Inspiration...

Yesterday my children were completely awestruck by a rainstorm. The sat with their little faces pressed against the window, just watching the rain fall. (how could I possibly resist pulling out the camera?) Something so completely mundane, yet they watched and watched- as if it were put on by Barnum and Bailey.
Was rain ever so amazing to me, I wonder?
If there hadn't been any lightning, I would have taken them out to dance in it. Oh well, another day.... just one more thing to look forward to.
They are so precious, my babies. They remind me all the time to enjoy life. Not to take anything for granted...
Thay are my inspiration.






*Please excuse the quality of these photos. I was shooting with no light, and no flash- but I had to capture the moment!*

What do these shoes say to you?

Do they just scream *FRUMP!* ?
To me, they scream COMFY! They even have double-pillo insoles. Aaaaah... and they slide off the instant I hit the door, easily. Because I freaking hate to wear shoes (or pants, but that's another post entirely)! They are like squishy, pillowy, winter flip-flops. And I do love me some flip flops! ;o)
Am I just going too far over the soccer mom line? Should I rush back and return them this very instant? Or should I make my feet happy?
(btw, they are suede- it's kind of hard to tell in the pic...)

Do I blog improperly?

Am I supposed to make a bunch of little posts, the way I do? Seperating each random thought into it's own little area?
Or should I put them all together in one long-winded ramble?
Ya know what? It's my blog, dammit! I'll do as I please! So there!

Serious question...

Okay, this is really bothering me. I am very much a thinker. I internalize things, and they just bog down my mind until I figure them out.
The first one to solve my problem gets a prize... perhaps one of my treasured Krispy Kremes!

Ready? Here is the riddle:
Posh Spice, Sporty Spice, Baby Spice, and ______ Spice?
I cannot freaking remember the 4th Spice! Aaaargh!

Yes, I was a big fan. My baby sister was about 10 when they were HUGE, so for her, I listened. And then I loved. I wonder if I still have that CD somewhere....?

Autumn...

I am so ready for Fall. I love Autumn! If I ever have another daughter, I want her to be born in the autumn, so that I can name her Autumn. Such a lovely word, and such a lovely time of year. My favorite by far!
The crispness of the air, the gold and red leaves, tossing a sweater on in the evening, while the kids run and play outside. :sigh: I cannot wait.
My house is already decorated for Fall. Pumpkins and scarecrows and even a cornucopia. It makes me happy to see those things, it gives me hope. A sweeter season is on it's way.
I cannot wait to dress Lucy in long sleeved dresses, with tights and boots! I can't wait to see my guys all handsome in jeans and sweaters, and before too long- TOBOGGANS!
Pumpkin farms, trick-or-treating, Thanksgiving... I just can't wait. And the ever nearing excitement of Christmas!
A few pictures of my "pumpkins" in autumns gone by...


Note the pumpkin under my shirt! Ha ha!


Wow! Was she really that tiny a year ago?


Daddy's little Punkin'





How can it officially be fall, and still be 100 degrees? It's just not fair!

So, I'm chatty tonight...

Making up for lost days, I suppose. My mind is full of all sorts of things... gotta get 'em out...
I love to read. Wow. I really do. I think reading is what keeps me teetering on the edge of sanity, rather than just plummeting to a painful death (or a total mental breakdown, perhaps). I get to escape, just for a while, and forget about housework, bills, friends and enemies, trouble with extended family, and the fact that my children make me more tired than I ever imagined I could be.
I can't gobble up a book fast enough. I wish we had a library here in town... I can't afford my habit. Thank God for good friends!

Know what else I love... donuts. I could really go for a Krispy Kreme right now. Mmmmm... chocolate covered custard filled... there is nothing sweeter on this Earth. Just a little piece of freshly baked heaven. :drool:

Racism...

