Happy birthday, Bugaboo

On November 6, 2004, our lives were immeasurably changed - for the better. Our little girl, Mallory Manet, unexpectedly made her way into this world. She wasn't due for two more weeks but for some reason she just couldn't wait any longer to make our dreams come true. Now, four short years later it is still hard to believe we have been graced with such a loving, inspiring but insolent child! My little bugaboo (aka "bug").

So on Thursday, her actual birthday, I took the day off to revel in the joy of spending time with my beloved little girl.


Our big outing for the day was to the American Girl store. It was a first (but not a last) for both of us. We spent about 45 mins looking through the store and then headed up the escalator to the Bistro for lunch. Did you know they will let you borrow dolls to share lunch with? They even have the cutest itty bitty highchairs for the dolls that hook on to the table. Mallory got to choose which baby to take care of during our lunch. Unfortunately, she was too busy with the doll to actually eat. I just could not force myself to eat all $50 of the food we had ordered (call me sucker).


As the lunch progressed, Mallory kept asking me if the doll was ours to keep. What's a mommy to do on her first born's birthday? I didn't plan on buying anything but could not resist (I later told Shawn I had "sucker" tattooed on my forehead ...first lunch, then doll). We came home with a Bitty Baby and two sets of clothing (a birthday outfit and a cheerleader outfit). Later that day we stopped to see daddy at work and then chilled at home. It was a great day.

On Saturday, we had the "big" birthday party. Food, cake, bouncy house. You name it. It was EXHAUSTING. Now I know why people choose to outsource the birthday party. And I am already looking for next year's vendor. Way to plan in advance.


All in all it was a great day. Only a few toes were run over with the Barbie Jeep. Truett fell out of it once (thankfully on grass). It's a good thing he's good at the stop, drop and roll maneuver. And now my girl is officially a year older. I already miss my "baby." Mallory continues to protest that she is my baby (she's a big girl, don't you know!). One day she will understand that she will always be my baby.

Sugar shock

The kids had a very happy Halloween. They started off by having a pizza party at school where they were stuffed with all the cheese pizza, Hawaiian Punch and cupcakes they could eat. I think it was their idea of heaven. Honestly, I think I may have been in heaven too ... and I'm much older than a kid.

After lunch, they went room to room and trick-or-treated all the teachers. Each kid came home with a brown lunch bag FULL of candy. All of this before it got dark. It only took me about five mins to assess the contents of the bags and lay claim to the "good stuff." LOL ... this is the fun part of being a parent. I *know* Halloween brings lots `o candy. But I didn't make the connection that as the kids get older the candy also grows exponentially. And my will power is down to zilch. I think I was almost physically sick yesterday from all the sugar coursing through my veins. My only hope is that this toxic goodness is gone soon! I didn't get a before picture, but this is what the stash looked like as of a few mins ago after eating almost half of what was received:


See my surly Pom-Pom Girl (in her defense, this was taken at about 7a on the way to school!):


And the man who saved the day - Superman:


We didn't really end up trick-or-treating because Mallory was invited by the neighbors to attend a Fall Festival. We took True to a few of the neighbors just to show off his cuteness. They oohed and ahhed in all the appropriate places. Even better ... we got to take a house tour of the neighbor across the street who had done extensive remodeling. I was too chicken to ask to see the house as it was being done but they must have sensed my need when we knocked on their door and invited us in to show off all their work (and piles of money) they had put into the reno. Beautiful ... but I cannot imagine spending that kind of money right now.

The next Kitty

I watch Brothers & Sisters each Sunday on ABC. One of my most fav characters is Kitty, the political pundit. She's smart, quick-witted and has a silver tongue. All things I really long to be ... but somehow fall short. But I do think there is hope yet. I think Mallory may be headed in that direction. Either that or she has been sucked into the 2008 Presidential Election at the ripe old age of 3.5.

We went to Wal-Mart tonight to get shoes for her pom pom girl costume (wait till I post the pictures!). On the way, I was listening to NPR which was airing a segment on Barack Obama's infomercial that aired last evening. The next thing I know, she's in the back seat yelling "Bakak Okambama" over and over again. Those of you who really know me understand how this just breaks my heart! Not that I have anything against the man, I just don't believe what he says.

When we got home, I sat down at the computer to do some work. Somehow my interests were diverted (imagine that) and I ended up perusing the net. Okay, I'll admit it. I was on Pink is the New Blog. It's an obsession. A guilty one. Anyway, Trent had a post up about McCain being endorsed by an alien (it sounds very odd, but you have to read it). When Mallie saw the picture of McCain she immediately starting telling me that the man in the picture was John McCain.

Now the only question is ... who is she going to vote for? Hopefully Mommy or Daddy. :)

Open wide

I am happy to report that I have officially received my first sickeningly, slobbery open mouth kiss from Truett. You know what I'm talking about. I had just gotten home and True was on Daddy's lap, lounging on the couch. I ran over and started loving on him and the next thing I know the wide open black hole is coming at me. And he did it again and again and again and again. I'd say, "give me a kissy" and he'd obey (good boy!). I think I have the sweetest little boy on earth. But I'm thankful that I bought the Kleenex bundle at Costco last week!

In other True news ... his new favorite word is "tha?" Always said as his finger is pointing to something. He wants to know what everything is ... if he'd only remember so I didn't have to repeat it 20 times. Sometimes I find that he asks me so many times I just start numbly answering ... sometimes giving the wrong answer. Funny how tuning out and turning off can do that. I certainly hope I haven't screwed him up for life. Picture this when he's in third grade ...

Teacher: Boys and girls, what is this on the wall (pointing to a clock)?
True (raising his hand impatiently): I know, I know ....
Teacher: What is this, Truett?
True (knowingly): It's a turtle.
Teacher (laughing in her head): No, it's not.
True (again, nodding knowingly): Yes, my mommy told me it was when I was 16 months old.

Okay ... so that scenario is a little far-fetched, but I do fear that I need to pay more attention to my precious one. Maybe I can just blame these little things on Mallory? She does so delight in teasing her brother (all in the name of love). I wouldn't put it past her to play some type of joke like this on him in the future.

Dinner

My kids love me tonight. $10 buys a lot of love these days. It also buys a lot of sanity. And quality time with the kids because I am not doing dishes.

How could I?

