back

So I am back home, and so happy to be with my men again! It was a VERY long drive home. Daniel and I ended up back at the house at almost 5am! ICK! We slept for awhile, and then Dan (father in law) dropped the babies off at 9. The boys both ran in and gave me HUGE hugs! Awww...I missed them so much. They were so excited to see me. I said hi, then turned over and went back to sleep! lol Daniel let me sleep for a few more hours and then we switched places. When Daniel got up, it was time for the boys to go down for a nap so I got to sleep some more! :) Daniel headed off to work (even though I tried to tell him not to). Our whole schedule was definitely thrown off.
Its nice to get back to normal today. The kids have been fighting colds since coming back from my inlaws, which sucks, but we are thankful its nothing worse. It has made them super sleepy though, which is a good and bad thing. They definitely need the sleep...but I miss them.
Both the boys have been super cuddly since I got home. I do love that! Connor will bring me toys and go "You wanna play with me momma?" How cute is that?? Evan has been giving lots of kisses and hugs.
Connor saw my tattoo, pulled up the sleeve on his arm and goes "Where my punkin tattoo??" He had a pumpkin tattoo from Old Navy for Halloween. I told him that his was just a temporary one and that his wore off. I explained to him that mine was different and wouldnt wear off. He looked down at his hand again and told me he wanted a "bird tattoo". Lol....ok kid, whatever you say!
We finally got our screwdriver for the Wii in from Hong Kong. We were able to get all the coins out (we hope) and we are going to test it tonight. Here is hoping it works!

My Weekend!

Ok so, its not technically over, but we will get to that in a minute.

I got up to Columbia about 4ish on Friday. I was so happy to be done driving! Britt met me at the hotel, but had a concert she had to go to so she hopped in the shower, got ready and left. I chatted through web cam with Daniel and the boys, which was fun. After Britt got back we went out to dinner at Olive Garden (yummm) then out for a driving tour of her college. It was freezing out. I got to see where she lived, which was fun. We then met up with a boy who was recording songs at some auditorium on campus. Apparently Britt digs this guy. So we chatted it up with him for awhile. After, we drove around a bit more and finally went back to the hotel. We were going to go swimming, but we were both exhausted so we just went to bed.

Saturday morning we got up late (ahhhh sleeping in!) and didnt have time to do anything but get ready and check out of the hotel. Britt had to work, so we ran by Walmart and got something that I needed and grabbed a quick breakfast at the McDonalds there. Britt dropped me off at the mall, and left for work. I had three hours to just roam around the mall. I am not a shopper. I got SO bored after 1/2 an hour. I did manage to pick up some cute clothes for the boys. After awhile, I just sat down on a bench and people watched. Apparently Britt left her phone at work, and didnt get the text to tell her where I was. I waited FOREVER for her to come!! She finally found me, after she had walked all around the mall trying to find me.

We then went to check in at our new hotel and tried to find a place where I could buy a charger for my phone (which had died at this point). We found a place to go online, but got lost looking for it. When we DID finally find it, it was closed. Great. We went to some hole in the wall Mexican place for dinner. It was SO good, but they didnt give me the queso I asked for, I am still bitter. :( We then went back to the hotel to try to find something to do. We ended up deciding on a comedy club, but it was too early to go, and we were tired so we took an hour nap. We got up, dolled ourselves up and hit the town. We had SO much fun, despite the insane amount of creepers that tried to hit on us. After the comedy club we hit up Hot Box Cookies. Its this WONDERFUL place that these college kids started up. You go in and they have 4 or 5 different doughs you choose from, then they have TONS of topping you choose that they mix into the dough you picked. Then they bake the cookies for you while you wait! It was so fun, and the cookies were so good. Oh, they also deliver! How wonderful is that?? We headed back to the hotel, as it was almost 2:30am at that point. Right next to the hotel is a Gumby's pizza. We were hungry, and the pizza smelled SO good...and Britt had a coupon, so we ordered some pizza, got in our jammies and waited. The pizza only took 20 minutes to get there! We ate some food and finally went to bed. 3:30 am.

This morning we got up at 11 am, got ready and checked out of the hotel. We then went back to the mall because Britt wanted a few things. A few hours (ugh!) later we were done. We headed downtown to check out some of the small vintage and indie shops there and (the most exciting part to me) to get my tattoo! We set up my appointment for my tattoo and had an hour so we walked around the shops downtown. Most places were closed because it was Sunday. Boo. Finally, at 4 pm, we went to get my tattoo done! I was SO scare and nervous. I thought I was going to puke. Britt sat and held my hand. The guy that did it was so good though, and I think he knew I was scared! lol After it started, it really wasnt that bad! It just felt like a hard pinch. It did hurt a little more closer to my hand. I got it on my inner wrist. :) The whole thing only took about 20 minutes, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!! I cant stop looking down at it. After we were done with the tattoo, we headed back to the first hotel to get my car so I could leave to go back home. This was 5 pm. This is where the "fun" began.

