It's not a hickey...

I have a burn on my neck, front and center...long story...Christmas, doormat and hot potatoes were involved.

Let's move on to Christmas...wonderful. We had a peaceful (if possible with 4 kids high on sugar) Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with J's family. The highlight was Aunt Candy (J's mom's sister) roller skating (Adam's skates) in the back yard...hilarious!


I think these pictures of the kids pretty much sum up Christmas morning at the Bird house...bad bed head...and of course Jack...arrgh!

Happy Anniversay Buddy

Eleven years goes by fast. Somehow, Weezer seems appropriate today...

Woo-hoo, but you know I'm yours.

Woo-hoo, and I know you're mine.

Woo-hoo, and that's for all of time.

Woo-ee-oo, I look just like Buddy Holly.

Oh-Oh, and you're Mary Tyler Moore.

I don't care what they say about us anyway.

I don't care 'bout that.

I Love you J,

Sunshine

xoxoxo

Captain Jack is 2

Today our little man is 2! I swear my older kids are more excited about today than Christmas...they have been telling everyone about their brother's upcoming birthday (people have been coming up to us for the last two weeks to wish Jack a "Happy Birthday"). I have to admit that I am a little sad today...my baby isn't a baby...he really is a little boy (opinionated, goofy, crazy...). He seems older today (sniffle sniffle) and I'm not ready.

Jack has been busy lately (busy changing clothes that is). Gone are the days when he wouldn't wear a costume. It is very exciting...we never know who is going to show up for dinner. Here he is in all his glory...

Christmas wishes

So all I want for Christmas is a picture with all 4 of my children looking in the general direction of the camera. This task becomes more difficult every year (probably because I not only procrastinate, but I only give myself a 10 minute window to capture my kids at their best...they need more time!). Fortunately I did get some great individual shots. I do think my kids are adorable...I mean look at my Sunny Bunny...stinkin' cute!

Here Piggy Piggy

So I am back to eating like a normal person...and the Festival of Food is over. I swear I think I need to join Overeaters Anonymous. I fit the description..."Compulsive Overeaters will typically eat when they are not hungry, spend excessive amounts of time and thought devoted to food, and secretly plan or fantasize about eating...". The amount of food that I consumed last week is, quite frankly, disturbing. For example, over a 3 1/2 day period I had Nielsen's Frozen Custard 5 (okay so maybe it was 5 1/2) times...mind you I didn't go to Nielsen's 2 days out of the 3 1/2. I made Justin stop there before we even went to see family (I know priorities!). I decided to share the experience with my kids...they loved it and it was a great motivator for the drive over ("if you kids are really good we are going to take you to a magical place where all your dreams will come true...okay we'll take you where all Mommy's dreams come true").

We had a wonderful time with Grandma Jeanie and Grandpa Bill (down from Canada); the cousins; we even got to see Ron,Vanessa and the girls; and of course Nana and Papa! We gobbled (see above), trotted (numerous Turkey Trots), danced (the girls put on a recital for Grandma and Grandpa), sang (always fun with Grandma Jeanie at the piano), and just had a great time! We were reminded of all that we are grateful for: family, health, and of course... obscene amounts of food!

Doris & Rock

So the other night I watched (not my first time mind you) "Lover Come Back". I love Doris Day and Rock Hudson. I love Doris' wardrobe, the jackets and the hats are something else! I love the chemistry between Doris and Rock (I realize they...or at least Rock is acting...too bad). I love the corny lines and the soft focus whenever the camera pans to Doris Day. So I want to say thank you Mom for instilling in me a love for all things Doris and Rock...I'll have to rent "Pillow Talk" next (my favorite!).

Tag...you're it!

I have been tagged so here we go...



Here are the rules: A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning. B. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves. C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asks them to read your blog.



1. I like going to movies by myself (of course I haven't been in an actual movie theater lately). I know that I will now probably be labeled a loser, but I find it comforting to sit by myself in a dark theater, eating something chocolatey while watching a movie...preferably a drama.



2. I love to read...I usually have about 7-10 books on my nightstand at all times. I love to read paperback books...I like the way they feel in my hands. I love to buy books (Costco, Target, Borders, Amazon are my usual spots)...I would rather buy books than clothes! I have been in the same book club for over 8 years.



