Agent E: days 20-21

Yesterday we found Agent E rifling through our junk drawer in the kitchen and this morning we found him in the trash from our new humidifier. That silly elf! And only a few more days until Christmas...not much time for him to get into much more trouble!

Good mom/Bad mom

By 10 am I had dragged Leo to not one but two doctor appointments for Jacoby. On his first day of Christmas break. So I did what any really awesome/terrible mother (you decide) would do. We drove through Braums for some ice cream! Yes sir I realize it is only 10:15...but are you serving ice cream?!

Agent E: December 18

Agent E found Leo's big present and perched himself up there. No pic. Sorry!

RTT: Christmas, surgery and other random things

Random thoughts for a random Tuesday.  Yep that about sums up my life right now…pretty darn random!  Let’s go!

 

·         Friday Jacoby had his second surgery in what we hope will cure his ongoing ear infections.  He had the original tubes that were put in in June replaced and had his adenoids taken out.  Needless to say the past four days were not fun.  He is still really clingy and cries a lot.  He also isn’t sleeping very well.  And has more snot than I’ve ever seen (or so it feels like) coming out of his nose and mouth.  So gross.  But he went back to daycare today.  The doctor said he could have gone back yesterday but as a mommy I didn’t feel like he should.  So I kept him home one extra day and relished in his sweet skin and as many hugs and kisses as I could give.  Poor little guy.

·         When thinking about how much time I spent this weekend taking care of my little guy I realized how much I did not take care of myself.  In the 4 days I was off work I showered twice.  I at least brushed my teeth every day.  Between keeping a house running and keeping a baby alive while not feeling well AND dealing with a  rowdy 5 year old I had no time to think of my hygiene.  It’s a little ridiculous.  I admire all those stay at home moms who can get themselves ready every day.  That would be the last thing I would feel needed to get done.  I guess it’s good I’m forced to go to work so I don’t start to smell!

·         On a much happier note my Redskins are at the top of their division for now with only 2 games left in the season.  If they win out they will be going to the playoffs for the first time in 4 or 5 years.  So excited!

·         Only 1 week until Christmas! Woo hoo!  All our presents are bought and wrapped.  I am so ready for the Christmas festivities to begin.  Our first engagement is Saturday with my in-laws.  Then I have to work on Christmas Eve until 3 (barf) but after that I will take the boys to church and then we will spend Christmas eve and Christmas day together.  I can’t wait.

·         We did not put up our Christmas tree this year.  We decided little fingers would get things that he didn’t need to get.  While we explained this to Leo he seemed to care for about one second then went on his merry way.  Well this did not sit well with my niece (4 years old) apparently.  She came to visit Jacoby with my dad on Saturday and noticed we didn’t have a tree.  She didn’t say anything to me, but the next day when her and her dad were out shopping for Operation Holiday stuff for his work he was explaining why they were there and how some people can’t afford Christmas so that’s what they were helping with.  She then proceeded to tell him that they needed to buy us a tree because we couldn’t afford one.  He tried to explain to her that we could and that there was probably a good reason we didn’t have it up she just wouldn’t let it go.  Finally he just told her that that wasn’t what they were there for and to move along.  The next day at school her class made ornaments and she made a Christmas tree and wanted to give it to us so we could put it up on the wall over our presents so we would have a tree.  I thought that was the sweetest thing.  All I did was tell her our tree was in the garage and she thought that was the funniest thing ever. 

 

Enough random from me.  Go visit Stacy and throw down your own random!

Agent E: day 17

We found Agent E just hanging around on our Christmas card garland.

Ornament Exchange

 

 

I was super stoked to participate in Megan and Julie's ornament swap again this year.  Last year I had so much fun and got a super cute ornament to boot!  So when the post was made I was in.  I was paired up with Linnea and it was fun getting to know her through her blog.  She sent me these really awesome ornament balls.  And although we opted not to put up a Christmas tree this year with a wily, little one year old on the loose I can't wait to hang them on our tree with care next year!  Thanks Linnea!

 

 

 

Agent E: December 16

Today we found Agent E had been on the computer all night. That silly elf wore the battery down.

Agent E: days 13-15

I've been slacking on the pictures/updates for Agent E. but in the past three days he has been in the kitchen guarding the sugar bowl, hanging from the cabinet and drinking from Leo's water bottle. That silly elf really gets around!

Agent E: December 12

Agent E knew that since the weather got cold we wouldn't be turning on the fan so he chose to sit on it like it was a bull. Ride'em cowelf!

