Play Group: Valentine's Edition

It was my turn to host play group today and so of course we had to have a Valentine's party. The kids started out by decorating mailboxes. Just FYI- These are at the dollar spot at Target right now.



Then we had a relay race with the conversation hearts. They had to carry them in a spoon and race to empty one bowl and fill another one across the room. The pictures are kind of lame but they were working so hard and playing so nicely...



Because they knew when the bowl was full they could stuff their cute faces.


Then the moms came back and we all had lunch and watched the kids pass out their Valentines. Sorry no pictures of lunch because it was my turn to stuff my face.






And then we made cookie pizzas which I have been thinking about since the Superbowl. On Superbowl Sunday we ordered pizza (I know, shame on us) and I fell in love with Pizza Huts' bright red box and I knew I had to do something Valentines-ish with it.



So I covered the logo



And baked 6 giant cookies (one pound of dough each was perfect to fit in a medium box)



And then we decorated them with icing, sprinkles, conversation hearts, cupids mix M&M's and more sprinkles.

Alyssa had half day at school so she got home in time for some of the fun.

And here are my cute little play group kids starting with John

Abi, who is new to play group. Yay!

Alex

Sara

and Gabe


I had lots of fun. I LOVE my playgroup. I went into it so that Alex would have something to do but as it turns out it has become my sad excuse for a social life too.

Our nervous, mad, fun, silly and sad weekend.

The nervous

We had a Primary activity Saturday morning which means that I had a nervous stomach and was up all night on Friday. However it turned out to be a lot of fun (at least I had fun). I would post pictures but I don't know if all the people there would appreciate it. After it was over I was so relieved. But then came...

The MAD!

Right after we got home Alyssa jumped on a toy we borrowed from the library. It is a big wooden board with bean bags to play bean bag toss. I was going to use it at the activity but we already had a lot of other stuff planned so I left it home. Anyhow, Alyssa jumped on it and splintered one of the legs. My kids have a gift for ruining library property so I was really annoyed at the thought of paying for this stupid thing. Apparently Alyssa could tell how mad I was because she came out and gave us her tooth fairy money to help pay for it. Of course, all that did was make me feel like a mean, terrible mom. I should have taken her money because she needed to learn a lesson but there was no way we could take it. So instead we told her to put her money away and we went to have...

FUN...at Disney on Ice

This is how Alex watches shows. He likes his hands to be ready to cover his eyes in case he sees something scary.





I have been bugging Seth to go to Disney on Ice every time they come to Milwaukee. He finally agreed and we went to see the 100 years of Disney Magic show. They had scenes from all the big movies and Alex and Alyssa loved it. Chloe was terrible. Luckily we were in the back row so I could stand up with her. Just FYI: If you ever go, buy the cheap seats because they don't sell the ones way up in the rafters, they leave those empty so you can really see perfectly even in the back row. Now on to the...

Silly...

On Sunday Alyssa was drawing lovely pictures during church.

It started like this...(Me Alyssa I am playing in the rane puduls)



And then there was this... (The next day my flowers grew)



Then things took a dark turn...(a skeleton getting spit from a volcano)



And finally there was this...



Now that you have seen the silly we must conclude the weekend with...

The SAD.

This weekend I weaned Chloe. I usually stop nursing at their first birthday but we were out of town so Chloe got an extra month. Plus, to be honest I was really having a hard time with the whole idea of never nursing again.

I am one of those crazy women who loves to breastfeed. I never even gave my kids bottles or pacifiers...it was all mommy all the time. Chloe was really hard to nurse. I have permanent scars that prove just how hard it was to get her to nurse. But I stuck with it because it means a lot to me. I have always been amazed at how perfectly our bodies were designed to care for our babies. How my body always knew when Chloe was about to wake up and be hungry. I loved having something that no one else could offer her but me. And I loved cuddling her, especially as she got older and didn't like to be cradled. It was one way I could still get her to cuddle me.