I think there's a cardinal parental rule that says "thou must have camera on ones person at all time." Otherwise, how does everyone get these great pics of their kidlets all the time? It's a requisite parental right to capture each and every memory memory on a memory card.

I used to abide by the rule. But lately, I've been breaking it. Not even taking the iPhone with me (which really is sacrilege.) And now I'm a little sad about it because I've missed:

1. True playing on the slide in the back yard.
2. Shawn pulling the kids around the block in the wagon.
3. Mallory and Christopher making cookies this past Saturday.
4. Mallory and True at the pumpkin patch, then at the Trunk or Treat and then at the petting zoo.
5. The ooey gooey fun that goes along with carving the pumpkins.

I could keep going, but you get my point. I need to get back on my game so I can inundate all you people with pictures of my photogenic kids.

Take a bite out of ...

We're certainly not taking a bite out of crime around here. No ... True has been taking bites out of other kidlets at school. I am sad to say that he even broke skin last week.

M'Dondo -- HE'S TURNING INTO A BOBBY! For those of you who don't know what this means ... well, I sincerely hope you've never had to encounter a Bobby. If you have, you have my sympathies.

See, at our other daycare, there was a little boy named Bobby that loved nothing more than to terrorize all of the other kidlets by biting them. We had several discussions with the director about getting this little boy kicked out (yes ... that's how many times he had bitten) to no avail.

So, the last few weeks we've been reading this:


Except ours isn't in as good of condition as that picture above is. We apparently cannot treat books with the reverence they deserve because coloring and tearing them seem to make my kids happy. Either that or we have had to read it more times than I remember. See what I mean?


Regardless of its appearance, the book is doing its job. I am happy to receive daily reports from the teachers at school that there has been no biting for several days. Good thing True is so easily brainwashed at this age. Let's hope it continues until he's a teenager.

Artsy schmartsy

Mallory loves arts and crafts, as evidenced by the plethora of clothing that comes home from school with glue, glitter and paint on them. I'm not quite sure why I was asked to supply an art smock when they don't seem to be using it. But that's not the point of my musings today.

Mallie is art obsessed. I suppose it's normal at this time in her life ... if my brain was firing as fast as hers I would probably have the same problem. The need to create. She constantly wants to carry a pencil around the house so she can "write" on things. She draws little snake-like creatures on construction paper and brings them home from school. Hand outlines are a favorite drawing past-time. Painting is her favorite, but limited because mommy just cannot stand the mess and clean-up. (Side note: can you see me hovering behind her saying, "dip the brush in water so you don't mix your colors. Oh, you mixed your colors. How unfortunate?" And there she sits just smiling at her brown concoction.)

Now that I have the iPhone, I've even found a way for her to draw when we are out and about. The program is almost like an etch-a-sketch. You draw what you want with your finger and then shake the phone to erase it. BUT, we have figured out how to save her masterpieces. Here's an example:

I don't profess to be an art critic ... but it's not bad, eh?! Wish I knew what it was, but I guess that's the point of abstract art ... you find your own meaning.

Big boy chair

It's happening faster than I thought. Truett just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Shawn and I have discussed what would happen if we didn't feed him, but I don't think it would help us meet our goal of keeping him a baby.

I didn't blog about it, but about two weeks ago I tried to put him to sleep in his new big boy bed. He actually fell asleep in it and was so darn cute. I went back in an hour and a half later and he was curled up in a little ball on the floor. Back into the crib he went. Guess we'll try big boy bed again in a few weeks.

But, there is one thing that he did on his own. He walked away from the highchair. Cut the ties and went cold turkey. He was getting to the point where he'd arch his back, cry and have MANY temper tantrums if he even saw you walking towards said highchair. You would have thought it was going to bite him or something (more likely the other way around).

Day after day, he wandered over to Mallory's kinderzeat. Shawn started putting him in it for fun and well ... the rest is history. You know he had to have one! He got the updated version - the Tripp Trapp - on Friday. A beautiful orange color and he LOVES it. Mommy not so much because you can imagine the mess on my table at meal time. At least the highchair contained all that squished up food.


Guess you can't stand in the way of progress ... even at your own dinner table.

A peace offering

Mallory is upset that I did not buy flamingo pink bunk beds. And I am having a hard time explaining to an almost-four-year-old why this is a bad idea. Well, the explaining part is easy. The comprehension part ... not so much. But I am not one to rock the boat around here so I decided to make her a peace offering. This weekend while she was puking her guts out (poor baby) I did this to her bedside table:

It used to be white. Now, it's well ... bright. Nice, huh? I was a little worried as I was doing it. But I kept telling myself: no guts, no glory. Besides, it only cost me $2.99 and an hour or two of my time (which is worth $1 millon!). I'm pretty happy about how it turned out. Of course, Mallory is in LOVE!

Next on the list - this sad, sad dresser from Shawn's bachelor days. You can see I've already girl-ed it up once. But it's time to take it to the next level. And maybe find some new pulls for it since it's been this way for almost two years now. Luckily Mallory has nimble fingers and can pull the sides. Otherwise, she might be running around naked right now.

Bribery Works

Guess who earned her Hannah Montana flashlight yesterday?! It was one of the first things she asked about when she woke up. Such excitement. I wish I was that excited to get up! I am in a place where I just want to roll back over and snuggle up to the pillows.


Sorry for the poor picture. It was taken in the garage, sitting in the car with little light.

Don't take my man

Mallory was pretty sad when we came home from gymnastics yesterday. I thought it was because the fun of gym was over and the prospect of a bath was enough to bring on tears. Nope. As we started talking about it, she told me her friend Sabrina* was mad at her. Apparently there had been some altercation about Sabrina back-talking her. I just had to roll my eyes and tell her that both her and Sabrina needed to apologize to each other and move on.

So when I dropped off Mallie at school this AM, I casually mentioned the conversation to her teacher. Suddenly, her eyes lit up and she started laughing. Then, this craziness spewed out of her mouth ... and I am in denial that we are already starting down this path.

You see, the story goes a little something like this ... late last week Mallory and Joshua* decided to get married. Unfortunately we weren't invited to the wedding but Ms. Robbie assures me it happened. They have been sitting next to each other and playing on the playground together ... just two little lovebirds, two peas in a pod. Suddenly, Sabrina* began hanging around Joshua* trying to steal my girl's man. Yeah, you can imagine how that went over ...