Agent E: December 11

The silly elf got out one of Leo's trucks and was riding around his room. Silly, silly elf.

Agent E: day 10

Mama--ugh I mean Agent E was lazy last night and he just decided to hang out on our dresser.

Agent E: Day 9

Today Agent E was found guarding our Christmas presents. Our tree is not going up this year for fear of grimy little fingers pulling everything off of it so our presents our tucked away in a corner!

Agent E: Day 8

Agent E continues to surprise us in where he's going to turn up. Today we found him hiding in the candy jar. Or stuck. Either way he was all in.

Agent E: December 7

Agent E must be feeling better because he got Leo's Star Wars Boba Fett gun and was having target practice. He must like Star Wars as much as Leo!

Agent E: day 6

Poor Agent E caught the sniffles and he's laid up with some cough drops and Kleenex. I think the funniest part about this is that when Leo saw him he was like, 'he's definitely sick because his cheeks are all red.' Silly boy! Hope Agent E gets to feeling better so he can get back to his shenanigans.

Agent E: Day 5

Agent E decided today was the first day to leave a message. 20 days until Christmas...Have you all been good?!

Agent E: Day 4

No picture today but Agent E was hanging out on the fan. Silly dude must have thought it was a ride!

Agent E: Day 3

We awoke to find Agent E in a bath with marshmallow bubbles. They are not shown here because we didn't want any creepy-crawlies to find their way in enticed by a free meal but he had a nice bath!

Agent E: December 2

Oh that silly elf was tied up in Leo's curtains today.

Dear Santa

Gretchen's spin assignment this week is what's on our Christmas list.  Here is a sampling of what I would like for Christmas.  Most is practical, while there are a few indulgences on it as well!

No, not the body...wait yes the body and the kettle bell!

An RGIII jersey. 

A hand mixer.  Mine was broken in the infamous hand mixing incident of 2012

A new scale

Ok, this wasn't really on my list but I would love some giant earrings!

Ok, not a clock...just more time! 

Images here:
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Agent E: December 1

Leo thought it was so funny that Agent E was coloring. There was a picture of a frog and a present on the page and Leo said...it actually looks like a frog and a present on there!

I don't really know why he thought it wouldn't but it was so funny.

Elf on the Shelf

Agent E arrived at our house miraculously. No one knows where he came from but he was here and we read the story and since then he magically disappears every night and returns the next morning. We never know where he's going to be.

Well I do since I move him every night but...like Leo tells me it's nothing you need to worry about! :)

Anyways...my favorite pose so far has been him playing cards with his buds. So every day he's here in December I'll document the shenanigans he's been up to. It will also help me remember next year what to do with him! So here we go!

November thankfulness: day 30

Last day of November. Last day of thankful posts. Not the last day I'll be thankful!

Today I'm thankful for vacation days used to go shopping with my mom and grandma on our annual Christmas shopping trip. So much fun!

November Thankfulness: Day 29

I'm thankful for quick visits with long lost friends. It was nice to visit even if it weren't for as long as I would've liked. Better than nothing!

November Thankfulness: Day 28

I'm thankful for what a good sleeper Jacoby is. I can lay him down between 7 and 8 an he will sleep a good 11-12 hours. It. Is. Awesome. While on the weekends it's not ideal I try not to change his schedule that much. Compared to what a horrible sleeper Leo was, I'll take what I can get!

November Thankfulness: day 27

I'm thankful for Disney Jr. to help make the dinner process a tad bit easier on me. Hello Doc McStuffins!

November Thankfulness: day 26

I'm thankful for three paychecks in November. We found out today that Jacoby has to get the tubes in his ears replaced and get his adenoid out. I didn't want to put any of that money in savings anyways! :)

This is my little sick monster at the ENT today!

November Thankfulness: day 25

Today I'm thankful for my friend Camdin. Love that she was in town for Thanksgiving an she took time away from her family to come spend time with my family!

November Thankfulness: day 24

I'm thankful for my weekends to spend time with my family and friends. I had so much fun visiting with my nephew who was in town for Thanksgiving!

November Thankfulness: day 23

I almost missed today, but I'm glad for my cell phone. While its completely unnecessary, it helped my slow day at work go a little faster with some Pandora and checking the occasional Facebbok/Twitter feed.

November Thankfulness: Day 22 and a Spin

Seeing that it's Thanksgiving and all Gretchen chose to let us off easy with a thankful spin.  So continuing with my 30 days of thankfulness I'll give you a more in depth post today.

