Kids say the darndist things...

Taylor: "Knock, Knock!"

Mommy (or whomever is playing the game with her): "Who's there?"

Taylor: "Chicken Bobby!!"

Mommy: "Chicken Bobby who?"

Taylor: "Chicken Bobby with beer on it!!"

Don't ask...I am just sharing. Giving you a glimpse into my life!! Oh and she tells this same knock knock joke to anyone that will play with her.

Just so you are aware!!

Spelling B*E*E*

Well, it has happened. I am not sure when it happened, but it did!!

People told me this would happen and I laughed.

I thought the whole thing was hilarious and nothing I would EVER have to do.

Boy was I wrong!!

Do you know what I am talking about?

No???

Well, then I will tell you. I am now spelling out words during conversations where I do not want my kids to know who or what I am talking about. Yep, mid-sentence I start spelling words.

Now here's the kicker...I am THE WORST speller. Oh who am I kidding...you already know this because you read my blog. Anyway...I have to really stop and think about what I am spelling. Now this would not be a problem if I wasn't losing my memory too. I am convinced having kids (more specifically giving birth) triggers something inside of a woman and they instantly start forgetting everything. And with every kid it gets worse.

So here I am having a conversation with my mom, trying really hard to remember the point to my story and how to spell C*R*O*C*S. As long as I stick with five (or less) letter words I should be safe!

Everything but the kitchen sink

It was definitely a four day weekend of crazy madness, hence the reason I am posting on Tuesday night. I am still tired and am starting to dream of the boring month of January. OK fine, I really do not want to wish the holidays away. I am exhausted though and feel like a pedicure or massage sound really good right now.

Anyway...back to the weekend.

We started things off with Thomas' preschool program on Friday. I could not have been prouder!! His class was the last class to perform and let me just tell you...they saved the best for last.






They sang "I'm gettin' nuttin' for Christmas!" and they did great. I bordered on the line between crying and laughing the whole song.





After the program it was on to see the Big GUY!! The kids were super excited to see Santa and had exactly what they were going to tell him all planned out. Thomas was an old pro and hopped right up on his lap...Taylor on the other hand...well look at her face. It pretty much says it all, but once he asked her what she wanted...she was just fine.







Saturday was an early morning dance recital for Taylor and a late evening adult party for mommy and daddy. A perfect way to start the day and a GREAT way to end the day. Taylor's recital was adorable and I bordered on the same line I had the previous day.







Our good friends Chris and Jen threw an awesome Wine party. But because I do not drink wine...I chose to drink champagne and had the headache to prove it all day Sunday. Well worth it though!!


My hubby scored suite tickets to the Cardinals game on Sunday and although we ARE NOT Cardinals fans, how could we pass?? It is kind of like flying first class though..you really don't want to go back to those coach seats.


And to end my weekend my mom threw a cookie decorating party on Monday night and it was a blast. 15 women decorating cookies, drinking Sangria and chatting lots. I feel like we need to do this monthly, yearly just isn't enough.




And that is that. What did you all do this weekend??

Thinking of you THURSDAY!!

I will start off by saying that I am not a fashion expert and not just because my sister tells me every chance she gets, I know it all on my own.

With that said though...

I feel it must be said.

And I am going to be the one that says it...

So listen closely...

It is always a good idea to consult your mirror before leaving the house or an actual person, I am not going to be picky.

There I said!!

Call me a ?@*!%, I can handle it.

Here's the deal though, it has occurred to me over the last few weeks while doing my Christmas shopping that there are quite a few people that DO NOT DO THIS!! And they should!

I would not be offended if someone (or my mirror) told me that something I chose to wear was just not right...or did not look good...

In fact I encourage it.

There are looks that I personally cannot pull off and I know it. That is OK! It is the way it should be.

So next time you leave the house...look in the mirror and listen to what it is telling you. I promise you that sometimes it will tell you to go back to the closet!

The End of an Era

In 1996 I started working for the fine retail establishment better known as...

