This Little Piggy...

I'll do just about anything for a free something. Make that free something a pedicure and I'm sold! Check out the contest happening over at EdenCrest Day Spa. These people will make your feet pretty! (And seriously... who doesn't want pretty toes?!?)

Just Kickin' It

Life is awesome. Totally worth dancing about. And then you trip and fall. And seriously... you're already down there, so why not take a nap? My kid totally gets me.

Here We Go

Well it's done. No turning back now, right? I mean, you can't just put down money to hold a lot, and then actually go and order a house to be built (putting MORE money down on that) and then change your mind, can you? No, I suppose not. Not that I want to change my mind. Still, sometimes I have to remind myself that it's not even an option anymore. Not without losing a lot of money and sleep over it. (Both of which I happen to hold quite dear, and would really hate to lose).

What's that you say? We're building a house? Oh yeah... hadn't I mentioned that? Maybe not. Well, since you asked... yes, Rick and I decided that we've put our due time in. We've rented for our entire lives together (7 years!) and it's (FINALLY) time to get into our own home. After over a year of watching the market and looking at both existing homes and builders galore, we decided to build. So, for those of you who live/know the area and want the details, here ya go:

We're building with Olin Homes. We looked at almost all the builders and decided that they would give us the most house for our dollar. Our floor plan is a two-story and has 1947 Sq.Ft. They are located back behind the Trac, pretty close to where they are building the new chapel. (We're thinking it's 1st Ward, but don't quote me on that). They guaranteed closing no later than June 30th, so we're pretty stoked.

Excuse me while I go hyperventilate for a minute... something about blogging about it makes it very... REAL. Alright well... you can all consider yourself warned. If every post between now and then is oozing with boring house details, you can't say I didn't try to warn you.

Help!

Alright, I'm reaching out to my fellow Tri-Cities bloggers. I'm in the market for two doctors. First, I need a good pediatrician for the boys. Anybody you can recommend? Anybody you would definitely stay away from? We've got one now, but he doesn't really give me the warm fuzzies I'm looking for. And alright... I'll admit it. When looking up some info on our insurance website the other day... I noticed that our current pediatrician is 70 years old. Would that bother anyone else? I mean, wowza... I love grandpas as much as the next gal, but seriously, as a pediatrician? It just bugs me for some reason. And don't go picturing some sweet little grandpa that loves kids and plays all cute with them. Our pediatrician has more of the "grumpy old man" personality. When I found out he was 70, well, lets just say that totally explained a lot. Anyhow, now you can see why I'm in need of some recommendations.

So, the second Dr. I need is a good OB-GYN. No, we're not pregnant, but it's about that time of year when I have to face the music (or that cold metal thingy, as the case may be) and bite the bullet. I could avoid this forever, but lets face it... what wouldn't I do for a good solid hour without my kids? So I need the goods, ladies. Don't be shy. And again, I'll take the bad with the good. Even if you don't know who I should see... don't hesitate to tell me who I shouldn't see.

Help a sister out and I promise that the next boring post wont be so, er... boring. :-)

I Hate to Admit...

I'm totally stealing this idea. I read about it first here, and then of course read the additional sister versions here and here. That lead to my own sister's edition, which of course meant that I couldn't resist.

I hate to admit...

• That I'm addicted to anything fizzy. No, scratch that... because that wouldn't even be so bad. I'm actually addicted to anything NOT DIET that's fizzy. Trust me people, I've tried to like the other stuff. It's just wrong. When I hear people say they can't live without their DIET COKE (or any diet soda, for that matter) I experience extreme feelings of negativity... usually directed at them. (Sorry, Shayla... I still love you)

• That I will try in the very near future to, yet AGAIN, make myself like diet soda. What was that definition of insanity I once heard?

• That I really dislike visiting teaching. That, my friends, is putting it mildly. I hate that I have to do it (or rather, should do it). I hate that other people (aka women I don't know) have to come visit me when I would rather them NOT. I realize it's infinite potential for both giving and receiving blessings, but seriously... do we have to bring my social anxiety into my home?
  

• That I'm starting Weight Watchers (AGAIN) tomorrow. Need I say more?
  

• That my bathrooms have gone months at a time without seeing any Clorox and most of the time I just really don't care.

• That I'm glad the original owners of this house had such terrible taste in kitchen flooring. I can now go months weeks without mopping and nobody can even tell.

• That I just had to do a google search to figure out how to use strikethrough in blogger.
  

• That I have a sister who does oober-cool designs for many-a-person's blog, but I haven't even asked her to do mine. Am I a loser for using pre-made templates?

• That I secretly like Hamburger Helper and make it for my family.

• That it only just occurred to me that there are apparently A LOT of people who think that Hamburger Helper is disgusting and I might need to be embarrassed by my last admission.