I got my stuff out of Britt's car, then started looking for the key to my car. I kept looking. More frantic looking. Desperate almost about to cry looking. Yeah. No key. I think maybe I left it at the hotel. We called...no key. At this point, I know all hope is lost. The key is gone. I called Daniel and asked what I should do. Call a locksmith he said. I called. Oh...the car isnt really mine, its my mother in laws. I used it so that Daniel would have the van to take the boys around this weekend. Apparently, my mother in law has the only car that is impossible to make a copy of. Something with a microchip. Well CRAP! Daniel found a locksmith that said he could make a key if Daniel scanned my inlaws other key and faxed it to him. Daniel runs to Office max and scans and faxes the copy. Britt and I are hanging out in the lobby of the hotel while the locksmith makes the key. About 1/2 an hour later, the locksmith shows up with the key. He opens the door with the key (yay!) he puts the key in the ignition and turns. The lights come on (yay!) but....no engine. CRAPPPPP! At this point I just want to cry.

I call Daniel and tell him. He now has to bring the key up to Columbia and we both have to drive back. This means an unnecessary 8 hour trip for Daniel. This also means that we wont be getting home till 4 or 5 am. I am SO angry at myself. Daniel dropped the kids off at the inlaws and has started driving here. He has been driving for an hour and a half now. I am just waiting for him to show up and we will begin our journey back home. I really cant wait to get back home. I had a great time with Brittney, but I miss my babies and Daniel so much.

The End.

Kid free, hubby free weekend!

Today I leave to go up to Columbia, Missouri. My little sister is attending college there, so I am heading up for a weekend to visit her. Daniel and the boys will stay here for a boys weekend. He is ordering a pizza, taking them to a movie and out to eat with mother in law. They will have a good time. I will miss them, but it will be really nice to have a whole weekend just to relax and not have to worry about them. The only big problem with the trip is that I have to drive 4 hours by myself! I HATE driving...and driving by myself?? Ick. I have never driven that far either...and I dont know the way. Thank goodness for mapquest eh?? I dont have a single thing packed, but I dont leave for another 2 1/2 hours so I am ok.
Ok, thats not true. I do have my makeup packed. Last night I ran out to buy a Caboodles train case for all my everyday minerals makeup. I have a TON of it! The stuff is so addicting, AND they make it cheap enough you want to buy it all! I have 25 eyeshadows. Thats sad, but whats even sadder is that I have more colors I want to buy. Its seriously a badddd addiction. They just make the prettiest colors. I figure that I live in a house of boys, I deserve to have a little something for myself, and thats my makeup.
Alright, I am off to cuddle my little boys before leaving them the whole weekend. :(

The adventures of Curlytop and Redhead

Today was just one of "those" days. The boys thought it would be fun to get into everything they werent supposed to. I had the house clean this morning, and by noon it looks like a landfill blew up in here. It is absolutely the way these two can trash a house. Its like some super power...an evil super power.
Our day started off innocent. The boys got up and had breakfast before daddy left for work. Nick Jr got turned on for our morning wake up routine. We are not morning people. After daddy left, Connor asked me where he went.
"Daddy had to go to work" I explained.
"oh the make the monies."
"yup, he has to make monies"
"So he can give me monies!"
2 years old and he has it figured out already.
After two Nick Jr shows, the tv was turned off and Christmas music was turned on. Evan did his version of "Santa Baby" which sounded like a pack of wolves howling. I mean that in the nicest way of course.
The boys went off to play for a bit, giving me some time to pick up some toys and research some stuff for Daniel. A few minutes later, I feel something freezing on my leg. I look down and see a "nekked" can on my leg. Apparently, there was a bag full of cans of spaghettios and raviolis left on the floor by the pantry. My lovely boys had taken off every label and were making a tower with the cans. I guess we will be playing mystery can sometime in the near future.
After putting up the cans, the boys started playing with cars. No problem there...until Evan screamed because Connor smashed a car in his face causing a semi-black eye. Yay.
Next, Connor said he had to use the potty. Ok sure...I knew he probably wouldnt go, it is more of a game to him. I get him on the pot and of course Evan pipes in with "I potty!!". We only have one potty chair at the moment, so I told him he had to wait. He didnt really have to go after all. Connor sat on the potty chair for all of 2 minutes when he goes "ok I watch cartoons now!" (we would let him watch a short show when he used the potty). I told him he couldnt because he didnt go pee or poop in the potty. So started a yelling fit from Connor.
"I wanna watch Cartwooooons" for 10 straight minutes. Of course, Evan joined in because he couldnt be left out.
I got Connor dressed back up then undress Evan and put him on the potty. He used the opportunity to play with himself. Starts early in men. The whole time Connor is crying because he wants cartoons.
Finally lunch comes, and Daniel comes home to help. They eat great, and even help clean themselves. Making up for the morning I guess.
A few hours of nice playing and then it was time for bed. They slept for 4 hours!!
They woke up in a great mood and are currently playing with daddy. I am getting covered by foam letters from their puzzles as I type.

