Birthday, Holidays, so many days...

JJ's August Birthday seems to be the kick-off to everything fun...

JJ's Birthday
School Starts
Labor Day
Big-A's Birthday
Sister's Birthday
Nephew's Birthday
Niece's Birthday
Sister's Wedding
Three Brothers-in-law Birthdays
Halloween
Thanksgiving
Dad's Birthday
Godson's Birthday
Christmas
Sister's Birthday
New Years...
Phewf! By the time 2011 gets here, I'll be spent!

But I LOVE this time of year. There are so many activities, and opportunities to make memories, continue traditions, and to really enjoy being a family. As crazy, (and sometimes expensive) as it may be, I thoroughly enjoy finding the perfect gift at a discounted price, shopping at Craft Bazaars where older ladies sell their homemade goods, and watching the girls open packages from family far away.

We went to our first Festival of the Season, Clayton's Harvest Festival. It was one of the most beautiful days, cool breeze and lots of sunshine.




We walked the streets of Clayton looking at antique cars, homemade goods, listening to music, watching Dance Groups and Tae Kwon Do demos, visiting the Noah's Ark Petting Zoo, and riding the Carnival Rides... and lastly, getting a bag of fluffy pink and blue cotton candy.



The girls loved it. The husband and I loved being outside. It was a much needed Family Day after weeks of not really connecting (due to DH's work schedule). It took us almost an hour to get there, but it was nice because the husband and I got some time to talk while the girls watched a DVD.

We stopped at CiCi's for lunch and JJ loved the Macaroni Pizza. Big-A loves pizza, too. She calls it "Pe-yop Pe-yop", not sure how that makes "Pizza" but we know what she means. Big-A loves to steal the toppings off my pizza. I get the works, and Big-A will pick off the sausage, or olives, etc. But at CiCi's, DH got a pizza with jalapenos. And before he could stop her, Big-A had a mouthful of jalapenos. Next thing you know, her eyes are watering, her tongue is hanging out of her mouth, and she's sucking down her drink. She kept saying, "Picey", which is her version of "spicy". I wish I was fast enough to have gotten this on video, but the mental image will stay with me forever. Too funny... that'll teach her not to pick off other people's toppings!

We finally arrived home, and everyone fell asleep. It was a GREAT day with the ones I love most.

Lowered Expectations

I think that was the title of a MadTV Skit, "Lowered Expectations". It was a mock "Dating" infomercial that brought together really undesirable people. It was hilarious, and has become an inside joke with the husband when we talked about disappointments.


That's how I feel this blog is starting out. I've had several people tell me to write a blog about all the insane things that have happened to me, especially since having kids. And yes, I admit, the stories are pretty amazing, colorful, and entertaining. But I'm having a hard time living up to the expectation.

I know I've got great material. These kids are hilarious, and Motherhood has been unusually humorous. But I've got so much to work with, that I don't know where to start. I was going to work backward, but that might get confusing. And I'd start from where we are now, but then I'd be missing out on the past 4 years.

So, I think I will post as I remember. The stories will be out of order, dates will get mixed up, and I'm sure I'll name the wrong child as I write about them. But that's true to life. My life is not organized. My mind is out of order, my purse is all mixed up, and I'm lucky if I can remember my OWN name.

So, please... lower your expectations of this blog. I'm not a comedienne. Not every post will make you laugh. I'm sure every post will make me cry. And please only visit after you've exhausted all your other "time-wasting" activities.

:)

Homemade Cookies are Overrated

Well, not really.

I love homemade cookies, and can't stand using store bought dough. But with three kids, that's about as good as it will get. Not to mention, for some reason, I can't bake a cookie to save my life. I don't know why, but I will have rock-hard, raw-middle, bitter, sour, or flour-y tasting cookies. I've read all the tricks on how to make perfect cookies. Make sure the butter is cold, don't add too much flour, use fresh baking soda, etc.

But Martha Stewart herself could not help me. I've even taken a few photos of the botched-batches...

Some muffins were good, others, not so much:

These were supposed to be "Double Doozies", and they were a "doozie" all right:

I love thick chocolate chip cookies, almost cake-like, but these looked, felt, and tasted like plaster:

So, I don't give up, I just don't bother. I use store bought dough. But maybe that's a good thing, because rather than waste energy on figuring out the impossible, I now have more time to spend with the girls. (Who I pray will be better bakers than their mother!)

