Kids are Weird...and Funny.

My mom always tells me to write down the funny little thngs that my kids say and do so we can always remember them.

SO, Here is a List of those things my kids have said or done recently:

1. Joy woke up crying at 4am. She told me she wanted socks on, over top her sleeper. She was very insistent.

2. Drew told me, "Mommy, your tummy is sooo big!" Nice, huh? (no, i am NOT pregnant)

3. Chase just had to have SpiderMan shoes---these things are so obnoxious. Why do kids love this kind of stuff?

4. I overheard Chase tell Drew that that Daddy's knife they found is only for 6 year olds, NOT 3 year olds. (I'm pretty sure that Daddy shouldn't be trusted with that knife either, leaving it out for the kids to find? Come ON!)

4. Drew told me that his blood is the color green because that is Chase's favorite color...

5. After using the potty at Wendy's, Drew came out an exclaimed to Grandma, " I have corn in my turds!"

Brothers/Best Friends

I was so happy when Andrew was born. I knew that Chase would enjoy living life with a little brother to share his interests and play with. This is for the most part very true. Chase and Drew love trains, Spiderman, riding their bikes, and wrestling. Moments later they fight about the most ridiculous stuff. I can hardly believe the fine line between love and hate.

Today, they put their heads together and managed to eat ice cream in the middle of the day-- without my knowledge or help. I got out of the shower (yes, I took a shower in middle of the day) to see them dipping and double dipping their spoons into the ice cream carton.

I hope they always remain friends...just not partners in crime!

Oops, I Did It Again!

I seem to have a problem. I think it started when I was about 9 years old and wanted to get my first perm. I begged my mom for a haircut and a perm. No more curling irons, just spray my hair with a water bottle and let it dry. My mom gave in to my desire and the result was somewhat of a curly mullet.

Since then I have never been satisfied with my hair. It was either too thin, too brown, too straight, not enough bangs, the list goes on and on. As I reached adulthood this problem only worsened as I often took matters into my own hands. Just about every 3-4 months I decide that I need to save a few $$ and color/highlight my hair at home. Or maybe I decide to take a scissors to my head. I do not know what posesses me to do this, really. I doubt there is a 12-Step recovery program for this addiction.

Since last fall I have not been real a regular at a salon or to my hair stylist (Tami) :)
This is precisely the time when I cross over to the dark side, which is what happened today.

I bought this 2 step Color and Hi-lighting Kit at Target and decided today was the day to bust it open. With promises of "Multi-Tonal color in just over an hour", I proceeded with glee. The result: Step One was not bad, an all over cooler brown color. Step Two is where it took a turn for the worse. First, I ran out of creme to highlight my entire head, so I only had chunks in the front. It gets worse. Next, I didn't leave the highlighter on long enough...yep, the chunks are orangeish.

This story has almost reached an end. Luckily, I had another box of "Natural Match" hair color. I squirted that stuff on and it seems to have even things out a bit.
I was fortunate, I think it could have got even worse. I just could not stop myself!!!!

Does anyone else out there have a really weird "issue" such as this?

I think I need to stop trying to re-invent myself and settle on one haircolor and one hairstyle...at least until summer comes around.

Happy 6th Birthday Chase!!

How can this be? My little boy is 6 years old today. This is the first year that he really understood what his birthday means, and by that I mean parties and presents. He was been crossing off the days on a calendar and finally it is here, his big day. All week I have been trying to explain to Chase that birthdays are not just about getting gifts. Then I realized I may just be sucking the fun out of it. Birthdays are about celebrating and getting gifts, and being happy to be alive! Especially when you are 6!

We will have had a lot of fun by the end of this weekend. A trip to school with cupcakes, Craig's Cruisers, and two parties. Thanks to all of you who have made it special for him.

Happy Birthday Chaser!
We Love You!

Our Little Girl is 2 Years Old.