But, even if I continued to nurse her it would not stop her from growing so I knew it was time. I don't want to be that creepy lady on 20/20 that has child protective services interfering because she is nursing an adolescent child. I just have to accept that my baby is not a baby. But my heart is a little bit broken. As I tried to rock her to sleep last night I was feeling really close to tears. She was just looking up at me like she knew something had changed. I had to give her to Seth and get out of the room before I chickened out.

I know, I am a wimp but I just hate that these babies keep turning into people so quickly.

He Said, She Said Tag

How well do you know your Valentine? The red text is our response (when we had one) to each others answers.

What Seth said about me...

1. Sitting in front of the TV, what's on the screen?
American Idol or some other reality show contest
American Idol is the only one I still like and even that is starting to bug...
2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does she get on her salad?
Ranch
3. What's one food she doesn't like?
BBQ ribs or chicken
I feel like a caveman if I have to eat meat that is still on the bone.
4. You go out to a restaurant, what does she get to drink?
Root Beer
5. Where did she go to high school?
Warren High School in Downey, CA
6. What is one phrase she says all the time?
Alex!!!!
Said in the ALVIN voice from The Chipmunks
7. If she was to collect anything, what would it be?
books
8. What is her favorite type of sandwich?
Roast Beef
true but I also love meatball
9. What would this person eat everyday if she could?
Chocolate
I can and I do!
10. What is her favorite cereal?
Special K Vanilla Almond
Especially when I was pregnant...I would eat a box every 48 hours.
11. What would she never wear?
a cowboy hat
12. What does she always wear?
socks
ALWAYS!!!
13. Who will she vote for?
the least slimeballish
slim pickins
14. Who is her best friend?
her sisters
For sure! Maybe that is why I rarely branch out and make friends because I was born with the BEST ones possible.
15. How many states has she lived in?
Four (California, Utah, New York, Wisconsin)
16. Does she have any nervous habits?
Do I have to name them all? Don't get me started.
Me nervous...NEVER! :)
17. What could she spend hours doing?
mopping the floor
I do love mopping, especially when Pine Sol is involved.
18. She is:
my soulmate.
a little cliche, but true

What I said about Seth...

1. Sitting in front of the TV, what's on the screen?
Some form of Superman (Smallville, old Superman movie, new Superman movie) or 24
Only the classics
2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on he salad?
Thousand Island, Yuck!
3. What's one food he doesn't like?
Watermelon
Yuck, tastes like sweaty styrofoam, I should have put this for Julie. She agrees.
4. You go out to a restaurant, what does he get to drink?
Coke, sometimes Diet and if it is a place that has Pepsi products he gets Root Beer or Dr. Pepper
5. Where did he go to high school?
Green River High School in Green River Wyoming
Go Wolves, quit sending me requests to update my alumni info
6. What is one phrase he says all the time?
Awesome! (said sarcastically when something goes wrong)
Awesome
7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be?
He likes to buy lots of fridge magnets whenever we travel
that's right...gotta have something to hang something up
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?
A hamburger. I don't know if that counts but he is not a huge sandwich fan.
cheeseburger
9. What would this person eat everyday if he could?
Crab legs
Mmmmmm!
10. What is his favorite cereal?
Lately, Frosted Flakes
But I am boycotting them since they dropped Michael Phelps (he didn't inhale)
11. What would he never wear?
A thong, I hope.
better return my Valentine's present
12. What does he always wear?
His under jibber
13. Who will he vote for?
Whoever he likes the best, or hates the least
14. Who is his best friend?
Everyone
almost everyone
15. How many states has he lived in?
4 (Wyoming, Utah, New York, Wisconsin)
16. Does he have any nervous habits?
clicking his teeth together
17. What could he spend hours doing?
Golfing
until my golf partner moved away
18. He is:
Perfect! According to the scriptures , "he Seth was the perfect man." (D&C 107:43) Who am I to argue with the word of God?

10 Things that bug me tag...

In order of annoyance.

1- Toilet lids that are left up (put down the seat AND the lid)

2- Anything on my kitchen counter.