As I've been sitting at home by myself with a sick baby today, except for a short time in the middle of the day (thanks mom for bringing me food!) I've been thinking about who I'm thankful for.  I've already told you I'm thankful for the family I live with and even though I left those pretty short and sweet I'm supremely grateful for them.  But I am close with my immediate family as well so today that is who I'm thankful for...

I'm thankful for my mom.   Even though she didn't feel well today too, she came over and brought me food from the Thanksgiving dinner that I missed and hung out with me for almost 2 hours.  She knew I'd be lonely and bored spending my holiday with no adult interaction (the hubby went ahead and took Leo to his family celebration).  And while it's not out of the ordinary for her to do something like that I am so grateful for it.  She does so much and I feel like I will never be able to repay what she means to me.

I'm thankful for my dad.  He will (and does) do pretty much anything I need him to do (within reason).  He helps take Leo to school a few days a week so we don't have to pay so much in before school care and he used to pick him up from the daycare and just hang with Leo one evening a week.  Just the special bond he has with Leo is so awesome to see.  It is amazing to see the love and admiration Leo has for his grampy! :)

I'm thankful for my brother.  He and I were not terribly close as kids but as we've both grown and he moved back to our hometown and settled down we have become closer.  Obviously I'm a family girl so we're not nearly as close as I'd like to be but it's nice that we see each other quite a bit and do things together.  I was especially thankful when he thought to invite Leo and I to the movies with his family last night.  It wasn't something he had to do, but it was nice that he included us.

I'm thankful for my sister-in-law.  When my brother first brought Amy home I knew she was the one.  And even though there were ups and downs I am so thankful that she has stuck around! :)  She is awesome in the fact that she always thinks of the little things for the kiddos around the holidays and always has fun things for them.  And she is an awesome baker.  She also gives me something to strive for because she is pretty much superwoman/supermom.  So I'm thankful she is in our lives because I have someone to keep me on track! Haha.

And I'm thankful for my aunt Davi and uncle Bob.  While they're not technically immediate family they are my Godparents so I'm going to count them.  They always are there when needed.  And Davi is my walking partner (even though I've been slacking lately!).  I'm so grateful that they have stayed a major part of my life and become a part of Leo and Jacoby's lives.  And they're the ones that talked me into sending Leo to the Catholic school and so I'm definitely grateful for that!

As you can see I have a LOT of people to be thankful for and so instead of wallowing today I'm wishing you all a happy Thanksgiving and hope you have as much to be thankful for as I do!

November Thankfulness: day 21

I'm thankful for having a flexible job. Due to illness I may have to bring Jacoby in with me for a bit on Friday and I got the ok. So thankful!

November Thankfulness: Day 20

Tonight I am thankful for only having one bathroom. Tonight only (until the next time) because I cleaned it and I HATE cleaning bathrooms!

November Thankfulness: day 19

I'm thankful my hubby lets me take solo trips to the grocery store and Target. Seriously folks...it's the little things.

November Thankfulness: day 18

I'm thankful for our home. Today I did all our laundry, cooked dinner and baked 2 pies for the hubby to take to work tomorrow for a Thanksgiving feast. Had I not had a home I would have had to go somewhere else to do all those things. So blessed! :)

November Thankfulness:day 17

Today I'm thankful for my mom who took time out of her day to run errands with me. It sure made my day a little brighter!

November Thankfulness: day 16

I'm thankful that I went to work today while The hubby stayed home with a throwing up Leo. (Insert evil laugh here!)

November thankfulness: day 15

I'm thankful for my KU Jayhawks! Rock Chalk Jayhawk!!

November Thankfulness: day 14

I'm thankful for social media for helping me stay connected to people. I'm not always the best friend but Facebook, Twitter and blogging help me stay connected a little bit easier.

November Thankfulness: day 13

I'm thankful for my hairdresser. We're having a silent auction for a girl I went to high school with that was severely injured this summer in a car accident and my hairdresser graciously donated some products for the silent auction. And she is just an all-around good person!

November Thankfulness: day 12

Today I'm thankful I now work in a part of the bank where I actually get the non-major holidays off! Woo hoo! I'm home on Veteran's Day and it feels good!

Also, so I don't sound completely selfish-I'm thankful for all the Veterans who have given their sacrifice to our country so I can write this silly blog without the fear of anything. So thank you.