I love being a mom. :)

PUPPPPPPPPPPY!

Ok so the cold-hearted monster (that would be ME) has finally given in. We will get a puppy.

A few things you should know...
1) I hate dogs.
2) We had a dog that was FORCED upon me shortly after Evan was born, and it ran away.
3) Dogs stink. I hate stink.

So this is a big deal for me. I gave in because Evan absolutely LOVES dogs. I mean he screeches at the top of his lungs when he sees one. A few weeks ago, my inlaws got a new puppy and Evan carried that dog around for forever like a baby and kissed on him...it was adorable. This time I made the rules. I wanted something SMALL (this was the biggest factor) and cute and one that I liked. After spending hours searching the web, I found a breed I like. A Pomeranian. Pomeranians have to be the CUTEST puppies out there...and they are cute as adults too! Yay! Anyway, his birthday is coming up so we decided a puppy would make a perfect present. We wanted to get the puppy before it got too cold, so he will be getting his present early.

A few more hours were spent looking for a breeder around our area that didnt completely jack up the prices on dogs. I mean $3000 for a puppy?? Over my dead body. We finally found one that was only an hour away with VERY reasonable prices. We looked over their listings and I am proud to present our new pet...


The breeder has him named "Brad" but that will be changed. He is a Pomeranian, and will join our family in two weeks! I cant wait!

It's Over

We are screwed.

That some should be rich, shows that others may become rich, and hence is just encouragement to industry and enterprise. Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another; but let him labor diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built. -Abraham Lincoln

DST, Gas Prices, and the election

Nope, not going to tie these in together...although I am sure I could find a way! These are just something I was thinking about this morning and since you are reading MY blog, thats what you are gonna hear about!
Saturday was Daylight Savings Time. Normally, I would love getting an extra hour to sleep but with toddlers DST means mass chaos. The boys absolutely could not stay up past 6:30 last night. They were being holy terrors. We put them down, against our better judgment, and they fell right to sleep. Welllll about 5:19 this morning, I feel a small tap on my cheek. I turn over to see Connor with a sippy in hand and his walking bow legged. I asked him what was up, and he said he wanted milk and that his butt hurt. Apparently, he had a stinky diaper sometime in the night.

I was too tired to get up. I had been up late the night before cleaning, and I didnt go to sleep till 2am...this means I was running on 3 hours when Connor came in. I woke up Daniel (who went to bed at 11pm) and told him to deal with Connor. Daniel changed his diaper, filled his sippy (as well as Evan's sippy) and got them both a baggie of cereal. He then placed them both back in their room and told them it was far too early to get up.

That worked...for about an hour. I refused to get them up before 7:30, so I let them play in their room. Thank goodness they love to play with each other.

Ok, now on to gas prices. I really cannot believe our gas prices are still falling. I thought for sure we would be blasting back up to $3 or more anytime now. The last I checked, the cheapest here is $1.91. I honestly cant believe that I see a DOLLAR when looking at gas prices. It is insane. I dont know when it will start going back up, but this is great for now. I am going to enjoy it.

Last but oh so definitely not least...the election is tomorrow!! I am excited, nervous, and scared to death. I cant wait to vote for my very first time. What a huge election to exercise my right too! I wish there was a better candidate, because at this point, I am voting for the lesser of two evils. I dont believe in anything that Obama stands for and I am vehemently against his stance on abortions. I do not necessarily agree with McCain on everything either...but at least he is conservative on some issues.

Also, I cant believe how many people are giving stuff away if you vote! Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, Ben & Jerry's to name a few. Now of course we dont have a Krispy Kreme or a Ben & Jerry's shop around here so I dont get to partake on the fun. I could get a tall coffee from Starbucks, but...yuck. I just think its funny that America needs food incentives to go vote. :)

Thats it from me for today. If you are in America, above the age of 18 and are registered to vote... GO VOTE!!!!!!!!!! (but only once please)

Halloween- New Plans

The boys are sick, so we werent able to partake in the normal Halloween festivities tonight. I felt horrible that they had to miss out! Daniel went ot the store, grabbed a huge bag of candy and brought it home for some sick style trick or treating. The boys got to wear their costumes and went room to room where either Daniel or I would be standing waiting for them. They would yell out their "Twick ow tweat!" and we would give them both a piece of candy. They had a blast and it was so fun watching them run to the next place. We are about to go watch Monsters, Inc. in honor of Halloween. It still has turned out to be a great day!

Earlier in the day, I had to go upstairs and check on the boys while they were supposed to be napping cause Evan was crying. Evan was fine and when I went in Connor had lined up all his toys along side the wall. When he saw me he got a huge smile and goes, " look at my pumpkin patch momma!" I don't know where he heard that from cause we haven't gone to one, but it made me laugh! He comes up with the most random goofy things.