3- Bare feet

4- Laundry...dirty laundry bugs me because it expects me to wash it and clean laundry is worse because it wants to be folded and put away.

5- My will power. Why can't I make cookies without eating a dozen in an hour?

6- Video Games. I hate video games and I am especially annoyed when grown men sit and play all day. If it is your hobby, fine. I like blogging, you like games. But when you sit for 10 hours and never contribute in your home, YOU BUG! (No, I am not talking to anyone specific, and just FYI Seth doesn't play...PHEW!)

7- Freedom of Speech? If you are liberal you are encouraged to speak your opinion and even make fun of "the Christian Right" if you so desire. But if you are conservative you can't speak up because you are being judgemental. I could tangent on that one but I won't.

8- When the doorbell, phone, screaming children, flushing toilets or ANYTHING else wakes up my baby.

9- The notion that blue eyes are somehow better than other eyes. When people tell me how lucky I am that Chloe got blue eyes I get so mad. What about my two horribly unfortunate children that got green and brown eyes? All eyes are beautiful and I am glad we got a variety in our home. Alyssa has asked me before why she can't have blue eyes like a princess. Our society is warped.

10- When people ask me, "Are they real?"

No, not those. I think it is pathetically obvious that those are real. I am talking about my siblings.

When I tell people how many siblings I have they often ask me if they are all real? I have to clench my fists to keep from swinging and bite my tongue to keep from saying, "Oh no, actually two of them are mannequins and one is imaginary." What is that supposed to mean, are they all real? Of course they are!

Once my sisters friend even said that Kristen was just "kind of an aunt" to Alyssa because me and Kristen are just "half-sisters". No dummy, she is Alyssa's aunt and she is 100% completely my sister. I hate the term half-sister or half-brother. I understand that genetically we only share one parent but that does not cut our relationship in half. Even if we were adopted and didn't share any DNA we have been siblings our entire life so please don't suggest that my relationships are somehow less authentic than yours just because my parents got divorced.

If someone tells you that someone is their sister, brother, Mom, Dad, etc., don't ask them for pedigree charts and blood samples. Don't make people qualify their relationships. It is rude.

And if you haven't done this tag yet...YOU'RE IT!

Momma's Boy

Seth has obtained some very wonderful attributes from his mother (who acquired them from her mom, aka Grandma Loveridge). They are all three very even-tempered. You must have done something really wrong if you can get them to yell.

They are all very generous and thoughtful as well. If they know that you like something they will shower you with it for a lifetime. And if there is something you need they always notice and it will magically show up.

I LOVE that Seth takes after these two amazing women...but...along with all of their best qualities Seth is also the heir to one little quirk.

They are all total suckers for a "good deal". I am not sure any of them can go into a store and come out empty handed, at least I have never seen it. They also love to show you what they found and tell you what a good deal it was.

So, the other day Seth came home with chocolate shot glasses. Now, you all know we don't drink, right? I am still trying to figure out what to do with a dozen chocolate shot glasses...?

After I laughed in confusion I asked Seth why he couldn't resist the little chocolate cuties. Of course, it was because they were only a dollar.

So, here is a lesson for my other shopaholics. If something that you don't need, or even have a use for is only a dollar, and you buy it because it is usually $2...don't come home claiming that you saved a dollar. You actually wasted a dollar.

Alright, I could not help teasing Seth but in reality I do love all three of my shoppers just the way they are and I have even been the recipient of lots of cool stuff over the years because of their bargain hunting so I guess I don't really want them to change. It is too fun to see what they will come up with next.

If anyone has been searching desperately for chocolate shot glasses, let me know.

Conversations with the Johnsons

If you were a fly on the wall at our house, or more realistically a Japanese beetle since they seem to LOVE Wisconsin, these are some of the things you would be observing lately.

Scene 1

Alyssa: (while petting Alex's hair in a trance-like state) I love his hair, it is so soft.

Alex: (snaps his head back in astonishment) Her doesn't hate me anymore!