3. Most people know this about me, but I do not like raspberries or pears (notice the word "rasp" in raspberries...as in "raspy"). I will eat them if they are in front of me, but I do not like them Sam I Am! I clearly know that this means I am crazy...I have been trying to like them for 30+ years...maybe next year.



4. I am a chocoholic...I know many of you are too. My drugs of choice are m&ms (peanut butter or peanut), Kissables (or Kissables chubby cousin Hershey's Chocolate Eggs...only available at Easter), or heck anything related to chocolate...I'll even eat a Tootsie Roll if I get desperate!



5. I look like a baby giraffe when I run...not exactly the look I am going for.



6. I love "The Office". This show brings me joy!



I tag: Melissa, Laura, Heidi, Michelle, Natalie, Hannah

Brothers

I found this quote the other day...

"With you as my brother, the baseballs flew further, the rocks skipped forever, and the stars didn't seem so far away."

I just love watching these two little buddies.

Tacos

He's almost 2...need I say more?

Adam the Swimmer...Minnie the Entrepreneur

Adam had his 2nd swim meet this last Saturday. He swam 5 races (50 free, 50 back, 50 fly, 50 breaststroke, 100 im) and did a great job! I wish I could have captured a better picture of him doing the backstroke...he was smiling the whole time...Uncle Chris would be so proud.

He looked so cute/skinny in his jammers...I swear his knees are the widest part of his legs! He only had about 5-10 minutes between races so he would lie down on the "warm" cement and cover himself with a towel...he has shivering down to an art form.

Today I took Minnie, Sunny and Jack to Target with me. I know...I wasn't thinking...a Mother (especially this Mother) should not take 3 children with her to Target...but I did. The girls went wild! I threatened, but nothing calmed the little women. After I finally wrangled them into the car we got home and had the whole "THIS IS HOW WE SHOULD ACT IN PUBLIC" seminar (of course I gave this little lecture in a very calm, loving way...even though we have this discussion at least twice a month). I thought it went pretty well (I think they were a little stunned by my passion for the subject...apparently I wasn't as calm or as loving as they thought I should be).

Minnie then decided to share with me one of her "great" ideas (this girl has a lot of ideas...pretty good ideas most of the time).

"I know Mommy how about we come up with a chart" (one of her favorite idea accessories) "and keep track of how good we are. How about for every 10 minutes we are good we get a quarter!"

"So let me get this straight," I asked "you want me to pay you to be good?"

Minnie is going to get back to me with a new/better "great" idea!

The Great Pumpkin Hunt

Our family was supposed to go to "the real" pumpkin patch last Saturday. It is something we really look forward to. Every week at the grocery store we passed bins filled with perfectly shaped pumpkins anticipating what our pumpkins would look like when we picked them at "the patch". Well, the fires changed things. On Saturday the pumpkin patch was in the middle of an evacuated area...what to do? We decided (for FHE) to go to "the fake" pumpkin patch up the road...you know the kind...more carnival than patch, a little straw thrown on the ground for ambiance. We spent $30 in about 20 seconds and still didn't have our pumpkins. The only pumpkins left were in the $30-$50 range (with 4 kids you do the math)...again, what to do? Well, let's just go down the street to the grocery store...there are hundreds of pumpkins there...we get there... NO pumpkins! Our kids started to panic...a Halloween without jack-o-lanterns...what is this world coming too?! I promised them pumpkins and dadgum I was going to get them pumpkins! Of course Melissa was also making this promise to her children...we would find them pumpkins! The next day (Tuesday, only one day left until the big night) we went on the prowl...Melissa and I were conferencing on our cell phones and we finally found 7 pathetic...that might be too harsh...let's just say these pumpkins had been overlooked by many people (we each visited 2 different stores and each had about 5 pumpkins to choose from...slim pickins)! Once we carved them they actually looked cute...gotta love Halloween miracles.

Overall, it has been a very sticky week (class parties, trunk-or-treating, trick-or-treating) but, Harry Potter, Witch, Ladybug and Reluctant Cowboy had a great time...they'll have the cavities to prove it!

