A few bumps in the road...

Today has been an interesting day in the life of a 1 year old, which has been an roller coaster of emotions to watch. I look at my little Fuss and I have to think...it must be hard to be that age! The morning started with Fuss' first gesture of helpfulness, which I found to be amusing. D was getting ready for work, and as he got dressed Fuss ran into the living room to get D's shoes. At first I was thinking that this is a pretty smart kid on my hand to know when his daddy needs his shoes, and to remember where they are. D was very appreciative of this gesture. Seconds after putting his shoes on, D was walking out the door. Fuss and I stand on the porch when it is warm enough to wave goodbye as D leaves, otherwise Fuss cries when daddy goes to work which makes a mom feel so good! Anyway, as D is walking down the front steps he says, "It feels like there is something in my shoes." I am totally thinking a rock or something that could have gotten in there anytime, maybe even the sole was coming up. As Fuss and I were standing on the porch, D opened the door to his car and took off his shoes to which he declared, "LEGOS! There are legos in my shoes!" Oh, how I loved my little Fuss and his love for putting things in random places at that moment. It was a great way to start my day!

Then came the down of the day...I was leaving on some errands and knew Fuss would come running if he heard me turn off the alarm and open the door, and he did. When he was almost to me he realized that he had forgotten something very important and ran back for it. I honestly thought he would be back with his blanket, binki, or sippy cup, but instead he came running down the hallway as fast as his chubby little legs could carry him with a bottle of my perfume in his hand. Maybe he thought that I was stinky...I don't know. But as he got to the place where the tile and the carpet meet, he tripped and went crashing head first into the tile. The problem was that the lid to the perfume flew off as he flew and his head landed right on it squishing the lid between his head and the tile, and leaving a bumpy bruise that looks like a third eye in the middle of his forehead! Oh, the tears that were cried. The only way I could get him to stop was to promise him I would get him some Cheetos when we got to the store. That cheered him up!  

The rest of the day seemed to go ok, other than the 2 phone calls to fake numbers, 2 phone calls to D, and the call to 411 Fuss made while playing with my cell phone. Even when we went on a walk to get the mail and he hugged the light post in front of our neighbors house for ten minutes and declared, "ligh" whenever I told him it was time to go. After that I was ready for a little relaxing time. We came inside. I turned on the TV and my computer and Fuss sat on the floor with his book. A few minutes later Fuss got up, walked over to the TV, and turned it off. I immediately told him, "Please turn the TV back on." He pushed every button on the front of the TV except the power button. I was sitting 5 feet away in my chair telling my 1 year old, "Not that button. It is the one on the end. No, the other end. Push the one on the end." Just as I was thinking, "this is ridiculous!" Fuss walked over to the little table at the side of my chair and grabbed the remote that was sitting right next to me the whole time, until now...Now I really don't know how the TV will get turned back on.

It was a trick...

As an update to my previous post regarding the extreme numbers at the zoo trick-or-treat occasion...I KNEW there were more people there than had ever been there before, and now I have proof. I received the following email from the zoo today!

I hate to say it, but I cannot ever share this information with my husband...he might not forgive me for making him go!

I'm it again...

I got tagged again...I told you I was popular! This tag was a journey of self discovery. Oh, how I wished that I didn't follow the true instructions, but I did! The rules are: You have to take pictures of the following things immediately! There can be no cleaning, straightening, or wiping your child's nose! 

Here goes a peek into my life...hold on!!

1. The kitchen sink...complete with dishes that you would assume were from last night's dinner, but we didn't eat dinner at our house yesterday.  Angel and Mike had us over for dinner--Mike

 cooked!! We had Taco Bell the night before, and dinner at D's sister's house on Sunday. So, it can be easily concluded that these dishes have been here for a while...

2. The laundry room...we believe in piling things on top of the dryer. Hey, it is the only place in my tiny laundry room that there is room to put something. Well, there is the washer, but then I couldn't open it to do the laundry I obviously don't do. (Notice the basket FULL of towels on the side).

3. The fridge...well decorated with pictures, bulletins, and other random items. This one could have been much worse if I would have taken a picture of the inside!

4. Bathroom...I chose the kids bathroom. Notice the cute decorations in the mirror, but please ignore the water spots on the bottom of the mirror. If the cupboards would have been seen, you would have seen the toothpaste marks on the cupboards below the sink.