Scene 2- Inauguration Day

Mom: (while handing Alyssa her clothes) Get dressed

Alyssa: I think I want to wear lavender for the inauguration celebration

Mom: You told me a million times that you needed to wear red, white and blue today

Alyssa: I know but I decided to wear lavender because red white and blue make lavender and it is more girly.

Scene 3- Family Home Evening last Monday

Dad: Do you guys know what this is? (holding up his flip chart from his mission which resembles Alyssa's diary)

Alex: I know! It's a diarrhea.

a few moments later in the lesson after Alex had struggled really hard to say Joseph Smith correctly (Josep Smip)

Dad: How can you know if Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus?

Alyssa: The Holy Ghost

Alex: I'll call the Ghostbusters

Scene 4

Alyssa: Say cheese, biscuit! (I look up to see Alyssa holding up a piece of paper in front of her and her robotic dog)

Mom: Are you pretending to take a picture?

Alyssa: No, this is my cell phone. (holds up very realistically designed paper cell phone)

Mom: Now what are you doing? (noticing that the cell phone is now opened and Alyssa is typing away at a little keypad)

Alyssa: Just texting this picture to Quinn.

Scene 5- When the alarm clock went off

Julie: Did you get up with Chloe last night?

Seth: No, did you?

I don't know what we said next but I think the ceiling opened to release balloons and streamers for the celebration....at 13 months she finally sleeps through the night!!!! YAY!!!

Captain says...

I have always discouraged my kids from playing in their rooms. We basically just use our rooms for bedtime. I like everyone to be in communal living areas as much as possible. They don't even have any toys in their rooms.

But today when Alex was trying to play with his new pirate ship and Chloe was interfering I told him he could go play with it in his room. Off he went, which shocked me. He shadows me all day, everyday, until Alyssa gets home and then she inherits my shadow.

But 26 minutes after Alex went in his room, he marched down to the play room, pirate ship in tow. When I asked him what he was doing he said, "Captain told me, 'Little boy, you go play with your toys in the play room'".

So, for the rest of the day Alex and his crew sailed around the house on my heels.

Isn't Alex scary with his Pirate Mickey Mouse ears and the bread hook from the Kitchen Aid?

Chloe tried to get in on the fun but the hat made her mad.

So she went back to her own toys.

Don't be fooled, she can't walk yet.

A Break in the Winter Blues

We had to leave the kids' Christmas gifts in California and they finally arrived in Wisconsin today...

...and not a moment too soon. We have run out of fun indoor activities and resorted to taking really long baths.

Was I "bitten"?

I don't know how I managed to be the last person on Earth to hear about Twilight. Apparently I live in a cave. The first time I heard of it I was in Utah and the stores were all opening at midnight so that the masses could line up and get the 4th book. I thought, Wow, that must be some book and how have I not heard of it.

Then people started telling me what it was about and I thought it wasn't really something I was interested in. Plus, you really can't show up that late for the party and still expect to fit in so I figured I would just pass on the whole Twilight craze.

As the months have gone on, I have heard about nothing but Bella and Edward and how no one can seem to put this book down. Finally, after my sister Valerie gave in and read it (and LOVED it) I thought I should check it out. We usually agree on books.

This might not make me very popular, but I have to say that I don't get it! What is all the hype? I went into it excited and really hoping to love it. I love getting lost in a book but it never happened. I was painfully aware that I was reading the whole time.

It was the same conversation over and over for 500 pages. Edward tells Bella all the reasons she should be scared of him and she keeps insisting that she's not. Then they grimace and scowl at each other, and repeat. I was seriously wishing he would just drain her and put us all out of our misery.

The story picked up a little bit at about page 300 but I was already over it. I hope I don't see the words grimace, scowl, chuckle, smolder, and most of all EYES for a long time. We get it, his eyes are golden, or amber, or ocher, or topaz...whatever...we get it!

