ANOTHER RANDOM UPDATE!! (Warning...this is a LONG one!)

So you know you have been away from blogging too long when your husband starts complaining that you never update! So much has happened since the beginning of JULY that the only way I can possibly get caught up is to do another random update. So…here goes:

1) We did go to see Kimi and family over the long weekend in July. We, of course, had a wonderful time! Kimi and I watched 4 horror movies (and even got the guys to watch one with us!). I got to see her mom (who is a wonderful lady and treats Bear and I like we are her kids too!), her SIL and her daddy. They took us to see an AMAZING fireworks display. And as usual, Kimi made my favorite “Kim Pasta” & green beans!

2) Also in July, Bubbles went away to Girl Scout sleep-away camp for the first time. While she was extremely excited, I was not ready to have my baby in the hands of strangers in the woods. It was only three days though and we both survived. She had a wonderful time, but she says she doesn’t want to go back next year. Her reason…”I don’t like being away from you so long, Mommy.” Man I love that kid!

3) We were supposed to take a big family vacation this year (we alternate years…family vacation one year, major home improvement the next year), but our back stoop was getting ready to fall off of the side of the house into a void that had developed underneath and was damaging our back door in the process. A friend of mind offered her husband's general contracting services, and he did an amazing job fixing our stoop in one weekend, with no inconvenience to us, and for a spectacular price. I would recommend this man to one and all!

4) In lieu of a big vacation, and with the help of my mother, we decided to take a mini vacation this year. At the end of July, we took a long weekend and went to Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg. We had the time of our lives. They have an enormous indoor water park, a spa for adults, a spa for children, an arcade, miniature golf, and this interactive game where you go all over the 4 story hotel collecting jewels and spells, saving fairies and princesses, and fighting goblins and dragons. And that isn’t nearly all that the things you can do there. The last day we were there, the kids were playing in the water fort and Bear and I were relaxing by the pool. We started talking about how much fun we were having and how we hated to leave so soon. We talked to the kids that night, and we all agreed that if money (and the house) cooperate, we would like to go back next year for a full week!

5) August started with my 35th birthday. We spent most of the day taking advantage of the state’s tax-free weekend…getting school supplies and clothes for the kids. That night my parents took us to The Melting Pot for a joint birthday dinner for Bear and I (YUM!). The next day, Bear and the kids did everything in their power to spoil me rotten…ending with dinner at my favorite sushi place.

6) Ten days later, we celebrated Bear’s 36th birthday. He took the day off of work with plans to relax and do guy stuff. This was made harder by an emergency that I will talk about next. That night the kids and I took him to Logan’s for MEAT and did our best to spoil him with love and gifts. I had planned to write a post dedicated to him that day, but obviously it didn't happen...maybe next year?

7) The day before Bear’s birthday, Bubbles got stung, not once, not twice, but THREE times by wasps. I went to pick her up from her day camp and on my way out of the parking lot, my car started acting REALLY weird. Bear looked at it when he got home and determined that it needed to go to a shop. Evidently, the torque converter had gone bad and needs to be replaced. As of Tuesday of this week, it has been THREE WEEKS and the car still isn't fixed! We have had a HORRIBLE experience and will NOT be using this repair shop again. We have made it clear that they need to give us a discount on the work, but that remains to be seen. I will be surprised if we get it back before the one month mark! I am thinking most places could build us a brand new car in that time! I might have to write a whole separate post on this once we reach the end…we shall see.

8) The biggest thing to happen in August was Bear’s decision to leave the fire station! Several things led to this decision…most of them I can’t talk about here because they are not my stories to tell. Bear says that he realized that he was putting the station before his family and that we were all missing out on wonderful experiences because of that. So he turned in his resignation and instituted Family Friday. Every Friday evening, we do something fun…just the four of us. The first night we went out to dinner and saw G-Force in the theaters. Since then we have played various board/card/domino/dice games and had Little House on the Prairie marathons. We are also going to try to do more fun things on the weekends like go to museums and local area events. We have had a lot of fun, and I feel like it is bringing us all closer together. It really gives the kids a calm atmosphere to talk about things going on in their lives. I will forever be grateful to Bear for making this sacrifice for his family!!!