November Thankfulness:Day 11

Today I'm thankful that the boys slept in. Jacoby slept until 7:30 and Leo slept until 9. That's the latest I think I've slept since Jacoby has been alive. Woo hoo!

November Thankfulness: Day 10

Today I'm thankful that I was sitting at the table while Jacoby was eating his cereal this morning.  He's not a loud eater and I barely noticed it as it was but he started choking on his cereal.  Poor little guy.  I had to dig my finger down his throat to dislodge the piece and he was MAD.  But had I not been right there I wouldn't have heard/seen anything and bad things could have happened.

November Thankfulness: day 9

Today I'm thankful for McDonalds. I won't lie...I worked all day and then went and volunteered for almost 2 hours setting up Turkey Bingo for tomorrow night and did not want to come home and cook dinner.

November Thankfulness: day 8

While yesterday I was thankful for modern medicine, today (technically last night) I'm thankful for extended hours at our doctors office. I was able to get both boys in last night at 8(!) and they have a pharmacy next door that stays open until the office closes so at 9:30 we could go get their prescriptions without driving to Wichita. Hooray!

In Memory Of

This year has been a rough year.  We’ve had a lot of people close to us pass away in our family and it’s nice that Gretchen (http://secondblooming.typepad.com/second-blooming/2012/11/in-memoriam.html)  is giving us an outlet to memorialize them.  So here is my In memoriam…

 

My aunt Karen:
I’ve posted twice about her since she’s passed and even just last week I thought about her and how it’s so strange that she is no longer with us.  We weren’t terribly close but close enough that the hole in my heart hasn’t quite healed.  She showed perseverance in the last 4 years of her life.  She wasn’t supposed to make it that long but she chose to ignore the doctors and do her own thing.  In that time she sparked a fire in our family to push through and live your life to the fullest.

 

My BFF’s mom Janara:

I hadn’t seen Janara in probably 3 years but I have a lot of memories of her.  I’ve known her daughter, Camdin, since I was in the second grade and we’ve been best friends since.  Even though Camdin and I have drifted in the past few years we still seem to make time for each other when she comes back to town.  And in the past few years I’ve tried to be a better friend and I’m vowing to continue to try to be better.  I sat in the hospital with Camdin while her mom was in ICU and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.  It was so important for me to be there for her and even though I didn’t know exactly what was needed, wanted to make myself available to her.  Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to her mom and with that came a lot of tears.  Since Camdin has gone back home I still don’t always have the right words to say to her but I love her so much and hope she knows that.

 

And last but not least my little dog Freckles:

I got Freckles when she was a wee, little puppy and I was an almost 8^th grader.  She made multiple moves with me from my first house to my first college apartment to the next and then to my final house where we live now.  She loved chocolate ice cream and French fries.  She also loved to sleep between my legs on the bed.  Unfortunately my time with her got much smaller after I had babies and then when we were trying to sell our house and then after I had Jacoby she lived with my parents.  I always showed her love when we were around her and she was always wagging her tail at the door when she saw me.  It was a very sad time when she passed but she lived a good, long (15 years) life and I’m glad she was a part of mine.

 

 

November Thankfulness: day 7

Today I'm thankful for modern medicine. Leo and Jacoby have been struggling with allergies/cold crap and we've been filling them with Tylenol/allergy medicine/etc. here's hoping they start feeling better soon!

November thankfulness: day 6

Today I'm thankful for having a right to vote. My voice may not always be heard but I'm doing what I can to try to make the world a better place.

November Thankfulness: Day 5

Today I am thankful for my quilt made by my aunt Karen. She passed away in November and she made a quilt for the hubby and me when we got married and quilts for both boys when they were born. Even when she was battling cancer she still thought of others and I'm thankful for that attitude to try to emulate.

Fall

Yep.  It's another spin post. You tired of these yet? We'll I'm not! So this one is about fall.

Fall. Autumn. Whatever you want to call it, it is upon us. It is absolutely my favorite season EVER. And there is so much to like about it.  Not only do we get Halloween and Thanksgiving you can mix in the beginning of Christmas too.  Love! Here are just a few things I am loving about fall right now!

Any and all things pumpkin.  Yum!

 

Woot woot!  It's RGIII.  Aka the savior of the Washington Redskins. I'm just stoked we've won some games this year.  And hopefully we'll win a few more before the season is over.

 

Rock Chalk Jayhawk!  Basketball season has started.

