fun pics :)

I couldn't, in good conscience, put these pictures under the cucumber postcard, so I'm adding them in a new blog.

Ben's picture I took tonight while I was setting up for engagement pictures. When I bathe the kids, cut and style their hair and get them dressed up, I can't get one decent picture. When they desperately need a bath and have old clothes on, that's when I get the good ones. Atleast Ben's hair was cut for this one!

The Evan picture I took last summer at a festival. I was a little tipsy, and to be honest, forgot that I even took the picture. It took me a while to remember where and when I took it.

I love my guys. :)

our big fat new year's party

Yes, as you can see, it's 11:00 PM on New Year's Eve, and I am blogging. Does this tell you how big of plans we have??? We were planning on visiting friends, but decided to stay here so the boys could sleep. In turn, they were going to come over, then decided not to. All three of my guys were asleep by 10:00, so here I am, editing pictures and blogging.

New Year's is almost always uneventful for me. Oh well.

All four of you have heard me talk about my favorite website, postsecret.com. If not, it's a website where people anonymously send in postcards with their secrets on them. This week's first postcard may be the funniest one I've ever seen. I'll add it here.

I hope you're all having a great New year... you know I am! :)

Christmas

I was going to do a 2007-year-in-review, but don't really feel like it now. First things first... Christmas.

Christmas was pretty good. We've all been going non-stop for weeks leading up to Christmas, so the goal was to stay home and have a relaxing day. And, we did, for the most part. Lauren and I both bought our own set of gifts for the boys, and although every year we discuss materialism and trying to do "small" Christmases, it's only worked that way once. Last year, we moved into the new-old house 9 days before Christmas, so it was a miracle that we even got the tree up. This year Lauren decided to treat us all to a DVD projector and large movie screen... because we need another reason to sit our asses on the couch! We doubled our DVD collection (which wasn't hard to do!) and, while it is a little much, it's really awesome. :) We watched The Goonies on the big screen with popcorn and a fire in the fireplace, and I must say it was very fun. The best part is now our schedules have slowed down considerably, and we can have people over to enjoy movies with us! (Please feel free to invite yourself over :) )

This was the first year that Ben really got uber-excited about Christmas. It was a blast. On Monday, we kept the boys from their afternoon naps... and it worked! They were both asleep early, which gave us time to wrap. Of course, come 6:30 am, Ben was up and jumping around. We carried Evan downstairs (still asleep), and started the festivities. Pictures are to follow... I brought the camera over to download pics, but have the wrong memory card in the cam and I'm too lazy to go get it! My sister and her kids came over around lunch time, and my mom and grandfather were soon after that. They all left around 5, and about 5:15 was when the second wave came in - Lauren's family and friends. By this time we had a good fire going, and kicked back to watch Casino Royale (Lauren is a 007 freak) and ate some homemade french onion soup that the fam brought over. Yum. Evan crashed for the night around 7 (no nap) and Ben was out around 8... we didn't last much longer than that either.

Ben got a Vidster kid's video camera, which has its quirks, but is fun when it's working correctly. I will have to edit some movies and post them on here... when I have time to procrastinate, that is. (Right now I have taxes/pictures to work on, which is why I'm here writing. Catching up on Grey's Anatomy on abc.com is next...)

Can bedtime come any sooner??

Oh my.

This is the first year Ben is really into the whole Santa thing, and the first year he is really excited. I mean, REALLY excited. He was literally bouncing this morning when he got up, because Santa is coming tonight. I have a strategy for today: no nap, lots of running, and *hopefully* they will go to bed early (earlier) tonight. So far, so good. Evan hasn't had a nap, and after dinner I'll give him about another hour. Ben, however, will be the difficult one. He can go either way with naps and be fine, and with his extreme excitement, who knows what will happen. All I'm saying is that they need to be asleep soon so Santa can wrap their gifts!!!

Ben is convinced he is getting a toy jeep (jeef), and Santa has told me he is not. Of course, he has waited until today to drop a big list to us. We keep warning him not to be upset if he doesn't get exactly what he's asked for, so hopefully he'll be excited.

I feel kind of bad. Everytime he tells me he's excited about opening presents, I cringe a little. We want to instill in him that it is a day to celebrate the birth of Christ, a day to spend time with the family, a time to be thankful for all that we have and help those who aren't as lucky as we are. All he really cares about at this point is the presents. I guess he's only four, and that's what I should expect, right? I know it will change over time. When I was that young that's all I cared about!

