Friday, December 29, 2006

we're B A C K

what I learned (while in Ruidoso)

1. as long as you are with your whole family & your kids, it isn't a vacation. it's only a trip.

2. 10 hours in a car, is just too much.

3. we never needed as many clothes as we packed. we wore the same thing every day, A SNOWSUIT.

4. we need a bigger car. riding with my knees at my chest, covered with pillows and blankets, is NEVER fun.

5. no matter how much padding is on my body, it still hurts to fall.

6. skiing is not my forte`.

7. in my family eyes, I will never be raising my children correctly. it's either too much or not enough. and they will show their disdain for both and give you the uttermost hell for it.

8. my sister has SERIOUS issues. but in everyone else's eyes, she is perfect.

9. when in a higher elevation, EVERYTHING expands. hands, feet, lotion, chips, waist, diapers. you name it.

10. ziploc big bags and a case logic case were BIG space savers. anything you put in a ziploc you could compress down and the case allowed me to take all the kids videos so we were assured no meltdowns regarding movies.

11. I love how in New Mexico you can get snow gear, gas, milk, medicine, and alcohol all in one place.

12. tubing rocks. but no matter how hard you hold onto the tube, you can still fall out.

13. you can never take too many pictures.

check back for the blog about our trip! I have around 6500 pictures on my computer to back up and about 400 to add. plus some awesome video of the kids skiing and tubing!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL :)

Thursday, December 21, 2006

it's going to be a long drive.....



had to make a trip to Target today and since the highway (183) was a mess as usual, we cut over through the neighborhood (Lakeline). I decided to take the same way home when Hunter informs me that this was so boring. All he had seen today was bushes, trees and houses. Boy is he going to love that drive through West Texas.

in other news, my sister is engaged, FINALLY. it will probably be another lifetime before a date is set. but I say she should get married on an island so dad has to rent a house or condo for all of us to stay in again and we have another vacation. well wait........we will see if I say that again in a week.

for those who didn't even know I had a sister, here's pic with my future brother-in-law:

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Thank you Aunt Kara!

and Dave and Brooke :)

you made Hunter ( & my mom) the happiest person in the world! he's been asking his Nana for a white batman forever and she was down on her luck not being able to find one. well, now her mind can rest at ease and Hunter can be super happy with his white batman. THANK YOU!

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Saturday, December 16, 2006

when it rains, it pours.

get ready for this one!

what I was expecting to be a low key Saturday didn't much turn out that way.

woke up this morning and knew I had to make the candle deliveries I was suppose to do yesterday. It was going to be a busy weekend for my stores and they wanted more, more, more.

so, I am about 10 minutes from home when I get this frantic phone call from Kreg. evidently he need some medical TLC. something about he was sweeping, the broom broke, blood was everywhere and to hurry home. after all my hell and wanting to go to the ER, I told him to suck it up. he ain't going either. okay....so then I called back and said if you really need to go, go and I'll stay home with the kids. I still really couldn't figure out what happened. and luckily, neighbors across the street are a doctor and nurse. I told him to go find out from the doctor if the minor emergancy room the nurse worked at was open. he ran the kids to another neighbors house and went to see the doctor. doctor said yep that he was going to need stitches and the minor ER was open. so I get home and realize that our broom was metal and somehow, when he was sweeping, the broom broke and his finger got stuck inbetween the pieces and sliced about a quarter sized round piece in his ring finger pretty darn deep. his finger was about 5 times the normal size and blood was everywhere. him, floor, sink. so we rush off to the minor ER. he ends up with 7 stitches, hydrocodone and an antibotic.

needless to say, since we are all on antibotics now, we should hopefully have everything out of our system before next weekend.

Friday, December 15, 2006

What's worse than 2 sick kids?

a mom who is even sicker.

so when my throat ached a little last night, I thought nothing of it and popped some advil and went to bed early. I have been going 90 to nothing these days.

woke up @ 7 am with body aches, headache, no voice and my throat sore and swollen that it hurt to breathe, cough or even try to talk. I thought I was going to die from the pain. Oral surgery, kids, + everything else never hurt as bad as my throat did. every breathe sent waves of pain. I couldn't drink because it even hurt.

kreg had to schedule me a dr.'s appointment. I was the only person out in 80 degree weather in a sweatsuit and jacket. and liked I guessed, STREP. my throat was so swollen it was close to closing up. they gave me a steriod shot right away to try to ease the swelling. painkillers and antibotics for the next 7-10 days.

kreg took jadeyn to the dr and turns out he has a sinus infection. so, at least the kids and I are on antibotics and should feel great for next weekend. well....we at least pray that we are.