• I kind of wish they'd call me to some really high-ranked calling, but every time I get ANY calling I always end up wishing I didn't have to do so much work. (Okay, any work, but still...)

• That my sister thinks that she's a loser and that I'm cool. I happen to think that I'm a loser and that she's cool. Does that make both of us cool or both of us losers?

• That I'm a total blog-stalker. If you're not sure who's out there secretly reading your blog, don't worry... it's just me.
  

• That I'm more addicted to my child's pacifier than he is. Can you say plug, anyone?

• That I wish it were socially acceptable for my 4 (almost 5) year old to have a pacifier. I can't get that kid to shut up sometimes. What's worse is that the 10% that is sooooo adorable, almost makes up for the 90% that makes me want to blow my brains out.

• That it's after 11 o'clock and I'm seriously considering eating something more. (After all... if I'm starting WW tomorrow, then this is kind of my "last night".)
  

• That I compare the way I feel about starting Weight Watchers tomorrow to the way a criminal would feel the day before heading to the electric chair. (See above... last meal, anyone?)
  

• That I've spent an hour on this post and we haven't even hit the tip of this iceberg!
  

Plan A

I'm grumpy today. I'm all snappy and sarcastic and my poor boys have had to put up with me all day. I don't even have any good excuses for it. Well... maybe a few.

Oh, hadn't you heard? I'm suddenly single. Yeah, my husband up and disappeared again. Okay, well... it wasn't really all that sudden.... and he didn't exactly "disappear" either. (See what I mean about the sarcasm?) He's back to Oklahoma for the next month. More training in the world of Air Traffic Control. He left me all alone here in the world of peanut butter and stinky diapers.

In an attempt to put an end to this mood I'm in, I'm going to take a walk on the bright side of things. Just so you know, if this doesn't work, my "plan B" is to plop down on the couch, watch some mind numbing TV, and eat everything that isn't good for me. Hmmm... now that I think about it... Plan B sounds WAY better than that bright side crap. ... But since I'm already here...

- A month is a long time without your spouse. Having said that... it is WAY shorter than the three months he was gone last time. Plus... we're in our own house this time. Plus... I'm not 8 months pregnant. Plus... I don't have to move us in or out by myself.

-A month in training means one majorly awesome thing: We have a job. Rick is progressing in this job and really likes it. This will be the last time he'll have to go back to OK for any extended amount of time. A month without my husband is so worth the sacrifice if it equals a lifetime in a great career.

-This time a month in training means a month of regular salary PLUS any per diem that Rick doesn't spend while there. Last time he went through training we had no income. It was a little scary.

-For the next month I don't get to sleep in even ONCE. I now have not only "mommy brain" but weirdly enough, I also have "daddy brain". No girls night out, no impromptu trips to the store (or anywhere, for that matter). If I need something after the boys are in bed, that's just too bad because it'll have to wait until morning, when I'll have the joy of loading them into the car and taking them with me. Having said all that, for the next month I get to wake up to sweet hugs and kisses. I get constant reminders of how simply wonderful life can be. I get to spend my days with the 2 greatest kids on earth. I get to see this every day:

and this:

-This month may be a rough one, but there is one major thing that's going to make it absolutely awesome. For over 2 weeks of it, I'll be taking the boys back to Albuquerque. Lots of aunts and uncles and cousins and Grandpa and Grandma time! We are so excited! Every day Noah goes to the calender and we count how many days are left until we go.

-I tease Rick a lot about all the freedom he'll have and "livin' the bachelor life again", but in all seriousness, it's not exactly a vacation for him, either. Being away from family can be really hard and I know that you can't be the awesome dad that Rick is, without really missing your kids when you're gone.

-A month is a long time to be separated. But speaking from last years' experience, distance really does make the heart grow fonder! There's nothing like keeping a family apart to make them appreciate how much they love being together.

Alright. I'll admit it. I'm feeling much better. But just to really solidify things... I think I'm going to have to follow through with Plan B. I mean, really... it would be irresponsible of me not to, right? I have my children to think of, after all. If I don't do EVERYTHING in my power to make sure I'm not so grumpy tomorrow, then I haven't really done my job as a mother, don't you think? Yes. It would be down right WRONG of me not to sit and veg and eat. I'm glad we agree.

What Was I Saying?

I am sucking on a grape jolly rancher right now while staring at my computer screen. It's already September (in fact it's almost October!), and I haven't blogged since June. Will my diligent blog followers eventually give up and stop following? It suddenly doesn't seem so important because my grape jolly rancher has dwindled down to nothing and I have to grab another, only this one is cherry. And I'm wondering why I ate the grape one first... because anyone who knows me knows that I always save the best for last, and anybody who's anybody knows that grape is better than cherry.