SAFEWAY!!

Yes, the grocery chain.

In order to get a car and actually drive it when I was 16 required me to get a job. As luck would have it that job would be a courtesy clerk (technical term: bagger) making a nice minimum wage of $5.00 or something close to that an hour.

Now before I get to the matter at hand I should give you a little back story. The plan was never to make a career out of Safeway (no offense). To be fair, I am not sure I know what the plan WAS, but I can say with a good amount of certainty that it was NOT to work at Safeway for the rest of my life. I dabbled in the idea that I would be some sort of criminal psychologist, but no one knows that. OK now everyone knows that, but whatever. Obviously that never panned out.

See I got accepted to Washington State University (Go Cougs!!), but declined!! Why might you ask?? Well I had a boyfriend and without boring you with all of the details you can pretty much figure out I chose the boyfriend. It is a little funny to think what my life would have been like if I had chose the school over the boy. But I didn't, so that is that.

I spent a few minutes in community college, but that didn't last either. Looking back I think it came down to the more my paycheck was the more I liked it and school got pushed to the back burner. And the back burner turned into the back of the closet.

Anyway, fast forward 14 years.

I now have a wonderful hubby, two wonderful kids and more than a few bills. Oh and I am still working for Safeway.

BUT NOT FOR LONG...

Christmas Eve 2010 will mark the end of my Safeway career. The end of an era as I would like to refer to it. A decision I have not and still do not take lightly, but think it is the right time. I am going to try the SAHM thing full-time for a while and then when the wonderfulness of that wears off...

Figure out what I want to be when I grow up!!

Wish me luck and if you know what it is like to spend 24/7 with two toddlers, send me a bottle of wine. I might need it!!

He'll Always Be My Baby

He makes me laugh

He makes me smile

He frustrates me just as much

He knows everything (just like his namesake)

He asks me not once...not twice...but multiple times a day the same question and I am convinced it is just to drive me nuts

And five years ago today I was laying in a hospital bed waiting for him to arrive.

I did not know it then, but this little baby boy that I would give birth too would change my life FOREVER!!



Being his mommy makes me a very lucky girl!! I love you Thomas!!

Candy Cane Anyone???

I am pretty sure this picture speaks for itself...

But I will let you decide.




It is moments like this that bring everything into perspective and are what make being a mommy the best thing I have ever done!!!

What I know...

1. I know that the sounds of my voice DOES NOT get better every time I hear it.

2. I know that my kids only listen when it benefits them and never anytime else.

3. I know that there is no such this as a "Laundry Fairy", but if I could have a fairy that is what I would want it to be. The tooth fairy seems expendable, she never really served much purpose if you ask me.

4. I know that I should be a lot further along with my Christmas shopping.... but I am not.

5. I know that I am not a car person... I am an SUV or truck girl and absolutely love my new car.

6. For some reason I have a new addiction to starburst (yes...the candy), it developed after Halloween and hasn't gone away.

7. Now I want Starburst and I do not have any....GREAT!!

8. I am SUPER DUPER excited for Black Friday!! YES...I am one of the crazies out at some ungodly hour of the morning, standing in a very ridiculous line...waiting to buy....a bunch of crap.

9. OK fine not crap...but probably stuff I don't need.

10. Speaking of Black Friday... is it just me or are we getting really closed to it being Black Thursday?? Every year the stores open earlier and earlier. I am contemplating just getting in line right after I eat my pie on Thanksgiving. But I won't!!

11. I can not believe it is the week of Thanksgiving!!! I know I sound old, but time really does fly by.

12. I have 5 year old!!!! What the heck??? When did this happen?? I swear he was just a little baby.

13. Oh what am I saying...he is the test that keeps on testing. Every minute of my day is spent bargaining with him.

14. Totally random, but I just noticed that my DVR is fuller than it has ever been...apparently I have some shows to catch up on.

15. I will leave you with that, but trust me there is more where that came from.

Putting in my two week notice...