Things are going great at Daniel's job. The man they were working for was so happy with Daniel and his dad's work that he gave them more to do on the current house, and might have another place for them to work on when they are done. Its great because Daniel is making double what he was at his old job. Sometimes, you really just have to give it up to God! We actually have room to breathe with our finances now! It is so great to have the extra income in time for Christmas too. Every week I purchase a few more gifts for Christmas. We are getting close to being done!

I am SO excited for Christmas this year! The boys are going to have so much fun.

Halloween!!

Halloween is tomorrow! Yay!

Yesterday the boys and I made some cookies for the grandparents. Connor and Evan helped me bake, ice, and sprinkle the cookies. I was told they were good...I hope they were!

I dressed the boys in their Halloween costumes (Thing 1 and Thing 2) and we set off to deliver said cookies. First stop was grandpa at the school. My boys were so proud to walk in there with their cookies and paintings they had made for him. In his office, he had candy and they each got a piece, so they were very happy. We talked with Grandpa for a bit then said good-bye to go visit some of my old teachers.

We could barely get a few feet down the hall before being stopped by people admiring their costumes. I grew up going to that school, so I know most of the teachers there. The teachers just couldnt believe how big my kids were, how close they were in age, how much Evan looked like me, and how curly Connor's hair is. They havent seen Daniel so I informed him that Connor's hair is 100% from his daddy and that they are spitting images of each other.

We made it to see a couple of my old teachers, and they all gave my boys candy. I am pretty sure Connor and Evan think the school is the best place ever now.

Next stop was Grandma's house! On the way there, Connor was babbling on about something. Suddenly, he stopped and lets out this content sigh and goes, "Momma I so happy".

"Why are you so happy baby?" I asked.

"I so happy cause we go to see Grandma!"

He is SUCH a Grandma's boy! Anyway, the boys played at Grandma's for a bit and Evan got to share one of Grandma's cookies. Well...share as in have one all to himself. He didnt actually eat the cookie. He licked all the icing off, then handed the cookie to me and goes "I done". *Sigh*

Next on the cookie rounds was Daddy and Grandpa G. First, we had to stop and get lunch to take to Daddy. Connor demanded apple juice, to which Evan agreed. We stopped and got McDonalds, and I got them both hamburger happy meals with apple juice. I guess because I said apple juice, the lady taking our order thought we wanted apple slices instead of fries too. Connor nearly had a melt down when I didnt pull out any fries for him.

Oh well...apples are healthier anyway. We went and gave the cookies to daddy, had lunch with him, and headed home for nap time. Thankfully the boys were exhausted by this point (woke up very early that morning for some reason) so they went right to sleep. They were in bed till daddy came home from work!

All in all, it was a very good day. Cant wait to do it with Christmas cookies!! :)

Someone told me that if I had breasts on this page, I would get more views. Ok...Enjoy!

1.99!!

I know I JUST made a post, but I forgot about this. This is AMAZING!! Gas here is $1.99!!!!!!!! Yes thats a lot of exclamation points, and it deserves every single one. I never thought it would get back below $2. Of course OPEC is a greedy little company, and we will see that price rise, but for now I will stay in gas price bliss.

DVR!

I know I mentioned this briefly in my other post, but it deserves another mention. I LOVE my DVR!! Gone are the days of missing your shows because you forgot they were on, or you werent home, or they moved to a special night. The DVR will find your show and record it so you can watch it on your own time! Husband have a big game on tv he wants to watch while you are dying to catch the newest hospital drama? No biggie! Record one while you watch the other! I'm pretty sure some marriages have been saved with this little gadget.

Another thing I LOVE about the DVR is that I can pause, rewind and fast forward live tv. Fantastic! Anytime we think we heard something or something odd, we can rewind and watch it again! Someone at the door? Push pause! This is just the greatest feature.

If you dont have a DVR...get one! It will quickly become indispensable for you!

Bubbles!

I woke up this morning to the sound of Evan yelling "BUBBLES!" in my ear. I turned over and looked at him. He had my iphone and had opened the bubble application. All the application does is make bubbles when you drag your finger across the screen, and then you can pop the bubbles by touching them again. So simple. So entertaining. My kids cant get enough of this app. It makes me laugh though...how can my two toddlers know how to use touch screen technology?!? We have come SO far with technology these days. Touch screen phones, DVRs (couldnt live without it!!), cars that can run off electricity. It makes me wonder just how far it will go in my kids life. I know they will see and own things I could have never dreamed possible.

Ugh, makes me sick!

One of my BIGGEST pet peeves is poor customer service. I read this on my friends blog, and thought I would share it here. If you cant do your job well, find a different one!