 

 

This outfit right here?! So stinking cute.  I love fall becuase you can wear cute clothes but not have to have a ridiculously huge coat over all the cuteness.  I seriously want this whole outfit.

Now that I get to wear real clothes to work I love to see what people can come up with.  And this dress right here, with the tights?  So cute.

 Images here:

 

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November Thankfulness

Happy Sunday! 

Today I am thankful for my church. I don't go religiously (haha-get it) but I love that I can go and just be.  I also don't believe everything they say but I feel like it's good for me to go and get the message put out and do with it what I can. 

Fanatic

Everyone’s a critic.  The same goes for fanatics.  Just not all for the same thing.  I am a die-hard fan.  When it comes to my team I will root for them until I’m blue in the face.  I’ve posted before on my love for the Royals, Redskins, Jayhawks and Cardinals. 

The thing is…the Royals and the Cardinals both play baseball.  So how am I a fan of both?  Well like I tell my hubby, since we live in Kansas the Royals games are broadcast nightly and so I am able to watch them a lot more.  But when I can, I will watch the Cardinals when they are shown on TV.  So it’s like having a friend that lives here in town I will get to see more so they are a lot more involved in my daily life.  But I have a friend who lives in Chicago, who when she comes into town, even though I don’t see her all the time, we can pick up right where we left off.  And that’s how I feel about my baseball teams.  So this post season when the Cardinals were SO close to making the World Series again I was rooting for them with all my heart and soul but unfortunately it just wasn’t enough.  They were beat by the dumb ol’ San Francisco Giants who went on to win the whole shebang against the Detroit Tigers in 4 games.  Aw well.  We won it all last year.  Gotta let someone else have a turn!

(This post brought to you for another REALLY late Spin Cycle: Fanatic

November Thankfulness

How can I not jump *back* on the bandwagon of a November of Thankfulness.  I participated last year and I won't lie...some things I'm thankful might be the same as last year.  But I don't always tell the people I'm thankful for, that I'm thankful for them enough.  So here we go (since I missed the first few days I'm catching up)...

1) My hubby.  Even though sometimes he drives me batty I'm so thankful for him.
2) Leo.  He is the most ridiculous little boy in the entire world.  He makes me laugh.  He makes me cry but I love him so stinking much. 
3) Jacoby.  He is teaching me patience.  Again.  Things in life really change when a baby is thrown in the mix.  No matter how much you think you know what you're doing a new baby will just let you know you're wrong! 

Crime

Since I turned 16 I have worked in retail.  I worked at the mall for my first 4 working years and then from 2004 through the present I have worked at a bank.  And over the last 12 years I have seen a lot of crime that has happened in both establishments.  The instance that stands out the most to me just happened last year while I was pregnant with Jacoby. I was the assistant branch manager of a bank that was nestled inside a local grocery store.  I was working the teller line when a person walked up to me to cash a check.  She had proper identification and for some reason I got a really strange vibe from her.  We had recently been sent a watch list of people’s names to be on the lookout for and sure enough when I pulled that up her name was on it.  At that point I was on high alert.  Then a gentleman came up and started talking to me (the first clue that someone is trying to get you…they try to distract you).  We had a nice little conversation while the hairs were standing on the back of my neck.  Then I did what we are taught.  I tried to buy time.  I emailed one of my coworkers to go in the back and call 911.  I then said that I needed to verify the check because it wasn’t in our system.  Miraculously they stuck around.  I “called” to verify it and of course it didn’t pan out.  I then told the customer that I needed to go to the back to grab something.  This was so I could finish the 911 call and the other person could come out.  Unfortunately at that time, when I went back there they left.  But I was able to pick them out of a photo lineup and they were apprehended at a later time.  I kept getting subpoenaed to go to court but by the time the trial came they had plead out.  It was very strange.  One thing I learned from the police is that there are usually rings that work and they will have some of their group members go to local homeless shelters and get those people to cash checks for them with their IDs and then they will get a small fee.  I don’t know if those people know they are cashing bad checks or what but I guess people will do anything for a quick buck.

(Another late post for the Spin Cycle on Crime)

Beauty

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  I’ve heard that saying more than once.  And it seems like these days my beholders are my kids.  So the beauty they are seeing is a lot different than the beauty that I projected in high school and my first years of college. 

What started my beauty regime in high school was a little powder and some eye makeup.  Mix that in with bi-monthly hair coloring (because as a high school kid who worked quite a bit I didn’t really have anything better to spend my money on) and the latest fashion from Express and American Eagle.  Maybe Maurices.  Never Wal-Mart.  Oh no.