Because this morning while driving to dance lessons, Thomas told me that when he grows up he is going to be a professional football player. He then asked Taylor what she was going to be and when she told him that she too was going to be a professional football player he laughed and said...

"Oh no Cookie! You are going to be a princess, Right??"

She then replied..

"Oh Yeah!!"

So is it too soon to hang up my hat at Safeway and plan for my Thomas to take care of me??

An Unexpected Upgrade

So a few weeks ago...ok actually about a month ago my hubby had a little accident. No worries, everyone is alright.

Well except...





My car!!

She was a total loss, so I have been driving a rental car this entire time. I am now happy to report though, I will be turning in my rental car this evening and driving my newly purchased SUV tomorrow. I will be sure to post a couple pics and let you know how I like driving it. I am pretty nervous because it is bigger than the car I had. I plan to be a grandma driver for a while until I get used to it. :)

My Furry Friend!! Or not

I know, I know...

I told you last Monday that I had an uninvited guest in my house and this guest had really put a wrench in my Monday morning. Well, he put a freakin' wrench in the first half of my week when all was said and done.

After three days, half the contents of my pantry thrown in the garbage and a minor disagreement with my hubby (ok it was a little bigger than a minor disagreement, but we'll just leave it at that) ...

The mouse is GONE!

I am not sure how the little bugger got in the house, but hopefully none of his friends or family come to visit. BUT...they will end up in the same garbage can this mouse did if they do.

In other news...

Thomas finished soccer yesterday. I think he was more excited about the trophy he got than any part of the actual season, but oh well. Around here soccer is huge and therefor the next season starts in two months.

Taylor is loving her dance class and gets SOOOO excited every Wednesday morning when I tell her she has dance. She has her first recital in December and besides practicing in class, I practice with her at home. If all goes well she will be the star of the show. :) Oh who am I kidding she is already the star in my opinion, but it would be great if she did the performance without getting distracted.

Another Halloween in the books

Well I had hoped to post earlier today, but I woke up to an uninvited guest in my house and have been tending to that mess. That story will be for another post.

Halloween, or should I say Halloween weekend, was a huge success!! My two little munchkins were transformed into a pirate and a wench for three days straight. It was a jam packed weekend that started on Friday for Thomas' school party and ended last night with some good ol' fashion Trick or Treating!!









Seeing all these things through the eyes of kids is absolutely awesome. Watching their eyes light up when they get candy, watching their little legs run from house to house...I absolutely loved it!

It was a great weekend, but I am officially done with Halloween. Ok fine... I am thinking about what great costumes I will have my mom make next year, but don't tell her. HeHe!!

Living in a BUBBLE

Sometimes I feel like we live in a bubble. I sit down to peruse blogland and see what my fellow bloggers are up to and all I see is hats and gloves, rain boots and coats.

Apparently AZ is the only place that has not received the "It is Fall!" message.

Taylor comes out of her room this morning with a skirt and tank top and I say "Sure...why not? It is supposed to be in the 80's today."

Please do not mistake this post for a complaint BECAUSE it is anything but. I do however want to start wearing some of my fall clothes and my new boots. I am just slightly burnt out on flip flops.

One post recap...

Last week was a very busy, but wonderful week with my hubby's family. It felt busy, but to be honest it was pretty laid back and relaxing. Well, except the minor detail that the kids were hyped up from Sunday to Sunday solid. For that I needed my own vacation from their vacation, but enough about that.

The week included a visit to the aquarium, which in my opinion was a total bust. However, I did get some cute pics of the kids and they enjoyed it. So who cares what I think right??



I think the carousal in the mall after the aquarium was more exciting, but what do I know??



We spent quite a bit of time just hanging out at the house and playing outside. Although the temps where still in the high 90's, it felt cooler to my kids and they love that they can be outside again.






We ended the week attending a beautiful wedding. And for the most part my kids behaved themselves almost the whole night. It was nice getting the whole family dressed up for a change.

For a GREAT cause..

