Birthday Week

with Mommy Brain and Supah Mommy!

This week we are talking about birthdays, as it is my good friend Dana's birthday week! I was so happy to hear about someone else that celebrated a birthday week, as I've been doing this for years and some people (namely my husband) think I'm ridiculous. But I guess I'm not the only one that loves birthdays, especially my own!

Our most memorable birthday.... hmm... that's kind of a tough one for me. I would love to say my 21st birthday, but for me... my 21st birthday fell on EASTER SUNDAY. Of all the non-drinking holidays to land on, this one was pretty mellow. Not to say we didn't follow it up later with a completely drunken trip to the bar, but the actual birthday was just ok. I've had some great birthdays over the years, but I think I'll have to say the most memorable one was my 30th - a trip to Vegas with my friends, including this hot new guy I just started dating (who is now my husband). He surprised me with a Tiffany's box (we'd only been dating a few months), which I was NOT expecting, and some beautiful earrings. It was the first time I played poolside blackjack (which was fun at the time, but now that we think about it, you wonder how come some people never had to get up to go to the bathroom even though there were free drinks flowing...). It was a great time to just relax, have fun, and feel "love" in the air!

My friends and my family has done an amazing job of making my birthday as special as I like it to be. Last year my friends surprised me (the first surprise party I've EVER had!), with a dinner out that was a blast, only to be followed by pole dancing lessons (risque... and I hope no one ever sees those pictures). My wonderful hubby has treated me to amazing dinners (which, as a foodie, is a true highlight), and I can still remember all the effort my mom went to on birthday parties for us kids. Whether it was games (throw a dart and pop a balloon, egg races, water balloon toss), or decorating your own cupcakes - it was always a lot of fun.

I hope to be able to continue this tradition with little G and baby to be named later. Now I can understand what a celebration the actual birth is... I will certainly be happy to overly celebrate that for each of my kiddos for years to come. Long live the birthday WEEK! (and happy birthday Dana!).

Remember me?

I'm sitting here realizing that I've been out of touch with a lot of people, including my few friends on the blog circuit. The holidays, I suppose, have gotten the best of many of us, and the free time I've had has been spent doing other things to keep me busy. But, as I sit here feeling the tiniest of kicks inside my belly, I started thinking that the baby was saying "hi - remember me?". I am reminded of the wonderful feeling of having a little being inside of you moving around, and just saying hello. When I was pregnant with my first, everytime I felt the little kicks, I thought he was saying "hi mom". I don't know... but to me it felt like our first conversations. Now I'm having full blown conversations with G, and I can only imagine what those conversations will become down the road. Now we'll have another one to have those conversations with - whether through the soft (or hard) kicks inside my belly, or through tears and hugs down the road, or during a favorite episode of Caillou. No matter how they come, I can't imagine anything better than being able to communicate with these little beings that love brought into the world. Could I be any more blessed?

I have to share a wonderful moment I had with little G.... unfortunately before the holidays my grandmother passed away. It was hard, and G had met her, but not known her well. However, she still was in our "God Blesses" every night, and when she got sick, every time we'd say "God Bless Great Grandma Pearl" - G would say "yeah, she's sick". After she passed away and I flew to California, I briefly tried to explain that GG Pearl was up in heaven with Jesus. A few weeks later, we were home and talking about another one of G's great grandmas. And he said he wanted to see GG Pearl. My husband said, "Oh buddy, we can't go see GG Pearl". And G says (like a boy beyond his years)... "yeah, cause GG Pearl is sick. But she's not sick anymore because she's in heaven with Jesus.". My eyes welled, my heart surged, and I realized this little boy knows more than I could have imagined, and is possibly the sweetest little boy I've ever met. My cup certainly runneth over.

All about MEme: My Thankful Four

With MommyBrain, and SupahMommy

(Ok, I know it's Tuesday, but was too busy yesterday to play....)

I'm so thankful for many things in my life, let me try and just pick 4.

My wonderful husband and amazing little boy: These two boys have brought so much love and joy into my life - I never even knew could exist. The feeling of loving someone completely, being loved completely in return, and being able to share that with each other is phenomenal. I couldn't imagine life without either of these two guys - both of whom I cherish every minute I get to spend with them.

My family and friends: In good times and bad, it's those members of your family and your group of friends that you can count on that mean the most. I'm thankful to be surrounded by people that love me, and support me - that have helped to shape who I am and who I want to become. I love the people around me in my life, and am amazed to be blessed by so many wonderful friends.

Health and Happiness: We all have struggles throughout life, many of which I've seen first hand. I always want to be thankful for every day that my little family lives without some of the major challenges that certainly could come our way. We've been blessed with a relatively healthy life, and we so appreciate how lucky we are to be in this category. I also know how quickly that can chage, so I want to live every day to the fullest - taking advantage of every minute we have together. And of course all that brings happiness, which is plentiful in our household. How grateful I am for a smile, a laugh, a hug, a kiss, and even a tear.

(Ok, I'll be a little humorous here). The person who invented the touchless toilets, sinks, and towel dispensers. I am grateful and thankful every time I walk into a public restroom and I don't actually have to TOUCH anything! It's an ingenious invention, and for those of us "germ phobes" that can barely stand to use a public bathroom, these people have made our lives incredibly more accessible, enjoyable, and healthy. God bless whoever you are that invented these things!

At this time of year - I'm mostly thankful that I'm able to enjoy another Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends. There's so much to be thankful for, and it's easy to get caught up in the "what I'm NOT thankful for" mess... I hope we all remember in 2010 to count our blessings daily, and know there is so much to be thankful for even in the most challenging times.