Smoke, Urgent Care, Santa Claus, Sanitation Department, Shoes

Yesterday was less smokey...sure there was still a faint campfire smell and general haze in the air, but the sky was bluer...the air was getting better...that is what I was telling myself until I looked up and realized what color the sky is really supposed to be. I was getting my mail when I looked down the street and this is the view I had...

Yesterday evening 5 minutes before bedtime Jack slipped, fell, plummeted (we don't know the real story...no one is "fessing" up). He hit his eyelid and split it open...so I made my bi-monthly trip to Urgent Care...turns out that he is going to be fine...it is in a difficult place to stitch so we'll just have to let it heal by itself...he can tell all his friends about the time he fought an alligator and won...look I have a scar to prove it!

When I got home from Urgent Care Adam gave me a letter to mail...

Dear Santa Claus,

I only want a little bit of presents this year so you can give the people who lost their homes a lot of stuff.

From,

Adam, age 9

What a good kid!

I have been having nightmares about trash, garbage, refuse...only natural considering Tuesday is GARBAGE DAY (a big day at our house...we usually top off...and I do mean top off our garbage dumpster and our recycle dumpster every week) and it is now 4 days later and no news as to when trash pickup will resume...visions of our trash piling up are getting grandiose. Then what is that sound...could it be...my heart skips a beat...yes, I know that sound like I know the sound of my own name...it is a sound that makes me and all children under the age of 5 giddy with glee...a GARBAGE TRUCK...I wanted to run after it blowing kisses...Thank you! Thank you! San Diego Sanitation Department. Thank you for saving me from a mountain of garbage!

Maybe I should be more specific when I tell my 22 month old to go put shoes on...

Kids and Chaos

I think the smoke is finally getting to me. It might be that I have been cooped up in the "little Bird house" with all these baby birds for too long. I have been digesting chocolate at an alarming rate...I am pretty sure that eating a pound of chocolate a day is not considered "healthy"eating.

Anyway, my kids are getting stir crazy...I have found writing on my pillow, on my bed, on the walls, and on their bodies...maybe they are trying to tell me they are bored. So, today is my usual day to watch my friends' kids (we have a school volunteer swap), but because school has been cancelled for the past week all the older siblings are home too. What to do? Have 8 extra (bringing the grand total to 12) kids over for a Nerf War, Dress Up and general chaos. It was great fun and very loud...especially when we got the Halloween tunes going. It was a wonderful, and at this point necessary, diversion from the smoke filled air, watching the news and the concern we feel for friends and loved ones who were evacuated. Thank you for your prayers, emails and phone calls. We feel very blessed and know that Father in Heaven is watching over us and our entire community.

Birthday Boy!

October 17, 2007

Today my Adam is 9! It sounds cliche, but I feel like I had him just yesterday. I remember how happy and suprised I was when the doctor said..."It's a BOY!"...I remember how small he was (a little shocked that I had not succeeded in having the world's first 55 lb. baby--where did all that weight come from and where was it going to go?)...how soft and round his fuzzy little head was...how relieved I was that he was healthy and perfect and that I could sleep on my stomach again! Now here he is with feet almost as big as mine, a mind of his own and sweetness that doesn't stop (unless it's time to practice the piano). Happy Birthday Baby Boy...that's right you will always be my baby...Mama loves you. xoxo

Sunny is Happy?!!!

Sunny: Mom...

Me: Yes?

Sunny: Today I am happy.

Me: (with a lump in my throat) Why are you happy?

Sunny: Because I went to church and sang.

As a parent this is exactly what I want to hear...especially because she is usually such a little SMATCHET!

Jack is afraid of Halloween

Jack is afraid of Halloween. How can this be? I've done everything a mother should do. I tell him how great all the fake spider webs are hanging from our neighbors' houses. How the scary decorations are really fun! How it's perfectly fine to take candy from strangers. I say all this with a smile on my face and yet somehow he doesn't understand, or maybe he just doesn't believe me. Would I lie? I try to tell him that mothers are incapable of telling a falsehood. I try putting the soft, adorable, precious elephant costume on him...he yells at me and runs away. All this from a child who carries Halloween Costume Catalogs around the house (he doesn't see the irony in this). I did find a little cowboy running around the house though...he looks like Jack...maybe a little taller...perhaps there is hope. Maybe he will come to realize that Halloween is one of the best nights of the year for kids and parents...Mommy needs chocolate!