How Appropriate

Yesterday, I ran into a half-price bookstore to look for something. As I scurried to the back this sign caught my eye. I literally stopped and laughed out loud. I have never seen a more appropriate pairing. All too often the parenting section is paired with "self-help", "psychiatry", or maybe even in the "religious" section. Lord knows Divine intervention is often required in raising my little hellions.
I think this book store may be on to something. I know that sometimes my parenting attempts could be put in the humorous category. I also know that in many ways getting your kids to listen and obey is nothing but a game we all play. Kudos 1/2 price Bookstore you nailed it.

Party Like a Nine Year Old

Is that a "9" candle? When did that happen?

Pardon the bad photo. There are easier things to photograph than a pitch black room.

Here is my little rock star singing "The Eye Of They Tiger"

Here is my not so little rock star. He is giving every effort to be the "cool" dad. Sorry babe, maybe next year.
Nine years ago there was a crazy phenomena called Y2K. There were worries of computer failure, hospital melt-downs and possible the end of the world as we know it. No one was sure what to expect. We all had water, food and toiletries to last us a couple of months, just to be on the safe side. Did I mention I was pregnant? I really gave no real thought of having a baby on 1/1/00, my due date was 12/29/99. Honestly, 9 months earlier, I gave no though to having a baby at all. I walked around town for 8 weeks thinking I had a horrible stomach flu. Long story short, I'm now holding a birthday party for that stomach flu.

I remember that day like it was yesterday, and I'm pretty sure I'm still holding on to some of my pregnancy weight. We had a long new-year's eve night with or friends Chris and Tammy. We started the evening with a little Mexican food, and we finished off the wild and crazy evening with 18 holes of miniature golf. Tammy and Chris left the house soon after because she was not feeling well, I hit the sack. Around 1:30 I woke up and felt horrible. As I sat in the bathroom I thought back to try to remember what Tammy and I ate that could have made us both sick. As it turns out she was sick and I was in labor. Any way you swing it, it was not the Mexican food.

It was 2am on 1/1/00 and we were on the road to the hospital. The whole way there I did my best Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde impression. I went from reminding Ross to be careful while driving one minute to forget about that stupid red light and gun it. I'm lucky he returned to the hospital room after parking the car! My focal point was a Y2K sticker on my IV drip. I stared at that sticker for almost 3 hours as I pushed that little flu bug out. There he was. Wow, did that just come from me?! I could not believe this little person stretching out his little arms was mine. How beautiful this little purple wrinkly creature was. I was amazed and in shock, but totally in love. The next 9 years would be a huge trial and error game, but overall a success.

We decided to wait a couple of weeks to celebrate his birthday this year. OK, there was no "decision" we just had so much going on that this was the only time we could do it. Andrew wanted to have the GameTruck come out and host his party. This party was the best birthday party for kids and parents alike. This truck came complete with all the different game systems and games. The best part was the party host that stayed in the trailer with the kids. He helped to make sure everyone played fair, and he also made sure all the systems worked and started as needed. I've never hosted a birthday party at my home where my home was as clean as it started. Ross and I sat out by the garage in lawn chairs while we visited with friends without having to yell and scream. It was the best party ever.

Bridal Fashion Debut

This is it. In it's full glory.

I think Lorie was having a little too much fun with that screwdriver.

Measure man. What a great job he did.

I've been looking forward to and dreading this weekend for months. My first bridal show is now hours away and I can hardly stand it. I've had a small army of over worked and under paid volunteers to get to this point. My neighbor Lisa and her friends Dar and Sue helped me put my drawings into a real tangible thing. They spend a day with me at Lowe's and another 7 hours constructing this beast. My friends Lorie and Jarrod helped me load up, unload and reconstruct my booth. I'm so thankful that they both came to help me out on their day off. If it were up to me to hang those pictures, they would all be leaning to one side and approx. 8 holes behind every picture. I referred to Jarrod as my rent a husband because my real husband is working a booth this weekend at the CES show in Vegas. I wanted to repay him with his loyalties by being a nagging rent-a-wife backseat driver on the way home. Just to keep it "real".

Tomorrow will be a real test of endurance. I will have to stay in the same pair of shoes for 10 hours straight. A real challenge for me. Hopefully, I will meet some really great brides and book some amazing weddings.

Random Tidbits

On facebook, my sweet friend Lonni wrote 16 very interresting things about herself and challenged me to do the same. I thought I would share.

1. I love sleep. I would choose sleep over pretty much anything, yes anything. I'm normally in bed by 10:30. I can push myself to stay up later, but every second of that time I'm thinking about how I would rather be sleeping. To really make the sleeping scenario perfect, you could throw in clean sheets.

2. I cheat at every game I play just to see if anyone will notice. I often get board with normal rules and play my own private game of seeing how many times I can cheat or throw the game into complete chaos. To make matters worse, I even cheat when I play games with my kids. The sad thing is, I don't cheat to win, I just cheat to see if I can get away with it.

3. I love alone time. Being with family and friends is great, but I really love being at home all alone. I don't know if this is great because it's a new thing for me, but man I love dropping off my kids at school, and turning the radio up full blast and work for hours on end at my desk.4. I love a clean house, complete with vacuum cleaner lines on the carpets.

4. I'm a rebel at heart. I secretly find myself breaking rules that seem silly to me. I know this is not right, but I can't help myself. If a I go to a restaurant that says "2 Ketchup only" I'll take 3. If there is a sign that says "stay to the left" I walk on the line. If the school office says "always return your volunteer badge" I'll intentionally walk out with it. I'm on eternal protest of the silly rules.

