Anything But Gray

I start waking the kids up at around 7:30am. Sometimes they get right up, sometimes they linger…
Then at around 7:45am I wake up Zak. Sometimes he gets right up, sometimes he lingers…
When they linger, I have to keep going back to try to wake them up.
This can be a frustrating ritual, as last time I checked, I do not come equipped with a snooze button.

So this morning they are lingering. Jaime finally gets up and I tell her "Daddy's having a hard time getting up too."
She looks into our bedroom and sees Zak still in bed. She goes running into the bedroom and jumps up in the bed and gets under the covers and cuddles up with Zak. Zak puts an arm around her, pulls her close and says "Now we just need to get rid of Mom." Jaime laughs and says "Get rid of Mom?" Zak says "Yeah, so we can sleep some more."

Nice, huh?
Like I'm the sleep police and my only purpose on the planet is to keep them from going back to sleep.
<rolling eyes>

Oh, how I love being a mom! LOL
<wink>

I scrapbook and over the years I have branched out into more things, such as altered art. I do a lot of artsy type stuff for family and friends. Think picture frames, canvases, clipboards, etc. My family and friends all think I am really, really good. I think I am so so. I think if they saw some of the artists that are out there, they would realize I'm actually not that spectacular. LOL And I'm definitely not down on myself because I do think my work is cool, however I just know what's out there and know I don't hold a candle to some of these people. But so long as they don't go looking around, they will keep on thinking I"m something great and I'll keep on loving it. ha!

Anyway, I made a canvas for J for her birthday. And I'm always nervous when I make her something. I want her to love it as much as I love making it and giving it to her. I want her to really like it. Here it is….(this is not the best picture, I was in a hurry to get it in the mail once it was done..lol)

J Bday gift 2007

It says "An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break. Ancient Chinese Belief."

It's J's birthday today.

I'm so hoping for a good day for her.
She deserves it!!

more later…just wanted to make sure I posted a happy birthday to an amazing friend!

I love you J…
🙂

night!

To be super busy!!!

This weekend was fantastic. We got the tree up and decorations up. Zachary went and played poker on Friday night and my friend Kim came over with two bottles of wine and we had a very, very nice visit. Her husband dropped her off and picked her up, so she could drink with no worries, which was nice. Zak was supposed to be the one to drive her home, but she just had her husband come get her. Which is good because you want to know what time Zak decided to mosey on home? 4am!!! ha! He had fun and came home very, very slightly ahead. He hardly ever gets a night out like that so I was glad he went and I don't care how late he stays…I'm sleeping anyway.

Then on Saturday Kim and I went out shopping for a little bit. Me and the kids made a wreath for the front door and it inspired her, so we went to the craft store and she got a bunch of stuff so she could make a few wreaths. We had a really, really nice time and I've been missing her a lot lately, so it was really good to spend some time with her. Although I enjoy her company so much, it makes me want to get together with her again, soon. 🙂

Disclaimer: Maybe TMI ahead..

The kids are supposed to go back to school and daycare today, but my poor daughter is staying home today. We had to take her to urgent care this weekend. She's got a really bad bladder infection. Poor thing! That is such a horrible feeling to watch her struggle to go to the bathroom and I can't help her. She started the medication Sunday morning and it's still hurting her to pee and there's still a slight bit of blood in her pee. <sigh> For some reason I just think the minute she takes one dose she should automatically be better. Very hard for a mom to watch her kid in pain, so completely sucks. But she's in great spirits, so that's a good thing. It makes dealing with it a bit easier anyway. Hopefully, by later today, going to the bathroom won't hurt anymore. Fingers crossed!

Ann (my brother's girlfriend (who is his ex-wife and mother of his kids…long story!) is having minor surgery today and so I'm a teeny bit worried about that. It's an outpatient procedure and nothing major, but it's her birthday! Nice way to spend your birthday, huh? lol. My mom is there to help out and I think they are planning on doing a small birthday thing for her, if she feels up to it. Hope it goes well…

We had a fantastic day!