I am going to stray completely away from the kids and what's been going on in our lives lately and tell you about something you need to check out.

My mom has an auction on ebay for 100+ greeting cards, all proceeds going to Susan G Komen. All of the cards are handmade and one-of-a-kind. I may be a bit bias, but these cards are AMAZING...oh and you would never have to buy another Hallmark card (well at least not for a really long time).

Updates on our week still to come!!

When is it my turn??

I have been a mom for almost five years and although I have taken vacations with just my hubby or with the whole family...

I HAVE NEVER GOTTEN AWAY BY MYSELF!!

Yes, you guessed it...my hubby is out of town again. This time though it is not so much business as it is pleasure. A long weekend playing golf.

The kids and I manage just fine, but I just keep wondering when I get to jump in the car with some girlfriends and take off for three days???

Maybe someday!!!

A girl can dream right??

I don't have any pics from the last week, but I did edit some pics of the kids swimming two weekends ago at my parents. Thought I would share.

Have a good weekend!!

Soup and Footy Pajamas

When we lived in Washington if the sun came out everyone left work early (or sure wanted too) to soak it in. You just never knew if it would last. I am not lying when I tell you that it is the exact opposite in Arizona. During the hot summer months going to work is 100% OK because being outside is pure hell.

Now please do not think for one minute I am complaining...

Although I am sick of the 100+ degree days (it is October people, it needs to end), I would not trade them for rain ANY day.

People down here think the rain is great!!!

They talk about it like it really is the GREATEST thing. I DO NOT get it???

On that note though, every time the skies turn gray and I can see rain in the distance (and know it is heading my way)...

I want soup and a fire. Maybe a movie and some cuddling on the couch with my munchkins in there footy pajamas. Who by the way think rain is the funniest thing. One rain drop and they instantly think it is cold outside. I would guess during our rainstorm today the temp dropped to 80. And truthfully that is probably way understated.

Since I have no soup and I am opting for "Breakfast for dinner" night. The kids LOVE that!!

A year's supply!!!

Among other things this is one thing that has kept me busy and away from the computer lately.

Applesauce!!!

Lots and lots of applesauce!!







A while back I gave you my recipe and since I have gotten so good, I will just refer you to that post. I now just throw it all together and cross my fingers.

I don't have time for recipes...just kidding!! I rely heavily on recipes, just ask my mom (whom I also rely heavily on)!!

Anywhooooo....

My freezer is stocked and we should be good for a while. The kids and I love us some applesauce!!

A complicated relationship and something serious

If I haven't told you this before (I know I have over 100 times) my little Taylor is stubborn. It is rare that you can convince her to do something that she does not want too. Completely unlike Thomas...who will eventually cave.

Taylor can be outgoing and very friendly...when she wants to be.

She is daddy's girl...when she wants to be, and mommy's girl the rest of the time.

She is Nana's girl...when she wants to be, and papa's girl....

Oh wait...

This is the complicated relationship I was referring to.

Every time papa asks her for a kiss this is the reaction he gets.




What a little pill...don't you think?

But sometimes

When she feels like it.

She can be a his sweet granddaughter!!



The nature of the beast I guess!!

Now, for a little more serious note. I have sat down to right this post a few times and end up deleting it because I haven't been sure about posting to my blog.

A while back I posted some wonderful news that our family was going to be growing by two little feet. Well, it is with a heavy heart that I tell you all a few weeks after finding out I was pregnant, I had a miscarriage. It was quite an emotional roller coaster and nothing I ever imagined would happen to me. After having two very normal pregnancies and two very healthy babies, it came as a huge shock. Besides the enormous amount of emotions I was feeling about everything...I had to tell everyone. It is just not something that easily fits into conversations...Oh by the way....

I wasn't really sure it was something I wanted to post about, but I decided that my blog is my life on paper. I use it to vent in all other aspects of my life, so this should be no different.

For a mom of two busy toddlers, some days blogland is my only door out and for that I love you all!!