College went much of the same way.  I always have had pretty clear skin and a nice complexion so foundation was always just an after-thought.  If I had a little extra cash flow I would pick some up. If not, just slap on some powder and I’d be good to go.

These days it seems like I’m lucky if I get a daily shower.  I was recently telling a friend who might be adopting a baby soon, that I was lucky if I made it out the door without boogers or poop on me.  And I wasn’t kidding!   I also have had a lot more complexion issues.  Not with blemishes so much as just seeing age spots (I’m 28 for crying out loud!) and much more dry skin.  I have also recently started washing my face daily.  That was something that was unheard of.  I’m the worst when it comes to beauty products.  Scented lotions and soaps make me really itchy so I buy Vaseline lotion but it’s better than nothing!  My makeup routine is trying to slap some foundation on but if not at least eye liner and mascara so I don’t look dead!  I just try to make it seem like I’m not putting too much focus on what I look like though, so my boys don’t grow up with a mirror-obsessed mommy.  I think that you can have the best of both worlds.  Try to look nice without spending a ton of time on it.  So hopefully I can make that mix work!

(This post was brought to you (LATE) for the spin cycle subject Beauty)

Night of the living zombies

When I asked Leo what he wanted to be for Halloween about a month ago he said a zombie. When I asked him what Jacoby should be he told me that-duh- he should be his twin. A baby zombie. So I decided instead of spending money on buying costumes I would make them. I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out!

Halloween started last Friday when we got to go to a trunk or treat at my cousins school in Kansas City. It was so much fun and it gave me a dry run to do the boys makeup.

Then the real deal Holyfield was last night. Fun was had by all even though Jacoby didn't get to eat any candy!

Also, I have no idea what is happening with my pictures I don't know if it's my computer of blogger or what.  So yeah.  But this is my spin for Halloween.  And I wasn't kidding when I said I was going to do a week of spins...starting tomorrow I am catching up on my spins. 

RTT: Christmas, Frankenstorm and brutal honesty from a 5 year old

Hey looky here.  I'm blogging.  It's the darndest thing!  Make sure to go see Stacy to get your random on.

Last week I only worked 2 1/2 days and it was amazing.  I'm pretty sure I would be a great stay at home mom. Other than all the yelling that took place.  And the traveling to KC because we wouldn't have the funds.  But other than that it would be amazing! ;)
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I accompanied Leo's class to his field trip to the pumpking patch last Wednesday and it was a lot of fun.  I got to meet other parents of kids in the class (that I never hear about because Leo refuses to "remember" what happens during the day).  Unfortunately I got another little boy whose parents could not attend the field trip under my care.  Have I mentioned before how rowdy/rambunctious Leo is?  Well his friend Robbie was the exact same.  So my life X2.  It was cray-cray (in my best Khloe Kardashian voice)  THey were both really well behaved so it wasn't as bad as it could have been.  Just a wild time!
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My mom and I took Friday off last week and took Leo, Jacoby and my niece to Kansas City to visit my aunt and uncle and their two kids.  It was fun.  I was hoping for relaxing but I forget that nothing is relaxing when you throw in 4 kids under the age of 7 and one tween.  Definitely not relaxing.  Aw well.  It was nice to see family!
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Also on my hiatus from work last week I went to ol' Wal-Mart.  I figured I needed a pair of jeans and what better place to look for a quick fix than there.  I had both boys but thought we could get in and out of the dressing room in a hurry.  I grabbed a pair of 8s and a pair of 10s (!!) and ran in with the boys.  I tried the 8s first just to make me feel good.  I thought I grabbed both of the same kind just in different sizes.  Lo and behold I had accidentally grabbed a pair of skinny jeans.  The dreaded skinny jeans that I have always tried to avoid.  I got them to my thighs when I heard Leo tell me they were too small and that they did. not. fit.  How sweet of him to point out the obvious!  I was still stoked that the 10s fit and I got a pair of jeans that look nice for $14.  Not too shabby!
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I am in full-on get ready for Christmas mode.  I have started creating Leo's Christmas list and the hubby and I have come up with a few things to tell my parents and for the drawing for his side of the family (too many people to buy for).  I also have asked for lists from the hubby's sister for her kids.  I have money saved and I'm ready to spend it!
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Okie dokie.  That's all for now.  Hope everyone on the east coast survives the dreaded Frankenstorm!  We're doing fine in old Kansas.  We're even supposed to have temps in the 70s for trick or treating on Wednesday.  Woo hoo!