5. Closet...I chose mine and D's closet. I really don't know why. I know...we need to de-junk! 

6. Favorite room...I chose the living room, because it is really the only one that is slightly presentable right now! Of course there is the mini volleyball in front of the fireplace. Fuss likes to stand at the top of the stairs across from the living room and throw balls down to watch them bounce into my living room.

7. Favorite shoes...I would wear flip flops year round if my feet didn't get too cold! Do you like the spot on the floor next to them though? I found my shoes right where they belonged...in the kitchen. Someone needs to mop around here!

8.  Self portrait...if this doesn't inspire me to get ready before the middle of the afternoon, nothing will! Seriously! No makeup, hair not done...so scary!!! I am wearing an old "design team" t-shirt from cosmetology school, and if you could see my pants you would see they are plaid pajama pants--pink, green, and white---I so don't match or look good in any sense of the word!

9. Children...the older boys are at Luci's, or more likely school! While I was running around taking pictures of my house and sadly me, Fuss decided to climb onto the counter in the master bathroom, which is his favorite spot recently! Earlier I found filling the sink. He thinks he is so funny. I can hear him on top of my kitchen table as I type this...ugh!

10. Dream vacation...Luckily I have a picture from Paris in my living room. I want to go to France more than anything! D is fluent in French, which is really just a bonus in case we ever make it there!

Now I get to tag...I choose Brianna, Carly, Julie, Kacy, Lisa, and Rachele! Have fun! Hopefully you will be better prepared than I was!

Trick more than treat...

Yesterday I had a brilliant idea! We (I) decided that we should take our boys trick-or-treating at the zoo. This year we joined the zoo as a family membership. I didn't even know that you could join the zoo. I had hoped that there would be a habitat for us with comfy beds and food served regularly...there wasn't. It just means we can go to the zoo as often as we want for a year without paying anything more. D and I have never had the opportunity to take our kids trick-or-treating. The way the custody agreement works out, Luci has had the boys on Halloween every year since holidays have been split. So, I decided that it would be fun to take our kids trick-or-treating, and since you can't really knock on your neighbors' doors 6 days early, so going to the scheduled trick-or-treat at the zoo seemed like the best idea. The problem is that we weren't the only ones who had this fantastic idea...half the people in the state did too! I guarantee that there has never been that many people at the zoo at one time ever before. I think that 90% of the people that have ever been to the zoo were there yesterday.

Our day began at 7:00 am because I was sure if we were there near 9:00 when the zoo opened that the crowd would be significantly less than in the warmer afternoon. Whether I was right or wrong really doesn't matter, because if there was more people there in the afternoon they would have had to put a sign up that read: "Full to Occupancy--Every Square Inch Occupied!" Let's face it, my plan was the greatest one that I have ever come up with. It was so full of flaws right from the beginning. Since we don't ever have the kids on Halloween, we don't have costumes. So, I bought some face paints, but Olie and Moo didn't want their faces painted. So, our make shift costumes were as follows: Olie wore jeans and a T-shirt and left his hair messy. When I asked him what he was he said, "a boy who just woke up." Skater wore jeans and a T-shirt and painted his face like a bloody, dead zombie. He said he was a "Skater zombie." Moo wore jeans and a T-shirt with a plaid flannel shirt over it and a straw cowboy hat. He was a cowboy, but didn't have any boots or really look like a cowboy. Fuss had a costume. He was a dragon, and a cute one at that! 

When we first arrived at the zoo, people were parking blocks away and walking. D asked if we should find a parking place. I assured him that we shouldn't park miles away. As we got closer we discovered that the entire parking lot was full, the 2 parking lots across the street were full, and there wasn't a spot on the street as far as the eye could see. The line of people waiting to get in was the entire length of the parking lot and back around the first line of cars. D is not a patient man when it comes to crowds, so I assured him of a secret parking lot with its own entrance. Luckily, we were one of the first to find it and were able to get in with just a short wait in line. However, that was the only short line we stood in for the next hour and a half! By the time we left, our secret parking had been discovered and over taken by countless cars. The insanity continued!! 

We got to trick-or-treat at a couple of booths without waiting 10 minutes just to get to the booth, then we hit the main part of the zoo! All I can say is "HOLY CRAP!" There were so many people lining up just to get a piece of hard candy, or some tootsie rolls, that you might think that all the stores ran out of candy and this was the last chance anyone had to get any. An hour and half after we arrived D asked if we had been there long enough for the kids to experience the "Boo at the Zoo" and for us to have experienced taking our kids trick-or-treating. We had only visited 10 booths at the most! He promised that if we left we could stop at the store and buy the kids candy, but we didn't. Regardless, the kids had a fun time. I am still wondering what possessed me to experience this once in a lifetime adventure (because we are never doing it again!), and D is learning more patience in crowds. There really is nothing like filling a large area like a zoo to its brink and sticking my honey in the middle of it! Most of all, Fuss learned that if he dresses in a cute costume and holds a bucket that people put candy in it. This fascinated and delighted him for the rest of the night! Oh, the joy of what the real Halloween will really be for my 1 year old!