Little This...Little That

Today is Wednesday and that means dance class for Taylor. The first two classes she was SOOO excited to go and then BAM...third class and she protests. Of course this mommy is what some would consider a mean mommy and I made her go anyway. After the first five minutes she did fine and that was that.

The following Wednesday again with the protest. This time the protest involved crying and laying on the floor of dance class. I wish I had a photo to share because it made me laugh. After the first five minutes she did fine and that was that.

Are you noticing a pattern here??

Taylor (unlike Thomas) is as stubborn as they come. When this little girl doesn't want to do something you can forget about it. She rarely falls for bribery and gives in ONLY on her own terms.

Today...like the last two classes...started with protests, but to my surprise they didn't last. I asked her if I could take a picture of her in her tutu and somehow this completely distracted her from not wanted to go to class.



And just so you all know... I am not forcing her to go to dance class. If she really didn't want to go I would not make her. She is just a little shy and it always takes her the first few minutes of class to warm up to everyone.

Thursdays and Saturdays are Thomas' soccer days. The only word to describe this....HILARIOUS! A bunch of 4 yr olds running around, rarely aware of which direction they should be running.

Since I work every Saturday I have only made it to one of his games. Although I think one game pretty much sums up the entire season. I have decided Thomas is there mostly for the social aspect of it and could take it or leave it as far as the soccer goes. However, a camera can tell a totally different story. I like the story that these pics tell.



Oh and their Halloween costumes.....



PIRATES!!! Both of them!!!

Another month come and gone...

My weekly routine with the kids seems to be making the time just fly by. Add in all of the things that are "non-computer" related, another month come and gone and what you get is a really bad blogger. The truth is, ever since school started two months ago I have been out of sorts.

My camera has dust people!!!

Yes I said...DUST!!

I keep picking it up and even throwing it in the car with me, but that's where it ends. I never end up actually using it. I started organizing photos the other day...hundreds and hundreds might I say...and realized that this is the first summer that I have taken close to zero pics of the kids. I fear that in the future...far in the future...I will look back and wonder what happened in the summer of 2010 that kept me from taking pictures of the kids. I will wonder what they looked like...what they were doing.

Oh well I guess. Although it is still 105 degrees out, summer is over!

It is time to focus on fall.

So that is what I will do. I told you a while back, so far back you probably don't remember, that I would give you a hint to our Halloween cotume choices this year. So I will do just that...



This is the pattern for Taylor's costume!!! Can you figure out which one she will be?? Thanks to my wonderful mom both of the kids' costumes are finished and just waiting. Halloween can not come fast enough for this mommy!!

Stealing some fun...

So, I have nothing new to report around here. And actually that is quite alright with me. The kids and I plug along all week with our little routine and I have occasional moments of insanity and then I regroup. I spend the weekend trying to soak up any minute I can get of shared parenting and then the week starts all over again. I love it though and wouldn't have it any other way.

With that said...

I was perusing blogs this morning and read my friend Jessica's blog and decided to steal her post today.

Most of my posts are about my kids, but today I am talking all about myself.