And what in the world made me think that only 2 jolly ranchers would be enough? Rick and I went exploring model homes the other day. One very brilliant builder must have known we were coming. Their model home had a plethora of toys set up in the corner for my boys. (How thoughtful!) And then on the counter there was a whole jar filled with colorful jolly ranchers. I gave Noah one. (Grape, of course... I am a very generous mother, if nothing else) Cade glanced in our direction looking utterly betrayed. Had the jolly ranchers come on a stick, I would have caved and given him one, too. As it were, I'm pretty sure there weren't any. (I was secretly relieved because Cade can make a disaster out of a sucker. The child has more saliva than a full-grown St. Bernard.) And then, feeling more than a little proud of myself for thinking ahead, I quietly poked 2 more jolly ranchers into my pocket in case the next builder didn't like giving children candy.

I took a grape one, and then a red one. (Because everyone knows that you're almost always safe with red). Well, by the time we left that builder, all of the other's had closed. So we went home. And I didn't have to appease my oldest with more candy, after all. And I could keep it all for myself. (I've never denied having a very demanding sweet tooth). I hid them in the cupboard where Noah couldn't reach them, and Rick wouldn't notice them. (His teeth are not nearly as demanding as mine, but sometimes he gets the urge... and then my teeth get mad because they were saving that sweet for a very specific time!)

So tonight I sat down at the computer and began the essentials. (There was a lot of reading, clicking, scanning, and scrolling). You know how it is... Then I decided it was definitely time for some uploading. And out came the camera. And then, amongst all the technology, my teeth started quietly requesting something sweet. Or was that my stomach? Sometimes it's hard to tell. It really could have been my tongue, too. That happens from time to time. Well, whatever it was, it didn't have to ask me twice. (My head, after all, knows how to pick it's fights... and there was no winning this one.)

And then the oddest thing happened. I reached into my little hiding spot and, without thinking, simply grabbed whichever one came first and plopped it into my mouth! How careless! How utterly lackadaisical of me! (By the way... I have to confess that I looked in a thesaurus and found that word... do you love me more or less because I'm just that weird?) So... I sat down in front of my computer. I clicked my way onto my blog. I clicked to start a New Post. And then... the grapeness was gone. And everyone knows you can't write anything worth while if you're teeth (or stomach or tongue) are too loud. So I went back for the second one. And it was red. But instead of a strawberry red (which everyone ALSO knows is the best of all the reds), it was a cherry red. Which, okay, let's be honest here. It's alright. I mean... it's definitely not green apple (eewww) or that new blue one (what's that all about?!). So it could be way worse. But cherry? Left for last? What was a I thinking?!?

And now it's gone, too. My sweet tooth is satisfied. My stomach is appeased. But my tongue? Well.. my tongue is not at all happy. And I realize that perhaps it was my tongue all along. And I blew it. Now I'm going to have to go find something else to officially leave for last. And suddenly... I remember there might just be a few M & M's left hiding in the cupboard...

Let Me Count the Ways...

I love my blog.

You would not be able to guess this sweet little nugget of information from actually reading my blog, however. You see, when it comes to blogging, I've got my directional compass all skeewamped*. I don't have any problems coming UP with something to write about. There are many times throughout the day that I find myself mind blogging a really great post. It's narrowing it DOWN that really gets me in the end. (Do you see how I cleverly inserted directions just then? Get it? Up? Down? This is what I mean by really great posts.)

So, here we are, months since my last post and I've got oodles of ideas floating in my head. I could write about how it finally stopped raining (only I'd use lots of those cleverly inserted word games to try to trick you into thinking that my telling you about the weather was super mind blowing.)

I considered granting an entire post to our trip to Seattle over Memorial Day weekend. My cousin-in-law (is that real?) reminded me of how long it had really been since I'd graced everyone with my literary talents. That one would include lots of pictures of my adorable boys. And lets face it... any posts that include those cuties are even more mind blowing than the weather.

I seriously considered doing another "100 About Me" post. I did one back when I first started my blog (over 2 years ago?!?). Then, after thinking of less than 10 things, I remembered how HARD it is to come up with that much stuff! (And seriously... a "9 Things About Me" post just doesn't quite have the same ring to it.)

I could give updates about our daily lives... Rick's job, the kids, the Russian lady across the street... but then I'd have to come up with some way to make it seem like our lives were... I don't know... interesting... or something like that. (Rick's job is great, by the way. He just checked out on Ground Control today. If you don't know what that is, just trust me... it's awesome. Also, Cade still isn't walking but that full red head of hair just keeps on coming. Noah is currently OBSESSED with Transformers. Ask him to make the noise that they make when they transform. There are no words to describe. Oh, and the Russian lady? She has officially removed her fake flowers and replaced them with real ones. Not a day goes by that you can't find her in her yard. I invite any of you to come over to sit and watch her with me. There is no better way to pass the time, people. I kid you not. I've got some seriously awesome theories about this lady.)