Don't stone me yet. The book wasn't totally unreadable. In fact, it is actually pretty easy to read and it only takes a couple hours. I also appreciated a book that appeals to teenagers that is clean. There isn't any bad language and Edward embraces pretty old fashioned values. That is a nice change from what kids are getting in the media these days. (Man, that last sentence makes me sound OLD)

Maybe I am just jaded because I feel like I missed something. I don't know what everyone else saw that I failed to. People are wearing Twilight clothes and starting clubs and having parties and I am just a little confused. Several people told me that if I read it I wouldn't be able to put it down and that I would neglect my kids just to read one more chapter. With reviews like that, the book just came up way short.

I should have just left this one alone. The excitement building up to reading the book was much better than the book iteslf.

Thou Mayest...

I just finished reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck and I must declare it the best (non-scripture) book ever written, AGAIN!

The story alone is fantastic and the writing is unparalleled. Everytime I read it I stop and re-read lots of the sentences over and over just because they are worded so perfectly. I truly covet every sentence ever put to paper by John Steinbeck. But, the most amazing thing about the way this book is written is that it takes you beyond the story, beyond the words, and allows you to look inside yourself.

The whole book is about the battle between good and evil. It is so honest and real. I find that I relate to both the good and the bad. He certainly accentuates the extremes but don't we all have the potential to be both? We are not born good or bad, we become what we allow ourselves to become.

That is what I LOVE about this book. It suggests that we CHOOSE our path. I think you all know that I am Mormon, right? If you don't know that about me then you probably don't know me. But, since you are here on my blog, I will assume that we are friends now and since we are friends you can leave your contact info and I will be happy to send Mormon missionaries to tell you more about what we believe so that you can better understand my blog.

There...that'll scare the looky-loos away.

Anyhow, a HUGE part of Mormon doctrine teaches that we are responsible for our choices. We ARE NOT born in sin, nor are we responsible for Adam's transgression. How can we ever understand sin and repentance until we experience it. We are born perfect. We all experience our own fall from that perfection.

We are not doomed, nor are we automatically saved. We choose. Steinbeck introduces a Hebrew word, Timshel that means "Thou mayest." Thou mayest triumph over sin. We are not saved alone by grace, though we couldn't be saved without it. But even with the grace extended to us through Jesus Christ, we are still responsible for our choices. We are not predestined to succeed or to fail. The way is not set.

According to the book...
There are millions in their sects and churches who feel the order, 'Do thou,' and throw their weight into obedience. And there are millions more who feel predestination in 'Thou shalt.' Nothing they may do can interfere with what will be. But 'Thou mayest'! Why, that makes a man great, that gives him stature with the gods, for in his weakness and his filth and his murder of his brother he has still the great choice. He can choose his course and fight through it and win.

Isn't it so empowering to embrace and adopt the belief that we have a choice, in everything? I can blame my parents or my upbringing for my problems, but then I must also give them credit for the good things that I am. No! I may choose to follow a good, or bad example that has been set for me but not because it was in my blood or because I was programmed to, but because I chose to. I am who I am by my own choices and my own creation. I will not give someone else that power over my life.

We may not have control over the things that happen to us or the way that other people treat us, but other people's actions do not MAKE us who we are. There are people who have wronged me and of course I have been hurt. I have been guilty of using the "poor me" or "you did this to me" excuse before. We go through things that are tough and it is sometimes convenient to use our circumstances as a scapegoat for our failures, but ultimately we choose to either rise or fall.

We CHOOSE. How awesome is that? I was given my physical life by my parents and even my name but even the people who decided I was "Julie" can not decide who Julie is and will be. I am captain of my own ship and therefore responsible for my own salvation.

Don't be comfortable just being what you think life made you. Be who you want to be because, "thou mayest!"

Happy 30th Birthday Valerie!

I am guessing that my sister Valerie has checked my blog 5 times already today in search of her birthday blog so I guess I better get to it.

Everyone should have a Valerie. She is funny, and fun, and loud and weird and she just brings so much joy into my life.