25 Things You Do Not Know About Me (well, except my mom and my sis...they know pretty much everything about me)

1. I cannot eat milk duds without popcorn.
2. My absolute favorite color is yellow, but I only own one shirt that is yellow and wear black and white most days.
3. Christmas is my favorite holiday, but since having kids Mother's Day is the day I look forward to the most. My hubby has made everyone so far great!
4. I watch General Hospital...yes the soap opera, religiously. It is my number one on the DVR list.
5. Country music makes me absolutely HAPPY...it can turn my mood around instantly.
6. I despise laundry...everything that has to do with laundry I hate. So, much so that I would hire someone to do it if I could afford to.
7. I love doing the dishes and prefer to do them myself even if my hubby offers to do them.
8. I have never started a BBQ...I get freaked out at the thought of starting it. I have no idea why.
9. I am scared to DEATH of snakes and just the site of one will cause me to have a nightmare the next time I fall asleep.
10. At work my routine is like CLOCK WORK...I am neurotic about it.
11. The only nickname I have ever really had is Miffie...there are only a select few people in my family that still call me that.
12. My favorite movie is Top Gun even though I really do not like Tom Cruise.
13. I think motherhood is the most rewarding thing I have ever done.
14. I laugh at my kids daily.
15. I have the mouth of a trucker and my favorite word is not a very good one.
16. I always have a plan, but never stick to it.
17. I have never packed for a trip earlier than the night before.
18. I strongly dislike local news, but watch NBC Nightly News every night...I love Brian Williams.
19. I dream every night and almost always remember them in the morning. I have often wondered what they mean...if anything.
20. I would love to write a book about motherhood.
21. I once made a list of 50 things I wanted to do in life and #5 was ride a Harley across the country. I laugh every time I read the list. Oh and I have never been on a Harley.
22. If I could own a race horse I would name it "Are you kidding me?"
23. I say "Seriously?" so much that Thomas now says it.
24. It drives me nuts when kids that can talk have pacifiers.
25. When I cry at movies it is usually the "ugly cry"

And there you have it. A little bit more about me that you probably didn't know 5 minutes ago.

Are you ready for some football??

Because we are!!

Officially the 2010/11 NFL season began last Thursday night, but Sunday was really the day that made it official in our house.



Thomas keeps changing his mind as to what team he is backing. This week you can see he was a Seahawk fan...next week though...he will probably be a Cardinals fan. My hubby will not agree with me, but I don't care which team he likes.

Laboring on Labor Day??

Well, our Labor Day was filled with a whole lot more laboring than resting. No complaints here though, I felt pretty good last night when I looked back on what I got accomplished.

Tom and I both worked all weekend, but did a little playing. I took the kids to our friends Chris and Jen's house for some much needed swimming. Well, the kids swam and mom just chatted. Oh and had Jen design an awesome flier for a Breast Cancer fundraiser we are having at work...more on that later...but Jen is great. Tom took Thomas golfing...not just to the driving range either...they actually played 9 holes.

They were sooo cute when they drove by in the cart and when they got home. Sometimes it absolutely amazes me how grown up Thomas can be. I do not like it quite frankly, but more on that later.

I did some much needed cleaning of both my car and my house. I always feel pretty darn good when I get cleaning done. It isn't may favorite thing to do, but it is rewarding when it is done.

And lastly...

I finished two projects. I will be sharing over on TaylorTHIS lately today. Each project I finish makes me smile a little more.

outplay...outwit...OUTLAST

So, I decided to start the VERY dreaded task of POTTY TRAINING!!!

Can I just tell you that I am one pair of underwear away from giving up and it is only day two?

Can I just tell you that it is WAY different with Taylor than it was with Thomas?

Can I just tell you that Taylor thinks it is some sort of game? That every time she has an accident... THAT is when she decides to tell me she has to go potty!! Better late than never...I GUESS

Can I just tell you that she thinks the door needs to be closed and I need to leave her alone while she is trying to go? I am sorry, but when was the last time I got to use the restroom without a dog and two toddlers hanging off of me? She must be taking a page out of my hubbys book...Mr. I need 30 min with no interruptions. Oh don't even get me started, I really could devote an entire post to Moms and Dads and the differences in restroom usage. But I digress

Can I just tell you that Thomas gets more excited when she goes in the toilet than she does?

Oh and one more thing....

Can I just tell you that my mom is tackling potty training tomorrow while I am at work.

Please...Please...Please

NO ACCIDENTS AT NANA's

My Mastercard Commercial

Dance class...$45.00 a month

Tap and Ballet Shoes...$35.00

Leotard, tights and skirt...$28.00

Getting to see Taylor sitting with five other little girls at her first dance class...

PRICELESS!!




Side note...

Thomas was just as excited for Taylor to go to her first dance class as I was. He was a totally supportive big brother. I was a proud mommy at 10am this morning.