5. I love listening to my kids talk to their friends. I love nothing more than listening to them talk and reason with their friends. Kids say the darnedest things.

6. I could sit and watch every sunset and find each one more beautiful than the last. I think taking time out of a busy day to watch the sunset is priceless. Every night God paints a beautiful sky, and I wonder how many people even notice the beautiful reflections of light that bounce off of everything here on the ground.

7. Cool shoes and expensive jeans make me happy all over.

8. If I could sit down with anyone for an hour, past or present, alive or dead, I would choose my dad. He did so many great things and never told a sole. I would sit him down and tell him how proud I was of him and what an honor it is to be his daughter.

9. I'm a stacker. When I clean and organize I put things in stacks. There is a stack to go up stairs, there is a stack of homework (both complete and to be completed) there is a stack of bills (both paid and unpaid) and my favorite stack is the stack of crap in my kitchen under the phone. I have no idea what to do with this stack, but everything in it needs to be kept. P.S. don't touch my stacks.

10. I have an internal alarm clock. I can tell myself to wake up at any given time, and I can do it 99% of the time.

11. I have a healthy fear of dying in the shower and flying. I've always felt that I will die violently in the shower. This is totally creepy, but true. I've also developed a fear of flying. I never really had a problem with it until a "small" episode of engine failure on a flight back from Dallas last year. I also don't love clowns, but I'm pretty sure that has something to do with my childhood.

12. I have a small opposition to the uni-line. If there are 5 working registers, I don't feel like it's very effective for everyone to all line up and wait to be called up for your order. We can all clear out faster if we all pick a line.

13. I love thrift stores, garage sales and antique stores. I love nothing more than to find a "treasure" in the middle of a crap heap. I feel like some things are better with "character".

14. I love dancing in my living room like a rock star.

15. I find myself disciplining my children for things I probably would have said or done myself. I (sometimes) find humor in the "bad" behavior or choice of words. I find myself thinking about the time we were walking out of Chili's and Andrew grabbed a chip from someone else's table. Hilarious, but very very wrong.

Twas The Morning of Christmas

Twas the morning of Christmas when all through the house, all the creatures were stirring, including the mouse.

All the boxes were full of presents galore waiting for kids to come down to the first floor.

The children were up and out of their beds, with visions of presents stuck in their heads.

With him in his flannels and I in my tee had visions of kiddos unwrapping in our dreams.

When out down the hall there rose such a clatter, I pretended to sleep and pretend not to matter.

Away to our bed they sprang with a clatter, "It's Christmas, It's Christmas, it's time to go down." "Wake up, Wake up." they continued to hound.

So we hopped out of bed and began to get ready with attempts to get rid of my bed heady.

Away to the tree they flew like a flash, they tore open the gifts and thew up the trash.

When, what to my sleepy eyes should appear, but a huge mess of boxes and wires to tear.

More rapid than lightning out of the room they ran, off playing with toys, including my man.

"Now Andrew, Now Abbey, Now Daddy come too, you've left this big mess, come clean up too.

To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall, they dashed away, dashed away, dashed away all.

With a bundle of trash flung over my back, I looked like a peddler going out to the trash.

Now off to prepare my Christmas day dinner and thoughts of my menu not making me thinner. I noticed my husband saying come hither.

With a wink of his eye and a twist of his head, soon gave me to know I had something to dread. He requested a turkey with lots of good bread.

As we prepared the table fit for a king, I knew I had all of everything. My husband, my kids and my mom there too, I knew we were blessed with more than we knew.

As I sat with fine china and fancy stemware, I was still comfortably wearing my overnight wear.

To sit with pajamas at dinner, giving thanks for all that we hold dear, I look with excitement to do it all again next year.

MVP Babysitter

When we moved to AZ several years ago we quickly realized the perks of living near family. We never needed to call or pay a teenager to watch the kids. We had many volunteers, and free ones. Finding someone who you can trust with your perfect little devils is an arduous task. We probably went a year without a sitter before we met Victoria. When we met her she was in high school, had a car and did not have a boyfriend. The perfect babysitter trifecta. She instantly hit it off with the kids, and only sent Abbey to the ER once. When she started out with us, Andrew was our good kid and Abbey was the little monster. Looking back, it's hard to even think that's possible. They have totally switched rolls, but that's not my point.

This fall my dear sweet Victoria betrayed us big time. Not only did she decide to start dating a boy, she went away to college. It really took us some time to adjust, but we have managed. We use her protege, Laycie, for the most part. Every once in a while I'll get a text from V that she is coming to town, and we leave just for the occasion. Tonight, we had some last minute mommy/daddy time before the crazy Christmas week begins. Thanks Victoria!!

What to Wear, What to Wear

I get asked all the time about wardrobe. I always tell people to stay simple and classic. Most people answer that with a black or white tee paired with denim or khaki's. That is safe and it looks great. It makes the pictures come out simple and draws attention to the face. When it comes to kids, a little color is great. In fact, when it's done this well it's pretty awesome. Most people would never consider putting red patton shoes on with a pair of bright yellow and white polka dot tights. Most would never dream about the two of those with a grey wool skirt and a bright pink sweater. This mom got it all right. This little outfit is by far my favorite. It is so crazy that it totally works. It was also totally her little girl. She was just as much fun as her bright yellow tights. My hat is off to you mom, you totally nailed this one!!