not to be too graphic) involves a razor and a careful hand. While the receptionist discussed the procedure with me I held it in but when I called Shane to tell him I couldn't get the words out without laughing. I mean it cracked me up! I also watched a video which made me squeamish but I know it didn't hurt and is nothing like childbirth but still it's isn't a fun day at the park. I think the shaving is going to be the worst part. Therefore as long as he keeps the apt and our luck holds out Nova will really be our last beautiful baby and NO I WILL NOT BE TRYING FOR A SON!!!

An amazing time in History

I am so excited for this week to finally be here. Last night I watched Michelle Obama's speech and was won over by her grace and her story. I wish had been home to watch Ted Kennedy give his speech but I had to leave and get Shane. I made sure Ava got to watch a little of her speech before she finished her reading and took her shower. I wanted her to realize that the fact that a black man is being nominated as a Presidential Candidate is a historic moment and although she might not fully understand the importance now she will eventually and have the memory of watching it happen! I keep thinking this is only a beginning of new firsts! The first women candidate and maybe president, the first Latino, and so forth. Thank goodness for having the PVR to record the next few days!

Alot going on

It's been a busy week. Ava completed her second week of second grade and brought home a great progress report to show for it. Her teacher complimented her math skills and her desire to start an all school Olympic Club.lol Ava also finished an American Girls "Samantha learns a Lesson" chapter book last night which was a big deal to her because she finished it in a day and a half. I can't tell you how thrilled I am that she loves to read! I am so excited for her with each book she reads and am looking forward to her reading all the books I loved at her age.

Kennedy also has made headlines for our family. For the past few days she had made the choice to become potty trained! I won't go into specifics but she had done great. We are looking forward to only have on child in diapers! Kennedy also is looking forward to getting her ears pierced which is the bribe I made to to get her trained. Now I just have to get around Shane on that one:(

Nova is on her way to walking. Pulling herself up to a standing position is an easy task for her now. She had crawling down pat although I have to laugh at the way she does, she looks so funny. She is so sweet and in a way I just wish I had this year to do over, I'm going to miss my baby when she is a big girl.

Shane and I both had an off weekend. I caught the stomach bug that Ava's schools had passed around. I thought I would be better today but I was wrong. I look forward to feeling better tomorrow. Shane hasn't gotten sick yet and knock on that he won't. Work has been stressful for him and the rest of the team but hopefully it will be better soon.

I have to share this story of what happened yesterday. I was at the desk which is by our front widow which is opened so that we can get the air in. I heard our upstairs neighbors walking to their home when someone asked them to use the phone. They said they didn't and I knew we where going to get a knock on the door. I had this feeling that we should say no. (I don't know why I had that feeling) but Shane answered the door before I could say anything, plus I was on the way to the bathroom as I was sick again. He lets them in and they use the phone. All I heard was some bad language and then they left. I came out and they were gone and I forgot all about it and went on with the day. Late last night around 11:30 Shane was working on the computer and I was watching FRIENDS when a knock came again. Shane answer it and it's the same couple. They again ask to use the phone but then the boy (this cracked me up) ask Shane to heat up his burrito! So Shane gets the phone for the girl, (he didn't bother to pull out his IPHONE he gave them the cheap land line one that is attached to the cord) and goes to the microwave to heat this guys food. I hear the girl calling "Angel" to come and pick her up since her dad is being an a-hole. Then the boy yell in to tell her that they will walk to central. She hangs up and goes outside and they wait for Shane to bring the burrito. Once it's done he takes it outside where they are waiting. I am trying not to laugh out loud at Shane heating up the food but it's pretty hard and also they are outside. Shane gets back on the compt. and I to the tv when they knock on the door again. Shane looks at me like "What the heck now?" and answer the door. This time she is asking for water. He goes to the kitchen and gets her a glass, not one of our good glasses. He takes it to her and she asked for one she can take with her. I get up and go to the pantry to see if we have anymore big plastic cups but we only have the small Dora ones. He takes her another glass that was a jar and they finally leave.lol But I open the door today and they left chips, the cup, and a bottle of Gatorade in the walkway. I figure next time we are going to say the phone got disconnected and let another neighbor help them out. Still it was hilarious to see Shane run around for them.lol