So I guess children and adults aren't quite so different when we feel our relationship is being threatened. And I think Mallory told Sabrina* where to stick it.

There's the 3 year old version of How the World Turns.


* Names were not changed to not protect the innocent.

Cat nap

I feel like doing this about right now, especially since the prospect of 3 - 4 more hours of work tonight looms.

Bribery = Bust?

After last week's pity party post about how Mallory wasn't sleeping in her bed we seem to have veered off into a path of unknown territory. Ladies and gentlemen, she has SLEPT in her bed and done so willingly (I'm not tieing her down, really). Of course, it was too good to be true that she'd actually earn the object of bribery in the first week.

But, we are headed in the right direction ... four consecutive nights in her bed ... one night in ours. Two more nights in her bed ... and let's hope we make it to five. Man do I want to give her that darn Hannah Montana microphone/flashlight! Mainly because my hairbrush isn't cutting it anymore. I need something that resembles the real thing so I can break out my inner diva.

Shawn thinks she'll make it this week ... so much so that he went out and bought the next bribe. A Polly Pocket set. He does love his little girl so (either that or he is in love with peaceful sleep).

Predicament

Truett and I were hanging out on Sunday afternoon. Shawn ended up having to go into work and Mallory was ensconced in the playroom absorbing knowledge from the electronic babysitter - the TV. As I was doing something in the kitchen, I looked over to a mewing noise and this:



Yes, he was in quite the predicament. He just sat there and mewed plaintively as if saying, "I am your child, how can you leave me here? Help me, Mommy. Please, rescue me. " I am sad to say I just watched, waiting to see what he'd do.

Uh huh. I can can hear you Dondo. I eventually got him off ... after he started screaming!

I have a present for you

When I came home last Friday afternoon it was pretty quiet. Mallory was out playing, Shawn was on the computer and Truett was wondering aimlessly around the house. Unfortunatly, that peace only lasted a few moments before Hurricane Mallory made her way inside. There were lots of hugs and kisses and "what are you doing-s" to be asked. She finally ran on her way and I decided to pick up the house a little.

As I was reading the day's mail, I heard Mallory casually say, "Mommy, I have a present for you." This does not cause me great excitement but it does warm my heart that she wants to present me with little trophies. I've received flower petals, rocks, leaves, little pieces of construction paper. You get the idea. So when she told me she had a gift I was thinking along the lines of previous trinkets. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her swinging something around and looked over to see:


OMG. A tampon? It was one of those moments as a parent where I could not contain the laughter. It spilled out, and out, and out, and out. Mallory thought it was hilarious and started laughing with me. What a joyful moment a crazy little cotton string started! That night at dinner I was recounting the story to Shawn. He then told me she had been playing with it all afternoon. Oh to be a kid again.

Of course, now I am thinking I should just give her a box of tampons for her birthday and she'd be overjoyed. No more expensive Barbies whose hair gets tangled up, puzzles whose pieces get lost or games that we can never play because we can't find the pieces.

Case of the Cat Nap

I used to read mysteries voraciously. I started off with a few Nancy Drew's, then moved on to Trixie Belden and her side-kick Honey. As I grew up, I started reading some Mary Higgins Clark and then the Nora Roberts series about Eve Dallas. So you can see I have a weakness for figuring things out ... I just never thought I'd have to solve a mystery at home.

It all started when the plant on my dining room table suddenly started losing dirt. Yes, it would be scattered around every morning. None of the other two plants in the house were touched ... just the one on the table. Honestly, solving the WHO was easy. Meet the culprit, Cinder.


What a mugshot! She actually looks like, "who me? I didn't do it, I tell ya."

The mystery came as HOW she was doing it (I don't think I'll ever understand the mind of a cat to get the WHY!). And I was determined to solve it! You see, the plant she is trying to destroy was one from my Nana's funeral. I have never been known to have a green thumb. In fact, if you wanted to kill something you brought it to me. So I have been very proud of myself that I have kept this plant alive for almost three years now. I like to think my Nana, whose whole body was green, is looking out for me.

I watched and watched and watched but I could never catch her in the act. Then the break through. One afternoon when Shawn came home, it all became clear. And I died laughing when I heard what she was doing. It seems as if she's figured out how to climb in the pot, curl up and nap in the warm sunshine of the dining room.


I've tried to get a picture of her doing it, but she seems to avoid me at all costs when she knows I'm upset with her. Just like a kidlet. Yes, she is my sixth kid: Shawn, Mallory, Truett, Jack, Jill and finally, Cinder. So, I'll keep chasing her down ... waiting for just the right moment to catch her in the act and send her to jail.

Hallelujah!

Do you hear the restrains of one of the most beautiful songs in the world going through your head? Because I do! Why?

Mallory slept in her bed last night!

Can I hear a hallelujah?! I surely hope this sweet relief is not a fluke. Because boy did I enjoy my beauty sleep last night. I haven't spoken with Shawn yet today but I'm sure he didn't miss the kicks to his kidneys one bit.

First, I tried bribing her. A few months ago Shawn bought a flashlight that looks like a Hannah Montana microphone. She's a little young for HM (IMO) so we put it in the closet, just waiting for the right moment to whip it out and have her submit to our will in return for a toy. Last night was the right time. I told her if she slept in her bed for five nights in a row she would get the toy.

Wasn't so sure it was going to work though ... because around 9p she crawled into our bed. I was working so I kept shooing her away. She finally got the point and went back to her room. When I was done ... bout 9:30p, she was still wide awake. Then it hit me ... she used to sleep with music as a baby, let's put some on for her. Easier said than done ... we don't have just a "plain" CD player in the house anymore. No, I can only buy technology that has dual purposes. :) But, regardless, there was no problem ... I hauled my laptop in there, popped in the Celine Dion "Miracle" CD and dug out a power cord to ensure said music would play to the end of the CD (I wasn't taking ANY chances).

It worked.

This morning she asked me if I would play her the music again. OF COURSE I WILL IF IT WILL GET YOU TO SLEEP IN YOUR BED. So, I have an errand to run at lunch -- to pick up Mallory's very own technological device that will keep her out of mommy and daddy's bed. Cross your fingers that it works again tonight.

It's not the excitement I thought it would be

Hallelujah the bunk beds arrived on Saturday morning. The delivery truck's arrival was heralded with a beautiful sun-shiny day. Even better, they were on time. I wasn't feeling great that day but sucked it up, moved furniture around, cleaned out closets, etc.