Christmas...Grrrr

It's the most wonderful time of the year.  Seriously.  I love winter and I love Christmas.  What I don't love is all the stupid toy catalogs they send me.  Toys R US.  Wal-Mart.  Target.  And I hate that I ask Leo to look through them.  I know what he likes...why do I need to have him look at all of the totally awesome things he can't get.  Like this.  The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles totally awesome lair.  It seriously is totally awesome.




image here

It has an elevator and a zip line and and and. But you know what? It costs $140. Let me let that sink in. $140 for a toy. Not even a toy that he can ride on. So when he saw this and all of the million other toys that are out of our budget I feel terrible.  When I showed him the price and explained that if this is something that he really, really wanted that maybe we could put this on the list but he would not be getting much else.  And you know what he told me?  He told me that gifts from Santa don't cost anything.  I honestly didn't have an answer for him.  Because Santa builds all of their toys.  It shouldn't cost them any money.  So how do I not burst his Santa bubble already but try to explain that Santa maybe does have a budget.  I did tell him that because Santa buys for all the little boys and girls that he has a limit on what he can do for each kid.  But I don't think it really sank in.  But I know that he won't be getting that for Christmas.

And while I'm not trying to be a Scrooge here it really makes me angry at how expensive toys are.  I balked at paying $40 for a Transformers Autobot Rescue Station last year.  I thought that was pricy. But $140?  That's just absurd.  I know that he would play with it for a few years but at some point he would outgrow it and that seems like a lot of money for a toy.  And don't get me started on Legos.  $80 for a building set that builds ONE thing.  Here let me build this one time and put it on my shelf.  Boom! $80 gone.  Spent on 2 hours of building.  It's really hard for kids to understand why they can't get something and at 5 it's a concept they just hear as NO.  Or mommy and daddy can't afford this which equates into we have no money.  Which is not true.  Just not the kind of money to be spending on a single toy.  And I don't want Leo to be greedy so I'm not going to keep pushing the well on the amount of money I can spend on that monstrosity you could easily get 7 toys!  More=better right?!  So I don't want to go that route.  I like to try to get him to remember the real reason for the season but again a 5 year olds brain process is not there quite yet. 

Ok...enough of me rambling.  I just wanted to get that off my chest.  Bah humbug! :) 




A year with Jacoby

 

Happy birthday my sweet baby boy.  You have changed our lives so much over the past year.  I can't actually believe it's already been a year but you have grown into quite the independent little boy.  You love to feed yourself and hold your own bottle.  You love to sleep in your bed with your soft blankie that grandma made for you.  Ever since you were little you loved to snuggle with it.  I can't tell you how much you mean to us but know that we all love you SO much! 

 

 

 

 

 

(8 months)

 

 

 

(1 year)

Happy Baptism and Birthday Jacoby

What a weekend!  We have been trying for MONTHS to find a time to get Jacoby baptized but we could never find a weekend that worked for everyone.  And we still didn't but we just went ahead and did it anyways.  I had some family in from out of town and we decided to make a weekend of it.  Saturday we went bowling and the excitement started there.  We played 2 games and the second game my dad just kept hitting strike after strike.  He bowls on a league and has bowled a 298 (twice) and a 299.  But on Saturday he just kept hitting them.  We started to take notice in the 6th frame and from there he just kept going.  We got to the 10th frame and he hit all three bowling his first 300 game EVER.  It was amazing.  Unfortunately since it wasn't during a league or tournament it doesn't count officially but it still happened!

 

For the rest of the afternoon I just spent it at my parents letting the boys play with their cousins.  Leo had so much fun and Jacoby just hung out with me and my mom and aunt.  It was really nice.  That night I had a masquerade party and that was fun too.

 

Sunday was the big day.  We went to mass and sweet, little Jacoby got baptized in front of our family.  It was really nice.  Here he is looking dapper in his sweater vest according to the father that presided over the mass!

 

 

 

After mass we went to breakfast that the church puts on once a month and they had declicious french toast.  Seriously...it was delicious!  Then we went back to my parents house to celebrate Jacoby's first birthday!  I made chocolate cake and ice cream cone cupcakes.  They all turned out really good.  Here are a few pictures of him destroying his cake!  He seemed to like it!

 

 

All in all it was an amazing weekend and we really enjoyed seeing all of my family and celebrating with them.  So much fun!