Yes, it is alive and well in 2005. But who would have thought *I* would be a victim of it?
Yes, me, who has always looked past the color of skin when making friends. Me, who went to a high school that was about 10% white, and am glad I got the experience. Me, who is trying to teach my children that we are all just people, and different skin colors are beautiful.
Me, a caucasian.
Lovely old Reverse racism- I can see why things just aren't getting any better in this country.
Don't ask me for details, you won't get any. I just had to vent.

Why carry A purse...?

When you could carry 5 of them!?
My child has a handbag fetish... and it cracks me up! Handbags and shoes, and of course ELMO! What else could a girl need?

Isn't she lovely?

I finally got my camera back, and I also got to sneak in a half hour of snuggling with my new niece!
As promised, pictures will follow.
The stats: 7lbs 12oz, 19 inches long. Born the old fashioned way, and nursing like a champ. Mom is sore and exhausted (who wouldn't be, with 2 girls 18mos apart?) but happy and healthy.
So here they are, and the first picture is of my little angel checking out the new little angel! Enjoy!

I miss my baby...

Not Jacob, not Lucy. My other baby. My little Kodak. I am lost without it.
:o(
I loaned it to my sister inlaw, and I haven't been able to get it back yet. :sob: How can anyone go through life without a camera? I am on day 3 and it is KILLING me!
There is so much I want to write about (like my new niece), but all these stories are much better with pictures.

A quick update, and preview of things to come:
FRIENDSHIP: Lunch with the girls yesterday. I love having a group of girlfriends, it rocks. And they are teaching me a lot about myself... just something I've been pondering.
BABY KELSIE: She is here, as of Tuesday, 2:15ish- and she is perfect. I am completely infatuated with her! Pics soon to come...
RITA: I admit it, I am scared. Not panicking, but scared.
PLAY KITCHEN: Musings and cute pictures... gender labels, and dad's reaction...
COSTUMES: The kids finally have some, Cotton and I are still undecided. What are they? You'll find out soon enough! ;o)
NEW PLAYGROUP: Will we go? I think it will be an 11th hour decision... I'll let you know.

I know you are riveted now! Lol!

Moons!

Being the cheapskates that we are (both with time and money), we didn't actually take the kids to the Balloon Festival this year. Instead, we drove around East Plano looking for somewhere to park and watch the launch.
We found a halfway decent spot.
It was hot, and the sun was extremely bright (as you can tell in the pic of me & Jacob). I was patting myself on the back the entire *20 minutes* we were there, for not actually paying to park and walking a mile in the heat to get into the launch area. lol.
So the launch began,the balloons sailed into the sky, and Lucy loved it. She kept saying "Moons! Moons!" and then when her excitement overcame her, it was more like "MOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Jacob was really not overly impressed, but he liked them well enough.
Even though we had fun, and booked it to Cici's afterwards in absolutely no traffic- I think next year we may actually go in- despite the heat and the $$$ we will blow on corn dogs and funnel cake. Having them launch directly over your head is kind of priceless. (And it makes for great photos!)

Armed and (not so) Dangerous

After nearly three and a half years of resistance from the worry wart (me), Jacob acquired his first gun yesterday.
I am actually okay with it, because he is treating it exactly as he should.
Backstory: he has been tagging along with Daddy and Pa while they dove hunt this year. He LOVES it, I think he really feels the whole "male bonding" vibe. So... while they are shooting birds, Jacob has started picking up a stick and a spent shell so that he could have a "gun" too.
So, yesterday Nana and Papa show up at our door bearing gifts. A toy shotgun for the boy, and ANOTHER baby doll for the girl.
Jacob is over the moon. He kept saying "Let's go get some birds, Pa!"and "Let's go hunting, Daddy!"
I have talked him into the ground that
A: we only shoot birds
B: he can only play with his TOY gun, and never touch anybody else's gun!
I have dreaded this moment for most of his life, but he is handling it very well. I am so proud of my big boy, he is mature beyond his years!
I am also proud of the in-laws. They said they saw a pack of 3 guns- 1 shotgun and 2 little handguns, but they figured mom wouldn't care much for that. Good thinking, guys.