Mallory was sooo excited to get her beds. She played coy with the delivery guys and would run back and forth from her room to me or Shawn and bury her head. When it was all said and done, here's what we have:
Nice, eh? The finish is called Shell. A wonderful creamy color. Of course this means that I must paint all the other furniture in the room to match (because it is currently white). Oh well ... I will just keep telling myself that I love my family and enjoy all the work that goes into making their abode beautiful.

The new bedding looks good too. I got two different quilts. The bottom bunk has a fairy princess on it and the top bunk is a patchwork. You don't get a pic of the top one because well ... I was too lazy to crawl up there and snap it (I foresee Mallory taking advtg of mommy's laziness!) Both are Simply Shabby Chic by Rachael Ashwell from Target.


So what girl wouldn't love all this? Apparently mine. We've had the bed for two nights so far. And you want to know how many nights she's slept in it: zero. You got it. She is now saying she's afraid of her room. That if she sleeps in there the Kangaroos (???) are going to come in and get her. Monster/kangaroo spray isn't working. I don't know what to do. These beds were supposed to solve my problems!

Truett didn't get left out of the room makeover challenge this weekend. He got Mallie's old bed. The room is tight with the crib and bed, etc. but I think we made it look okay. Please overlook the theme mishmash. I know that monkey/jeep and bunnies do not go together. But until we dump the crib bunnies have to go off-roading and avoid being food for the crocs/monkeys.

So that was my weekend. Lots 'o work, but worth it.

In-house Political Pundit

I am a republican. Always have been. Hate to say I always will be because well ... never say never. Needless to say I am a McCain/Palin supporter. I've even helped Shawn see the light and he is coming over to the "right" side. :) But I think we have a problem and may need an intervention. I wouldn't normally find this a problem. But it's the second time it's happened.

Incident #1 - A few months ago, we were reading the paper and there was a picture of Obama on the front page. Mallory looked at it and said, "I like Brakack Opama." The world started spinning ... really, I am not lieing.

Incident #2 - We were watching the debate tonight. It was over, I was having a hey-dey messaging with my girl Cheryl. When all the sudden I heard, "I LIKE BRRACCKAKKA OOOKKBBAAKKKAMMMAA." I had heart palpitations. And I think my blood pressure rose a teensy tiny bit.

So, my daughter is now my political enemy. My own little pundit walking around the house .. and I can't turn her off like I can the TV. Well, enemy may be harsh considering she's not quite four and doesn't understand what really liking a candidate means. But, is this just the beginning? Are we going to be polar opposites on life views? I guess I was with my mom. Oy vey. It's going to be a wild ride with this child.

To make me feel better, I think I am going to take the view that she is doing this just because it riles me. You know ... kinda like when she goes around the house saying "Hook `em Horns" and then giggles in her little evil laugh, all the while knowing I have been trying to get her to say "Sic `em Bears" for months.

Excruciating Wait

It's been almost four weeks since we ordered the bunk beds. And an excruciating wait. But, it's almost over. I have been told the beds will be delivered on Saturday between 10a and 12p CT. Stay tuned for pics.

Hoscqumes

Is that how you spell it? If I had to say it phoenetically, that would be pretty close. But you see, I'm having a little trouble as it's not a word in my native tongue, so I'm not quite sure. Where does it come from?

It's Mallory's newest way to say "costume." She's been fervently looking through all the sales catalogs and magazines we've received lately to figure out which "hoscqume" she wants to wear for Halloween. She has spent hours examining the hoscumes in the Wishcraft catalog. So far, the choices have been narrowed down to (in no particular order):

• Bat girl
• Wonder woman
• Super girl (her own incarnation)
• Elizabeth (yes, the great ruler of England)
• Pirate (the male version only)
• Go-go girl
• Cheerleader

So, the question is ... which will win? I tried to get her to be Princess Leah so I could dress Truett up as Yoda. But she didn't go for it.

Overheard

I know I've been doing these quite a bit lately ... It's really not a copp-out. I want to remember these things. So here's the latest installment, said while in the car on Saturday.

"I like being Mallory Tinkham because ... I have little toes. I have little feet."

What great self-esteem!

Nine Years of Wedded Bliss

Happy Anniversary to us! Nine years ago today, at just about this time, I was a little frenzied with wedding prep. I believe I was in a panic over the fact that I could not find my knee highs (yes, so I'm a little redneck, so what?). Luckily, the best sister in the world sent my then very young nephew who was a newly-minted driver to Wal-Mart to pick up a $.33/ball of sheerness to save the day.

Most of our wedding day is but a fuzzy memory now ... but I do remember a few things.

• Shopping trip. My sister and I got up and went to the mall the day of my wedding. It was so fun. I got a free makeover at Estee Lauder (my makeup was flawless!) and bought some jewelery to wear that day. It was great to share that time with my sister.
• Rushing to decorate. I'm not sure how I ended up on decorating duty, but had to go to the florist, church and reception site to "fluff." It made the day feel rushed.
• Trying not to giggle during the ceremony. See, I had had a dream a few weeks before that I busted out laughing. Of course, during the *actual* ceremony, Shawn and I looked at each other at the same time with the same thought of that dream. Man was it hard to stifle those giggles! Maybe that explains the next bullet.
• "Let us pray." I like prayer. Have nothing against it. But, really Rev. Webb, did we need 5,000 prayers during the ceremony? I guess he thought we needed a "little extra" help from the man above.
• Forced presenting. We were forced to sit for oh ... what felt like most of the night and open gifts from people who had not been able to attend a shower because they were from out of town. It was nice that they thought of us, but really I would have rather been dancing.
• Tennis shoes and knee highs. After we cut the cake, I politely asked Shawn if he would put on my tennis shoes and spare me the pain of high heels. I was really comfy the rest of the night.
  

Lots has changed in nine years ... infertility, two babies, houses, cars, trips ... the list could go on and on. But one thing that hasn't -- I still love you, Lobby/Goose/whatever your name is!

Shawn did well in his celebratory prep ... I woke up to a pretty bauble and then got flowers at work.

(I tried to take a pic of the bauble and the iPhone just cannot zoom in close enough to get the detail with no fuzzies. Sorry.)