9) September brought Labor Day Weekend which was spent hosting several get togethers with friends and one day to relax and get ready for school to start. The Friday before, we went to meet the kids teachers. Animal loved his teacher on site and was so excited to start school. Bubbles’ teacher didn’t make a very good first impression with any of us, and we all spent the weekend worrying that this was going to be another rough year. Monday night, we pulled Bubbles aside and gave her a pep talk. We asked her to give the teacher a second chance and discussed all the reasons that she might have had for acting the way she did. Bubbles agreed, but was still noticeably nervous.

10) Tuesday morning, I took the day off to focus on the kids. I made them a yummy breakfast of scrambled eggs and muffins. My mother came over and together we dropped them off at daycare right before the bus was scheduled to leave for school. Then we rushed over to the school, found a parking spot, and waited for the daycare bus to arrive. The kids know that we do this every year, so they knew to look for us. They ran off the bus and called my name and posed for pictures. Then they headed down the hill, turning several times to wave. After that, Mom and I went home to prepare an after school treat of German Chocolate cupcakes. We went out to lunch and ran a few errands, and before too long it was time to go get my babies. I was REALLY nervous to hear how Bubbles had done. I walked into the daycare moments after the bus dropped them off and Bubbles came running up to me…all smiles…yelling “Mommy, I LOVE my teacher! She is awesome!” Instantly, I felt a weight lift from my shoulders…a weight I hadn’t really realized was there. Animal had an equally good day, and I am now hopeful that we will have a decent year this year…hope, hope, hope!

Ok…I guess that brings us up to the here and now. I am certain that I have forgotten things, but WOW this is long! I am gonna have to try to update more often!

I shalt try!*

*Name that flick!

Perfect Solution!

So I have come up with the perfect solution to missing Kimi...we have decided to go ahead and take that summer trip to her house over the 4th of July weekend!

Bear and I sat down with a calendar last weekend to figure out when the trip was going to happen. He is taking a fire department class this summer that will eat up a majority of his time, so our travel options were pretty limited. It was looking like we were going to have to wait until the end of August. I called Tim to find out if that time would work for them, and he mentioned that they had canceled a planned trip for the July 4th weekend. I told Bear, and we decided that must be a sign that we needed to go NOW! YAY!

Kimi and I will be spending the weekend watching horror movies and gossiping. We have decided to forego drinking adult beverages this time...which should actually be really good. She will get to see what a chicken I am when I don't have liquid confidence to get me through scary movies and we will prove that we don't need booze to enjoy each others company (something I have been certain of all along)!

Is it the weekend yet?

Extra! Extra! Update Time...

WOW! A lot of time has passed since my last (tipsy) post. Things have been busy, but that isn’t the reason for my silence. I just haven’t felt much like blogging since my Kimi left… It has been a couple years since she moved away from me, and I have gotten used to only seeing her periodically, but this time I just really miss her. Bear and I are planning to go visit her (and her family of course!) sometime this summer as it is way past our turn to make the drive and we want to see her husband once more before he is deployed in the fall…but I miss her NOW!

Anyway…time for a random update:

1) School is out for the summer, and I couldn’t be happier! The kids are enrolled in a great day camp program for the whole summer. They will swim four days a week, go on some really cool field trips, and spend their days getting as filthy as they possibly can! Who could ask for more?

2) Bubbles made honor roll in the 4th quarter! We are so proud! She has been trying to make honor roll for the last 2 years, and most quarters only missed it by a grade or two. She had pretty much given up hope, but now that she has tasted success, we are hopeful that she will have a renewed drive next year.

3) Animal finished out the year as was expected. He got wonderful grades in all academic areas and not so wonderful grades in all behavior areas. The boy just doesn’t know how to sit still and be quiet (no idea where he gets that…). Animal had an awesome teacher this year! She quiet obviously adored him, but also didn’t let him get away with anything. At the end of the year, she made a point of contacting me to discuss the best placement for him next year. She wanted to make sure that he was put in a class that would help him continue to make progress, but also be understanding of his overactive ways. I am really going to miss her!

4) Right after school ended, I got a call from the county that Bubbles was accepted into the GT (gifted and talented) program for next year! She actually tested for this last summer, but she had a rough start to her 4th grade year and a less than stellar teacher, so they put her case on hold. After she made honor roll and rocked her SOL’s, they decided to put her in the program. She is SO excited!