Customer service....

always a tricky subject...it works fine when you get to the place (finally) that you can talk to a live person...or does it work? A week ago I went to pay my phone and internet bill (still debating if I want to blast this company by name...). I typically get online bills...and I pay them online. But for a day I was unable to access my account, being stopped by all the security certificates stating that the site was unsafe and not to post any personal information. Well that is fine and dandy at any other time then the one where I am about to pull out my credit card to pay it! Now a day later (yes last minute on this one) the bill was past due and the new bill was up...sooooo...still unable to get on my account to even see what it owed. I pick that nice speak with a live chat operator. nice...will do. I get someone, type out my problem, he says he can process the payment or I can call the call center instead...for $1.99 charge of course. After weighing the options of the bills being any later....I finally said fine. He tells me how much the bill was $161.39...I was like "that best be for both phone AND internet both months" and he confirmed it was. So I gave him card information, he gives me confirmation number...and we end the chat. Momma didn't raise no stupid girl...so I copied AND pasted into word the entire chat ...JUST IN CASE.

Yesterday I come home...and there is a call from this company on my answering machine. I was wondering why? I should be paid up till next months bill for phone and internet. So this morning I go on the online account. The idiot that did the transaction...put the entire amount on my phone bill account...and NONE on my internet. I had a $95 CREDIT on my phone bill and owed that much on my internet and was pending disconnection. So I call the internet number on the companies website. Call one - automated menu, plug though it...want live person...someone picks up...I hear rustling around...I hear breathing...then I hear hold music...here I sit for several minutes. I get mad...hang up...call two. Same menu...want live person...hold for a couple minutes...get live person...he informs me he cant get into my account. WHAT? Tells me I have to call a different number.

Call three - new number - SAME menu mind you....still want live person...pressing buttons pretty agressively at this point. On hold a couple minutes. Live person...confirm account number...tells me he can't get into my account...says I have to call a different number. I curse...hang up.

Call four - new number - SAME MENU - slamming buttons with my fist at this point. Get to live person...HE CAN SEE MY ACCOUNT...finally progress after 20 minutes. I tell him the story...tell him I want the credit on the phone moved to the internet where it was suppose to be in the first place. He puts me on hold...off and on for over 10 minutes...comes back and tells me that since the payment was already processed...they can't move it from one account to the next because they had the phone and internet billed separately, and that I just need to pay the internet bill or it will be disconnected. After some colorful language and asking why I would want a $95 credit on my phone bill, and how could I be cut off for their mistake...the money was paid...it was one of their agency idiots that put it the wrong way. He kept saying there was nothing he could do. I said sure there is...let me talk to your supervisor. He said fine...and transfered my call...it started ringing at 7:05 am (35 minutes already into this ordeal)...I hooked it on me and started getting ready with it on speaker....it rang until 7:27 am...of which it just hung up on me.

Call five - same number as last time....- same menu - this time I am pressing the buttons with the lasers shooting out of my eyes. I get a woman...she asks for my account information...all I say is "do you see a supervisor at this moment? What I mean is there one PHYSCIALLY present in the same building as you right now?" she told me yes...I told her to give her to me. right then and there. Soooo...after being on hold for 10 more minutes...she comes back and says that the supervisor is still on a call. She mentions I was about to have my service interrupted soon...and I exploded. Calmed down and told her the story...she said all there is, is a form she needs to fill out to send to headquarter to have them move the credit. So we filled out this form over the phone...and said that should be it...to call and check monday to make sure it was taken care of...or there could be a disruption in service Tuesday...I said if I am disconnected on Tuesday I am switching to the competitor. She said it wasn't a disconnection...just a disruption...I said if there is even a HICCUP...I will be switching...since I should not be penalized for their mistake. End of call 8:05 am...95 minutes wasted of my life that I will never get back...1 minute for every $1 of credit I was trying to get transferred.

I will keep you posted on how this turns out by next week....or not....if you don't hear from me next week...means I have no internet until the new service is installed.

Rainy Day

Today I was going to let the boys decorate some cookies to take around to our family. I was quite excited about it. I baked the cookies last night, and made up some homemade (orange!) icing. We made plans with my dad to come by the school in the morning, and stop by my parents house to see my mom after, then end with seeing daddy and Grandpa G at the house they are working at.

As soon as Daniel got the boys up this morning, I heard a cough. Oh crap. I knew it was bad. The cough was very deep sounding. As the boys pounded down the stairs, there were several more coughs. My poor babies are sick!!

They both have runny noses, and that horrible cough. They are very pathetic when they are sick...just laying around, not doing much. I called my parents to let them know not to expect us. I guess its better this way since its storming out. What a bummer though.

I did pull out the icing, sprinkles, and halloween shaped cookies and let the boys make a few for themselves. They are sick, they deserved a treat.

We have spent all morning, cuddled on the couch watching Nick Jr. I dont mind cuddle time. :)

Daniel is sick too, though he still has to work. Poor guy. I will try to baby him when he gets home. Will cuddle time work for him too? lol

I guess we will try again next week with the cookies. The boys were really excited to take cookies to people, and were upset when I said we couldnt. :(

I love Fall!!

It is just the perfect weather, and so pretty! Yesterday was Daniel's first day working with his dad. It went well, but he came home very tired. Today he has 2 computer jobs after working with his dad all day. He is a busy man. I am so lucky that he works so hard for our family.

