Happy 10th Birthday Nolan

How can it be that my baby has entered the double digits???

(Nolan at age one)

Ten wonderful traits that make this kid who he is...

1. He's got the best, most contagious belly laugh.

2. His hair has a serious party overnight... I've never seen bedhead quite like his.

3. He loves nick names... the sillier the better. He once went by "fuzzy beard".

4. He makes friends easily and likes pretty much everyone.

5. He could seriously retell every Spongebob episode word for word. Much to my chagrin.

6. He LOVES to cook along side me, which I love!

7. He gives the very best hugs. Big cuddly bear hugs.

8. He's afraid of aliens...still cannot watch E.T. without leaving the room.

9. He always tells me he loves me at the end of every phone call before I even have the chance.

10. His favorite food is... a turkey sandwich with pickles.

I love you kiddo and hope your day is filled with happiness and fun!

Why can't my kids just play checkers?

I looked outside my window today to see my boys happily playing in the front yard.

Just made me smile.

That is, until I saw Nick invent a new game of "launch yourself with crutches while wearing roller blades"...

This is why I have come to the conclusion that we need our very own room at the local urgent care center.
That would have been a fun visit to explain to the Dr. had he hurt himself.
"Um, yes... It does appear that my son needs crutches for his broken femur injury that he sustained while playing with crutches." Nice.
Luckily, he came to his senses and put the crutches away before there were any mishaps, and happily went back to shooting hoops... while wearing his roller blades. Sheesh.

Oh happy day!

This morning found me on my couch, eyes glued to the television, my boys and a box of tissue by my side. (After the election results back In November and Obama's speech, I now know tissue is necessary.)

I'm so happy with the new leader of our country. It's so refreshing to feel like we're heading in the right direction and to know our reputation in the world is soon to be repaired. Obama's heartfelt speech and calm demeanor made my day. If he leads this country as well as he gives speeches we will have nothing to worry about! I was moved by the massive sea of people flooding the grounds in Washington D.C. all waving their flags in celebration. Seeing the hope in every one's eyes was enlightening. I loved seeing the faces of his little girls, all smiles just enjoying the day. It all was so moving to watch... It was a three tissue morning. I won't forget it.

Four years ago I knew I'd be happy when this day finally arrived. (It felt like a lifetime!) I just didn't know I'd be so thoroughly happy with the individual chosen to take the helm. It's really the first time I've ever been inspired by a President. It feels good! I hope and pray he can safely lead our country to better days. We are better off today than we were yesterday so that's a step in the right direction!!

Never a Dull Moment

Morning coffee. check.
Kids off to school. check.
Prepare for 4th grade art lesson. check.
Lunch. check.
One load of laundry started. check.
Teaching art project to best 4th grade class ever. check.
Have Principal interrupt to tell me Nick had a 'collision incident' in PE and is in office. check.
See son in office with a laceration in forehead from fellow classmate's tooth. check.
Take Nick to urgent care to get stitches. check.
Comfort Nick who is beyond scared about having stitches. check.
Give Nolan the evil eye for complaining about being "bored" while waiting for poor Nick. check.
Go to pharmacy to pick up medications for sutured son. check.
Home at last. check.
Kind classmate with sore tooth calls to check on Nick. check.
Feel relieved that Nick is feeling better and doesn't have a cuncussion. check.
Kind classmate with sore tooth brings warm cupcakes to cheer up Nick. check.
Hope someday Nick will date unbelievably sweet, adorable, sharp toothed classmate. check.
Happy to see a smile on Nick's face. check.
Laugh at Connor when he says to Nick, "Tell her to aim lower next time." check.
Just another day in the life of a mom with boys. check.

My Major Award!

A couple of weeks ago...I was a lucky winner in a fantastic giveaway contest put on by a fellow blogger. I have never met Marilyn, but I read her blog from time to time because I admire her taste in music. She is consistently reviewing new songs and albums and has opened my eyes to some great new artists.

So imagine my surprise when she randomly picked my name and told me I would be receiving 9 CD's worth of new music! Over 9 hours of tunes! I was thrilled!

But I was beyond thrilled when the package actually ended up on my doorstep last night...