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Look mom!

I'm an astronaut:
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

And I'm FINALLY ASLEEP:
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

It's so NOT the most wonderful time of the year.....

Thank goodness for the Lindemans Framboise. It's keeping me sane. One glass & the anxiety is gone. Two and I sleep like a baby with no cares in the world.

The countdown has begun. 7 days until we leave for our trip. I hope I make it until then.

Everything in the world is a competition for the boys. Hunter coughs and Jayden coughs. Hunter coughs longer then Jayden coughs longer. Hunter coughs harder....get the picture. Even being sick is a competition. They fight over the neb treatments. They fight over the meds. ARGH. Someone save me. And to think I'm going to travel 10 hours in the car with them. Ha, think not. One of these darlings is getting passed on to Nana & Popo. This trip was their idea and all.

Hunter has to eat to take his antibiotic. And....he's refusing to eat at the moment. What's a mom to do? Well, going to make his favorite dinner tonight, shrimp alfredo pasta. Let's hope it works.


Found a new really funny blog:
http://www.dadgonemad.com/

Check it out & pray for me.

These are the days of our lives.......

Hunter has pneumonia and Jayden now thinks the "Big Bad Wolf" is hiding around every corner of our house.

We took the kids to the trail of lights on Sunday and we all had a blast. Since the weather was cool and damp (perfect weather to get sick in, I guess) there weren't many people there at all. We didn't have to wait in any lines. Got some great pictures, but until I get all the Kodak ones backed up, I'm not hooking up the new camera.

Tuesday night was the kids Christmas recital. This has always proven to give us a good laugh. Of course, as soon as Jayden saw me, he started crying and reaching out. He lasted through 2 of the 3 songs. Hunter charmed us with some serious dance moves.

Now it's on to more serious things, like keeping the kids well for the trip next week. So it's breathing treatments every 4 hours, movies in bed all day, and tons of meds.

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Say Thanks to a Soldier


Visit the "Say Thanks" website and Xerox will send a postcard this Christmas to soldiers in Iraq.

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Friday was my first day in 2 weeks that I didn't have to wake up and rush off to work or take the boys to school. The boys were able to sleep in until about 9:30. I could relax and take my time getting ready. It was absolutely wonderful!!

We started our day with a visit to the new Leander library. WOW! What a change from the old library. But, of course, Jayden screamed when I attempted to take his movies and books away to check them out. He then screamed the whole time during the checkout process.

We then proceed down to Barton Creek Mall for pictures with Santa and a train ride. The train ride was as fun as usual and the line for Santa was a mile long. But we had time to kill before the ENT appointment, so we decided to wait and enjoy ice cream. All was great until the kid about 3 people in front of us threw up. The mother and grandmother proceed to clean the kid up and change her clothes, all the while moving up with the line. It was then I decided that sitting on Santa's lap behind a sick kid wasn't worth it. I was really just in shock.

We headed off to the ENT for Jayden's post-surgery check up. As the nurse proceeded to check Jayden out, Hunter had a million questions and finally exclaimed "Our mother never cleans our ears out!" Much to his surprise, the nurse told him that was okay and you should never stick anything in your ear. Hunter replied with a much devastated "oh...." (at Thanksgiving his aunt picked on him and gave him a hard time because his ears were dirty. what a b!tch.) Jayden looks great and hopefully should stop snoring soon. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

It's a dreary day here but we are off to Wolf Ranch to see Santa there!

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Hunter's wish

In Hunter's words:

"Mom if I could make a wish like on the Fairy Oddparent's, I'd wish my mom would answer every question I ask correctly. And that I'd always be right. And that I could get a job at Chuckie Cheese so I could make money to buy me an Ultra Blast Batman. "

She's B A C K

Oh Amy how I have missed you. Prays are being said for ChunkyRhino to be back up soon. Darn blogger.......

phew.....

(as I wipe the sweat from my brow)

Boys Christmas is done. Around noon today I made my daily stalker call to Best Buy. I was informed they got their delivery in 30 minutes ago and only had 2 DS' left. Thankfully Kreg was able to leave work ASAP and head to the store. And he nabbed me my new digital camera!

why?