Oct. 2008: Store-bought Sugar Cookie Dough with Halloween Sprinkles...

2009: Bisquick Easy Pour Pancakes, Just add water! :)

Dec. 2009: Gingerbread House from Target...

Christmas 2009: JJ wears the same smock I wore at her age, and we're baking with the same 70's Orange bowl my mom used when we were kids...

Today, JJ had a sad day at school, and needed cheering up. I always keep a log of frozen cookie dough, for such emergencies...

Big-A wanted to help... but we didn't bake her dough, yuck!

Using the cookie cutters... Big-A was a little aggressive with the cutters...

Decorating the finished product (which I miraculously did not burn in the oven)...


Tasting the finished product, YUM!

In the end, I think baking has taught me that no matter how disgusting the cookies turn out, the kids will still love me... and they will still eat them. With every batch that we make, we make memories, too. And I believe this, because I still remember baking with my mom.

Life in Goldsboro

Well, I have a ton to catch up on since 2009, but I think I will take it slow, and just update from May when we moved to NC.


I was really sad when we left Pensacola. We made a million memories in that house. JJ had just turned one when we moved in, and was nearly 4 when we moved out. We moved in with one kid, and moved out with three. Cacao Lane will always be my favorite house. Not only because it was across the street from the sound, or because we made lifelong friends. But mainly because it will probably be the closest we will have ever lived to both sides of our family.

Both Taz's parents and mine live in Niceville, just five minutes down the road from each other. And as hectic as it may have been to split every holiday or make sure we spent equal amounts of time at each house, it was still pretty wonderful.

So, when we arrived in Goldsboro, I made an effort NOT to be happy. I did not want to like our new house. I did not want unpack boxes and get "settled". I just wanted to go back home, to Pensacola.

Then, I realized that my reservations about the move wasn't going to bring me back to Pensacola. And I needed to show the girls that change is good.

So, I sucked it up, got involved, and found some of the greatest people and places in Goldsboro. I have several support systems that made this move more manageable. From my family back home, to my sister in DC, to the Moms groups and Squadron Spouses, I've found plenty of encouraging people.

And now that we're here, I don't want to leave. It will never be Pensacola, but I'm attached. I love the people who call this place "home", and maybe someday, I can, too.

The Mini-Blog

I thought I would be great at blogging, but so far, I'm just as good at this, as I am at keeping a journal!

But I'm going to attempt this one more time! I've been using Facebook as a "mini-blog", giving a few sentences to describe great moments. For example, I compiled a list of some of the things my status update has said in the past... and as I read them, I can remember exactly what happened that made me post.

• ate a booger 6/1/09



• got JJ into a Preschool



• fell off the wagon, and back onto the Internet



• just got asked to “Put Big-A back” in her tummy because JJ no longer wants her



• just remembered why we use Pre-cut Cookie Dough... an egg on the floor, shell in the dough, and mysterious teeth marks in the butter stick. JJ the Gozerian strikes again!



• wants to know what kind of Daddy brushes the crumbs off the highchair, onto the floor, and then puts Big-A down there to eat them???



• lost her wedding band at the beach :( Mother’s Day 09



• has had enough. Motherhood has truly kicked my A!



• had a rough weekend... trip to the ER, Chiropractor, and JJ's finger in a pencil sharpener... it was like a scene out of Kill Bill... ugh.



• hates when Taz has the night shift! It's impossible to keep a 2 y.o. and 7 m.o. quiet all day while he sleeps!!!



• is glad to be home. All it took was 5 straight hours of Doodlebops and intermittent crying! 4/16/09



• and the Family are driving 7hrs. to Mickey's House... thank goodness my kid is still young enough for Pull-Ups and we won't need to make "Potty-Stops"



• thinks Big-A is fine, and that the Pediatrician thinks she's Gregory House. And though... I do appreciate a thorough Ped, I don't think my baby is a "rare case" and needs all this hoopla.



• is impressed that JJ put a Temporary Tattoo on ALL BY HERSELF, with out me knowing! How long before she gets a REAL one in the same manner?!?