I've got a great post brewing about therapy and hypnotic weight loss, but it's not quite ready yet. We'll see if I can fix my blogging compass enough to actually get that one written.

So do you see my problem here? My literary genius just cannot be controlled. If I let loose, you're all going to end up trying to comprehend endless pages of word vomit.

So there you have it. I have blogged. I have loved.

The End.


*Skeewamped, is in fact, a word. I know this because I have very fond memories of my mother using it to frequently describe such things as the Christmas tree or perhaps a hanging on the wall. And while you may not find it in a dictionary, (although I can't be sure... I've never actually checked), I'm pretty sure if it were there, Mr. Webster would have spelled it wrong. The correct spelling is, most definitely, the way I spelled it above.

Green Thumbs And Plastic Produce

It's raining.

Again.

I'm fairly certain that the grass is actually getting greener as I type this. Did I mention how much grass there is up here? We have a fantastic backyard that's all fenced in with more grass than I'm sure Noah could have ever conjured up in his own little imagination. And the front yard? Yep... more grass. We even have a little plot all ready and waiting for us to plant a garden. I think about it almost every day. I've never grown anything in a garden before. I'm fairly good at growing babies, but vegetables? This frightens me a little. My green thumb isn't nearly as green as our grass. I have a rough time keeping my poor little house plants alive.

Our neighbor that lives directly across the street from us is Russian. Rick said he overheard her talking, and it was later confirmed from another neighbor that she barely speaks a lick of English. She's this cute little old lady and she obviously believes that flowers should grow year round. She's got one of those cute little white picket fences that borders her entire front yard. And then along her walkway, she has planted (yes, I mean actually put in the dirt) dozens of little plastic flowers. I kid you not. It's a very colorful introduction to her front door. I'm told that once the weather is nice enough to grow real flowers, she will dig up the plastic ones and replace them with their living counterparts.

She is out there everyday tending to her yard. I'm not quite sure what kind of maintenance plastic flowers require, but it must be very demanding. She is quite devoted. And then I wonder if perhaps she has a little vegetable garden in her back yard. Maybe she could teach me a thing or two about keeping things alive. Or maybe I should go plant some plastic zucchini or tomatoes in my garden. This lady might really be on to something here. I might be able to keep plastic produce alive, after all. Hmmm...

Does anyone know how to say pumpkin in Russian?

Still In One Piece...

Well, we've arrived. And by that I mean, we got here about 3 weeks ago but I've just barely been able to wade through the boxes and find my way to a computer. More specifically my blog. But we're here. And now the moving part is over and the settling part can begin. The ward has been great so far. We live within walking distance from my sister and that has been SUPER FANTASTIC. The drivers are nicer up here. The weather leaves something to be desired, but we left during the perfect season in Albuquerque and people keep promising me that it'll get much better . I didn't realize how dependent I was on getting that sunshine everyday.

Rick started his job and so far everything is going just fine. He says the people are really very nice and the training up here isn't quite as intense. He's still enduring a lot of studying and memorizing before he really gets started so we'll see how things go in the future.

The boys are starting to get adjusted. Cade has been crawling since he was 6 months old, but only finally submitted to that when he realized that it was the fastest way to get himself over to something that he could pull himself up on. He's 8 months now and pulling himself up to everything. He cruises like a pro and is determined to walk before much longer.

Noah is doing really well with all the changes. He talks a lot about missing his Grandma & Grandpa Reed and all his cousins, but really enjoys his 2 cousins (Natalie & Kenzie) up here. We've had to endure a few more tantrums here and there, but overall, he's doing okay adjusting.

I'm just not so sure what to make of all of this. I've inherited a lot of my Dad's genes... he would always get this "itch" to move... to have another adventure, and I totally get that from him. Our entire marriage I'm always looking for a new place to live, ready to take a leap into the unknown. Most of the time I have to settle for rearranging the furniture to ease the urge. But now? Now that we actually up and left and "took that leap into the unknown"? My goodness, people! Why didn't anybody tell me how much moving sucks?!? Changing banks, and re-registering your car (which costs a FORTUNE by the way), and always feeling lost because you just threw the dumb map out the window and now you REALLY don't know where you are. This is soooo not an adventure! Someone who has done this before, puh-lease tell me how long this will last.?. How long does it take for a "new" place to become "home"?