Saturday night we're going to celebrate with a fine dining experience at The Capital Grille. It's been a good nine years ... here's hoping the next nine are even better.

The stats

True had his 15 mo check up today. I realize now that I am typing this I should have been putting all his prior stats on the blog. Just in case I lose all of those little pieces of yellow paper they give you at the dr office. That way in thirty years I could tell him what he weighed at each checkup (on second thought ... do you think this blog will be here that long?!). Cause you know that's important information. And I don't have the best memory when it comes to these things. Oh well, I guess it's never too late to start, right?

Height: 30.5" (40%tile)
Weight: 21 lbs 15oz (20%tile)
Head: 19.25" (25%tile)

So my boy is perfect in every way (and I am not being biased ... the dr said it too!). Hard to believe he's already over a year old. This time a year ago I was just coming back to the office to work (I had worked at home for some time) and crying inside every day because I had to let the lovely ladies at daycare fawn over him. I still feel the same way ... just a little more used to it now.

"God talks to me"

In the car this morning, Mallory pronounced, "God talks to me." I was excited ... my daughter is already finding enlightenment at 3.5yo! But then, that idea went downhill very quickly with the rest of the conversation:

Mallie: Mommy, God talks to me.
Mommy: Really, what does he say?
Mallie: He says that we need to go swimming.

Aha. My child has found another clever way to twist the truth to her way of thinking! She's a sneaky one. Of course, maybe God is telling her to go swimming and who am I to interfere!

Just Be

I'm sure there will be thousands of blogs written today about the national innocence that was lost seven years ago when the attacks on the Pentagon, World Trade Center and flights across Shanksville, PA occurred. I'm still devastated by the events of that day. Honestly, I don't think I can fathom or understand the enormous impact it's had on our lives. Maybe I just choose not to.

But, I'm not going to talk about that today. I'm going to talk about "just being." I'm working on "just being present" in my everyday life and appreciating what I have. It's hard because this is not my personality type ... but I feel that this will help make me a better person, a better parent.

If we would let ourselves just be and stop and smell the roses every once in a while, our whole world could be different. Like today ... it's 8:45a and I am just getting to work. And I'm okay with that because what good would it to me to rush and get upset with my children, myself and other drivers on the road. Think about those who were early or late to work on 9/11. Do you think they were upset that they missed the train, their flight or that cab? Maybe for that moment only because the events of the rest of the day opened their eyes.

So I guess I'm trying to say we never know what is going to happen. A chain of events could lead to a positive or negative in our lives. So just go with it. It may not be what you want, but roll with it, don't fight it. If you don't like it, change it. But do it in a positive manner.

Now tomorrow, when I am cursing myself for oversleeping again and the crazies in traffic who are too busy to get off their cell phone to pay attention to the road, I will try to remember how I feel today. Because this is how I want to be every day.

It's been a long time since ...

Growing up, I used to play a mean trick on friends who came to spend the night with me. I'd lure them over under the guise of chit chat, popcorn, movies, make-up, boys ... an endless list of things girls like to do when they sleep over at someones house. Of course, once they were there ... (insert evil laugh) I made them my minions and put them to work. The diva interior designer would come out and I'd force them to help me rearrange my room (insert another evil laugh). It didn't take long for people to catch on to this phenomenon of "let's go to Jenn's house and work." Of course, it did quickly sort out the real friends! Luckily, I didn't push it on them too many times. I couldn't wait for them to come over to rearrange ... so I learned to do a lot of heavy lifting myself.

Even today ... (muffled) years later, Shawn still quakes when he hears me say, "I have an idea." Because to him, this means "let's rearrange the furniture." Let's face it, I like to change things up. But in this house I haven't done much of that. Probably because there is really only one way to put furniture in our bedroom. And the playroom doesn't have that much in it. The kitchen ... well, there is only so much you can do. But the living room and office are fair game! It's on baby. :)

Well, we've arranged the living room about three times in almost two years. That is REALLY a low arrangement to time ratio for me. The office has been arranged once - when we got the office furniture put in.

But lately, I've been feeling the old familiar itch. Maybe it's the change in weather. Maybe I've just unsuccessfully tried to stifle the inner designer ... but it's back. So on Sunday, when I said, "I've got an idea," Shawn just kinda rolled his eyes and backed away. But once I told him what it was, he was very very happy. Especially when I moved all the furniture by myself while he was at Home Depot.

Anyway ... that's a really big lead in to say that I rearranged the office. I think it looks pretty good. Of course, we're going to dump the big black filing cabinet and the broken 46" tv (have I written about the famous Wii incident yet?). And I still need a nice room-sized rug. But we're getting there. Yeah, it's a bit of a bowling alley since all the furniture is off to the side, but this arrangement REALLY works for us.

The curtains are a little tired ... I think I may put up some nice blue ones I have. Yes, I know the rod is hung too low. But I gave up on trying to direct Shawn to where I really wanted it. It works for now.

I found this baby at the new Homegoods store (that place is HEAVEN I tell you). It lives in the office by the back door. We each have our own basket. I was thinking about painting the baskets black. What do you think?

Anyway ... this gives each of us a place to put our stuff each day ... and a way for mommy to not have to run home from school to pick up something we forgot. I can hear it now:

Kidlet: Mommy, I forgot (insert some weird item) at home.
Mommy: Was it in your basket?
Kidlet: No, I forgot to put it in there.
Mommy: You should have remembered to put it in your basket. I bet you don't forget next time. I'm not going home to get it.

Okay ... so that would be in a perfect world. In the real world I always turn around, go home and bring the missing item. On a side note, does anyone else find it disturbing that I always create conversations like this? I'm kinda worried about myself.

Anyway ... that's what I've been up to. I'm getting antsy to do a little something to the playroom next. Please don't let me do anything crazy before the holidays. I have too much to do already. I cannot add to the madness.

NYC, home away from home

I feel like I've been spending LOTS `O time in NYC these days. And I love it!

Years ago I really wanted to move there and take a big `ol bite out of the city. At my previous employer, an internal job was posted for the practice in NYC and I seriously thought about applying. I even joked around with Shawn to get his take (Underhanded, I know. He had no idea of what I was doing. He was just being introduced to the world of Jenn). He didn't take.