It was a great day when she arrived in our quiet little family. Me and my brother Jeff were afraid of everybody and everything so we hid behind our baby sister. As soon as she was old enough to talk she would have to order for us at restaurants or go ask our parents/grandparents whenever we wanted something. She would even sneak sodas from the fridge during nap time and open them for us. Before Val we had to sneak out and drink syrup from the Mrs. Butterworth jar. Me and Jeff would likely not have survived without Valerie.

As you can tell, Valerie is a BOLD person so we did not always get along. They had to turn her crib upside down when she was a baby because she would climb out and attack me at night. But as we got older we also grew closer. We spent our childhood staying up all night chatting, or trading toys and clothes, or pretending we were characters from Beverly Hills Teens (does anyone remember that show?). It was like a never ending sleepover. We still fought occasionally and I usually got my butt kicked.

Then when I went off to college Valerie would come stay with me during Spring break, Thanksgiving, Summer, or whenever we could get our parents to fly her out to Utah. We have not lived in the same State for over 15 years now but she is still my best friend.

There is nothing for your confidence like a healthy dose of Valerie.

Even I don't think I am as funny as Valerie does.

I know I am not as talented as Valerie thinks I am. Whenever I make anything, write anything, plan anything, I can't wait to tell Valerie because she will give me so much more praise than I deserve. I know that sounds so vain to go out and seek a pat on the back but I think most of us are too self- critical, couldn't we all use someone who lifts us up and tells us we are okay?

I also love to have Valerie come stay with us because she raves about everything I cook and even remarks about how clean my floors are.

Valerie also loves to hear about my kids. I tell her all the silly things they do that most people just smile and nod at. Not Val. She laughs hysterically and goes and tells everyone else in our family. She loves and adores my kids almost as much as her own, I think.

Val also compliments me more than anyone else. If I get a haircut it is always the best I have ever looked, according to Valerie.

Valerie makes me believe in me. How awesome is it to have someone who validates you. How blessed I am to have someone who wants me to succeed. I think most people hold back compliments often times because of their own insecurities. Not Val. If you are good at something she will tell you you're THE BEST and even if you are just mediocre she will tell you you're GOOD.

I always feel better when I see Valerie or talk to her. I feel stronger and more able. I know I am not as great as she thinks but I believe she is sincere with her compliments because she is also honest enough to tell me she hates my outdated wardrobe and she teases me relentlessly about, well EVERYTHING.

So you should really all have a Valerie. However, if you know Valerie you will agree that she is absolutely, positively one of a kind and I feel so blessed that I got her.

Happy Birthday!!! Today is your day and since you always build me up I will tell you a few things you are good at. If you know Valerie, make sure you build her up today too.

You are smart and ambitious. (our only college graduate)

You are funny and your laughter and enthusiasm for life are infectious and beautiful.

You are supermom! Luke is the luckiest little man because you were made to be a mommy. He is in for a whole lifetime of silliness, praise, confidence, encouragement and LOVE.

You are creative. I know you always talk up my birthday parties but Luke's Dr. Seuss party was genius. And all the cute ideas you have for teaching are amazing. You were also born to teach.

You are beautiful. Perfect skin, perfect legs that I will envy all my life, perfect hair, just beautiful!

I miss you...please come see me!

Val's family...I know she will HATE that I posted that picture of Dave with a mustache.

More of the Vincents

Val and Dave visiting us when we lived in Utah

Me and Val 5 years ago. We are usually the ones behind the camera so I don't have a recent picture of just the two of us.

Val getting her hair jacked up by Luke, but how cute is Luke?

More of Valerie and her little man

So sad it should be a country song...

It just occurred to me that I promised to burden you all with my sadness over my friends moving away and then I went out of town for Christmas and you all got off the hook. Or, at least you thought you did.

So, here is my heartbreak...

It seems that the town we live in was built with a revolving door. We have been here 4 years and we are old-timers. Everyone we meet moves away. Usually we know from day one that they will move eventually. We know a lot of military people and a lot of students. But Glenn and Heather were our safe friends. The ones we were sure would never leave us.