For now, it's just fun to see him so excited. Okay, well, mostly fun and a little annoying. Being able to hold Santa over his head when it's time to clean his room or quit whining has been very nice, and I'm not really looking forward to that going away! Oh well. I heard that Santa is bringing him a kid's video camera (playskool, fisher price? it's a daddy gift.), so we will have to post some of his movies on here.

I'm off to make an early dinner, because he's wanting to go to bed now that it's dark. Dinner, a final room cleaning (Santa won't come unless their room is clean!), and probably three long hours of him trying to get to sleep.

Merry Christmas to all of you! I hope yours is wonderful!

:)

Lemons and melons and pears, oh my!

This past weekend was FINALLY my weekend to head to Paducah, KY and St. Louis... to see my friend Ali and to see Wicked. Wicked! The show I've been wanting to see for four years now! The soundtrack I have listened to a million times!

From the start, my biggest concern was getting down there, and doing it safely. I hate HATE driving in the snow, and looked into airfare, train tickets, and bus tickets. I was not going to miss this! Ali lives just outside of Paducah, and the only way I could get there was by bus... so I purchased the tickets a few weeks ago, and didn't have to worry about driving in the snow or missing out for any reason.

The bus trip was, well, miserable. I was supposed to leave Indy at midnight (I was so tired already), but they overbooked the bus and I missed the midnight trip by about three people in line. The next bus to Nashville didn't leave until 4 am. Being the smart one I am, I took a dramamine BEFORE I was guaranteed a spot on the bus (foolishly I thought the ticket guaranteed me a spot), and staying awake was very rough. Fortunately I stuck a DVD in the laptop before I left, and had a ton of photo work to do. 4 am came around and I was the first one in line... I camped out by the cold, drafty door as soon as MY bus left.

So, we had a "small break" in Louisville - from 6:20 am to 7 am... which turned out to be 8:30 because the bus broke down. We finally got to Nashville around 10:30, where I made my way to the ticket counter to find the next bus to Paducah wasn't until 6:15. Seriously. So, for stupid move #2, I had planned on taking a shower before I left Friday night, but decided NOT to. Why?? I spent 8 hours in the bus station in Nashville, amid rumors that there was too much snow on our western route and the trip would be cancelled. I seriously was in tears. I was NOT going to miss this show because I was stuck in a nasty bus station in TN!

Finally, at 6:15 we loaded on the bus and headed out around 6:40. I made into Paducah just before 10, and got to see Ali and Clay, and most of the rest of the family. :) I hit the shower when we got to their house, and slept through the night for the first time in a long time.

We were worried about the drive to St. Louis; everything we read online said that they got 10 inches of snow and there were icy wrecks all over the place. We left very early, and the newscasters in St. Louis must have been on something. There were probably 3-5 inches on the ground, and the roads were just fine.

We arrived at the Fox Theatre, and it was absolutely gorgeous! They were selling all kinds of stuff, including Elphaba's Brew, which was a green fuzzy navel. We made it into our seats (which were great), and the show started soon after.

Let me just say - if you've been thinking about seeing Wicked and can't decide... see it! It was amazing! The sets, the costumes, the makeup and lighting were all just amazing. And, of course, the actors - they had two strong leads to play Galinda and Elphaba. They both had gorgeous voices, and brought so much to the characters.

The story is the other half of the story of the Wizard of Oz, starting when Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) is born, and when she goes to school to watch her disabled sister. She shares a room with Galinda (the Good Witch), and they become friends. I don't want to ruin anything, but it totally puts a whole different spin on the movie. It explains about the ruby slippers, the wicked witch of the east, the tornado, and how the tinman/lion/scarecrow came to be. For all the crap I had to go through to get there, the show was SO worth it.

It was also wonderful to see Ali and Clay. I have known her since we were about three, and it's so fun to see her happily married with a wonderful family. Ben is jealous... he's totally smitten by Ali's daughter Anna, and I got to see her. :)

Luckily, the trip back was uneventful. Well, pretty much. We stopped in Marion, IL and picked up a handful of guys straight out of jail. I also had the privilege of sitting next to a high witch. She was no Elphaba, though. Once she came down a little, she was pretty fun to talk to. Both my bus to St. Louis and the one coming home left on time and I was on them, so I got home pretty much on time last night.

Overall, it was a great weekend. It's good to come home to see my boys, but it was also nice to have a few days away. Now... time to get ready for Christmas!

Wicked!

So, I am leaving for Paducah, KY on Friday... my dear friend Ali and I are going to see Wicked in St. Louis on Sunday afternoon.