Tagged again...

I was tagged again...I must be pretty popular! Anyway, for this tag you are supposed to go to your photos on your computer and find the fourth file then pick the fourth photo. We actually have 2 files of photos, one under my profile and one under D's. I liked the picture under D's better, so it wins! This is a picture of Fuss and his favorite nanny, Didda, on New Year's Day 2008. We went sledding as a family. Since Fuss was only 7 months old, it was obviously his first time, but not his last! We love the outdoors, and D's Grandpa has the perfect sledding hill at his house in Idaho, so we will be going again when the snow starts falling!! Anyway, when we got to the sledding area, the largest hill was facing the sun and mostly melted. At first we were a little disappointed that there was such a small hill to sled down, but the kids had a blast! I actually love the expression on Fuss' face in this picture because it shows just how much he loved it! He didn't know what to expect and this may very well have been his first time down the hill! As a parent it is hard to trust other people with your child, but with Didda I never had to worry for even a second! She was the best nanny a child or parent could ask for! Obviously I trusted her...I let her take my 7 month old son on a piece of foam board down an icy and snowy hill with no protective gear!

So, I guess I am now supposed to tag 4 people...hmmmm...I choose Kati, Rebecca, Elizabeth, and Monica! Get those photos ready!

I am expanding my horizons...

I have a lot of time on my hands. I am only a wife, a mother, a step-mother, a medical transcriptionist, a web content writer, and I have church responsibilities...so not a lot at all! And because I have SO much free time, and I am so good at keeping up on this blog, I have decided to create a second blog. This second blog is not a reading blog, that would require way too much thinking on my part. It is a photography blog, so to speak anyway.

I would like to reassure my friends that have photography blogs (many of whom I worked with as a professional photographer), my blog is in no way competition for your blog. See I used to be a photographer in a studio. I was pretty good if I do say so myself. I had many customers request my skills for taking their children's pictures. When you view my skills on my second blog, you will undoubtly ask yourself, "WHY???"

Here is the thing...In the studio things were set up for me: the camera was in position, lighting was set, backgrounds were in place, props were available, and all I had to do was get children to smile from the side of the camera. Behind the camera I am horrible snapshot, point and shoot photographer. My husband bought me a very nice camera that after 2 and 1/2 years, I still don't know how to use! So in my angst, I have decided that it is time to share my photos with the world. I mean with as many skills as I don't have, what is the point in hiding them? So, please feel free to visit the second stop in my insane reality. Enjoy, comment, and return here for more enlightening opinions and observations of life...

www.hownottotakepictures.blogspot.com

He just doesn't get it...

The other day D and I were watching "Two and a Half Men" on TV. Charlie was teaching his nephew, Jake, stupid jokes that all kids learn sometime in their lives. For example, Jake's dad, Alan, was sneezing and Charlie said, "You'd think it was a cold, but it-s-not." I couldn't help but to think back to Sunday. We were at a church and the boys were eating from their mini baggies filled with goldfish crackers. I know, why do our kids have snacks at church when they should be old enough to survive without them? It is for my sanity. Our church is from 11 am to 2 pm, which means that it is right in the time frame that I would be making them lunch if we were at home. It is because after several weeks of complaining about how hungry they were and could we please just go home, I decided that I would let them take a small bag of crackers to ease their "starvingness" and complaints. Anyway, they were eating their crackers. Olie was sitting next to me, and although Fuss had his own plethora of treats and snacks, he insisted on eating Olie's with him. Once Olie's were gone, Skater decided it would be funny to tease him. Skater leaned over and asked Olie if he "liked seafood," to which Skater promptly showed him the chewed up crackers in his mouth. I am quite familiar with this prank since my brothers and sisters and I showed each other what we were eating in the same manner when we were kids. I am sure all of you probably did too. Anyway, as the boys were giggling (quietly), Moo decided he wanted to play along. He turned to me and said, "Annie, do you like fish?" When I said, "Yes, Moo, I like fish." He moaned in realization that he had no where to go with it...if only he had asked if I liked see food. 