5) We had already decided that we couldn’t take a big family vacation this year because the house requires some major work (Note to Bear: Please get the number for the neighbor’s landlord so we can get started!), but we had vowed to do some fun close to home (CHEAP!) things like going to the zoo, going to some museums, etc. Well…with my mother’s help and encouragement, we are now scheduled to take a mini vacation (long weekend) in July to one of The Great Wolf Lodge locations. They have an indoor water park, nightly story time, buffet style meals, plus all kinds of other ways to entertain a family of four. We could probably stay there a week and never leave the lodge…but 3 days will be awesome too!

6) Bubbles just completed another year of slow pitch softball. She really improved her skills this year, and the team did great, finishing in 2nd place. She has a new trophy (to go with her bowling ones) and bragging rights for a year. We aren’t sure she will play again next year…she is making noise about trying something else…but we are happy that she got some exercise and a big boost to her self esteem.

7) Animal is participating in a Boy Scout day camp this week, and loving every minute of it! According to Bear, the program is really disorganized this year (they are under new management), but Animal hasn’t noticed. So far he has gotten to do Archery, BB gun shooting, Fishing, Leather work, and all kinds of other male bonding activities. He gives the whole thing an A+.

8) Bear and I celebrated 12 years of marriage last weekend. Our anniversary fell on Father’s Day this year, so it was put on the back burner (by me). I felt that it was far more important to spend that day honoring a great father. Besides…the kids leave Friday on a 4 day trip with their grandparents to visit my sister and her husband. We decided that it would be much more productive to celebrate our anniversary over a kid free weekend. So far, we have decided that we will go out to dinner and to see the new Transformers movie. Those are our only solid plans at this point, but I am sure we can find SOME way to fill all those hours of us time!

I think that is everything of note that has happened over the last few months. Actually, I am certain that I have forgotten something, but it is all I can think of right now. Now…back to work!

White Merlotz and Horror Movies

So Kimi is here and I am HAPPY!!! And maybe a little tipsy....

Kimi and I have a set game plan when we get together....drink wine (white merlot to be exact) and watch horror movies. We do not sway from this plan...EVER.

So far, we have had more wine than I care to discuss and we have watched Dorthy Mills and The Grudge 3. DM was a disappointment...it could have been good, but they dragged in on far too long. TG3 was AWESOME! We would like to watch another movie tonight, but the boys (Bear and Tim) wouldn't let us. Instead, we will be watching Underworld Evolution...a decent subtitute.

I am so very happy to have my two favorite people here right now!!!

And now I am going to go because:

1) Dinner is ready
2) It is time to watch the movie
3) I am a REALLY crummy typist when I am tipsy...

CHEERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WARNING!!! Hormonal Blogging (Worse than Drunk Dialing)!

My precious Bubbles

Isn’t it weird how the big things can seem so easy to deal with and then something small takes your breath away?

So I am reading a really good book right now…The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. It is the story of a young girl, Susie, who is murdered. The story is told from the Susie’s point of view as she sits up in heaven and watches as her family tries to solve her murder and move on with their lives.

When I first started reading, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to handle the story. I have a young daughter, and losing her is a constant fear of mine. I spend way more time than could possibly be healthy thinking of all of the horrible things that could happen to her (and/or my son). So I was afraid that this story would hit too close to home and start the nightmares.

I am 57 pages from the end of the book, and it appears that my worries were unfounded. I find that I am able to read this book (and enjoy it) without relating it to my own personal life.

Maybe this is because the story takes place in a far different, more innocent, time than the one I am raising children in. Or maybe I have just become adept at stepping into another world when I read and then leaving it behind when I put the book down.

Whatever the reason, I was happy to be able to read this amazingly well told story without my mommy brain kicking in and ruining everything. That is until this afternoon…

In the story, Susie’s mother finds herself in an airport. As Susie watches her mother, she notices a group of kids on a school band trip walking past to go to their gate. They were only mentioned in passing…less than a paragraph…probably just as a way of setting the scene…

But just like that, I felt that kick in the gut! Some day (not that far off in the future), Bubbles is going to be old enough to want to take class trips that require leaving our state. Already, she has taken one field trip that took her 3 hours away. But at least she was still in our state, and in an area that I am familiar with. That won’t always be the case. At some point, I have to relax the death grip I have on her and let her start to explore the world outside of my protective grasp. Where she will come in contact with people I will never see. And not all of them will be nice. This thought terrifies me!