Can I tell you how excited I am? I am going to have, like, three nights where I get to sleep BY MYSELF (!!!)... that means no chunky toddler legs kicking me, no one peeing on me in the middle of the night, no night terrors, no Evan Siren going off in the middle of the night because he wants water... just sleep. I can't wait! Plus, I get to see Ali (I'm very excited!) whom I haven't seen since May, and before that I hadn't seen her since high school (1994ish)... so I am freaking excited. And, of course, we have tickets to Wicked, the show I have wanted to see since, like, 2003 when I saw Idina Menzel all over the news for her portrayal of Elphaba and when she fell into the orchestra on the night before her final night. Hello, run-on sentence! I have listened to that soundtrack probably hundreds of times... it's one of those things where I know it word for word, but I can't wait to see how it all comes together on stage. I love it!

The bottom line is, I am freaking excited!!!

I just ate an orange, and Evan is licking my face. Eww. Evan's new trick is that he says he wants to kiss you, then licks you. I don't know where he picked it up, but it's disgusting. Boys are gross. Lauren asked me if girls ever grow out of that 'boys are gross' phase. I told him no, because boys don't ever stop being gross. Our house feels like a frat house 24/7. It's always bodily functions and noises and smells and byproducts.

We (I) have to take Evan to his pediatrician on Friday to be screened for diabetes. Both Lauren and I have it in our families, while neither of us show any symptoms. Evan drinks a ton and goes through diapers in no time, and has this odor that won't go away (I swear we bathe him and brush his teeth). All three are symptoms of diabetes, so it's off to Dr. Kelley's again. I hope my little man is okay!

Okay, I'll babble more later. I'm tired! Time for bed!

relettalate

Ben colored me some pictures, then took them back because he wanted to "relettalate" them. I asked him what that means, and he said it was spanish for stamping them.

He cracks me up every day. He's like a little 40-year-old man trapped in a four-year-old's body. The thing he's most excited about next year (kindergarten) is that the coffee shop is across the street. He also just told me that he wants to be a fairy godmother for halloween next year. (Don't worry... I'll post pictures.)

I love my Benny. :)

three eggs, two yolks.

Yeah, so I really don't have time to blog... I truly am procrastinating and have a TON of work to do. Oh well. I started a temp project again on Monday, and have barely been home (except to sleep) since then. My grandfather is in the hospital - apparently he has prostate cancer (no one ever bothered to tell us) and has had a ton of fluid in his lungs and around his heart. They think he may have had a series of small strokes about a month ago. So, he's been in the hospital the past few days, and he went home today. They've taken him off some of his medications, and I can't figure out if it's a really good sign or a really bad one. This brings back a lot of memories of my dad being so sick and dying, so I've been trying not to think about it at all. I realize it's selfish and callous and insensitive, but I'm not ready to deal with another death... if that is the way this is heading. Cancer sucks. I hate it. F-it!

So, onto the egg story... really quickly. Evan discovered raw eggs the other day. While I was listening to Lauren complain about work on the phone the other night (while trying to superglue broken ornaments), Ben came in screaming that Evan was in the fridge. I walked in the kitchen (in the next room) and Evan had torn the egg crate and three eggs were missing. I found two complete eggs (he didn't break the yolks!) - one in the cooler and one in a bowl, and an egg white on the floor. No yolk. Seriously, this was Saturday, and I still have no idea. This is going to be like when he plays "hide the sippy cup of milk" and I find it a few days later in the cabinet with the mixing bowls... and it smells like rotten vomit. You parents know how it goes. Oh, and the best part is that I actually superglued my left thumb and forefinger together in the process. Of course. Would you expect anything less from me?

I always love the first snow. By the end of winter, I can't remember why I always love the first snow, and at the beginning of winter, I can't figure out why I end up hating it so much by March. It was fun to get the boys up this morning and tell them it had snowed. They were so excited to go out to the car this morning. Evan was a little freaked out by snow falling on his face, but had no problem throwing snow at me after he got used to it.

Okay... gotta get back to work...

wasting time

If you like to procrastinate, here is one of my favorite websites (I have it bookmarked):

http://www.postsecret.blogspot.com/

enjoy! :)

the world is his canvas...

I'm all for creative expression, and want to encourage my sons to use art/music/language to do so. Evan doesn't need much encouragement.

His new favorite thing to do is dump out full bottles of whatever he can get his hands on. Some of the victims of his latest, um, art include: a new bottle of mousse, a full bottle of conditioner, a full bottle of that carpet powder stuff (atleast he got THIS in the right place!), and just the other night a full bottle of body wash. You may ask why we let him play with these... we don't! He's a climber, and has recently learned how to climb up on the sink and on the kitchen counter, which is really scary. Security has had to be stepped up! With the body wash - it was out of his reach, and I was headed upstairs. I put two bottles on the kitchen table, took a sippy cup into the kitchen, came back into the kitchen and half the bottle of body wash was in the rug. I can't leave him alone! Grrr!!