I think you all know Glenn and Heather, right? If you have talked to us at any time in the past 4 years I am sure you have heard of them. Well, they moved to California and what sucks is that they took their kids right along with them.

We knew for a few months that they might go but we didn't find out for sure until 3 weeks before they left. I truly cried for 2 hours the night that I found out. Seth was trying really hard to console me and then eventually just cracking up at my inability to cope.

If you know me, you know I don't make friends easily. (Okay, that's not fair. I actually have lots of friends here...amazing people that I am so grateful for so please don't get me wrong. It just takes a long time for me to know someone well enough to call them and just chat, or hang out one on one. I don't have many of those kind of friends) I mostly keep to myself, but luckily for me, Glenn and Seth had a case of love at first sight so we were all together until it wasn't awkward anymore, and then it was even pretty comfortable and eventually they just felt like family.

It was a huge bummer to say goodbye to the Harrises. We were together so much that almost everything here reminds me of them. If Seth was more like me and we could have just kept to ourselves I wouldn't be sitting here sad and feeling sorry for myself. Just kidding! I am actually very grateful that I was pushed outside of my comfort zone. I miss my friend very much, but I have a friend and that is very special.

I would stroll with you down memory lane but I am already crying so it is probably best to keep this somewhat light and low on cheese.

So, how about some pictures instead.

The day before we parted, Bayley and Isaac came over for most of the day so Heather could pack and the four kids never left each other's side for a single minute.

I could do a whole book of pictures of Bayley and Alyssa but I love this picture because one of the first things me and Heather did (without help from our husbands) was put the girls in ballet. They are only 3. So cute!

Here is us when we taught Joy School. I am the only Joy School mom left. The rest have all moved away.

The rest of these pictures are of the 3 weeks leading up to "the departure". I think we hung out about 18 times in 21 days and usually until way too late or should I say, way too early! Once me, Katelin and Heather even hung out at Kohl's just because it was open til midnight. We bought these super ugly matching shirts and earrings to wear out and then we still sat in the car and talked for a few hours when Kohl's closed.

Out at Bob Chinn's for one of our many farewell dinners. Glenn and Heather are the two right up front with the great fashion sense. If you can't tell, that is a t-shirt with a built in stone-washed vest.

Seth and Glenn found out about our ugly shirts and bought matching hunting sweatshirts or whatever these ugly things are.

This was my birthday dinner. Katelin and Heather took me to Cheesecake Factory...

and when we got back to my house the men were there and they had put all the kids to bed (or in a carseat, or wherever there was a spot to sleep) so we decided to play board games....

until almost 5AM. I promise I am not drunk in those pictures but I wish I could explain why I look like Elvira at 5AM.


Unfortunately, no matter how many times we went out, or stayed in and played games, or just sat and talked all night, the inevitability of what was next always loomed in the air. The night I went to say goodbye to Heather we just sat and talked until 2 AM but I knew no matter how long I stayed, she would eventually go. I hated to say goodbye but I am not looking at the ending, rather the journey.

Thanks Harrises for being our friends! We love you!

P.S. Happy 30th Birthday Heather!!!! I will make you chocolate cake if you come back.

Oh yeah, make sure to keep reading because I made two posts in a row tonight and the other one is much more cheerful...

Isn't she supposed to be a baby?

Somehow my baby girl turned into a big girl. I remember agreeing to have a baby but I don't remember agreeing to having a six year old. Especially since there is no way it has been six years. I swear she just got here. And I really didn't agree to have a six year old who thinks she is sixteen.

Alyssa has been asking for an ipod, a cell phone and a digital camera. Seriously, who does she think she needs to call? We did buy her a cheap mp3 player which she calls an ipod and she thinks she is so cool walking around with it adhered to her head all day. I wonder if whoever she is trying to impress would think it was cool to know that she is listening to Disney music, and the Polar Express soundtrack.