Top 3

I got this from Vandy (http://tttandme.blogspot.com/2012/10/top-three-several-of-them.html) who got it from Jill and so on and so forth…let’s play!

 

Top 3 movies

·         Breakfast at Tiffany’s

·         Love Actually

·         Collateral Damage

There are so many movies that I love and so this was really tough.  Buuuut…these are probably top 3 but I’m sure some others sneak in there.  The top two are obvious but the third is a little more difficult to explain.  I’m not sure what it is but for reals Arnold Schwarzenegger is probably one of my favorite actors.  It’s my dirty little secret.  But I LOVE his movies.  And this is my favorite!

Top 3 actors

·         Johnny Depp

·         Arnold Schwarzenegger

·         Bruce Willis

Johnny Depp needs no explanation.  He’s a gorgeous piece of man.  He’s number one on my celebrity list.  You know the one I’m talking about.  Then the next two are just people who make good movies.  See above about Arnold.  As for Bruce I love the Die Hard movies…they’re making a 5^th if you haven’t heard.  And he’s pretty good looking I think too!

Top 3 actresses

·         Sandra Bullock

·         Reese Witherspoon

·         Julia Roberts

All three of these ladies are just great actresses and I pretty much love every movie they’ve been in.  My favorites…Sandra (2 Weeks Notice) Reese (Sweet Home Alabama and Legally Blonde) Julia Roberts (Notting Hill)

Top 3 country singers

·         Phil Vassar

·         Kenny Chesney

·         Brad Paisley

Country music is ok.  It’s definitely not my favorite genre but I do like it.  Leo has become a die-hard country fan because of his grandpa so he always asks me to play it.  So I oblige every once in a while.  Phil Vassar is more of a songwriter but he came to concert with Kenny Chesney a long time ago and I saw them and the show was great.  So I’ve gotten a few of his albums and they are good.  And Kenny is just Kenny.  His music is great and his stage presence was so fun.  I like Brad Paisley and his music.  I like that he makes country funny.  Like he knows that people make fun of country music so he makes songs to play on that.  Some of those songs are so dumb though that I have to change the channel (like the song about checking for ticks.  Yuck!)

Top 3 TV shows

·         Bones

·         The New Girl

·         Psych

I love watching TV.  Lately it doesn’t seem like I have as much time and the time I do have isn’t spent watching TV.  But these 3 shows are can’t-misses.  I watch Bones and Psych religiously. Last year Bones was a little odd with Brennan being pregnant and all but this year it’s been a lot better.  Psych is awesome and hilarious and I’m so sad season 7 doesn’t start until January (I think).  The New Girl is very funny. I don’t watch it weekly, I catch up on Hulu when I can.  But so funny.  And I usually watch it while I’m at lunch in the cafeteria and so I have to turn my back to the other people so they don’t think I’m crazy when I start cracking up.  Which is always.

Top 3 travel destinations

·         Seattle

·         Los Angeles

·         Caribbean cruise

The hubby and I are planning a 10 year anniversary trip in 2 years.  Because of that we were trying to come up with somewhere to go.  He mentioned Seattle, I didn’t really know much about what we could do there so I researched it.  And I decided that it is a must-do.  So I am lobbying hard that that is where we pick.  There is just so much to do there.  And even if we go for a week (which is what we are planning for) I still don’t think we’ll get to see everything!  Los Angeles is a place I want to go because the hubby used to go there every summer and he loves it.  So I want to go somewhere he loves.  Plus Disneyland is there and I’ve never been.  So yeah.  And the Caribbean cruise…I’ve been on one before and it’s AWESOME and I want to go back. I don’t really care about specific ports.  I just want the sun and the sand!

Top 3 books

·         Harry Potter series

·         Hunger Game series

·         To Kill a Mockingbird

I read To Kill a Mockingbird when I was in 6^th grade and it had a profound effect on me.  Growing up very sheltered I didn’t realize there were those types of people out there.  Obviously I knew that it was written in a different time period but just seeing how a whole other group of people lived was enlightening.  I have read that book so many times and each time it’s like I find something new to think about.  Just a really good read.  The other two are series and they are amazing.  So if you haven’t read them you’ve either been living under a rock or don’t enjoy keeping up with the Joneses!

Top three curse words:

           

·         Frick

·         Shoot

·         Dangit

 

 

Those are the PG versions of the words that slip out in times of stress or pain.  I can talk with the best of the sailors out there.  But seriously…children has limited the words I use.  At least I try.