Anyway, was having lunch with my friend Tracy a few weeks ago and we started throwing around the idea of doing another girls' trip. Couldn't afford another trip to Paris (Tracy and I went in Feb 08) or Vienna (where we're planning our next out-of-country escapade) so we said that maybe a cosmopolitan city like NYC could fill in the gaps. And, even better, let's go at the holidays to soak up all the holiday spirit.

Started talking to my friend Mello `Dondo. She has a friend who owns partnership in a hotel just off Times Square. The more we talk, the more exciting this trip is ... because it's becoming a reality. Yes my friends, discount hotel room just off Times Square. We are paying a per night rate that is just a little more than we'd pay for a hotel room in Suburbia, TX.

Oh wait, it gets even better (do you feel like you're in an infomercial for NYC?). We had been looking at airfare and were finding rates in the vicinity of $300 - $325. This AM when the hotel was confirmed, we logged on and found it for $238. This trip was destined.

So ... I'm off to soak up some more of the big city with my girls. It's going to be a long wait until December.

Another overheard and a fun Saturday

She got me on this one. We happened to be driving by a farm in the middle of suburbia. Since a family farm seems to be a distinct species, I made it a point to make sure she saw the animals. There were cows and alpacas lazily grazing. The conversation inside the car went something like this:

Mommy: Look at all the cows, Mallory!
Mallory: Yes, there are baby cows too.
Mommy: Do you know what a baby cow is called?
Mallory: A baby cow.
Daddy: *snicker*snicker*snicker*

I scratched my head and had to give it to her. And of course, continued the lesson!

Still no bunk bed delivery. I'm getting antsy, but it's only been a week. Patience cricket. Patience. In the meantime, I've been looking for a decorative theme for True's room. It's hard to find something that meets Shawn's request of "jeep" and my request of "not really jeep." I think I finally found it on eBay. I won it in a bitterly-fought bidding war (I was only mildly wounded, I cannot say what happened to the other party). The spoils of my war came today ... but not in as good of shape as I would have hoped. And the lamp that came with was broken so I need to contact seller and file a claim with the post office. Just what I want to spend my time doing.

This morning we set up a 529 for Mallory's college. I've determined she is going to have to pay for part of school for herself! I am a true believer in pay yourself first because scholarships, loans, etc. are available for college but not for retirement. I mean really ... to fund a private education I'd have to set aside almost $900/mo for 14 years to pay 100% of her education (almost $500/mo for a public school). So, we are going to put in a little over time so that by the time she's ready to go to college she should have enough to pay for at least one year. We need to set one up for True, but we're going to wait a year to see how this one performs. If we like, we'll sign him up next year.

After that we went to Gatti Town and hooked up with the `Dondos. Kids love playing together. And True did not appreciate his first ride on the carousel. This was right after the ride was over. Unfortunately you cannot see the tears. Maybe he just doesn't like riding horseback?


Mallory and Christopher had a great time running around and playing games. At the end, we got to pick prizes (a ring, a sugar necklace and a soccer ball eraser) and take a ride on the train. Even Mommy and Mrs. Melody got in on the action.


After that, we came home. As I'm writing this Daddy is snoozing on the couch. Mommy has gotten up 5 times. To let the dogs out, get True up from his nap, get Mallie a snack (x2) and take my own bathroom break. Something that should have taken me 10 mins has somehow stretched out to just over an hour. Hopefully Mommy will get her own quiet time today.

Decisions made, bed bought

I so struggled with the bunk bed decision ... which style, which color, what do I do? I really made it harder than it should have been. Story of my life.

I finally realized that I kept going back to one set in particular. So once I consciously realized that, the decision was made. But then, what color? Let me tell you, I struggled with this one. White ... is it too girly? Black ... it is a neutral (at least in my house) but is it girly enough? Red ... one of my fav colors, but would it be neutral enough to decorate? I chose none of the above.

After hem-hawing for a few hours on Saturday, I finally made the call and ordered the bed. No, I'm not going to tell you which one yet. I was ambitious yesterday and trekked around McKinney and Plano to find bedding. The good news is that we are all set ... we just need the beds to arrive.

Don't worry ... I won't keep you in the dark. You'll be the first to know once they very nice furniture men come in and set them up! Hopefully they'll be here in the next two weeks. Till then, stand by.

Here comes the bride

Overheard today:

"Mommy, this is the dress I'm going to marry Truett in."

What do I do with this?

I was perusing my local Craigslist the other day. Perusing probably isn't the right word. Stalking would be better. I have a ritual every time I log on (which is about five million times a day) . I have my search down to a science and it always goes in this order:

1. Bunk beds (yes, I was thinking I could find something cheaper than the pics I posted previously).
2. Rug. I need a rug for my office. My feet hurt on the wood floors all the time (I could be losing the fat on the bottom of my feet though. Can that happen?!).
   
3. Toile. I once saw a toile loveseat on there that I was literally salivating over. But it was white and a light brown. And I have two kids. Yeah, I can dream though.
   
4. Pottery Barn. I like a lot of their stuff. But I refuse to pay full price.
   

So, anyway, to get back on topic. I strayed from from list on Monday and found myself looking at the furniture section. And then I found this (not the dog, but he does match, doesn't he?) :


My heart fluttered and I thought to myself, "I must have this." When I sent the pic to M'Dondo she told me I was crazy. It might be haunted. I think it would have haunted my dreams if I didn't bring it home. It really needed to be adopted.

But, the big question is ... now that I have it, where do I put the darn thing? It's so lonely sitting in the dining room. I wish it would talk to me, but I think it is pouting from having to leave it's home. It is from the 40s and has only had two owners -- a mother and daughter.

Usually I look for furniture when I know what to do with it. This was just a pure emotional purchase. I've wanted one for a long time since my aunts (Brenda and Linda) have my grandmother's secretary at their house. I've always loved it (but theirs is much less ornate than this one).

Good or bad, I seem to have created another design challenge for myself.

Star Struck

Mallory did a gymnastics try-me class back in May. She decided she'd rather do ballet. So 9 weeks later, we were back in gymnastics. At WOGA of all places (just so happens it's down the street from our house). I had forgotten about Nastia Liukin and her dad who owns the place. Until last night. While Mallory was running and jumping her heart out at her class, I gazed upon:

Valeri Liukin

He was teaching a class of young girls. They were practicing tumbling and you could tell he just adored all of them. And vice versa. There was such a joy in the way he was responding to them and encouraging him. Now I know why he has produced so many champions (if that is how he interacts with all his kids). Honestly, I wanted to get up and do a double back, two and a half twist, whipsaw flash back thingy. But I probably would have been in bed today if I tried.