Since Daniel is working for his dad, they ride together to the job. Daniel's dad picks him up every morning. This means, the van is mine all day! I was at the mercy of Daniel's schedule before, so there were not a lot of outings. We can go out everyday if we want now!

Yesterday, the boys and I decided to use our new freedom with a trip to the craft store. On Saturday, the boys had painted pumpkins at our church Fall Festival, and fell in LOVE with painting. I decided we would stock up on some craft paint and papers and brushes for the boys. When we got into the store, I think Evan's jaw dropped to the ground.

"FWOWERS!!" (aka, flowers) he squealed.

Both Connor and Evan had fun picking out what colors they wanted to paint with. I had to convince Connor that if we got red and white we could make him pink. Much to daddy's chagrin, pink is Connor's favorite color. Evan just likes anything he can make a mess with.

As we were walking to look at the cake decorating items (mommy's craft de jour) Connor was eying the items in our cart. He looked up at me with this HUGE smile and goes...

"Momma! I gonna make a painting for gwamma!"

What a sweet baby. He went on to say he was going to make her a pink one, a green one, a white one, ect. I told him that he could make a painting for grandpa too, and grandpa could put it up in his office. Evan chimed in with "Gwampa!!".

I promised the boys if they were very good in the store that we could go to the park after we were done. Both boys were VERY good, so I held up my end of the bargain. Now, the park is one of Connor's favorite places. He LOVES the slides. Evan is happy as a clam following big brother around and trying to do everything he does.

Today was a different story though. As soon as we got out of the van, Evan darted off to play on the playground, and Connor dropped to the ground. I asked him what he was doing and he said he didnt want to go to the park. He had just said 5 minutes earlier how he wanted to go down the slide. I asked him if he was tired, to which he said yes. I asked him if he wanted to go home and take a nap (this usually snaps him right out of it) but he replied "yes momma".

*Sigh* I told Connor that Evan was having fun so we had to let him play for at least 10 minutes before we left. Connor went and sat on a bench, and I joined him. On the bench, Connor tells me that he wants apple juice. Ummmm....sorry babe, I dont have any. He looked me square in the eyes and goes "Ok, I play on da slide if we get apple juice later".

My 2 year old has picked up on the art of compromise! I am not sure if this is good or bad. At any rate, I told him we could get some later and off he went. Hey, at least its a semi healthy request!

Shortly after Connor went off to play, Evan came up to me with a huge handful of leaves. He had been walking around the playground picking up as many as his tiny arms would hold. I asked him what he was doing and before I had time to finish he had thrown the huge pile on me. The goober. He erupted in a fit of the cutest little giggles you have ever heard. I scooped him up and tickled him as my revenge. His face was red from laughing so hard when I put him down. I told him to go play, and before he ran off he lifted his head for a kiss. It was such a moment that would melt a mommy's heart. He is a very loving little boy. I cant believe how big he is getting. I know that soon enough he wont want to kiss mommy because he is "too big" for that...and it will break my heart. Why cant they stay little for longer?

After a good 30 minutes on the park, both boys were starving and completely tired. We swung by McDonalds on the way home (I know,badddd mommy) for a happy meal...with apple juice! :) We came home, ate, and the boys went off for their nap. After a quick tidy up, I sat down and watched some adult shows (no, not bad shows, just something that was NOT on nick jr!)!!

Daniel got home before the boys got up, so he was able to get them up from their nap. The boys were thrilled because they hadnt seen daddy all day. We set up some trash bags on the floor and busted out our new paints! The boys had a blast painting with daddy AND mommy. I told the boys we could take them to grandpa sometime this week.

It was a wonderful day. It was one of those days were everything seems to go right, and you feel like the you are the luckiest parent in the world. Now, when the boys are screaming, my house is a disaster and nothing seems to go right...I have to think of the good days. :)

I leave you with a few pictures of my boys painting pumpkins on Saturday. They were very intense the whole time they painted.




Connor's is on the left, Evan's on the right!

Is this a dream?

This last few days have kind have been a blur. Countless times I have found myself thinking that this must be a dream, that this couldnt really be happening. Daniel says that he feels the same way. I keep thinking I am going to wake up soon.

When Daniel called at 3 on Thursday and told me he had been fired...it honestly felt like our world had just crumbled around us. My mind was racing with how were we gonna pay the mortgage, the utilities, buy groceries and diapers for our kids. How long would it be till Daniel got another job? What bills should come first? Would we lose our house?

I cant really explain that horrible feeling that I got in the pit of my stomach. All I wanted to do was go cry to my mommy...and I did. I called her up and sobbed on the phone. It took her 3 times to understand what I was saying because my words were broken from gasping for breath. She calmed me down and reminded me that God would take care of us, and things would be ok.

This is one area where I know I need to work on my faith. I have a hard time trusting that things will be ok. I worry constantly. I know that I SHOULD give it all up to God...its just incredibly hard.