Whew! Now that I got that off my chest, have I mentioned just how totally awesome it is that I get to live so close to my sister? Seriously. If your sister isn't your best friend, and you don't live only a few blocks away, then you all should majorly consider a) getting a sister, if you don't have one, b) becoming best friends, and then c) move down the street already!

And suddenly... moving doesn't seem so bad.

For Real This Time

I've had a lot on my mind this week. Mostly because this whole moving thing (while not all that simple to begin with) turned out to be a lot more complicated than we were originally led to believe. If you've read any of my past posts from the previous year, I sure wish you would have reminded me how long it takes the government to do anything. Needless to say, today is March 1st, and we are still here in Albuquerque. That, however, is going to change within the next week. Rick's starting date up in Pasco has been changed to the 15th, and this time the paperwork has all been completed and there's no more delays. Yay. I think.?.

It's funny how you worry about something soooo much, and then, once the problem has resolved itself, you don't really get to stop worrying. Instead, you just start worrying about something new. At least that's how it's been for us the past few weeks.

So today was my last Sunday here in Albuquerque. Sundays have traditionally been "family" days. Whether Rick's family or mine, we've had very few lonely Sundays throughout the whole of our marriage. Today Rick had to work, so I loaded up the boys and headed out to my brother's house. It wasn't much different from most, but I kept finding myself pausing every now and then. There are a few things that are going to be VERY hard to say goodbye to. So, in my own little way, here is my tribute to Albuquerque and all it contains:

-Somehow, this place that I hated in the beginning, managed to allure 4 out of the 8 siblings in my family. And while this list might contain many other things, family is by far the #1 thing that I am going to miss the most. While families together almost always tend to equal drama, I suppose it's that drama that creates some of the best memories.

-Dry, windy, desert? Yes. The best word to describe this place? UGLY. Having said that, I have to admit that Albuquerque has some of the best sunsets known to man.

-I've said it before and I'll say it again: this place might not be the #1 vacation spot in the world, but if you haven't come to see the Balloon Fiesta in the fall, then you really ought to. Hundreds of hot air balloons in the sky all at once? 'Nough said.

-The "war" between the Eastside and the Westside will never end. I've lived on both sides and since I still have family occupying them both, I remain silent on my opinion as to which is "better". Now that Rio Rancho has decided to join in the battle, there will never be peace between our families.

-While I still can't speak a lick of Spanish, I feel pretty comfortable translating the street names around here. Elm Street? Main Street? Numbered streets?!? NEVER!

-I'm a little nervous about transitioning back over to siding. Siding DOES NOT exist down here. It's stucco. EVERYWHERE. Washingtonians probably don't even know what an adobe home is. (There will, most assuredly, be more posts about this once we've moved)

-Some say we'll end up back here in a few years. Others say we'll never come back for more than a visit. No matter what happens, after 5 different homes, 2 babies, 6 anniversaries, and countless memories, Albuquerque will always be "home" to us.

While this list could go on and on, these boxes are staring at me from across the room. It's time to get movin'. Literally. As they say, this story is to be continued...

Moving? Again? Really?!?

Life is funny. And I don't really mean haha funny. But more like the kind of funny that happens when you stub your toe while on your way to the bathroom in the middle of the night. The kind of funny that really hurts when you're the one it happens to, but makes your husband laugh right out loud when he wakes up and finds you hopping around on one foot cursing under your breath all while glaring at him from across the room. The kind of funny that you can't really appreciate until you're looking back at it in the light of day.

That has been my life over the past 6 weeks. Funny. Unfortunately, I'm still kind of stuck in that hopping around on one foot part of it, and haven't really gotten to the actual funny part yet. In an attempt to keep things fairly short and sweet, I'll just give you the Cliffs Notes:

After Christmas, Rick started having a pretty rough time at work. There's about a million reasons that contributed to that, which I wont go into, but we found ourselves in a pretty tight situation. Rick's training was put on hold and after getting a lot of great advise from some coworkers of his, we decided that it was time to try and transfer out of Albuquerque. There are technically rules that say you're not allowed to transfer until you're checked out on all the positions, but we pushed a little harder and were able to get the ball rolling. So yesterday, after about a month (and LOTS of government red tape), we just found out that our transfer has been approved. It looks like our days here in the land of enchantment are coming to an end. Actually... they are coming to a screeching halt if you really want to know. They are asking for Rick to start up in Pasco, Washington on March 1st. Yep, it looks like I'm headed back up north. That leaves things here in Albuquerque pretty crazy right now. After trying to get out of here for the past 6 years, now that it's finally happening I've got some seriously mixed emotions. The good news, is that I don't even have 2 seconds to stop and let myself actually FEEL them. Somehow, we've got to find a way out of our lease (which isn't up until June), pack up our entire lives, find a home up in Washington, and actually get ourselves up to Washington... all before March 1st.