So, you admit it...

Every day I hear the words, "I didn't do it!" by one of the boys. Whether it be a question of leaving the bathroom door open so that Fuss could get in and climb on the counter or play in the toilet, or if it is who was hitting and kicking who, no one admits to whatever it is they are doing (or not doing). A brief synopsis of my day would be:

"Who left the milk out?" "Not me!" (up to 3 times)
"Who left the fridge door open?" "I didn't!" (up to 3 times)
"Who left their snack (or wrappers) on the family room floor?" "It wasn't me!"
"Who kicked who first?" "He did!"

I would give anything for a peaceful moment of honesty in my house. When the kids aren't not admitting anything that they have done, I have the great pleasure of being ignored. I call the boys to dinner 3 times, then I am done and they go without. Yesterday morning, I was fixing Fuss a bowl of cereal. Olie was still sleeping, and D had gone to work. Skater and Moo were upstairs in the family room. I called up to them to ask if they too would like a bowl of cereal. The second, more stern yell received a positive response from both of them. I told them to come down to the kitchen and I would fix a bowl of cereal for them. Skater came right away and was happily eating while I was still waiting for Moo. Wondering if the TV was too loud, or if he was just choosing to ignore me, I asked, "Are you ignorning me?" Imagine my surprise when I received a matter-of-fact "Yes!" from upstairs. At least he admitted it. I guess you've got to start somewhere.

He's on the move...

From the minute Fuss showed even the slightest promise of crawling on his own, I anxiously awaited the minute that he would actually crawl. I was so afraid that he would crawl for the first time while I was working and that I would miss it. The day after Christmas we were sitting around upstairs, and Fuss crawled for the first time! I saw him! I was so excited that my little guy was self-mobile. D and I would laugh at how fast he could go on all fours. He was like a little speed-demon crawling through the house. It was only a couple of days, maybe a week, before he was pulling himself up to everything. Within a few more days, he was walking around the furniture he was pulling himself up to, and my anticipation of missing his first steps while I was at work began. I should have known I didn't have to worry. He is my child, which means he is a little on the wussy side. He could have let go and taken off, but he was too afraid to do it. Finally, he did take his first steps a couple of months later, and again I saw it! It was just a couple of weeks before his first birthday. 

Now at 16 months, my child has become a climber. Today I was in my office, typing at the computer. Fuss had been behind my chair playing. Suddenly I heard a cry that sounded like he would have been calling for help if he knew that word coming from the kitchen. I have a desk that is next to a wall that is about 5 feet tall. The older boys Nintendo DS's were on top of that shorter wall. Fuss had climbed on the chair that is up to the desk, climbed on the desk, and was reaching for the DS. He couldn't quite reach the DS, but he couldn't get down either. I immediately put him on the floor and told him, "We don't climb on the desk!" We both went into the office. A few minutes later I heard Fuss giggle from the kitchen. I went in to find him sitting on the counter. He had climbed up the barstool and onto the counter top. I picked him up and put him on the ground and told him, "We don't climb on the counters!" We both went into the office. A few minutes later I heard Fuss talking to himself from the kitchen. I went in to find him sitting on the table. He had climbed up the chair and onto the table. I picked him up and put him on the ground and told him, "We don't climb! We stay on the floor!" I gave up on finishing up my work in the office.

I went into the bathroom to finish getting ready for the day. Fuss followed me. As I was putting on my makeup, Fuss climbed into the basket with my toiletry magazines in it, onto the toilet seat lid, onto the toilet tank, and onto the bathroom counter. I picked him up and put him on the ground and told him, "Why do you keep climbing on everything? We don't climb on counters!" He held his hands out to his sides with his palms up, shrugged his shoulders, and said, "Mmmm" in a high pitched voice, which is Fuss' version of "I don't know," which I have found to be a typical answer from any child for any situation. 

I don't do windows...

While cleaning my house on Saturday for my family to come over to celebrate my mom's birthday, I decided to dust the window sills in my kitchen. It was at that point that I stopped to think..."When was the last time I washed the windows in my house?" I thought and thought about it for a bit, then I realized...I have only washed the windows in my house 1 time (we have been in our house for 2 years and 4 months)! And that was only the insides. I have only washed the outside of my living room windows, because I am afraid of heights and the living room windows are the only ones that I can reach without a ladder. However, I have no excuse for the inside windows, except the one above front door because our front door is 8 feet tall. 