My dilemma...

I was fully engrossed in The Half Blood Prince all day yesterday. Until about 2 AM to be exact. Now, I have about 1/4 inch left to go, and I don't want to read it. I don't want it to be over.
I devoured the first 5 books end to end, in the span of a week. Then I waited over a month for this one... and I just can't say goodbye. I have become a Potter Fanatic.
I am going to Blockbuster tonight to rent the movie. I got the second 2 from Blockbuster online, but not the first. (Yea- thanks Blockbuster! Cause I surely didn't have them in my Que that way) So, tonight I will start the Potter movie fest- once Cotton is done with football of course.

Will this day ever end?

I am so freaking tired.
Got up, paid bills. Went to the store, printed pictures while the kids punched buttons on the machine. Went to lunch with the girls, and had 5 hyperactive preschoolers running wild around our chairs while trying to enjoy our food. Took Jacob to the potty 3 times in one hour. Cruised over to Starbucks, the kids pretty much trashed that joint, but at least I got a machiatto. Got gas (only $2.66/gal- WooHoo!), got my oil changed, paid another bill, finished up grocery shopping. Came home, kids trashed the house and squabbled endlessly while I paid one last bill, called the bank about a transfer, and then tried to tidy up.
Jacob ruined his TV with a bottle of 409. Lucy has a cold. We are already broke less than 24hrs after the direct deposit. There is black eyeliner all over my walls, and cookie crumbs all over my carpet.

All I want is to curl up on the couch with some snowballs and Harry Potter. But Jacob won't go to sleep, and I don't want to share!

Boohoo. Poor little me. I told you it was a circus.

~and wtf are you talking about, Micha? I can spell! ;o) ~

Hey Butt-Head!!!

I think it is awfully sweet that you are reading my blog, Honey!

Grrr...MEN!

So Daddy picked the extra kiddo up last night, and she was tired and hungry:
We were going to the in-laws for dinner, so I was trying to tide the kids over with peanut butter and crackers. she took about a 30min afternoon nap (and a 2hr morning nap!), and I didn't want to give her another one, and have her up all night for him. Sure, it would've made my life easier to let her sleep all day, but it's not always all about me! ;o)

Mom picked her up today, wondering why I kept her child awake all day yesterday, and only fed her crackers ALL DAY LONG!
Good Lord! Do we really have to communicate with men? I should've just pinned a note to his t-shirt, like teacher did in elementary school.
:sigh:

so I'm supposed to be blogging...

But I don't have much to report.
I just changed Lucy into her 2nd outfit of the day, at noon. Silly me- I left a can of coke on the kitchen counter, thinking that since she's only 2 feet tall, it would be safe. Ha!
I have had anextra kiddo for the past couple of days, and I still don't have any wild stories to tell. I even took the 3 of them to McD's, and it was completely uneventful. Maybe I should change my blog to "welcome to my ho-hum life!" ;o)
Lunch with the girls tomorrow- maybe Payton will eat another sopapilla. She's bad about that.
Oh, some very exciting news: My frog reappeared. I had 2 fire bellied toads in an aquarium, then there was only 1 for days. Last night I looked in, and there were 2!
Maybe the other one was hiding under the moss or something... laying eggs? I seriously thought the bigger frog ate his friend. What a relief! (although I kinda wish they would both die, I am sick of catching crickets. Yuck!)

Because I can...

Here are the 4 great loves of my life...





Cute, aren't they?

and I'm already famous!

So I link to my friend's blog, only to find a link to MY new blog. And a lengthy discussion of how she convinced me to start this blog in the first place! Is your head spinning yet?

I guess I am one of the cool kids now...

So a little bird (or 2) told me that I "have what it takes to be the ultimate blogger!" WoooHooo! Just for you, my dears, I am giving it a shot. I hope I don't let you down!