We watched a couple of football games and hung with Thing 1 & Thing 2 and then we went up to Ceci & JR's for dinner. DJ and Kayla were both there. The food was SPECTACULAR and the company was even better.
DJ & Kayla spent almost the entire time playing around with the kids. Then Kayla downloaded all the pics she took to her laptop and Ceci window shopped on JR's laptop and JR, Zak and I watched the night football game.

All in all it was an awesome Thanksgiving.

We did have one minor *issue*. Well, aside from the stupid bickering Zak and I did at halftime during the Green Bay game. It was so friggin' stupid, too. ugh.  Both of us at different intervals during this little tiff threatened to throw the remote across the yard…which is a really, really stupid threat..football is on, no way are either one of us going to lose the tivo remote! DUH!!  Anyway, the minor issue I'm talking about was a fire inside the oven. No big deal, just some food that had fallen catching on fire, but DJ felt the need to attack this very, very small fire with the vigor of a volunteer firefighter. Here's a pic of it….

Dj putting out fire

Is that not the funniest friggin' thing, ever?? He was running around like a dork with an elf hat and sunglasses on and that's just when the fire happened….hysterical!!

And in some freakish coincidence Jaime and Ben had just watched "Elmo visits the firehouse" that morning downstairs. Ceci and I are staring at the fire in the oven and we're debating.
"That's a problem, dude."
"Nah, it's small it'll go out."
 "No, that's not good."
"Yeah, it does seem to be getting bigger, huh?"
"Maybe we should get the guys?"
 "Hey guys..the oven is on fire."
All of this exchange is done very calmly (perhaps a little too calm..whatever) and Zak and JR come over slightly frantic and then Jaime comes running over and starts screaming hysterically and jumping up and down  "I know the rules! I know the rules! Everybody GET OUT!!!!"
She learned the rules from Elmo! LOL
So stinkin' cute and luckily Kayla just so happened to get this on video with her camera. I'm going to get her to get it to me so I can post it because it really is cute. We calmed her down and prided her on knowing exactly what to do and explained how it was just a little fire and the adults had it under control. And then DJ pulls the fire thingy off the wall and strikes his firefighter pose.
It was all very hysterical. And come on, what would Thanksgiving be without some kind of issue!!

Here is one more funny pic from today. DJ and the kids were playing monster. DJ was the monster and Kayla got this pic. It totally looks like he's stepping on her head! Too funny. He posted this on his myspace page and the caption he put?
I took 3 of her 9 lives that day.
That kid is so funny!

DJ stepping on Jaime's head

HYSTERICAL!!

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and to all those that are braving the crowds tomorrow
GOOD LUCK!!!

Ceci and JR are going and they are going to call me at 4:30am. 
If I hear the phone, I'll get up and go with them, but if not…oh well!

Night!

For child pornography.

Let me elaborate…

When Zak got me my kick ass new camera (THANKS HONEY!) we started letting Jaime play with my old one. She runs around taking all kinds of nutty pictures and it's really cute. It's a small camera and my new camera is really big, so I wanted to bring the small one out to the bar. I didn't bother to dump the card before we left. (BIG mistake.)

So we get there and I take a couple of pics.
Then I go to look at them and I keep clicking back because I want to see what Jaime has got on there.

There I see, in all her naked glory, my daughter's vagina. Up close.  Then I see my son's penis. Yet again, up close. Then there's a couple of butt shots…couldn't tell who's was who…and then more genital shots.
<rolling eyes>
Nice…real friggin' nice.

These kids…I swear.
Now imagine if I had LOST the camera or something.
How in the hell would I have explained that???