The thing is, I never open my blinds. In the summer, it makes the house too hot and the air conditioner has a harder time keeping my house at a nice cool temperature. This is the first winter that I won't be leaving before the sun comes up and getting home after it goes down. There has never really been anyone here during the winter to open the blinds to see what the sun could do for us then. So, since I never look out my windows, I don't have to clean them. I have also decided that I really need a maid who does windows... Besides, if I don't clean my windows, who is going to notice? The peeping Tom that I don't want looking in them anyway? 

I'm not the first...

Here is the thing about being the second wife of your first husband, you will make sacrifices that you never thought about previously. I want to preface this with, I love D and I would not change him or our marriage for anything else or anyone else! When D and I got married, I was 29 years old. We were set up on a blind date, and the only thing I knew about him was that he had 3 kids from a previous marriage. He was so romantic when we were dating. He was so thoughtful and affectionate. He was everything that I had dreamed the man of my dreams would be--tall, dark, and handsome included. 

So, when we got married, I expected the romance to continue and fulfill my fantasy of the honeymoon phase of my life. Here is what no one tells you when you marry a divorced dude, he starts the next marriage pretty much where he left on the first one. There is no rewind on a guy. So, D started our marriage on year 8 and I started it on year zero. The honeymoon phase did not exist. Really, I don't know if it does in real life for anyone, but I hope that it does. All the things that you hope to experience with the man of your dreams, he already has experienced. The wedding night, your first home, your first pregnancy, your first child, your first anything...all ready done... 

During one of my specifically emotional times (remember, I am on hormones in an attempt to get pregnant so it is not my fault I cry a lot), I was complaining about how much I have missed because he is now on year 11 of our marriage and I am still wishing for the first year of bliss to happen. In an effort to keep me happy, my husband seems to have found his rewind button, and he is making an effort to be more attentive and romantic, like we were dating again, but without the dates. I love that my husband is making the effort. Even if we have already purchased our first home together, made it through the first pregnancy, and are surviving our first child together, we could have been married yesterday! Lucky, lucky me!

She's 29...

Today is my mom's birthday. According to her Facebook page, she turned 29 today. Yes, you read that right, my mom is on Facebook, and she listed the year she was born as 1979 on her Facebook page "so that no one would know how old she really is." Because evidently my mom has a lot of Facebook friends that don't know her personally? Who is she trying to fool, her family or her friends from high school or her kids friends that want to be her friend too. I am pretty sure that all of those people know that she was not born in 1979, especially her dad (yes, my grandpa has a Facebook page too)! That is one of the reasons why I love my mom, because she is one of those people who can do her own thing and not worry about what others think. We have often said that my mom is slightly insane (really, who isn't) but trying to convince everyone that she was born after she had graduated from high school, got married, and had 3 of her children is kind of pushing it, especially since the fourth child was born 5 months after she was.

My mom is a trooper. As someone who has a medical history the size of China, she really is an inspiration of a positive outlook. Many times doctors couldn't believe she was conscious, let alone attemptting to vacuum her house (she always likes to vacuum when she is feeling her worst). She recently (a few months ago) had surgery on her foot, and since she is crutches deficient (meaning horrible at using them, which is funny for us to watch) she has been confined to hopping (equally as funny to watch) or using a wheelchair. And since her house is not really wheelchair accessible, especially during the remodel of her kitchen, she has mostly been confined to her bedroom, and her bed. A great example of my mom's positive outlook can be shown in her response to one of my favorite emails, a "getting to know you one." The question was: How do you relax? My mom's answer was: "It is hard to relax from resting. I usually just fluff my pillows, prop myself up, and pour a fresh Pepsi."

My mom is a wonderful woman who taught us how to laugh through basically everything, good and bad. If you can't find the joy in life, what is the purpose. Therefore, I believe she deserves to be 29 for as long as she wants! We love you, Mom! Happy Birthday!!

Just a size...

D and I have been invited to a masquerade party in a few weeks. As such, we recently purchased costumes online. On the website that I ordered the costumes from there is a warning, "Costume sizes run small, please check the measurements to ensure accuracy in fit." What I would like to know is how does a size "run small?" Why isn't a 10 a 10? Why is a 10 an 8 in some stores and a 12 in another? WHY? It is very difficult to have to try on every single item that you would like to purchase just because you can't determine whether you will even fit in the item based on the size. When my sisters and I discuss pant sizes we always differentiate where that size is from, such as, "These new jeans are a size 12 from the Gap, which means a Wal-Mart 10!" When I went to get my wedding dress the sales lady asked me what pants size I wore and then got me dresses a size bigger because wedding dresses "run small." If items "run small" and the designers know that they "run small" why don't they put a tag in the item with a smaller number on it? I mean really, why simplify things for people, or make people feel good about the size they are wearing. Life is much better when people think they are larger than they really are. It really makes people want to shop more. 