What a difference a year makes! These are some photos of Joy's first and second birthday parties. This past year she has grown some hair and lost some teeth (front and center). It has been a great privilege to watch her personality develop. She is no longer a baby which makes me a little sad but I'll just steal one of Stacey's babies come August, she will have plenty to go around. :)
Joy has turned into quite the chatterbox this month, some of her favorite words and phrases include:
"Mine"
"Dewey naughty"
"Leave it!"
"It's MY Mommy"
"Ce-Ce's babies in a woo-hoo" Translation: Stacey's babies in her tummy.
"No want it"
"Daddy wuurk"
And my personal favorite: "No want it potty, it's Dewey's."

Oy.
I predict this child will not give in to potty training anytime soon.
Happy 2nd Birthday Joy, we love you so much!

What My Parents Do For Fun??

Recently there has been a problem at my parents home. Let's call it in infestation. Their home is filled with Box Elder Bugs . See photo.

They are on the windows, crawling around on the carpet and such. Now understand that my Dad and Mom are clean people they don't live in filth. I know of no particular reason why the bugs have made a home there. What I find interesting about the situation is how attached they have become to the little "buggers." In fact, just tonight my Mom said,
"Oh, we like to watch them race across the carpet."
"One is Dad's and one is mine."

Can you just picture Dave and Judy sitting on the couch cheering their bugs to the finish line??? It certainly brings a smile to my face.

Is this what empty-nesters resort to for entertainment?

Yikes.

My Sister Is Expecting Triplets!

Today's post I want to dedicate to my sister Stacey and her husband Brad. They are on their way to becoming parents of three little miracles. Stacey is 11 weeks into her pregnancy. Sometimes I like to just sit and ponder it all. The sheer excitement to see and hold these 3 little ones parallels with worry about the gravity of this situation. THREE BABIES! Are they all boys, all girls, or a mixed bag? Hopefully in about 6 weeks or so they will find out what the gender of the babies are. Stacey has the most fascinating 3-D ultrasound picture of the babies at 10 weeks. They are actual little people in there! It is so amazing! Two of the babies are in "bunk beds" as she likes to call it. One on top of the other. The third baby is laying in a perpendicular position to the bunk beds. I say that one is going to be the rebel...
The last 2 weeks have been hard on Stacey. She has been pretty sick in the evenings and completely exhausted, as she is still a full time 5th grade teacher. Please keep them in your prayers for a certain end to the sickness and that the babies will continue to thrive inside their mommy who already loves them so much!!
I will be proud to offer more updates as the weeks progress, so stay tuned.
Isn't this little table about the cutest thing ever? I can just see all 3 of them in there fighting for the next bite of pureed ham. Yummy.

Check This Out!

If you are a sports fan, even if you're not, this is a great story about a high-school boy and a dream come true. Read the article and watch the video, truly heartwarming.

Thanks for the info, Ross.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2348397

Why Does the "Big 3-0" Bother Me So?

This is the first day of my thirties, sigh. Some of you out there who have experienced 30 come and go are probably thinking, "Honestly, Michelle, find something better to whine about. But today is my only chance to vent about it and this is my blog after all. So my one or two faithful readers will have to put up with it for a few more verses...

Maybe your 30th birthday is like one of those events that you look forward to and then after it happens there is some kind of let down and you can't believe it's over. For example, a wedding, or a really great vacation.
Maybe I was secretly looking forward to this milestone and now that I have reached it, it really isn't that life changing. Yes, that's it. I always thought turning 30 would mean full maturity as a parent, a Christian, and a wife. Is that what bothers me? Did I not meet the expectations I set for myself way back when in my early 20s? Sure, I am currently a wife/mom/Christian, but am I really reaching my potential at all of these roles? Why does a simple birthday conjure up such deep thoughts? Wait, don't answer that.

I'll spare you the remainder of my self-analysis for now. :) And I promise no more grumbling about turning the "Big 3-0".

The most wonderful thing about today is that I get to share a birthday with our precious daughter Joy. Happy Birthday Joy! More to come on that...