Lesson learned…always, always check the card before you leave for the bar with the digital camera.
(And all this time I've been worried about my camera..<wink>)

So the crazy busy weekend of big birthdays is over and it was a BLAST.
It was nice to hang out with family so much and get out and party a little bit…okay, alotabit. (that is most certainly a word…)
Last night was so weird, DJ at the bar…weird, but very fun.
And from now on he is so not allowed in the same bar I am in!! LOL

Lindsay came over last Friday after school until Ryan came to pick her and Jaime up for the sleepover.
(That Jaime wound up coming home from…first time she's asked to come home….why?….because we were going out, of course!! If ever she was going to want to come home, that night was going to be it and sure enough…LOL)
Anyway, I was trying to get some good pics of them and all they wanted to do was be animals…I never could figure out what the heck they were trying to be….tigers? monsters? kitty cats? I have no clue…but they wouldn't pose for real, they just kept making these weirdo faces and then they got Ben into it. These kids are so silly…

Jaime and Lindsay silly Nov 2007 (24)

Jaime and Lindsay silly Nov 2007 (23)

Aren't they a riot?
This is the best pic of just them I wound up getting…

Jaime and Lindsay silly Nov 2007 (4)

Came out pretty cute. 🙂

Then I tried for all of us…

Jaime and Lindsay silly Nov 2007 (34)

Jaime and Lindsay silly Nov 2007 (38)

Not great, not bad….lol.
So I gave up and tried for just Ben…

Jaime and Lindsay silly Nov 2007 (35)

Not so good…
LOL

It was fun though..and you can see my hair, I got it done again. Suhweet!!

Jaime is off of school the rest of the week and today is her parent/teacher conference.
She got her report card (I will get it in the mail, Kim!!!!) and she's doing great.
🙂

I think I am going to try to get some Christmas shopping done this week and start getting the decorations up, since I'm home with Jaime anyway. We'll see…

Work is actually really busy…We have got quite a few clients thisclose to putting offers in on houses, so that's nice. Busy is good!

And on that note, I'm off to get everyone up and start the day…

Yes?
I think so too.

Here are the Halloween pics…finally!!
So sorry!!
And even this has to be rushed because it's 9pm and I still have to press my hair out and order a birthday gift.
And I have no stupid beer. (what this has to do with anything, I don't know…but it's on my mind so I thought I'd throw it in…) Oh well..guess it's into the hard liquor, I go.
🙂
Sweet.

Halloween 2007 (11)

She was a bat…

Halloween 2007 (6)

And here's my very own little superhero!! Love him!!

Halloween 2007 (12)

Actually his name is JR…but Ben calls him Uncle JRoar and I think it's adorable and actually very fitting for a 40th birthday wish!

We're ready for pahtaaayyy!!!
Whoohoooo!!!

Jaime is at Lindsay's and Ben is going to come upstairs with us until things get crazy and then we'll send him downstairs with Kayla.
Hope it gets crazy fast…I have been in desperate need for a wild night for a long, long time!!

We got him a bottle of tequila, so maybe we'll have to break that open, first thing!!
ha!!!

Tah!

JR's 40th is Friday.
Then it's DJ's 21st on Monday.

Wow…holy freakin' wow.

JR's is big just because it's fun. Turning 40. Making it that far. Ceci is having a little get together next door for family and friends then and we maybe might all go out to the bars after. We'll see. It should be fun. BUT I have to remember to take it easy because
1. I don't want a friggin' major hangover on Saturday.
2. Jaime might be spending the night at Lindsay's and if she decides she needs to come home in the middle of the night, I don't think the FBI guy would appreciate us showing up at his door shitfaced to collect our daughter. <shrugging> Just a thought…ha! Seriously, they have offered to drive her home if the need arises, but Zak pretty much always drinks in moderation. He keeps it so he can drive….good man that he is.
But it should be fun.

DJ's birthday…that's the one that's freakin' me out. We're taking him out up to the bar for Monday Night Football for his birthday. It's gonna be fun. Ceci even managed to get the night off. I just can't believe he's going to be 21. It's just like holy crap..where did the time go?? And it freaks me out, the idea of my nephew in the same bar I'm partying in. It just feels weird, like I have to chill out and not be my usual wild and crazy self when I go out. I think we're going to make a rule, after this first night out, he cannot go to any bar we're at. lol.

I have so much to do this next couple of days….besides the two big birthdays, there are a bunch of other birthday's this month that I have to get things done for. I think I want to Christmas shop this weekend too.
BUSY.

See..now I'm just babbling…
I'll stop..lol.

tah!