To all you who asked, Thanksgiving went very well. I did the turkey in a brine overnight the night before, and it turned out really well. We actually enjoyed the day with the family, and my grandfather pretty much spared the rude comments he's famous for, which was a pleasant surprise.

Ugh... I'm back to work now...

T minus 40 hours...

Okay. So, the living room is clean. The boys' room is clean (kind of). The kitchen is almost clean, and the dining room will be done as soon as I finish this. Maybe.

Two fun things happened today. First, I got a decent-sized photo order that I wasn't expecting. Boom, there it was, a nice little check in my mailbox. Two, actually, and I dropped off two other orders and got paid for them. So, the checkbook is happy.

Second, and even more exciting, I got my bus ticket to KY for December 15.... for our Wicked trip!! Yeah!!! I wanted to wait until I felt like I had enough to fall back on in the checkbook, and there it was. :) I hate, HATE, driving in the snow, and I don't want to commit to driving that far in December. So, I looked into train and bus tickets (much cheaper than flying!), and found one that will get me very close to Ali. I can't wait... both for the show and the visit w/ Ali. :) And, this should be fun.... Lauren called me tonight to tell me about this dismal company Christmas party he wants me to go to - he said it was "very important." Like, it's for this CPA he used to work for in Carmel, and it's going to be very flashy. Mind you, he USED to work there... in 2003. Anyway, the fun part is that it is one of the nights I will be in KY. Damn, I'm so upset that I can't go. :)

My children are the kings of destruction. I'm letting them stay up until Lauren gets home (any minute now), then it's going to be bedtime. I can't wait. I also can't wait to have a whole two-and-a-half days off from being a mother! Woo-hoo! Just a few more minutes...

As if I really needed another distraction...

So, thank you Megan, I've started a blog and it's ALL YOUR FAULT!

I have a blog on my myspace page, but I don't like everyone reading it, and although I know you can do friend lists and all that crap, people get offended if they're not on the list, and I'm done with it! So, now, I have this blog and I can send it out to people I like. :)

So, my big thing this week is, of course, Thanksgiving. I am hosting for the first time... and I'm a little intimidated. Luckily there are only eight of us, but my big worry is keeping the place clean until then. Wait, that makes it sound like it's clean now... whatever! If you're a mom, you know how this works. I can spend the morning in the kitchen cleaning, and when I emerge from the cloud of cleaning products, the living room is a disaster.

Case in point: my perfect little terrible two, Evan Ray. Evan is VERY good at being a two-year-old boy. Yesterday, around naptime, I was getting a few things done upstairs and walked in his room to check on him. There he was, my sweet little angel, sleeping under the covers in his bed. I checked in a few minutes later to find out I had been had; he was pretending to sleep (he's good) and was also hiding some hair product. In those few minutes, he used about half the mousse and it was all over his sheets, comforter, clothes, and himself. He didn't get any in his hair, of course, but had smeared it on his face like shaving cream. This morning he did the same thing with a bottle of hand lotion.

I love my son. I love him as much as I can, but I'm looking forward to his growing out of this phase. I'm so glad Ben did, and can't wait to be able to quit holding my breath for Evan. Oy vay.

So, yeah, back to Thanksgiving. My two goals are to (1) get the house clean and presentable, and (2) make Thanksgiving dinner. I have it all planned out: mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, apple butter and turkey brine on Wednesday, and bread, turkey and last minute disaster relief Thursday morning. Is it terrible that I keep reminding myself that (A) my mother won't mind a little mess, and (B) my grandfather is too old to see most of it? Oh well. Like I've been telling everyone in the family who wasn't invited, it's better that I ruin dinner for 8 than dinner for 20. I keep remembering the scene from Bridget Jones' Diary when she makes the soup with the blue twine and it turns everyone's mouths blue. If I pull a stunt like that, I will be sure to take pictures and post them here.

One last funny little Thanksgiving story. My senior year in college I lived in a duplex with two roommates, and we had three guys who lived downstairs in the other half. We had Wednesday off from class and decided to have a little house celebration. I can't remember the specifics, but I think the turkey was still frozen as of that morning. All I do remember is the turkey wasn't ready until about 11 that night, we ate everything else before that, and we imbibed *quite a bit* of spiced cider. We had fun; I guess that's the moral of the story, right?

So, if anyone has any suggestions, they are greatly appreciated. I hope you all have a wonderful, and memorable Thanksgiving. :)