Nova almost 10 months old

Yup she's almost 10 months old! It seems like yesterday that I was complaining about the last few months of pregnancy and how I couldn't take it anymore! It has been a wonderful and bittersweet year. Wonderful of course because my girls are growing beautifully and Shane and I get to be their parents but a little bittersweet because with every milestone Nova has it's also a last milestone for us as parents. I went through her clothes for winter and she's has moved into Kennedy's 18mths outfits. She is pretty much back on the charts with her weight gain and now that she is crawling, standing, and pulling herself up I know she is going begin to drop off in her baby weight and we won't have our chubby Nova. Lately she had taken to saying "Mommommom" a lot. She used to say it only when she was upset and crying. Of course Dadadada gets his saying too. Today she was in the hall way between the bedrooms and while I was cleaning my room and the girls were "cleaning" theirs she traveled in between the two. She had gotten a piece of plastic from a toy the girls had and when I bent down to take it from her she tried to hide it from me.lol That was a first and it took me by surprise. Later she found another piece, (the PTA Party had a boat theme and the girls got Hawaiian Laius') and I used the vacuum hose to take it from her arm. It freaked her out but she didn't cry and didn't try to take it again. At least she isn't afraid like Kennedy was of the vaccum. I think she is going to be an early walker. It's hard to watch her crawl because she tries really hard to push herself up off the floor like a stinkbug so that she can walk. I am sure she wants to be with her sisters.lol If she isn't walking by a year I'll be shocked. At this rate maybe I can get her potty trained with Kennedy. Just thinking that maybe I can have her potty trained by this time next year and not have that chore to do anymore bring a happy smile. :)

PTA

Last night the girls and I attended the PTA's welcome back get together. After meeting up with Katherine (you might remember her from Ava's birthday party), we hit the booths to sign up for various PTA functions. The first one I volunteered for was the Enchanted Forrest. Several years ago some parents designed it as an alternative to the Haunted House during the fall carnival. For kids who hate scarry things, (all of my girls) they can tour the EF. I have to say that this is my fav. part of the carnival. It's located from at bottom of a stairwell up to a school hall and then out the opposite stairwell. It's a "forrest" decorated with the 4 seaons. The kids who help out and the volunteers dress as mermaids, fairies, and other "magical' creatures you would find in an EF. It's really a cool thing to see. I am excited to help out with it. I also did Shane the favor of voulunteering him to help with the Haunted House. He let me know how happy I did that!LOL
Aside from that I offered my help with a lot of things but they are a blur to me right now.lol I think there might have been 3 or 4 more. Anyway what a great way to get to know other families and kids. Plus I am hoping to be able to eventually be able to sub or "with hope" be a teacher with Bandalier. Oh yeah I also "won" a t-shirt last night. I say "won" because I am pretty sure they just gave them away to everyone who turned in their stamped passport. (going to table to table you get a stamp) Katherine and I each won one and then realized so did everyone else.lol Ava wore it for a nightgown last night! I'll be attending the PTA's first official meeting in Sept. and then I'll post how it went. I am hoping it's not like the Harper Valley PTA.lol

Also a shout out to Misty to told me my blog needed to be changed! I got Shane to fix the fonts last night on this template but he is in the process of working on a custom made one for me as a Birthday present. I am insisting that is the only thing I want so I hope he finishes it soon, so far I love it!!!

Shane and Nova

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

How did I get screwed out of date night?