Things around here have been hectic as ever. My anxiety levels are on the rise.

December 5th has always been a tradition in my family as the night St. Nick fills your stocking. It's a very old Czech tradition. It's funny, living at home, I never questioned this. Hey, we always got socks, underthings, candy and fruit early. No complaints here. I knew the story that back in the day, children would leave there shoes out and they would either be filled with candy if you were good and coal if you were bad. St. Nick came to check up and give you a 'forecast' of your Christmas. But now as a parent with a very curious child, I'm forced to learn facts. Hunter wants to know who St. Nick is, why he comes, where does he come from and so on. My story didn't satisfy his curiosity. And of course, we didn't start taking about St. Nick until Saturday the 2nd, not to get the kids too anxious. So, at church on Sunday, I decided to do some poking around the gift shop for a book. No luck. No one knew where to even find anything on this. There have to be more Czech's in the world. So, what do I do next, call mom. She had to have dealt with this. She luckily gave me the advice to tell Hunter that St. Nick arrives on the night of the 5th to pick up your letter to Santa. He leaves you a treat and then delivers your Christmas list. Phew, thankfully that kept the kid quiet working on his Christmas list. Both boys woke up on the 5th to stocking filled with Batman's galore, candy, socks and new slippers. They were happy for about 2 minutes, then the fighting came over batmans.

On to Christmas gifts. Since we are spending Christmas in Ruidoso this year, we are exempted from buying Christmas gifts for the family. It's always great to cross off 7 people at once from your list. And that leave the 2 boys. Woo-hoo! And since I have always done my shopping the day after Thanksgiving, I always fill ahead of the game. Yeah....this year I didn't. B r e a t h e . . . So on Tuesday while the boys are at school, I finally convince Kreg to meet me at Best Buy. We've decided to get the boys Nintendo Ds'. Really, I want to get Hunter one and I just can't buy one so I'm preparing myself and getting 2. Plus, I know Kreg and I will enjoy playing :) I've been pleading my case for a new digital camera. My old clunker is 5 years old and fading fast. Alright, we get to Best Buy and start discussing camera's. My technology has changed. Okay, let's go talk while we grab the Ds'. Well, I'm not seeing any, let's ask the friendly associate heading our way. Hummm...doesn't think he has any. Nope and all Best Buys in the area are sold out. B r e a t h e.....Any chance they might get more? They are schedule to arrive any day and will go quick. We just have to check back. No problem, yeah right. Hey, I can always order online. Nope. Sold out. So now I have to resort to calling Best Buy for the next (oh my god scary) next 2 weeks because we leave in 2 weeks (that's what's scary!) Just when I thought the anxiety was over.

Then's there's Jayden. My sweet, loving, adorable, MONSTER. The kid decided for himself he wanted to take up resident in our bed again. Not gonna happen. So, for 4 days now, we have been fighting. Morning, noon and night. He takes us about an hour to get the kid settled down at night. He goes to bed screaming, wakes up at least 2 times a night screaming and gets up in the morning screaming. God help us. Last night I told Kreg, maybe he's retaliating against us for me working or he's not feeling well. We've got our 2 week check-up tomorrow with the ENT. We pray he's not feeling well and this nightmare will end soon. Because we never seen such a mean streak in a child. He screams, throws himself and everything in sight at you. He throws himself on the ground, he slams doors, he pounds on things, and yes, he's only 2, almost 3. I don't know how to handle it. His strength is scary. Kreg and I are both exhausted from dealing with this. HELP!!

Saturday, December 02, 2006

marshmellows roasting on an open fire....

never knew it could be so much fun!!!

Hunter just liked to burn them so they would glow and he could blow them out. Jayden just kept eating them like crazy.

(please excuse the terribly dirty fireplace)

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Baby, it's cold outside.....

We woke up this morning to 30 degree weather, sleet, frozen porch, driveway & windshield's, and icicles hanging from the outside lights and our landscaping. Hunter spent 10 minutes fighting with me that he didn't need a jacket and Jayden spent 10 minutes fighting with me to find his missing glove. Once Hunter walked into the open garage, he realized a jacket was a good idea and I finally gave Jayden Hunter's gloves.

Both boys were begging for a fire in the fireplace tonight so that they could roast marshmallows. And I'm such a GREAT mom (hold the sarcasm) that I picked the boys up from school and we headed to Target for all of our supplies.