So if you don't see another post from me for a while, you'll know why. Wish us luck and I'll update you with new contact info as soon as we have it.

Deja Vu

You know it's really sad when you sign on to update your blog and you realize that your background is back from THANKSGIVING! Ah, well... ti's the season, right? I've changed it in the hopes that nobody has noticed.

So, it's 2009, and it's a little odd to look back and realize that I came completely full circle over the past 365 days. Just to really drive home the craziness that was 2008, I'm going to take a moment to recap:

• I rang in 2008 on my knees. Literally. Praying to the porcelain gods to please just make it stop. Smack dab in the middle of those first dreaded 16 weeks of my pregnancy (this time it was more like 18 weeks, but who's counting?). I remember looking at the clock just long enough to realize that the new year had commenced, and then swiftly got back to the much more pressing matter at hand.

• After over 8 months of waiting and wondering, we finally confirmed that Rick had been offered a job with the FAA. (Little did we know it would be almost another 4 months before things actually began happening).

• By the time April rolled around, we found ourselves moving out of our home and waving goodbye to a husband and father.

• We moved into Rick's parents' home for 6 weeks.

• Then we moved to Utah to be with my parents for 6 weeks.

• One quick trip to visit Daddy in Oklahoma for a week.

• And then we moved BACK in with Rick's parents to bring it all home.

• Eight months pregnant and I started the house search by myself. It was June and HOT and I remember waddling from house to house trying to find one that would fit our needs. It was about this time when I realized that I might be just a little bit CRAZY for agreeing to do this. I found a house, and minus a husband that usually takes care of the moving part, I begged any breathing male within the city limits to take pity on me and help me get moved in. The next thing I know, I'm alone with my 3 year old son, surrounded by boxes, and the air conditioning in our new home doesn't work! After getting it fixed, we settled in to survive the last week before Rick would come home and make everything right again.

• Cue Knight in Shining Armour. My husband came home just in time to welcome Mr. Kermy into the world and start his new job working as an air traffic controller here in Albuquerque.

• The last 6 months of 2008 flew by in a flash. Rick has been buried neck deep in training that seems to never end. Noah is going to be four soon and hopefully starting preschool next fall. Cade is forever a beacon of light in our house. The boy almost never stops smiling. And I... well..
  

• New Year's Eve came faster than ever and, wouldn't you believe it, that afternoon I started to feel not so great. By dinner time I was passing on any festivities and heading for my bed. Ironic, but I ended up closing 2008 exactly the way it started. There I found myself, once again, on the cold tile floor of my bathroom down on my knees. With only a flu bug to blame this time (don't get any crazy ideas), midnight rolled around and I took a moment to glance up at the clock. What a ride it's been. Happy Freakin' New Year.
  

Laziness

So, I know I could do a google search. I realize that I could find out this information for myself. Having said that, I would like to fully admit that I'm just too darn lazy for all that and so I've decided to post about it and I'm sure that one of you can help me.

Please someone tell me where/how I can get one of those cute little things that you can put as your picture? Like down were you can "follow my blog", there's these cute little squares that represent who you are. I know how I can make that my own picture, but seriously... pictures of myself are the bane of my existence right now, so I need something cute and fun. Shayla and Heather, you both have something different, so share the love! Where can I get one?

Thank you. That is all.

Need I Say More?

True to my word, my last post was not about the boys. Having pointed that out, I just cannot possibly wait any longer to share these adorable photos of Mr. Kermy. He's just so completely edible!

My child is a genius. He has already set tremendous goals for himself and practices every day to achieve them. The above picture, for instance, is him practicing to fit his ENTIRE fist into his mouth. Yes, people... the whole thing. Now wait... you say that's not enough to get him into Harvard? Well, we'll see... you can all just wait 18 years and then eat your words. Kind of like the way he's eating his hand...

And this is Mr. Kermy smiling after filling out his application to Harvard...

And this is Mr. Kermy laughing because he got accepted into Harvard all while everyone thought that eating your own fist doesn't make you a genius.

Really, need I say more?

Spreadin' the Joy

I was sitting in Olive Garden the other night (my birthday dinner with the Reed family) and was having the hardest time not eavesdropping on the table next to ours. (I had chicken fettuccine, by the way... yummm) Okay, so I wasn't really trying very hard not to listen, but don't judge me... they were talking super loud. Anyways, at first they were talking politics, and I immediately got nauseous and tuned them out. (It was so nice to receive those 8 million messages on my machine yesterday asking me to vote for every politician with a pulse, but I am SOOOO ready for this election to be over!) Well, then their conversation turned to Halloween and Trick or Treating (it was that night) and I couldn't help but tilt my head back in their direction. You know what this chick said?!? She said that someone very important that lived somewhere very renowned did a very famous study that concluded that there are roughly 8000 calories in one of those little orange pumpkins that all the kids collect their candy in. Seriously? Must people go and ruin a perfectly good holiday by attaching statistics to it like that?!? I was JUST FINE, thank you very much, without having an actual number associated with how terrible I was/still am/will continue to eat after this wretched holiday has passed. Well, you all know me, I can't possibly hear something so upsetting without passing along the joy to anyone who will listen. So there you go, people. Happy Freakin' Halloween! Enjoy your candy.