Thursday Dusty called to ask me if I would watch Hope on Friday so he and Sandy could have a date. I agree on the condition that he watch my kids on Sat. Eventually he agreed and I tried to decide what we would do for our date night. I didn't want to go to a movie or eat I just wanted to spend some quiet time with Shane. I was thinking we would check out a museum. Anyway Friday rolls around and next thing I know we are full of stress. I am trying to get my duck in a row so I can do some substitute teaching and Shane had a lot of stuff do at work. We talked a few times and what was suppose to be a 4:00 pick up from work turned into a 5 or 6 or 6:30 pick up. Meanwhile I had my own running around to do including getting a haircut and a quick trip to Hallmark. (I love getting the ornament wish book!) Then I had to get Ava from school and then back to the mall to turn in her free book form. (She read her 8 books so she got a free one from Barnes and Noble. Then we ran up to the APS office for the forms I needed, back to the car to head to the grocery store and then home. Then it was cleaning and Nova time. I decided at the point that there was not way I was going to take one another kid since the ones I had were driving me crazy!:) Oh yeah Ava's bike also got stolen! It's a long story and I just don't feel like going in to it. So anyway Dusty was hurt so I told him I would watch her tonight which he told me they had to much to do on Sat. (today) so they would just take Hope with them. Then he asked if we had plans for dinner. I had a great plan to thaw out a chicken and make enchiladas but you have to actually take the chicken out of the freezer to do that so no we at that moment didn't have plans that didn't involve opening cans of soup. I agreed to meet them after we got Shane and we all went to eat at Kelly's. After dinner I wanted to walk around the shops so we took a good walk and at the end they asked me if I would still watch Hope. I said ok and asked them what their plans were. Turn out they wanted to watch Mirrors and take Fred with them. (Some date night!) I said ok and told them to have fun watching their evil movie and I would see them tonight. This morning I got up before everyone else and enjoyed my coffee while looking at the ornament book. I had a lovely time and decided that I wanted to get another walk in before the weather got to hot. Once the girls woke up and ate some breakfast we headed out. Shane had his work project to do so he was stuck at home. We originally thought we would go to a park but the weather was just so great that I wanted to keep walking and I bribed Ava with the promise of HSM sunglasses. (It is a school "requirement" like a hat is) We made our way down to Family Dollar on Yale. For those who know it behind the ghetto Smiths. It had a lot of fun on our walk. After a quick trip to Smiths to find the glasses (Family Dollar was out of them) we began to walk home. By then we had been gone for a while and since I forgot to charge my cell I figured I better find a payphone to call Shane. I had this vision of him freaking out since I told him I would only be gone 40 mins. We made our way to Garfield and Princeton where we found a payphone and I called him to let him know we were safe. He was surprised that we went so far and offered to pick us up. I had planned to walk home but I felt bad for Ava since she had been walking with me. (Nova and Kennedy were kicking back in the stroller so they were fine.) Shane came and got us and I set the trip button so see how far we walked. We walk about 2 miles this morning which was a good little walk for us. Seeing as how it was mostly down hill or flat it went by fast. Once home more cleaning. Then I reminded Shane about watching hope so they could watch Mirrors and Shane "asks" me if I mind if he goes. I said ok since I figured that would be less stress on me to keep the girls down to a dull roar. Now I am stuck alone with these girls and I realize that Shane is now on a double date with Dusty and Sandy with Fred being his date!lol So how did I get screwed out of a date???

That's ok! Shane must have felt bad because he started to work on making me a personalized blogger template. It's going to be really neat once it's done! (If he can stop dating Fred that it!!!)

Updated picture

Got a fresh haircut today and am pretty happy with the result. The back is a little shorter and clipped better so it has more volume. I couldn't go another day with the shaggy mess that was my hair. I had a nightmare last night about having it cut which is weird because I usually am the first to get a short hairdo? So I wonder why I had the dream. You can't really tell in this pic but I had gotten a sunburn from our walking. It's has tanned pretty well but my chest is still a little red. I forget to use sunscreen on myself even though I smother it on the girls. I need to get better at that. I had planned on taking a pic with the girls but they are all in a mood and refuse to cooperate so I kicked them to the couch and took my own one.lol I hate the nights that Shane is late:(