We've lived in the house for 5 years and have done fires every one of those years....but no chimney sweep. Hey, no problem, they make those logs for that. And Target has them! So, we pick up a chimney sweep log, real fire wood and a box of duraflames to get everything going. Yep, we forgot the marshmallows. Thank goodness I had some at home.

Get home around 3:30 and I throw the chimney sweep log on 1st just to be safe. Okay, it says it will be done in 90 minutes, 5:00, then you need to wait an hour to start an actual fire, 6:00. Okay, so then I have 45 minutes to spend with the boys in front of the fire, roasting marshmallows before I head out to meet Wendy for the Babes meeting. See, I can spend quality time with them and have my fun too :)

In a perfect world.........

Well, it's now almost 6:00, the damn sweep log is still going and I still have to get ready.

So much for trying to be that great mom.

and yes, we STILL have icicles.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

O Christmas Tree

Kreg and the boys managed to get the tree up on Sunday. Since I have 2 very sneaky little boys, I decided NOT to put any ornaments on the tree. So the boys took up decorating the tree themselves:









Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

A good friend just sent me this in a email. People judge us because are kids believe in Santa and this was refreshing.....

Editorial Page, New York Sun, 1897

We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus? Virginia O'Hanlon

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a sceptical age. They do not believe except what they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus? Thank God he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.


Elves

My conversation with Hunter:


M: Hunter, what would you like Santa to bring you this year?

H: Ultra blast batman, of course mom.

M: (thinking, he's told everyone that. Give me some more ideas son) Hunter, what if santa's elves don't have time to make you one of those. Is there something else they would make you?

H: (you can see him pondering) No, I'll just take an elf then.

Gee, glad that converstion was helpful.

So, Thanksgiving was eventful as usual. (why oh why am I looking forward to spending 5 days in the mountains with my family?)

The boys spent most of Thanksgiving morning cutting any and everything out of all the “Black Friday” ads that arrived in the paper. Only to bring all those lovely little pieces of paper home to scatter them around the fireplace so that, in Hunter’s words, “Santa gets their message.” Back when the 1st ‘cool’ spell hit, Hunter asked to toast marshmallows in that place where Santa gets into his house. So now our fireplace is associated with anything Santa.

Mom, Marsais, and I spent all morning slaving in the kitchen to prepare all the side dishes and deserts, and the men only had one job, FRY THE TURKEY. Well, they throw the turkey in the fryer and sit down to a game of dominoes and beer. Needless to say, the turkey fried all right. Fried itself BLACK. Thankfully, not all was burned and we were able to enjoy a little.

I drove home Thursday night to get some rest before the dreaded black Friday weekend. Must have been too quiet in the house because I couldn’t sleep. The boys and Kreg spent the weekend in La Grange fishing, hunting, and having a blast.

Jayden’s surgery went smashing, but he was a little fussy. We figured the ENT gave us that big bottle of Tylenol with codeine + a refill for a reason. By Thursday, Jay was still very fussy. Finally, he dawned on me. Umm……Tylenol with codeine will make you constipated. The poor child hadn’t pooped in almost a week. Hell, no wonder he was fussy and wouldn’t eat. I felt like such a great mother. After pumping him full of V8 and straight apple juice, the kid finally is himself again!

While at Nana and Popo’s house, Popo pulled out the go-kart for Hunter to ride. The kid was in heaven until him and Nana ran into a tree that he swears fell from the sky because it wasn’t there before. Hunter popped up and hit his cheek and just said his butt hurt from hitting the bar in the seat, until further investigation. Nana was worse off with a sprained ankle. Sunday night as Hunter was swimming in the bathtub, I noticed a very nasty looking bruise in the place no man wants to get hurt. The poor child is black and blue and red. He swears it doesn’t hurt, but man, I’m just worried the kid is now sterile.

Yesterday was the 1st day to take the kids to the sitters. I was an emotional wreck. My anxiety levels were super high. It didn’t help that I overslept, the kids didn’t want to get up and I still hadn’t had a chance to do their laundry. We arrived and Hunter ran in to never be seen again but Jayden clung to me. He was still screaming when I got into the car. It didn’t last long though and both boys enjoyed themselves and even took naps! Woo-hoo!!




Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Soup Day

we had a blast up @ the kids school enjoying "Soup Day"

as usual the soup was super yummy & so were all the deserts.

here's a little slideshow with the highlights:



Bed Bugs.

so they aren't really bugs....or a bug....it's JAYDEN!

when Kreg went hunting I allowed Jayden to sleep with me. no biggie. until it turned into something he wanted to do EVERY night. we've been pretty good with convincing him to get into his own bed and he tries at least 3 times every night to crawl in with us. each time Kreg marches him back into his own bed. but last night, niether Kreg or I could put him back due to his excuse.

of course Jayden comes in and crawls over Kreg without Kreg even flinching. I have to nudge Kreg and Jayden looks over at me. I ask him why he is in my bed. His response: "Your bed warm, my bed just too cold."

we figured we couldn't put the poor baby back into a cold bed. that kid has our number. DAMN IT.

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Parenting.

being a parent and a mother is one of the greatest gifts one could ever ask for but no one ever told me it would be this hard :(

why do I feel so bad for finally putting myself first? I've been a stay at home mom for the past 5 years. It's wonderful and something I feel truly blessed to have done. Even though the kids and I want to kill each other half the time, we do enjoy being together. I never imagined what it would be for me to go back to work full-time and the agnony I would feel.

I really enjoy my job these days. It's so wonderful to *have* to get dressed up, put makeup on, fix my hair, so that I'm able to spend time with women co-workers and clients. The adult conversations, the time away, the female friendships, I love it all. The thought of doing it full time is wonderful and I didn't think twice about it.

But then, there's the kiddos. Who I love dearly, enjoy picking up from school, and all the giggles we share. I can't imagine spending my day away from them.

But the more I thought about and agnonized, I realized it was time to put myself first and it was hard to come to that. But as the kids get older, they enjoy time with other kids. They enjoy being away from me and dad. So I think finding a nanny is the right choice. I should have 2 days off during the week I can spend with them. And we will just have to vow to make the most of them.

But then comes the fact that I'm homesick as hell. My god, I never though in a MILLION years I would say it, but I have. With Hunter going to school next year, I want to have someone to depend on if something happens. I don't have that here. I don't have someone in the family I can call at the drop off a hat to help me. (I know my girlfriends would help, but they all have kids of their own to worry about :)) And I really need that. I want to move close to my parents and family so I know I do have someone I can depend on. The boys adore going down to La Grange and spending time at my parent's house. I remember the days of riding the bus home and spending time with my Grandpa. I want the same for the boys and they want it to.

Right now.....so much is in the air. It's amazing how one day your life is going calm and the next day a bomb drops, causing so much chaos.

There are so many descisions to be made. Things are going in the right direction but it looks like major change is what we have been needed.

stay tuned for more......

surviving our stay at children's hospital

we survived surgery and staying at the hospital without too much drama!

kreg and jayden headed down to children's hospital, while hunter and I went shopping for our little guy. surgery was over by about 9:30. children's hospital was full so we were placed in a room over a brackenridge on the children's floor. it was terribly sad. but from the moment hunter and I walked into the doors, we were greeted with the most wonderful people and the boys were given so much. from new cars, books, movies, games, snacks, and more. it was so wonderful to be in such a caring place. the hardest part was seeing the terminally ill children and the children who had been in and out of the hospital their whole lives. the gut-rentching stories parents had, you see the pain in their eyes and you couldn't do enough to reach out to them. children who had had more surgeries than birthday's. it was hard but we understood just the company and talking was doing them some good. both boys had such a wonderful time in the playroom, library, and at movie night. who wouldn't love a movie night were you are treated to a FREE snack bar just like the movie theater offers. kreg ended up spending a tough night with jayden and they were able to come home today. overall, it was fun, but pretty rough for jayden. some nurses didn't believe in round the clock pain meds, but one we found one who did, things got better. though, we are still looking at a 7-10 recovery period. let's just pray all goes well.

Friday, November 17, 2006

keep us in your thoughts....

Jayden and Kreg are at the hospital already. Any minute will be going under to have his tonsils and adenoids taken out. We are all praying for a fast recovery.

Tonight I have an interview with a nanny. I'm very excited and can't wait to meet her. Let's hope she's wonderful!

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

how guliable does he think I am?

As I'm getting ready for work this afternoon, Hunter runs up stairs to tell me this:

"Mom, all of a sudden Jayden woke up off the couch, colored on the middle of the floor and then went right back to sleep."