Take a looksy...

I

She put so much work into each homemade CD compilation.

Each has it's own lovely Cover and play list inside. And the artwork on each CD is so COOL!!

Aren't those super cute??

You know they are. And you can bet your boots that the music contained on each one is even better!!

Thanks, Marilyn, for this amazing gift and all of the time and effort you put into it. I can't wait to listen to them all.

And so I mustn't wait any longer... :)

A girl's Bestfriend

I haven't been able to post for a few days because of this little number...
Connor, being the amazing guy he is, helped me pick out this lovely sparkly ring for my anniversary present last week.
It's made it very hard to type on the keyboard due to the overwhelming shine radiating from my right hand. I've been blinded by the intense sparkles and quite distracted by the beauty of it all.

We will now resume regular posting from here on out.

5840 Days of Wedded Bliss

Happy 16th Connor!

I went online to find out what the "traditional anniversary gift" was for this blessed year...

But lo and behold, they skip years 16-19.

No china for me until year 20...

We've reached a point in our marriage where we now only buy gifts every 5 years. We are officially old married folk.

Thanks for being by my side all these years... You continually make my life's journey more than I could have ever hoped for. I love you!

Update... Um, I found a site that states the 16th wedding anniversary gift traditionally should involve airline tickets to some lovely tropical locale, sparkly jewelry, AND an endless foot massage. Just in case you were wondering sweetie. :)

Webster's latest entry

What better room to enhance with a new saying like this than the boys' bathroom?I'm sure they're gonna love it... Hee hee hee :)

How mama got her coffee slush fund

Connor really didn't want me to disclose this info on my blog... But I thought it was funny and oddly sweet, so I'm putting it on my blog so I can look back and laugh one day.

A couple of weeks ago as the four of us sat around the dinner table, I heard Nolan whisper under his breath to Connor "Oh...that'll cost you a dollar".
Connor quietly shushed Nolan, and pretended like nothing had happened.
Finding this rather peculiar, I asked "What was that about?"
Nick pipes up "Way to go Nolan, you've spoiled our little secret."

That is when the three of them unveiled their latest scheme at becoming less gross and disgusting in the presence of mom. They had made a pact that when any of them had audibly belched or did other disgusting boy stuff over a two week period they would have to put some money in a collection jar. Connor's fine was a dollar. Nick and Nolan's was a quarter for each infraction. They mentioned that they felt a little sorry for me being the only lady in the house and wanted to make an effort at being more refined and less grotesque. I found this to be hilarious and was quite pleased to see that my men were making an effort at being more like gentlemen and less like trolls.

Two weeks have passed and I'm the lucky recipient of the collection jar...I'm $7.83 richer. Not sure how we ended up with such an odd total and random pennies, but I'm not going to complain!

Happy New Year Fun

Happy New year!

We've been having some fun 'round here...

For starters, Connor has been on vacation since Christmas day so there has been no shortage of fun going on.

The boys have LOVED having dad around for entertainment. The raucous wrestling matches taking place in my living room have been a thrill... for them. I seriously have to leave the room otherwise I worry and fret about all the ways they could possibly hurt themselves. Having mom on the sidelines really puts a damper on their fun not to mention an ulcer in my belly.

Our weather has been less than lovely, so our fun was confined to indoor activities and even the most courteous and pleasant family would get cabin fever and feel like clobbering each other after being stuck together inside day after day...

So...

We decided to take a mini va-cay.

We piled in the car and headed to a local hotel to spend one evening.

When the boys saw this awesome indoor pool they were in heaven.

And when Connor ordered me a poolside Mai Tai, I was in heaven.

And when we all went back to our room to order room service for dinner, well, we were all loving our mini va-cay!

My parents send us some money each year for Christmas and we always try to think of a fun way to put it to good use. I must say this year's idea was a winner. Room service + countless rounds of Marco Polo = fun family times. Thanks mom and dad!

There are only a few more days left before we're thrown back into the daily grind of homework, commuting, and bringing home the bacon. So I guess I'd better go find out who's up for a quick game of battleship or a round of guitar hero...

Have a Happy New Year!!