Yesterday, our costumes arrived on our front porch step, which is another whole story as to why the UPS man rings the doorbell and then bangs on the door like the boogie man is chasing him only to leave the package on my porch without even waiting the 10 seconds for me to answer the door. Anyway, our costumes arrived. The costume that I ordered for myself says that it should fit a woman from size 16 to 24. Well, since I am closer to the bottom of that, I figured there would be no issues. Let's just say that if a woman that normally wears a size 24 tries to fit into my dress, it will no longer be a dress because I, at an 18, barely fit into it! BARELY! It is just a size? Yeah right, how good do I feel now?

I told D that size shouldn't matter, it is just numbers. When I met D and we got married, I wore between a size 8 and 10 depending on where I purchased my clothing of course. Now after having a baby and gaining a lot of weight (sadly), I wear an 8 plus a 10, but they are the same numbers and sizes are just numbers. So, it shouldn't really matter right. One size fits most...yeah right!

Our joy in the journey...

Yesterday while listening to the advice of our beloved prophet, Thomas S. Monson, during General Conference, I had to take a moment to determine if our family really takes "joy in the journey." I don't want to have the hopes of tomorrow be shadowed by the emptiness of yesterday. Really, I don't. I had made our family watch conference in mine and D's bedroom because it is more comfortable to me than our family room couches. So, as I sat in my recliner, completely comfortable, I looked over to my bed where D, Olie, Skater, and Moo were lying side by side. Fuss was sleeping in his room, which really made things more joyful overall for everyone at that moment. I thought about how our boys who like to eat nonstop had eaten dinner with their mom on Thursday night and then stopped for a hamburger with their dad on the way to our house. That is joyful for them, not so much for me since I had dinner waiting at home. Friday night the older boys had slept over at D's parents' house, which was joyful for all of us. Saturday we had gone to lunch with my family to celebrate my graduation from the medical transcription program. That was joyful as well. As "joyful" as our journey has been, we could put a lot more effort into it.

We did let the kids basically eat whatever they wanted for dinner on Saturday. D took the kids to the store and let them choose what to eat while watched a movie together. My boys came back with dinner, which I think for kids is very joyful. We had Laffy Taffy, Gummy Worms, Smarties, Lemonheads, and Carrots with light ranch dip (that one was my choice). We are totally winning the "fun parents of the year" award. As conference ended, and Fuss woke up, I realized that the peacefulness that had just filled my home would soon be over. Fights would begin again. There would surely be complaining of some sort. I was now standing in the doorway of my bedroom. D was in the recliner with Fuss on his lap. Olie was sitting on the floor leaning up against the recliner. Skater was on my bed. Moo had disappeared. So, I picked up a pillow and started smacking the boys. As the boys smacked me back with other pillows from my bed, the giggling began. D and Fuss just sat there and watched as Moo appeared and joined forces with his brothers. Sadly, my joy lasted longer than my energy and I threw myself on the bed, and continued to get pummeled by the pillows. Then D and I traded off. I took Fuss, who was laughing hysterically, and D took the pillow from me. I knew that had created joy when even though D had Skater pinned on the bed under one arm and Olie under the other, all 3 of the boys continued to attempt beating him with the pillows.

And I made an executive decision (as an executive in our home) that we definitely need to have more pillow fights in our house!

It happened to me...

Well, it has happened. I have read it on other blogs, but never have had it happen to me before. I have been tagged. I am a player so I will play along...

7 Things I LOVE:

1. I love sweats. I love the comfy warmth of thick cotton on my legs. I love that they are not too tight. I love that they have an elastic in the waist, but it is supposed to be there so no one thinks that I am just too large for non-elastic sweats or too old like if I wore Jeans with elastic waists. I love that I can wear them all day and then to bed if I want to. I love that I can wear them when I take Fuss on walks and no one thinks I am weird. They just think I am attempting to exercise. Oh, the deceit of sweats!

2. I love TIVO. I love that I can record what I want, when I want to, and not have to watch it on somebody else's schedule. I love the total and complete control of only watching the commercials if I want to. I can even pick and choose which commercials I watch. 