Yeah.....I'm going to believe that one.

Yep.....red color scribbled all over the floor.

Thankfully things scrub off very easily from the laminate wood.

Saturday, November 11, 2006

What I learned while shopping with my children this weekend.

so all the boys are off at deer camp and mom and I decided to do a little shopping. but here are some things I've learned in the past 2 days:

1. If we decide to try anything on, we have to pick a dressing room near the end, next to one another. If not, the boys go crawling under all the rooms searching for us. Not giving a care who's in them.

2. Boys think all balls and balls. Especially the very pretty, hand blown, hand painted ones in the beautiful Christmas section. The sound of them hitting together and falling to the ground in pieces is not a pleasant one.

3. If there is any money to be seen, the kids want it. That includes the little boxes set up to donate to. It's amazing where their little hands can fit.

4. Mannequins aren't very strong.

5. Hunter feels the need to clean EVERY public toilet before he uses it. (yes, he stands up)

6. My voice is not loud enough to cover every square inch of a department store when searching for a lost child and when you tell people working there you've lost a child, they don't offer much help.

7. Hunter says the santa at the mall is NOT real. Real santas don't wear glasses. Why would the mall have a fake santa he would like to know.

8. When you tell Jayden to drop the toy, he will, right there. And everyone just laughs.

9. As horrible of a mother I think I may be, I will never be as bad as the woman literally beating her child's naked rear in the women's restroom. I've never seen so many women shudder in my whole life. I make the promise to never do that. I can still hear the sound in my head.

I'm sure there is so much more, but I'm tired and headed to bed. Shopping with the boys will wear you down.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

This week....

has been a crazy week. I've been working my tail off and Kreg's getting ready to go deer hunting. Fun for all.

I've been given the opportunity to take on a full-time job and I'm actually terribly excited about it. (more details to come later!) But the hard part, is I am now on the search for a 'Nanny.' So if any readers know anyone who's looking to take on some boys, let me know.

Kreg and I have been thrown a loop and are trying to figure everything out. It's amazing how quickly your life can change.

Monday, November 06, 2006

this left me speechless this morning:

http://www.komotv.com/news/4533931.html

don't ..... know what to. . . . . say

Friday, November 03, 2006

randomness

you know you are a shopaholic when you enter CVS and the lovely sales person hands you a flyer to which your 4-year old promptly replies, "No thanks. We are just looking."

and why is it people STILL try to drive down parking rows the wrong damn way and they get upset at you when they think you are in their way. come on people! look at the way the cars are parked and the fact that I'm coming up the row. don't honk your horn at me and flip me off because YOU are going the wrong way. some people just shouldn't have a license. I'll hop off my soap box now.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

the tooth from H-E-L-L strikes again.

yep, I landed myself back in the dentist chair again today :(

last Tuesday I went in to have my stitches removed and still had quite a bit of swelling. they put me on another steroid pack but said things would improve, just be patient. that night, the crown on the tooth cracked. no biggie, dentist said when I am up to it, they will replace the crown.

this Tuesday I started having some pain and noticed the tooth was cracked in 2 places. by this afternoon the pain was getting intorable so I made the dreaded call.

anyone who has ever had anything stuck in their teeth can feel my pain with this one (or at least try too). turns out a part of my crown actually broke off and was jammed up in my gum, causing pain. imagine something stuck in your gum for 2 days, except mine was porcelain. needless to say, my gums have taken a massive beating.

after 2 root canals, a crown, an apicoectomy, and now this, I hope my troubles are soon over.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

the mishaps of Halloween

We headed to the Yorks for Halloween where Amy pulled out all her splendor with decorating and throwing a great bash! It took a while for the kids to get the hang of trick-or-treating, but once they did, the race was ON. Hunter kept tripping over his costume because he wore flip-flops and Jayden's costume kept falling off his shoulders.

Not sure which was funnier tonight, that Ryan gave out all the candy to the 1st Trick-or-Treators or the 1st house offered Hunter Nerds, Snickers, or Reese's Pieces to which he replied, "I don't like any of that. Got anything else."

