It Just Doesn't Get Much Better ...

Than a neighbor leaving the coolest fireman costume at your front door ... and J. Howard ...
dashing upstairs to discover the pure joy ...
of a full length mirror!
Let's just hope there isn't a fire he needs to put out ... he's still pretty busy checking out how good he looks!

On the Road Again ...

I might be classified by some as boring. Perhaps I'm misunderstood. I simply like to consider my options and stick to what I know.

I don't know snow. I don't particularly like being cold. And I'm not spur of the moment trip taker. But it's the 19th of the month. I've had over two weeks to implement this "whole new me" plan. So ... when Ben suggested trip, snow and RIGHT NOW ... I agreed.

We took my new mom mobile on a drive up north. It involved a LOT of screaming from my favorite E and a lot of chatting from J How about his dislike for snow (a substance he's never before encountered - he must take after me!!)
However ... once we arrived ... How quickly changed his anti-snow opinion. Joshua would have like to have paused for a photo op but he was too busy stomping tracks. And more tracks ...
And more tracks ...
And I offered to make a snowman. (Please refrain from mocking the snowman ... I had no gloves and was holding the true snow hating son with one hand).
Eventually, How stopped for a perfect snow memory!
Followed by an ice cream cone. Nothing beats eating ice cream on a cold afternoon!
And in the blink of an eye ... the snow was gone and we were on our way back home. I might just start to like this new spur of the moment thing ...

Two Happy Fans ...

On Saturday ... the Cardinals WON! And on Sunday ...
The Steelers crushed San Diego!!
Carson Family ... thanks for having us over for the game!

Is Twenty Two Months Really That Long?

So I called the dentist today.  

Just to be clear ... CALL DENTIST ... has been on my TO DO list for months.  Twenty-two months to be exact.
I get Lori on the phone.  Seems nice enough, until she checks my records.  

Lori:  "Your last appointment was (chuckle) May of 2007 (more chuckling ... no, I'd say laughter)."  

Me:  I try to explain my way out of it - to no avail.  

Lori:  "Since it's been SO long (chuckle), you might need a deep cleaning." 

Me:  (Thinking) Hmm, FUN!!
Appointment scheduled.  For tomorrow.  The torture starts at 8:45.
Ten minutes later, phone rings.  It's Lori. 

Lori:  "Since it's been so long since your last appointment (laughter), I need to switch your appointment to the dentist side.  He'll need to see you first and determine the course of action." 

Me:  (Thinking) ... Course of action?  Really, is twenty-two months THAT long?

"Okay.  And then I'll see the hygienist for a regular cleaning?"

Lori:  "If you get a regular cleaning ... we'll have to see.  It has been a long time (laughter)."

I hope my teeth enjoy all the attention tomorrow because I'm going for twenty-three months, next time around!!  

Yo Gabba Gabba!

Joshua Howard.
Three.
Seems a bit hard to believe.
I am the mother of a three year old.
Am am also the mother of a three year old who turned that ripe old age just a mere 10 days after Christmas.
It's a tough birthday. Everyone is tired and gifted out. Sorry dude!

Regardless of the day ... we still do love birthdays around here!
How's day started off with a bed full of balloons ... and a yummy breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes!
Followed by some playing with trains and a nap before .... the YO GABBA GABBA festivities! For those of you who are in the dark about Yo Gabba Gabba, it's How's favorite show. There are characters with strange names and goofy lessons are taught like "Don't Bite Your Friends" ... How loves it and Ben and I find it strangely entertaining as well. As much as I have a dislike for characters on things like clothing or really, anything ... I aim to make birthdays special. That required ... a trip to Walmart. Some iron-on transfer paper and t-shirts! I burned the first few I tried - OOPS! - but created a family line of shirts! Even Bella was required to do a wardrobe change upon her arrival at the party ... And yes ... that's me. Wearing my Toodee shirt. In public. I also wore it to Walmart. Well, I zipped up my jacket. But technically, I went out of the house with a blue monster like creature on my clothing. A WHOLE NEW ME in 2009!And here is the whole family. Eli wearing Plex. Ben with Brobee. J How with Muno and me ... obviously wanting my shirt to not be covered up in this photo is checking to make sure Toodee is ready to make her debut.

Neighbors arrived bearing gifts.They even offered their gift opening services. Joshua got just what he wanted! If only I captured the squeal he made when opening this gift. It was PRICELESS!Not to be left out ... Eli got passed around the family for some LOVING ... And How ... blowing out THREE candles! Good thing he was so fast ... otherwise my paper cupcake decorations were about to go up in flames. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOSHUA!

Keeping It Real ...

This is Ben's dream chair.  It's leather.  It reclines.  It's comfy. 

This is not my dream chair.  My dream chair is much smaller and much less brown. 

A few weeks ago, Ben agreed to part ways with the brown chair.  I leaped for JOY and immediately went out and purchased a lovely, MUCH smaller, white chair that is fits perfectly in our room.  

It wasn't an easy good-bye for the brown chair.  It sat in our room - alongside it's new friend - for two weeks.  Every time I wanted to get past the brown chair ... I had to think REALLY skinny thoughts and hold my breath.  

One day, I was out shopping and Ben moved the brown chair.  Not to the garage or to the back of the van so we could send it to a new home ... but to the front patio.   No worries though ... one of our neighbors saw it and welcomed it into her home.  

Shelley ... THANK YOU!  Our patio thanks you ... and I'm sure our other neighbors thank you!
And in other decorating news ... I made my annual trip to Target on New Year's Day.  You see ... no one wants to buy patio furniture on New Year's Day except ... a bargain hunter.  75% off.  Two years in a row I've scored some serious deals.  Like my new rocking chair for $24.98 and the lovely red cushion for $2.48.  I also bought some fun umbrella lights for a lovely spring party that I'm hoping to host ... and when I got home and reached in the bag to pull out my fun umbrella lights ... this greeted me ... 
A prickly, dead cactus at the bottom of the bag.  Nice of them to throw in a little something extra for me ... don't you think?

HAPPY New Year ... Party Number One ...

First up ... our friends, Josh and Mikele, hosted a fabulous party to ring in the New Year ... not a detail was missed!!
This party had it all ... sparkle hats ...
A little bubbly ...A fireman, standing by, just in case things got a bit out of hand ...
Candy necklaces, teeter totters and a moving Wiggles car ...
An obviously starved child who clawed at my neck to get this YUMMY out of my hands ...
and a father/son eating contest ... Miles totally won!
And as the evening progressed, Adam didn't find quite enough to eat with the sandwiches, nugget platter, salads, chips, dips and extra cheese :) ... so he decided to munch on a little Kate ... really, who could resist her?
And on a side note ... I once had a dream to own a nice camera and become a decent photographer. I once had a dream to tell my children's children that I TOOK THAT PICTURE ... but alas, my dream has been crushed. Ben, who has plenty of dreams of his own ... snagged mine too. It's a good things he's good at my dream ... because otherwise I'd be REALLY annoyed!!
Ben capturing the perfect smile ...
The perfect karate move ...
The perfect sweet cuddle ...
The hilarious race, by two speedy crawlers ... or make that one crawler and one child that should be walking but it's cool ... move at your own pace, Eli. I have a feeling you are a kiddo that will move to your own beat for many years to come!
And one really excited party planner ... who was also ahead in Dutch Blitz at the time this picture was snapped. If we didn't have somewhere else to be ... I'm sure I would have crushed the competition! Oh ... and I'm ordering a set of cards tonight. I'm practicing my one-handed moves from now until next year!!!