(Pre) school days

As a working mommy, I am forced to send my kids to other people during the day. I always think that I would like to be a stay at home mommy and then I consider my personality type. I often wonder if I could really do it ... and if I did, would I have any hair left. But ... I'm not writing about whether I should be a SAHM or not. No, I'm writing about that rite of passage - the first day of school. In our case ... (pre) school.

Mallory has been at the same "school"/daycare sinec Dec 06. She loved it from the day she set foot in the place. And of course, my mommy heart swelled. "I did good" on finding her a place to wile away the hours. All of that came to a screeching halt yesterday. It was transition day. Since regular school started, daycare rearranged all of the classes and redistributed kiddos to new rooms. All of the kids who will go to kindergarten starting in Aug 09 moved up to the preschool class. My little one has a late birthday and will not go to kindy until Aug 10 (she was born in November). You see where I am going with this. Yes, she was left behind.

The loss of friends who moved up to the next class has caused so much upheaval at our house in the last 24 hours that we even resorted to bribing her to be happy - with McDonalds. The worst came this morning when she told me:

I don't like school.

I think I may have worn away some of my brake pads on the car I stopped so quickly. I just turned around and looked at my sad little girl, knowing there is nothing I can really do to fix this. But of course, I must put some kind of stop-gap measure in place because my kids WILL LOVE school (I'm really not as controlling as this sentence may make me seem). Off to call the daycare director. Cross your fingers for me. And if you've ever been in this situation I'd love some advice. Really, because I want this little girl back (ignore the fuzzy picture, darn iPhone!):


In more positive news, Truett also moved classes. He graduated from the infant class to pre-tods and is in heaven. Little boys are so easy.

Decisions, Decisions

Mallory is growing up. A little each day, as much as I hate to admit it. I'm not sure why, but I got it into my head that since she is getting bigger she needs "big girl beds." Aka bunk beds. Shawn just shakes his head at me when we discuss this because really, she doesn't need them. Her little twin with a trundle works perfectly fine. Maybe this is just me trying to get something I always wanted as a child?! So of course, I am determined to get them. She must have them!

Now comes the true test of my decision making skills ... which set to get. Who knew there were SO MANY bunk beds out there? Not only do you have to choose the bed, but then you have to choose finish, mattress and bedding. Oy vey! I have it narrowed down to these three sets. Which do you like (and don't forget to tell me why)? They come in all different colors too ...

My Haven

Ma Marie

Cottage Chic

The question is ... do I buy a set that can be handed down to Truett or do I get something that is girly and fabulous?!

It's mainly a mistreatment

The Nester issued a challenge: show off your best mistreatments. I don't profess to be a professional mistreater like she is, but I do try to follow in her footsteps. So far I've only attempted window mistreatments, but I do have grand plans for something bigger, better and beyond my imagination. If only I could figure out what it is!

Anyway ... here's a walk down memory lane with my mistreatments.

My first attempt at a mistreatment - the master bath window. I took a two by four and stapled on material. My dear husband pounded some nails into the wall for me so the wood could sit on them. You'll see that it wasn't my best effort. It looked good at first, then I took it down to paint and for some reason, never found the time to re:treat it once I put it back up. That was a few months ago.


Here's the next project - faux blinds in the playroom. Please oh please ignore the cedar. Really, little fingers and cedar INDOORS in the middle of suburbia don't mix. I could see if we lived in a log cabin somewhere. But no ... neighbors to the left, neighbors to the right, neighbors to the north, neighbors to the south. Anyway ... I digress. I simply used staples and glue on the valance over the blinds then hung them back up. I used safety pins to pull them up on the sides. Viola! $38 later I have something to be proud of on the four playroom windows.


And last but certainly not least is the mistreatment for my laundry room. It cost me $3 and an assortment of stick pins and push pins. Yep, pinned it straight to the wall. The pom pom is also pinned on. No glue, no thread, no nothing.


Hope you've enjoyed my Mistreatment 2008 tour. Stop on by soon to see what else I'm up to!

Date night with the `Dondos

Something weird must be going on around here because I have got to do so many adult things lately (yeah, remember going to Jersey Boys ... great memories). Anyway, our friends the Arredondo's pretty must twisted our arms into having a double date night. Well, I shouldn't say "they" did it. It was really Melody, our party planner extraordinaire. After a quick phone conversation that went something like this, we decided on bowling.

Mel: What do you want to do?
Me: I don't care.
Mel: Go out to eat?
Me: I don't care.
Mel: Bowling?
Me: Yeah, that sounds great.
Mel: What time should we go?
Me: I don't care.

I could hear her rolling her eyes on the phone. And I don't blame her. Maybe I was channeling the title "she's just not that in to you" because that is the way I felt about date night. Don't get me wrong; I was looking forward to date night but was not ALL over the planning like Miss Party Pants was (you know I love ya girl). Good thing she was because no telling what date night would have been had I planned it. We'd be hanging out at the local street corner watching the lights turn green, then yellow, then red (imagine that). Or, we would have been watching paint dry on my wall or something. You get my point. So, I ponied up and got a babysitter.

Anyway ... last Friday night we hoofed it to the nicest bowling alley I've ever been to in my life. Umm ... I should have known it was going to be nice because of it's location. It was so shi-shi that there was a WAITER to answer to our every whim. Need another margarita? Why yes, Alex, I do. Want someting to eat? Why yes, Alex, we do.

I really thought I was a better bowler than I was ... but apparently I am not. Maybe I was distracted by all the shi-shi? I thought the four margaritas were going to help improve my score, but you can see by the progression of the games that they did nothing to improve my game.

Game 1
(not quite finished, but being the *juvenilles* we are, had to take a picture of Adam's score)

Game 2

Game 3

So after bowling the male members of our Fierce-some Foursome decided a little pool was in order. They played a game before Mel joined in. I was sitting on the side quitely giggling to myself. I'm not sure I would have found the whole scene so funny if I hadn't had four margaritas.

All in all, we had a wonderful time. I can't wait till the next meeting of the Fierce-some Foursome.