• says JJ has been consistently pooping in the potty with out nagging from Mommy! I wonder what else she can do when I quit nagging... Imagine what my HUSBAND could do???



• J pooped in the potty with out me asking, and Big-A can scoot forward instead of just in circles! Progress has been made!!! 3/25/09



• I am amazed that JJ crapped a turd on the couch and DIDN'T get it smooshed everywhere... where the heck were her underpants???



• thinks her profile picture is an accurate depiction of JJ's behavior this week... grrrr (lipstick on the carpet)



• had such a busy week, she forgot that Big-A rolled Back2Front for the first time!!! Hooray for Baby Milestones! 3/7/09



• thinks we're back on track... it wasn't a completely smooth morning, but at least I didn't yell! :)



• tricked JJ into going back to bed for another 2 hrs! Hahahaa... thank goodness for Bribery!



• is floored. JJ played quietly by herself, then put herself down for a nap!?! 2/26/09



• wonders why I bother cleaning the house when JJ just dumps a bottle of Shampoo into the carpet, crackers on the couch, and juice on her pants.



• overheard JJ tell her babydoll, "You're a GENIUS!" (from when I sarcastically tell Taz, "You're a genius you idiot")



• should not be in charge of a 9, 3, 2, and 1/2 year old at the same time... I'm lucky they all still have ten fingers each!



• and JJ are singing, "Ooochie goochie goo, Baby I love you!" to each other. She's so sweet to me... sometimes.



• is an amazingly fast healer! I feel AWSOME!!! :) (or maybe it's just the drugs???)



• is allergic to laundry and dishes... how unfortunate...



• is mad at herself again... just heard JJ say, "Dagummit, look what you did!"



• is going to Wal-Mart... Woop-de-freakin-doooooo!



• is extremely upset at JJ for pooping on her carpet, but still SO IN LOVE WITH HER as she sings B-I-N-G-O!!!



• says "ShamWOW" is more like "ShamSUCKS". It can't clean up two cups of apple juice, 1 pee-pee on the floor, let alone a bathroom covered in water, thanks JJ...



• hates having to drive 20 minutes, take the girls out of their carseats, drag them into the post office, wait for 30min., just to mail a package.



• wants to cuddle with JJ because she was SO stinkin' sweet today. She's growing up TOO FAST! :(



• is too busy for her own good. My calendar is stacked!!!



• got her job back! I forgot how much I got done when Taz was at work all day! I'm a Full-time Homemaker again! 1/20/09



• is going to the Gym to "Ess-ser-zize"... as JJ would say.



• is so proud of JJ for using the big-girl-potty regularly! (except for public bathrooms and ni-nighttime, hahaha...) 1/19/09



• Big-A is set for the next two years! 92 Pairs and counting!



• is feeling guilty as she hears JJ repeat, "I hate my life". Next time I'll vent AFTER the kids are in bed!



• is an idiot, and she's not really stranded, just blind.



• is stranded. Taz took the infant carseat to work and won't be home till 8pm.



• wonders why the Retirement Community always roams around Wal-Mart the SAME time she decides to go and get 2 items!!!



• is fixing JJ's amazingly long hair. I hope the curl never straightens!



• is happy Big-A no longer has to sleep in the closet! 1/8/09



• is laughing at JJ on the DanceCam!



• loves her girls... they BOTH sleep throught the night 8 to 8! Knocking on wood...



• made bacon and eggs for JJ... and all she ate was bacon. She IS her mother's daughter...



• and her family get to have 3 Christmases!



• is happy, not a creature is stirring, not even a JJ.



• is hoping a carpet steamer will clean up the sunscreen lotion JJ played with.



• is listening to JJ sing Big-A a lullaby. 10/08/08



• is loving this "Mommy of 2" job! Not as hard as it could be! 9/26/08



• is feeding Big-A, playing with JJ, folding laundry, and dying for a GIANT COKE!



• is having to pack in case the military evacs us.



• is still having contractions... grrrr 8/24/08



• is sweating like a dog... actually, just sweating like a pregnant lady in July.



• This is what happens when you're pregnant and just don't care anymore... She's so purty! (lipstick all over J and bathroom)