I cried so much on Thursday. It didnt help that Daniel, my rock, was also broken and crying. I wanted to be strong for him as he has been for me so many times...but instead just cried with him. When the tears finally stopped, I received a call from my brother. The conversation elicited more tears and a lot of yelling. That one call left me emotionally drained. I still feel the effects of that call.

My brother told me that he had known that Daniel was going to be fired. My brother had been training all week to replace my husband. He knew and didnt tell us. He told me that he had promised work that he wouldnt say anything, and that it would have been "unethical". Unethical is throwing your FAMILY under the bus. Unethical is lying to Daniel when he asked you why you were training for his area. Unethical is leaving your two baby nephews without any source of income.

He tried to apologize while on the phone, but I told him I couldnt talk to him yet. I was too angry. He has yet to talk to Daniel. There is a lot of pain and feelings of betrayal. How could you let a job come before family?

I guess that another thing I need to work on in my faith. Forgiveness.

I feel badly for my parents. They are torn with seeing our side and my brother's side. He didnt want to risk losing his job by telling Daniel, although there is no way that Daniel would have let the work know that he knew. We would have just had more time to get our ducks in a row. If the situation had been reversed, Daniel would have told him in a heartbeat. I can see it from my brother's side...I just think he made the wrong decision.

As I said in my last post, Daniel will be going to work for his dad. They have a job starting Monday, so thankfully Daniel wont be without work. Financially speaking, we will actually be doing better than we were before. Such a blessing.

With the way everything has unfolded, I know that God very much had a hand in everything that has happened. Time and time again these past few days we have realized how much better this will be for our family. It might have taken a hard push out of our comfort zone, but God is definitely leading us towards better things.

We are now looking forward to our future.

Sad

Daniel lost his job today.

A lot of crap went down, and there is some (ok a lot) of anger towards my brother.

We will be fine, Daniel will work for his dad...its just upsetting.





This too will pass!!!

A Cute Tidbit

Connor has just now finally learned how old he is! He figured it out just before his age will change! lol

Along with learning his own age, he learned the baby's age and mommy's age! Its so cute!! I ask him "How old is mommy?" and he responds in his squeaky toddler voice "Tweny-one!"

Last night, we decided to share this new found skill with grandma. We called her up, and asked Connor how old he was, how old baby was, and how old mommy was...then grandma decided to mix it up.

"How old is grandma??" my mom asked.

There was a pause for a minute, and Connor's face got very serious. All of the sudden, his finger pops up, his face brightens and he yells out...

"Tweny-two!"

Spoiled.

Today is a long day for us here. I guess its only really a long day because normally, we are spoiled. Daniel works only 5 minutes from the house, so he gets to come home for lunch every day. It breaks up the day, and Daniel takes care of getting the boys down for a nap before he heads back to work. The boys usually sleep till Daniel gets home (if he has no after work jobs) so my whole afternoon is free. Yes, we are quite spoiled.

Today Daniel couldn't come home for lunch because he had a job he had to do. He works outside of his job to make us extra money and build up his clientele for when he finally opens his shop. Usually he can do these jobs after work, but sometimes smaller businesses have him come out during lunch.

We also get the added bonus of Daniel being able to chat with us over MSN messenger during the day. Again, spoiled. This morning, I was telling Daniel how the boys miss him in the mornings when they sleep past the time he has to leave for work. He goes, "Oh, I made them a video to watch today. Its on your phone."

So I look, and sure enough, he had made a video this morning. I watched it, and he said good morning to me and the boys, apologized for not being able to come home for lunch, and promised the boys some spongebob and cuddle time when he got home tonight. He ended it by saying "I love you" to me and the boys.

I really got a great guy. He is so sweet and thoughtful, not to mention a terrific husband and daddy. Every thing he does, he does it to better our family. I know we are constantly in his thoughts, and that he loves us so much. My boys are so lucky to have such an involved dad. Daniel really loves playing with them, and you can tell how much the boys look up to him. He makes sure to tell me how much he loves me and how thinks I am beautiful EVERY day.

Really...very spoiled.

Fear

Last night Daniel got quite the shock when he went up to check on the boys. Connor was crying and saying ouch, so Daniel wanted to make sure he was ok. When Daniel opened the door, Connor was standing there, holding his mouth with what appeared to be blood all over his mouth and hands. Talk about fear!!

Of course Daniel freaked, and ran him into our bedroom where he could get a better look. Once in our room he realized that this "blood" was very odd colored. A sniff of Connor's hand revealed what the sticky substance really was. Our very sneaky children had somehow confiscated Daniel's hot wings. Well...yup, that would be an "ouch"!

I guess Connor and Evan had hid the box earlier in the day in preparation for bedtime. Clever really.

Daniel cleaned up their hands and faces, and I brought them up some milk to cool down their mouths. After a few drinks, they went back to bed, and we didnt hear from them for the rest of the night.

Since we are on the topic of fear, I will share Connor's biggest fear...snakes. I have NO idea where he has heard of snakes, or why he is afraid of them, but he is! At random times of the day, he will go "Momma I skeeered!".