Olympics-induced coma

I've been negligent of my blog this last week. And I have a good excuse. I am in an Olympics-induced coma. Man am I addicted this year. To the point where I stay up every night until midnight or later watching what is going to happen. I am not getting anything done at home or at work because I am just so exhausted (not only by staying up so late, but don't you find it's hard to watch someone expend so much energy?!).

Yeah ... I watch the events you would consider typical Olympic fare:



But who knew I would spend countless, mindless hours watching:

I was a little upset the other day when I couldn't watch the equestrian competition (well, we did have to have clean clothes to wear). Luckily, the disappointment didn't last too long. I did finish in time to watch the rowing competition. BTW ... I found out a few things this year about the Olympics. Did you know that PING PONG is an Olympic sport? Who knew? All this time I could have been in training with the Olympic team!

Well, the good news for me is that we have date night tonight. So, that's one step towards breaking my addiction. Even better, there's only a week of late nights left and then I can resume my normal schedule. Until then, don't ask me what's going on in the real world. I can only talk Olympics.

Mr Telephone Man

Mr Telephone Man ... there's something wrong with my line ... when I dial my baby's number ... I get a click every time.

I've been singing that New Edition song all day because of an upgrade in phone equipment here at work. Who knew it would take so little to make me happy?! Well, it's quite a simple story as to why actually ... at my old job, we had just moved into a new building with all new state-of-the-art equipment. Then, I decided to come here. All the equipment worked, but everything was (well, is) really old so in a way I was moving back down the ladder. But not anymore, baby! Take a look at my before and after.

Old phone. If you're familiar with these types of phones and you stare at this long enough, you'll see that the only way to mute yourself is if you are on speaker phone. This made it quite fun to be on extended conference calls (until I got an office with a door anyway).

New phone. Yes, I have made quite a step up in the phone world. Isn't it pretty?

By now you are thinking, "what a wacko." Maybe so ... but I have a new phone and you don't! It think it's time for me to go home now.

Newsflash!

Truett is walking. 'nuff said.

Spidering

This evening after dinner, Mallie decided to hop into my lap. I of course cannot keep my hands off her because she's just so darn cute and started tickling her. What transpired next was ... well, I just have to put it down to remember it.

Mallory: giggle, giggle, giggle
Mommy: I'm going to get you silly girl!
Mallory: quit spidering me, mommy!
Mommy: spidering you?
Mallory: yes (wiggling her fingers on her side)
Mommy: (the light bulb finally comes on) oh ... okay. i'm going to spider you!

So, apparently "tickling" has become "spidering." Well, it does kind of make sense when you watch what your wiggling fingers during said session. Watch out ... I'm going to spider you!

Isn't it pretty?

Joy, joy, joy! I've always been envious of those blogs who have pretty backgrounds. I'll be honest ... I just don't have the time or talent (mainly talent) to do something like that. I've tried online scrapping in the past. I got ONE page layout made before I quit. So anyway ... I've always been a little jealous of those who do have talent and can make their blog look so, so pretty.

Imagine how excited I was when I found The Cutest Blog on the Block. Now I can finally join the ranks of those with pretty designs (it's just another version of the "haves" and the "have nots" you know). And the best part -- it's FREE. Yep, not one red cent is required to use one of these babies. You do have to live with that little advertisement up in the upper left corner. But I figure it's worth it.

Things that go bump in the night

It's 12:07a on my clock. Everyone is tucked away snuggly in their bed. Well, not their bed since Mallory has made her nest in Mommy and Daddy's bed. But, you get the idea. Truett is snoring away ... Mallie is spread eagle ... Shawn is curled up into a ball trying to keep from falling off the edge of the bed. And here I am ... wide awake. I've found myself somewhat afflicted by insomnia the last few weeks. It's even worse tonight because I feel like I'm in the beginning of some psychological thriller. Why? Just silliness actually.

I was laying in bed ... minding my own business ... watching Flipping Out (have you seen this? there are people out there who are crazier than we are!). The next thing I know ... I hear three ting, ting, tings. I felt intense panic in the pit of my stomach. Because we've all seen the slasher movies, right? We know what is coming next. Yep ... I'm not saying I'm rational at this time of the night.

Where was the sound coming from? Sounded like it was outside. I sat up, the hairs on my neck raised. I sat there, listening intently ... just daring whomever was outside my window to make another noise. Then I heard something sound like it came from the attic. This is a usual sound in my house (gotta love those squirrels; reminder to add to the to-do list: exterminate), but coupled with the tinging ... well, had me scared to death.

Oh no, I was not content to just HEAR the so-called intruder. What did I do next? WHAT YOU ALWAYS YELL AT THE MOVIE HEROINE FOR: I went outside, in the dark, with no flashlight or weapon to protect myself from only God knows what. Smart, huh? Good thing there was nothing out there. Although on my way back into the house I did get the freak out feeling again and RAN! I am such a chicken.

So, here I am. Hoping that no one was out there stealing my air conditioning unit and that I wish I had super-night-vision eyesight so I could have seen if anything or anyone was out there (that's an interesting side note ... what would my superpower name be?). Because seriously, how would I cope in 500 degree weather without air conditioning?

Ta-da, Shawn waved his magic wand

Do you hear the magic song singing, "oh sweet joy, the doors are finally hung?" Yes, my friends. Magic has been performed ... and it was only a two month trick. I left Saturday morning to spend time in hell (well, it was really Canton ... but the temperature outside was 106 so I was confused) and I came home to this:

Isn't it a beautiful sight when compared to before? I think we can all agree that the answer is obvious. Shawn worked hard all day long to complete this trick. That's one more step to finally getting this house whipped into shape. Next big project is the playroom. I would post a picture, but it would probably scare you too much.

In kidlet news ... Truett is getting so close to walking. He can do it ... but he's afraid to let go. Honestly, I'm amazed that kids walk at all since it can hurt so much to learn how to do it. Guess that's another plus of diapers. Padding is a good thing in this case.

Mallory spent the week at her Mimi and Papa's house last week. I don't think there is any question that she had a good time. You'd have a good time too if someone gave in to your every whim and craving. However, this week dawns a new world in our household. I have implemented the Chore Chart. Yes ... she has to make her bed, brush her teeth, pick up her toys. At the end of the week she'll get a toy as long as ALL her chores have been completed and she's had a good disposition. The good news is that Mommy and Daddy decide about the disposition thing. She'll catch on soon enough ... but for now we have our evil laugh when she goes to sleep.