Enjoy the costume pictures:

Monday, October 30, 2006

Fall Festival

I spent last Thursday volunteering @ the boys Fall Festival. I really had a fun time until Jayden discovered I was there. But the boys rocked the games and came home with loads of prizes. Here are the highlights:

the wonder of Halloween

so I finally forgave Jayden for taking off his shitty diaper and rubbing it all over my ottoman on Friday, but barely. I really don't know how to stop this. And it only does it for me. I mean, come on, give mom a break. she's the one who cares for you 10+ hours of the day, cooks you breakfast, lunch and dinner. buys your awesome clothes, snacks and juice boxes. the list could go on..............god help me with this one.

we meet up with the York fam to take the kids to the Haunted Hayride Saturday night and had a BLAST. I was a little unsure what the boys were going to think about it and I must give major kuddos to the boys school for hammering "Spooks aren't real" into the boys heads. because it wasn't my 2 and 4 year old that were literally screaming scared, it was the 6 and 8 year olds next to and across from us. there moms had to cover their eyes and were clearly upset about having beds full of kids that night. Hunter spent the entire 15 minutes laughing and enjoying himself and can't wait to go again.













Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Babies, Babies, Babies everywhere!!

everything I turn around, someone else is pregnant. I've got 3 cousins, 2 co-workers, and 2 girlfriends. That's a lot of babies. And everyone keeps asking the age 'ole question, "Don't you want another one?" Let me count the reasons why NOT!

1. 3 bedroom house. Both the boys have their own rooms right now and we love it. I'm so not in the mood to have to move things around.

2. my camry. which I love. I don't want a bigger car and 3 would mean I would have to get one.

3. 45 pounds on and off again. that's how much weight I gained with each of the boys and had to lose. really don't want to go through that again.

4. night feedings. 'nough said.

5. morning, day and night sickness. now, I got lucky and didn't have any of that but as I watch Tami & Shantal race to the bathroom at work, I thank my lucky stars I didn't. and I bet I would be guaranteed it with a 3rd.

6. the necessities. as much as I regret it, I've gotten rid of the crib. oh, and everything else.

7. the terrible 2's, 3's and 4's. nobody said it would be this bad.

8. maternity wear. yes, it's come a long way, but who really wants to go back there.

9. the boobs. I don't think I could ever stand the sight of them that big again. especially after paying to have them never be that big again.

10. hands. I have 2 and 2 kids. What the heck would I do with the 3rd? once you've got 3 kids, you're outnumbered!

11. epidural. after the problems with my last, I could never do it again and I would have to in order to have a 3rd.

so see, I can come up with plently of reasons I don't want anymore babies. yes, they are super cute and super cuddly, but I will be blessed with plently of babies to play with and adore when all the deliveries start happening.

Monday, October 23, 2006

how many strikes until I'm out?

Strike One: We tried to visit the new Leander Library today, but it was closed. Bummer. That's okay we will head to the pumpkin patch.

Strike Two: The pumpkin patch that the little church in Leander had last year, isn't there this year. Bummer.

Things can only get better, right?

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Pumpkin Carving

While I was enjoying work tonight, the boys did some pumpkin carving. They turned our darling!
This is our "Popo" pumpkin since Popo (my dad for those who don't know!) came up and helped the boys with this one.

Then they boys with their pumpkins:


Friday, October 20, 2006

my love for target

of course I wait until the last day to file my business taxes and as I'm stumbling to remember the website, I start typing letters into the address box hoping the website would pop up. it's texas dot something so I type in "t" and what do I get, a ton of address for various target links. okay, okay, maybe it's webfile dot something. let's type in "w". weeklyad.target links galore. still no tax website. hmm...maybe it's state dot something. crap, all "s" brings up is the slave to target blog. everything just keeps leading me to the TARGET stuff. maybe it's because I didn't make a trip there all week. It's just calling my name.

and maybe next time I will remember: window.state.tx.us

my hope

after all of my dental problems, my hope for the kids was that they wouldn't end up with my teeth.

today was their 6 month check-up with the dentist. all was well until the x-rays. turns out Jayden has an extra baby tooth. growing up in the roof of this mouth. backwards.

we are looking at a surgery in about a year. dentist says it isn't/won't cause any problems until permanent teeth come in but the surgery does involve cutting into the roof of his mouth. thankfully, at least one of his parents will be able to feel and understand his pain.

as for me, going on 48 hours of pain, they have given me Demerol. after the 'counsel' by the pharmacist, these little pills may stay in their nice orange plastic bottle. gut-renching mouth pain along with severe stomach issues is not what I need right now. so I may just stick with the gut-renching mouth pain.