3. I love having milk delivered to my front porch. I love milk alone, but having it delivered in any quantity I want each and every week just makes my life so much simpler.

4. I love ceiling fans. I love that if I am a little too hot, I can flip a switch and a nice breeze fills the room. I love the purr of the ceiling fan that lulls me to sleep every night. I love that the ceiling fans are high enough that although I know there is dust on the blades, I can't see it. Therefore, I don't have to do anything about it. 

5. I love pictures. I love to take pictures. I love to look at pictures. I just don't like to be in pictures, which is the main reason that I love to take them!

6. I love my recliner. I love that it was purchased with the money that I received after my grandma passed away. I love it because it was purchased because Fuss was on the way. I love it because we call it the "Grandma Rocker" and it reminds me of the way she used to sit in her rocker and visit or read with us when we went to her house. I love it because it makes me think of my grandma every time I rock my own baby and read to him.

7. I love breakfast. Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. I love breakfast foods, sausage, bacon, eggs, french toast...mmmm! I love having breakfast for dinner. I love that as much as I love breakfast, I usually just eat cold cereal for breakfast. That makes "real breakfast foods" a treat when we have them!

7 things I HATE:

1. I hate cherry flavored ice cream, or ice cream with cherries in it. I love ice cream, and hate cherries so the cherries just ruin a beautiful thing, and I hate it when beauty is ruined!

2. I hate weeds. I hate that they make it known to everyone that drives past my house that I don't do yard work. I hate that they are much more prominent than the plants that I don't really like either.

3. I hate dust. I don't mind doing the dusting, I just wish it would stay that way a little longer. It seems that as soon as I am done dusting, the dust is creeping back onto the surfaces that I just dusted. 

4. I hate laundry. I hate that it is such a time consuming process and requires so much remembering. It would be much easier if the washer and dryer were just one machine that would wash and then automatically dry. I hate that I have to remember when I put a load in the washer and how long it has been there to know if it is still able to be dried, or if I need to waste more time and money re-washing the load I forgot about. I hate that when the clothes are dried, if I don't take them out and immediately hang them up, I will be stuck ironing (or wearing wrinkled clothes, which is more likely). I hate that I have to fight the hangers on the bar in the closet trying to gather enough to hang up the load that I just threw on my bed.

5. I hate scary movies. I would rather watch the news where I get just as frightened.

6. I hate living far away from my family. I realize that it is only an hour away, but with the price of gas I might as well move back to Florida since I saw them about the same from there. Except I hated living in Florida. 

7. I hate my storage room. I hate that in all actuality we have no idea what is down there. I hate that there is just a plethora of boxes filled with items from mine and D's lives before we even knew each other, but that neither of us has the desire to go through to see if we can get rid of it. I hate that it is looming over me and that I know that one day I will break down and go through it....maybe it will just loom until I die!

Now for the rules: You can't use your husband or kids as things you love (or hate depending on your mood) that would be too easy. 

Tags: You have to make your own list...maw ha ha ha (in case you watch Hannah Montana like we do!)  Tagged: Angie, Theresa, Stephanie, Melissa, Erica, Sheryl, Missy. And I do LOVE my friends...all of them!

I said, "I love you..."

I think that it is very important to tell your children that you love them frequently. The problem that I have realized recently is that although I do tell my children that I love them frequently, it is usually followed by a request. Such as, "I love you too much to allow you to act this way!" "I love you and that is why I won't let you do something stupid." or "I love you, now be quiet!" I am not sure that this is the best way to express my love for my children to them, but when it is a non-stop day of noise...that is the best way to describe it...it is hard to stop and sincerely tell the noise makers how you really feel about them without trying to establish some sort of sanity first. It stems from adult interaction that this is the way I deal with my kids. Whenever someone in my family says something that they know is going to get under someone else's skin, they follow it by a somewhat sarcastic, "love you." D does it too. He teases me, then he tells me that he loves me and grins in a hope that I will not be mad at him. I usually follow it up with, "No, you don't." It is hard for me to point a finger when I do the same thing to him too.

When kids tell you they love you, it is because they do. Kids have yet to learn the manipulation the words "I love you" can hold. Recently, I had a conversation with my nephew Buddy, who is 3, and he loves me. I know he does because he told me in a way that made me know that he did. It was the day I found out that I had passed my final, Buddy called to congratulate me. Our conversation went like this:

Buddy: Dood (good) dob (job), Annie. Dood dob on you test.

Me: Thanks, Buddy! I love you!