P.S. I was eating a mini twix bar while I typed this. It was soooo worth it!

This is Your Brain After Babies...

I've been working from home on my computer for the past 2 hours and found the blogging world calling my name. How can you be on the computer and not check out everything waiting for you on your google reader? It took all of my willpower to actually do the work first, rather than put off the boring Quickbooks stuff in order to read about everyone else's night that is most definitely funner than mine right now. (Is "funner" a word? Well, if it wasn't, then it is now.)

As it is, Mr. Kermy is fast asleep in his swing. I should put him to bed, but he needs to eat once more before officially calling it quits. I know, I know... never wake a sleeping baby. But these are my choices: a. Wake him now (while I'm still awake), feed him, and then effortlessly toss him in the crib with the hopes that he'll sleep until 6 am. (Worst case scenario he'll wake up once around 3 am) -OR- b. Toss him in the crib, make a mad dash for my bed, lay there awake because I KNOW the minute my eyes close he'll start squirming for some milk (since technically he hasn't eaten since 6 pm), finally fall asleep, wake up @ 1 am to feed him, put him back to bed (while risking the chance that he'll be wide awake and want to play for an hour), crawl back into bed only to wake up at 6 am to feed again. Don't ask me why, but topping him off right before I go to bed almost always guarantees a good solid chunk of shut-eye for me. Wow... I cannot believe I just gave you a running commentary of Kermy's night schedule. Even as I'm typing it, I'm thinking how totally boring this must be... but I just can't stop myself. THIS is what happens when you have a baby! Word vomit... all the time. I'm warning all of you now (I know, it's a little late). This post was merely an attempt to get away from doing more work. I should have put a disclaimer up there at the top. WARNING: ONLY READ THIS POST IF YOU ARE CATASTROPHICALLY BORED AND ARE TRYING TO PROCRASTINATE DOING YOUR WORK. THAT IS WHAT PROVOKED THIS POST, AND THAT IS TRULY THE ONLY REASON WHY YOU SHOULD ALLOW YOURSELF TO KEEP READING IT. IF IN FACT YOUR CURRENT SITUATION APPLIES TO THE ABOVE STATEMENT, BE AWARE THAT THERE WILL BE POINTLESS BABY-TALK INVOLVED. CONSIDER YOURSELF FOREWARNED.

Well, I seriously considered cutting and pasting that little warning up at the top, but suddenly I find it very funny that you are all still here reading this. You know you can't stop reading now. And I digress.

P.S. I promise that my next post will have nothing to do with babies... more specifically... my babies.

P.S.S. (Or is it P.P.S...will someone please tell me?) That previous comment is probably a lie. Just so you know.

P.S.S.S (Seriously... it's going to bug me all night now) No, really... no babies. I think I mean it this time...

The Good, the Bad, and the Impossible

So one thing that you kind of know happens when you have kids, but totally don't understand the extent of, is all the growing that occurs. It starts at the very beginning when you first notice that little "baby bump" that is just "so darn cute." You're excited. You can't wait to start wearing those maternity clothes and for people to notice that "you're showing". It's proof that you are, indeed, doing the one thing on earth that NEVER gets old. You are making something amazing, therefore, you are amazing. And then, suddenly, your little "baby bump" starts getting a little bigger. And then it starts getting a lot bigger. But you stay cool... it's okay. You knew you were going to get big. And then it just keeps on growing! And suddenly, you're in your 8th month (okay, okay... you're 7th month) and you are starting to wonder how in the world things could possibly grow any more. And then... they do. They just KEEP GETTING BIGGER. Oh, and by "they", I mean EVERYTHING. Not just the belly. There are certain things that nobody warned you about, or if they did, you sure as heck either didn't listen (women who are pre-baby have a tendency to do that) or you just down right didn't believe that that would ever happen to you.

And then the baby comes. And in an attempt to keep things from getting too graphic, I'll just say that the growing doesn't exactly stop there. And while the belly sort of went away, it didn't really go away. And you patiently (or not so patiently, if you're at all a human female) wait for your body to return to "normal". As a side note, I want you all to know that I started laughing out loud after typing that last sentence. It took a LONG time after Noah was born for me to figure out a very key part of becoming a mom. NORMAL DOES NOT NOW AND NEVER WILL AGAIN EXIST. That applies to everything. Time, control, emotions, and most definitely your body. Being a mom, for me at least, means attempting to recreate normal every second of every day. But anyways, getting back to all that growing...