Holidays

Jayden is having his tonsils and adenoids out the Friday before Thanksgiving. It's an overnight hospital stay for him and Kreg ;) (since he is a daddy's boy and all)

Since Thanksgiving isn't looking too grand, Christmas is looking even more spectacular! 5 days in Ruidoso, New Mexico, Dec 23-28! Thanks mom and dad ;)

I mananged to snag both of the boys BRAND NEW GAP snowboots @ the Mommy and Me Sale for $3.00 each. I about fainted when I saw them and that they were a size 10 and 11. Score one. Now I'm on the search for some nice snowsuits.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

pain meds, pain meds oh how I love you....

except when I am on my way downstairs to find the ultra yummy pumpkin bread from Whole Foods to eat so you don't make me sick and I smell something terrible. Coming from Jayden's room. Where he is suppose to be taking a nap for me so I can rest. Dr.'s orders. It's always so much fun to open the door to a naked child in bed and a poopy diaper sitting in the middle of the floor along with poop ground into the carpet all over the room. Breathe. Jayden loudly and happily proclaims, I pooped again! I just know I never should have started letting him drink V8 because it is making him poop more than the regular once a day. But Amy did say Jax loved it and it's so good from them. What kid can't use all those extra veggies?

It's even more fun to try and clean up this mess because every time I bend over, blood spews from my nose like a waterfall. But hey, at least I'm not drooling at the mouth anymore or having it drain down the back of my throat.

Where did I put those pain meds?

don't forget the back

many have known of my ongoing fight with back pain. finally about a month ago I got an MRI done. Turns out my 2 lowest disks are protruding inward against my spine and I have capsulitis in that area. So, I've been seeing the chiropractor and massage therapist twice a week hoping for some relief. Once the dentist put me on the steriod pack, the capsulitis calmed down a bit and has given me some relief.

take care of your teeth

2 years ago it was discovered I would need a root canal & a crown on my only front left molar. This is after the 4 other fillings, 1 other awful root canal and 2 other crowns. (my teeth are worth $1000's folks!!) Splendid. 2 years ago I got both done. 1 year later I begin to have more problems with the tooth. My lovely insurance decides they will only pay to have this tooth treated every 2 years and I don't have an extra $1000 to pay out of pocket for the treatment. So on antibotics I go. This July I crack my bottom right molar. It's beyond repair so they pull it. Then there's that matching upper right molar, it gets pulled too. Finally the 2 year mark hits this September and I make the dreaded 2nd root canal apointment. I go in and they pack the tooth full of meds and want that to sit for 2 weeks. Last Tuesday I go in to get that taken out and everything finished. Well, I keep having some pain during the procedure and after, I feel worse than ever. Turns out my canal is curved and they can't get it cleaned all the way. They put me on steriods and an antibotic. This Tuesday arrives and I'm still having some significant pain, I don't sleep well that night and the pain is making me sick to my stomach. So I go back in yesterday morning and I'm told to come back @ 3:00 for surgery. WTH???? So this is what they did: Numbed my gums, went it and cut my gums from the front of my mouth to the back, lifted them up, and went into the tooth that way so they could cut out the canals and any remaining tissue. And it turns out, my canals made a loop so they wouldn't have been able to ever really been cleaned with a root canal.

And that morning I so thought I was going to work after the procedure!! (can you say work-a-holic)

So today, I'm sitting here with a completely swollen left side of my face, stitches from my front teeth up to the roof and to the back of my mouth that are bleeding, pain in my jaw and somewhere else I'm not quite certain, unable to eat anything solid and the occasional rush of blood spilling out from my nose. It's quite a lovely day. And again, I was suppose to work.

Hopefully this will be the end of my well loved journey with my dentist.

Why I am starting this blog

For those who know me, I'm not the best at keeping in touch these days. With 2 adorable little boys, a husband, a part-time job @ Ann Taylor Factory, a semi-part-time job @ Bath and Body Works and a full-time candle business, things in my life can get out of whack very easily. My wonderful friend Amy (chunkyrhino.blogspot.com) has this wonderful blog and if I often wonder why she didn't return my phone call from that morning, I pop on to see what her day has entailed so I can forgive her.

So, this is my way of letting everyone know what my life is about, what I'm doing, what the kids are up to, and why I'm not getting back in touch with everyone like I should.

Please read, comment, and most of all, ENJOY!