I'm thankful to all of you who care enough to read my stories. :)

Mommy & Me time

My husband is out of town for a few days for work, so the mornings/evenings are just "Mommy & Me" time. I treasure this time, even though I definitely miss my husband, and there are a few things I've noticed in our time together.

- G (most of the time) seems to go easier on us when we are on our own. This goes for my hubby too when I'm out of town. He seems to eat better dinner, easier getting a bath and jammies on, and just overall less struggles. This makes me wonder - when we are both here is it that there's so much attention that he just does what he wants? Or does he realize we are on our own, so he's trying to make it a little easier for us?

- It's hard to remember all the cute things he does! When I'm out of town, I love hearing at the end of the day all the cute things that G has done while I've been gone. So I try to do the same for hubby, but then when I'm talking to him on the phone, I forget! Maybe it's because he does too many cute things (hehe), or maybe it's because I'm losing my mind. I need to start writing these down.

- Being a single parent full time would be incredibly hard. Because I work full time, and have a wonderful husband to share parenting with, I don't think I've fully understood the challenges of a full time single parent. When I'm "on my own" for a couple days, it does remind me how lucky I am to have someone to share the responsibility, someone to watch over him so I can take a shower (or go to the bathroom in peace), or help cook dinner. I definitely have a ton of respect for single parents.

- I love getting 100% of G's attention, and I eat up every second. I don't get to spend as much time with him as I'd like, so these times when I get one on one time with him - I treasure. It's just us. We can eat ice cream if we want. We can watch Caillou if we want (even though I BEG him to watch something else). We can snuggle on the bed for an hour and read 10 books if we want. Or we can run around in circles in the room if we want. I love it. I was tempted to let him sleep in bed with me... but I knew that would just cause problems upon's B's return. So I put him in his own room.

I know a lot of SAHM's get a ton of 1:1 time with their kiddos, and probably read this and say "duh". But... bear with me... I am still learning. :) What else should I be cherishing with our 1:1 time?

(and look at me, I uploaded a photo!)

Mission Impossible

Ok, today's theme is Mission Impossible. What have I been on a Mission to do? What do I find impossible? What about my inner spy?

- Missions I'm on: To close out the year close to my goal at work. It's been a very challenging year, and mostly I'm focused on 2010, but I am on a mission to still do a good job. In this market, that can take every last ounce of hope out of you, but I'm not giving up. It's my mission (and my job), and I'm sticking to it. My other, more personal, mission - is to clean and organize my house. This is a much more difficult mission, and I'm attempting to recruit help. I need it, that's for sure. I made a good step, but I still have a ways to go.

- Impossible Missions: Hitting my goal for 2009 (see note above). Getting the swine flu vaccine for little G. (Are they anywhere??) Avoiding Levi Johnston and Sarah Palin in the news (no thanks to my dear Oprah who has Sarah Palin on the show today). Keeping up with my mail (who sends regular mail these days anyway?). And keeping my house clean.

I try to use my inner spy all the time - trying to keep abreast of all the latest in celebrity gossip so I'm the first one to know the scoop. I also try to hide things like candy wrappers, empty cookie boxes, and new outfits for G from my hubby. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Mostly, I just like reading about spys.

My favorite movie of late is Taken. That guy (the dad - Liam Neeson) is a bad ASS. (excuse my french). I cannot believe how awesome he was in that movie. It got my psyched up, and I wanted to be that bad ass. I also saw that movie Wanted with Angelina Jolie, and realized that besides the fact that I'm a woman, I still COULD kick ass. I just need to learn how. I need to learn how to get clues from a random phone call. I need to learn how to shoot a gun so the bullet curves. I need to learn how to do that awesome driving to get out of any situation. Not that I'll use it often taking G to the kids museum or soccer practice. But I think it would be good to know. Just in case.

The scene in Taken when he confronts the guy he talked to on the phone and reveals his identity and says "I told you I would find you" was almost as good as Jack Nicholson saying "You can't handle the TRUTH!" (one of my all time favorite scenes in movie history. They both sent chills up my spine. Rent it... it's so good.

This message will self destruct in 5 seconds......

Continues to surprise me

I just have to post this, because it reminds me how smart my wonderful little boy is. Sometimes B will have conference calls early in the morning, so will take them from home. Today, after his call, he was sitting on the bed with his laptop, and G came him. He went to sit in the chairs on the other side of the room, and wanted his daddy to come too. Here's their exchange:

G: Daddy come sit in chairs too.
B: Ok buddy, I'll come sit over here.
G: Daddy bring your computer to the chairs to do work.
B: Oh, it's ok, it has to be plugged in over there because the battery is out.
G: I'll go to Target and get you some new batteries for your computer.

Ahh... I love this little boy.

Friends - Part 2

As I've previously mentioned, your friendships definitely change, grow, fade, etc. when your life stages change and your free time dwindles. I also was reminded this week how great it is to have new friends in your life. A friend who understands what you are going through now, that maybe you've never had to go through before. A friend that likes to eat as much as you do, and you know you'll be able to count on to enjoy the best foods in this life. A friend who shares passions with you, but also understands the challenges of incorporating those passions while still maintaining your sanity and your life. A friend who encourages you to pursue your dreams, and continually gives you positive endorsement of your ideas. A friend who doesn't laugh at your embarrassing predicaments. A friend who you can trust. A friend who you can turn to when you are scared, happy, sad, excited, worried, proud, or even just sick.

Sometimes it's the same friend. But more often than not, you find these wonderful qualities in an array of friends. I feel so blessed in my life to have people around me that support me, love me, and consider me a friend to them too. I hope I can live up to my end. And I hope that all these wonderful people know how much it means to me to be able to call you my friends.