So there's all the physical stuff. And everyone hears about all that emotional growing that does indeed occur pretty much every day. But many people don't know that there is such a thing as the "impossible growth". Yesterday I was faced with the challenge of growing in such a way that no science or earthly power could explain. I was rocking Mr. Kermy in his room, hoping he'd fall asleep quickly so I could get Noah off to his own dream world. Noah, in turn, was in his room, and I figured he was probably enjoying the extra few minutes of play before bedtime. The next thing I know, I see Noah quietly walk up beside Mr. Kermy and I, with such a look in his eyes that could break a mothers heart. He reached up his hands and motioned for me to hold him and rock him the way I was rocking little Kermy. Here was the dilemma. And I'm sure many mothers have faced this and thought the same thing. Surely there wasn't enough room on my lap for both children. One would wake the other and there would most definitely be crying involved. I reached for Noah and the most miraculous thing occurred. I'm telling you, people, you had to see it to believe it. Right before my eyes, I watched my lap grow. Suddenly there was all of the room in the world for my boys and I knew without a doubt that there always would be.

Okay, Okay... I guess some of that growing isn't all bad...

Look What I Made!!!

I have absolutely no excuse. I mean, except for moving into our new home (by myself and 9 months pregnant), finally welcoming my husband back home, giving birth to a beautiful little boy, and recreating our own definition of what we call our family… yeah… except that stuff, I have absolutely no excuse for taking so long to blog. In fact, you’d think that with so much going on, I’d have oodles of stuff to say! I bet all of you thought I had quit blogging for good. Well, I’m back and ready to catch up. Without further ado, let me introduce you to our new little one:

Caden James Reed

Born: July 22, 2008
7lbs, 12oz
19"

I make some pretty cute babies, huh? For those of you wondering, Cade was in the NICU after he was born. He had some breathing difficulty, but got to come home with us at the normal time. He's totally fine now. It’s been an incredible experience this time around. It’s so fun to watch and see how similar Cade is to Noah, and so TOTALLY different all at the same time. Lots of people tell us that they look a lot alike, but Cade definitely has more Ivey in him. Plus, I’m sure you can’t really tell, but Mr. Kermy (that’s his nickname since when you hold him up, he curls his legs up like a little frog) is working on growing a beautiful head of red hair. (He gets that from his Great Grandma Ivey). He also completely escaped the curse that is Noah’s hair. (Noah has what we call “The Perfect Storm” occurring on his poor little head. I’m not kidding people… all of the cowlicks look like a bunch of converging hurricanes.) Cade has the most bubbly personality and is ready with a laugh and a smile at any given moment. We fortunately also escaped that terrible colic that Noah was plagued with so badly. It’s a rare moment to see Mr. Kermy really upset. And he’s only 3 months old but definitely knows his big brother and loves him to death. Noah, in turn, is a great big brother and (knock on wood) hasn’t had even 1 jealous outburst. I love that they are already getting to be the best of friends, but I fear that Mommy is in for a real ride once they get older. We’ve got some real double trouble coming our way, I think.

Noah just woke up from his nap. That's my cue to wrap things up. Oh, and by the way, do you know where the word "cowlick" came from? Yeah, some guy thought it up because if you've got a cowlick, it looks like some cow came up and licked your head, leaving the hair going in every direction. How funny is that? I think cowlick is my new favorite word...

Bliss

I slowly closed my eyes as I felt my fingers curl themselves ever so slightly around the bar in front of me. Even with them closed, I could sense the bright red color that, for tonight at least, signified my freedom. It had been forever, it seemed. I allowed myself one small step forward as I listened for the tiny squeak that I knew would inevitably accompany the turn of the wheels. Most of the time that noise would annoy me along with a million other aspects of this errand, but tonight... no... tonight I would allow that noise to be my background music. I would allow it to lull me into a false sense of time, allow it to carry me senselessly up and down the isles. I knew by heart that my first stop would be that beloved dollar section. Oh, how many times had I urged myself to pass by, knowing that my small shopping partner would never allow me to exit without something in stow? But this errand was different. I was alone this time. Blessedly child-free. When was the last time I'd been able to visit this wonderful world of red and white without dodging the toy section and hurrying through the rows of bliss only to grab and get through the check-out lane without any tantrums or mishaps? How long had it been? As I aimlessly wandered up and down every isle in the store I knew that my time here would be ending soon. I knew that I must return, and I knew then, just as I know now, that tomorrow I will surely awake and wonder if it was all just a dream...