Another thing Alyssa started pushing for at Christmas time was getting her ears pierced. She kept begging Grandma Susie and telling her that the prettiest girl at school had hers pierced. Actually, she is the prettiest girl at her school so I don't know what she was talking about, but me and Seth talked about it and decided it wasn't a big deal. She tried to chicken out but Seth made her follow through.

And one last thing that proves that somehow my baby turned into a kid...she lost her first tooth. Once they lose their teeth they even look like big kids. Dang it! I love this sassy little diva that Alyssa has turned into but I do miss my baby.



The last picture of Alyssa with all her baby teeth

Showing off her tooth while trying to stop the bleeding

Look Mom, No Tooth!

Say Ahhhh! Look at that tiny little gap. There is no way a big tooth can fit in there. Why are we giving her money for lost teeth? We should be saving it since each lost tooth gets us closer to BRACES...thank you Seth for the crooked teeth.

Here is Alyssa's tooth fairy treasure. Seth decided she should get $5 per tooth and a lucky $2 bill for the first tooth. I should tell her that the tooth fairy was not quite so generous when I was a kid. I usually got a small heap of change from the car's ashtray. Alyssa even got to keep her tooth since it was her first one. Man that tooth fairy is nice.


I was also going to include a video of Alyssa singing along with her "ipod" but not only did she get Seth's crooked teeth, she also inherited my singing voice.

So yesterday I talked about SNOW DAYS which I think lots of people have but do you have COLD DAYS where you live? Not just days that are cold, but days where school is cancelled because it is dangerous to be outside? The only thing you can do when the weather is this crappy is brag about it.

Have you ever noticed that people brag more about things they are bad at than things they are good at. It would be prideful of me to tell you all the things I am better at than you. But if I really suck at something it is fair game for bragging. For instance, I am the worst singer EVER. If I can't be the best I might as well brag that I am the worst, right? I don't want to be just kind of bad. I want full ownership and bragging rights as the WORST ever. I guess the same principle applies to weather because I have never heard so many people boast about how bad the Winter is until I moved to Wisconsin.

And for my dad, who always brags that Southern California (yes, you read that right) is freezing and that people come there from all over and say how cold they are when they feel that ocean breeze, I am willing to bet that the entire State of Wisconsin would run in bikinis through your ocean breeze right about now. So back off and let me have bragging rights on this one, okay?

So, here is what a cold day looks like...although we have now hit our high for the day of -8, feels like -28. Does anyone else find it a little bit amusing that the forecast says sunny? Who cares? They might as well just put SORRY.


And I don't even want to know how much this is costing me...


And, thanks to all those who put me way up on a pedestal yesterday because of all my snow day fun. I was loving the view from way up there but unfortunately my feet came colliding with Earth again this morning. I woke up in LOTS of pain because of my heroic effort to shovel my driveway. Luckily my kids were feeling quite content to be lazy today because supermom was out of commission.

Alyssa spent most of the day just watching movies, playing Webkinz and reading under the electric blanket. She is definitely our easiest because she loves to play independently.

Alex played with Alyssa's dollhouse for hours. He took all the furniture out and replaced it with furniture he fashioned out of building blocks and then he moved all the Barbies out for the day so that his Transformers could take over. He also played with his own dollhouse, or as we usually call it, the freezer. He plays with toy penguins in the freezer and he puts them in the ice dispenser and then they slide out into a bath of ice water. Very cute and creative if you ask me.

As for Chloe, she just knocked over everything in her sight just so that she could say "Uh-Oh". Then she would wag her finger and tell herself "NO-NO" and then do it all over again. She also spent lots of time pulling herself up to standing position and letting go of whatever she used to leverage herself for just long enough to raise her hands and say "Ta-Da" and then quickly clutching back on. So cute!

That's all I have for today. Sorry if you were expecting more.

Although since I called my dad out I think I will call my mom and sister, Valerie out too. They mocked me because I said it was risky to wear glasses in public. But I just want to mention that I have also been driving on icy roads all week, oh yeah, and for the past 15 years. Let's see either one of you risk takers do that.

That's what I thought!