"What are you scared of baby?"

"The snakes!"

Okkkk. Upon further questioning, he will usually say they are on the roof. One time, he said they were in the door and yet another time he said he ate the snake and it came out his toes. Yes, his toes. He has quite the imagination on him. I assure you, that there are no snakes in or around our house. I can only imagine he saw one on tv. Stupid TV.

Yesterday, while in church, I was trying to keep Connor quiet while the pastor prayed. I had my own quiet prayer with Connor to keep him occupied. In these prayers, we go through and thank God for various family members and/or objects. We listed mom,dad,grandma,grandpa, and several aunts and uncles when Connor piped up with...

"and thank you for the snakes"

*Sigh* Boys!

Carnival!

Today was the school carnival for College Heights. I graduated from there as did two of my siblings, and 4 siblings are currently attending. Also, my dad is high school principal there and my mom substitutes there. The school has always been a big part of my life, and I pray my kids will be able to attend there someday.

Anyway, Connor was so pumped to go to the "nival" even though he had no idea what that was. Anytime we tell him that grandma will be there, he gets excited. I am not sure if its actually grandma that he likes (though he does...a lot), or all my siblings. He has a blast playing with them.

Every class is responsible for booths and you buy tickets to use at these booths. The more tickets a booth earns, the more money goes into the class fund. The carnival is perfect for little kids. There are sucker pulls, duck ponds, digging for gold (sand box), and bean bag tosses. Connor's favorite game was the toy walk...just a cake walk with toys. He had no idea what he was doing, he just loved running around in the circle to the music. "I go dance!" he said. Neither Connor or Evan won a toy, but they loved playing.

My dad, as principal had to sit in the dunk tank for a shift. My mom, siblings, and my little family all went over to watch. I told the guy operating the tank that Connor was Mr. Lewis' grandson, so the guy let Connor sneak up and push the target to make my dad fall. Connor thought this was hilarious. Eventually all of the kids snuck up and dunked my dad.

After the carnival, we were all hot and hungry, so we went out to Olive Garden with my parents and siblings. They were celebrating 2 of my brothers' and my dad's birthday. My older brother, his wife, and my nephew AJ came along too. Connor and Evan were about to fall asleep at this point. It was after 3:00, and the boys usually go down for a nap at 1:30. They pepped up after the food came. Connor ordered "noodles and water". :) He just makes me laugh.

When you get my whole family together, we are anything but quiet. There were 13 of us in all...from the oldest (my mom...hahaha, she will kill me for that) to AJ who is only 5 months. I felt bad for our waitresses, but thankfully, it was very slow at the time. I really enjoy spending time with my family, and I love watching the relationship between my parents and my children.

During the meal, we started asking Connor to tell us different sounds that animals make. (Cow, dog, monkey, ect.) Then Daniel pipes in with "Connor what sound does mommy make?" He looked confused for a moment, then stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry. Apparently, daddy has been teaching him this behind my back. It was funny though, and I think the waitress was trying to hold back a laugh.

After lunch we were EXHAUSTED!It was hot out today, so walking around the carnival just zapped the energy out of us...of course eating a big meal didnt help either! We all went out separate ways, most of us to take naps.

Connor and Evan had so much fun today. I love watching them grow up and enjoy activities more and more. There is no words to explain the joy I feel when I see my boys with a huge smile on their face. I love being able to make them happy.

Ok here are some pics...there are not a lot of Evan because...well he didnt want pictures! He was tired much of the day. So here are some Connor heavy pics...

Connor looking at the duck pond


Evan not quite sure what to do


you want me to put my hands in there??


Connor holding on to Grandma's hand to go see the "copter"


Momma look!


He loved this


Hi mom!




BIG bite!

Welcome to my blog! I finally gave into the peer pressure, since it seems that EVERYONE has one of these!

Pretty much everything you need to know is on my profile, but since I'm too lazy to poke around on those things, some of you probably are too.

Now for the basics...

My name is Alissa, and I have been married to Daniel for three years now. We have two boys, Connor and Evan. Connor was born 2/6/06 and Evan was born 12/30/06. Yup, they share the same birth year, my little Irish twins! They are best buddies and that makes my life a whole lot easier. Most of the time they are good little boys, but...they are still boys. We have had our share of poopcapades and diaper cream paintings. Got to love it!

The boys keep me super busy and I wouldnt have it any other way. I stay at home with them during the day, and Daniel works as a computer repairman at an ISP, though he is currently looking for a new job that will allow him to save up and eventually open his own shop. He is a great daddy and husband. We really couldnt ask for anything more.

The name of the blog comes from the most outstanding features of our family...our hair. Daniel has curls and passed that on to Connor. I have red hair and passed that on to Evan. People comment ALL the time how we gave birth to little mini mes. (Me's? mes? "me"s? hmmm) The boys rock the hair though, and it gets a lot of attention.

I think thats about it. Pretty much a typical boring 1st blog post.

Stay tuned! There will be more fun to come!