Buddy: I love you too. I don't hate you.

That is true love!

To accomplish something...

Throughout life we are put through a series of disappointments and failures, but there is no reason to be upset about it. Everyone goes through the downs in life, and sometimes the ups. I recently completed the medical transcriptioning course that I have been taking. This coarse is designed to be done at your own pace but within a year. It is a good thing that you can purchase time extensions when needed, because I needed 4 of them. The reason I needed 4 of them is because I was working outside of our home when I started the coarse, and I was pregnant. So, my ambition towards this extra work was not really all that high. I thought that I would have more energy to work on it after Fuss was born. I was wrong. I had less energy and less ambition. It wasn't until I became unemployed that I realized where my ambition had been hiding. I realized that this coarse was the ticket to me being able to stay home with my Fuss all the time. I started working on it, and I finished in 5 1/2 months! Oh, why I could have done with that before Fuss was born...I wouldn't have missed out on the first 10 months of his life! I realized just how much I was missing when his nanny had to tell me what his favorite kind of juice was. I should have known that!

Anyway, I have now passsed and I am graduating from the program with honors. You are allowed to take the final up to 3 times, but I only had to take it once! I called my mom and told her how excited I was to have finally accomplished something. She asked me what in the world I was talking about. So, I explained: I finished high school and graduated with high honors, then I finished a 2 year college, got my Associates degree, went to 1 more year of college and dropped out. I went to cosmetology school, finished, graduated, and never got my license. I have a habit of not finishing what I started. Until now!

It is amazing how one little accomplishment can change your whole perspective on things. I have put my family first. I will be working from home while my son is sleeping, not missing a moment of his awake life. I did it, and I feel great about it. Suddenly, I feel like I can accomplish anything! I may even be able to lose a couple of pounds now! We'll see!

No cavities...

So, yesterday I had my biannual visit to the dentist. Although I have a wonderful dentist, the best I have ever had in my life actually, I still get anxiety before I go for this visit. The morning of a dental visit I always use my Sonicare toothbrush to make sure that my teeth are as clean and shiny as possible. You would also think that I would floss, but I don't. I really like my dentist's office because everyone is so nice. You walk in and they greet you by name and with a smile. How they remember everyone's name, I don't know, but for the most part they do. There is no receptionist desk. There is no counter with a bell. There is just friendly people all dressed alike, smiling and telling me how nice it is to see me. If I was greeted like this at more places, I might leave the house a little more often.

Anyway, it is inevitable that every time I sit in the dentist's chair, someone is going to ask me how the flossing is going. I would like to tell them it is going just wonderfully, but I can't lie. It is like when the eye doctor asks me if I ever sleep in my contacts. I told her that I could say I didn't, but that she and I would both know I was lying. That story holds true for flossing as well. So, yesterday when the wonderfully nice hygenist, who can carry on a conversation with anyone who can't talk because they have dental tools and the hygenist's hands in their mouth better than you would imagine, asked me "how the flossing is going," I answered honestly, "Well, you should know since you were the last one to floss my teeth, which was about 6 months ago." I can't lie to her, which I kind of wish I could. So, I again promised to try to focus on flossing more. She even gave me 6 spools of floss to encourage me, but I can't promise that I will get it done. I just don't enjoy forcing a string in between my teeth and moving it back and forth to remove the gunk that I didn't know about, and really didn't want to know about. I prefer to think that brushing alone does a good enough job. I haven't had a cavity for years, and I hope I am not jinxing myself by saying that. (I am knocking on wood as I type this).

I realize that dental health is important, and a great smile is important too, but I promise no one is looking in between my teeth when I smile. Most of the time they are probably thinking, "Wow, you have a huge mouth!" Because I do. My family is known for their large heads. Fuss' pediatrician comments on Fuss' noggin every visit...because he is in a higher percentile for head size by about 20 points over height and weight. My nephew's head was so large that we used to laugh that the reason he fell over so much when trying to walk was because he was so top heavy. My dad can't wear normal hats, and I fall into the large noggin catagory too. My mouth is so wide that my large-headed nephew once tried to see if his head could fit inside of it. It didn't, but let's just say my smile is in proportion to my head size. I am probably the only one that dental people have to tell, "don't open quite so wide." I can fit my fist in my mouth, which means that the dental hygenist can easily fit both her hands in my mouth for easy accessibility for cleaning.

As I type this, I realize that I real have no excuse for not flossing daily, but most likely the hygenist will be the next person to floss my teeth...maybe.