I have told my kids for years, “if I can’t see you, I can’t protect you.” This was a warning not to wander off at the playground or the mall. But eventually they have to go where I can’t see them. Where I can’t protect them. And somehow…I have to be ok with that. Where will I find that strength? I don’t think I have it in me yet…

Isn’t it weird that I can read a story about a girl that it murdered and it doesn’t faze me, but one paragraph about kids who are alive and well can send me into a tail spin?

The Latest Thing In Dinner and A Show!

Or in this case lunch…

I didn’t feel like eating what Bear packed me for lunch today (yes, I am spoiled…he packs my lunch ever single day…in my defense, I am get both kids ready every morning!) so I told him we should meet somewhere for a lunch date. After much discussion about the options, we agreed to meet at Fuddruckers.

At the designated time, we met up, ordered our food and went to “our table” (we eat a Fudd’s fairly regularly). We had just returned to the table with our food when Bear noticed that there were some police officers in the parking lot and that they had someone in cuffs. I turned around in my seat, and we spent the rest of our meal watching the “show”.

They cuffed two people, brought in a drug dog to search the car, put one of the guys in the back of a cruiser and uncuffed the other one. I got up to get a “to go” box and as I was walking through the main part of the restaurant, I noticed that there were 3 more cops inside. One was talking to the manager and one of the cashiers. The other two were walking from table the table looking at each person and then moving on.

Just as I returned to our table, all three cops came into our area of the restaurant and approached a young man at the next table. They questioned him and admitted that he was with the other two guys (though he seemed completely oblivious to the whole situation unfolding outside…). They questioned him for a bit and we were able to discern that this was indeed about drugs and that the guy they had arrested was a longtime “person of interest” for them.

In the end, they only arrested the one guy. The other two claimed to barely know him and I guess that checked out cause they were sent on their way. They seemed genuinely upset, not just with the situation, but also with the guy that was arrested for dragging them into such a mess.

Shortly after the police team left, we left as well.

It was definitely the most interesting lunch date Bear and I have had in a long time!

Bald As A Ping Pong Ball, Boy Are You Bald!*

Animal was bald when he was born and stayed that way for a long time. When the hair finally started growing, it was blond and curly. It was way too long by the time he got his first haircut because I couldn’t stand to cut those beautiful curls…

When we finally did cut it, we went with a buzz. He hated water with a passion, so this seemed like the best bet. With almost no hair, washing could be done quickly and therefore cut down on the chance that water would dare to touch his face!

The original style left about ½ inch of hair on his head, but that only lasted a few months. One afternoon we were in a hurry to get somewhere but decided to give him a quick cut before we left. Bear grabbed the razor and started cutting. He didn’t notice that the sizing guard had been removed and proceeded to cut a line straight down the center of his head that went all the way to skin!

At first, I was upset…I mean, really upset! But after a couple days I got used to it and decided it was really quite cute. And again…it made washing so much easier. I mean…in a pinch, you could use a baby wipe on his head and be done with it!

We always said that when Animal decided that he wanted to grow his hair out, we would let him. In reality, when he started making noise about wanting to grow it out, I ignored him for a while. I had grown to really love his bald head and didn’t want to see it go. Eventually, though, Bear and my mother guilted me into letting have his way.

For the last 6 months or so, Animal hasn’t had a hair cut at all. His hair is still slow to grow, and he was determined to have enough to spike his hair (something we have only done twice because he still isn’t a fan of washing his hair and I insist that it be washed in the evening when he has that crap in his hair). The length had finally gotten to a point where it needed some professional intervention. It was growing over his ears and a bit too far down his neck.

So…Sunday morning we went to Target to buy a birthday present. There was a Hair Cuttery next door and Bear decided to take him in for a quick trim. Bubbles and I went into Target, got the gift, and proceeded to wander about putting things in the cart we probably didn’t need. After about 15 minutes, the boys came in to join us. I took one look at Animal and said, “THEY BROKE MY BABY!!!”

His hair looked AWEFUL! Bear had told the woman what he wanted done and then stepped back. Once she did her thing, he came back to discover she had not understood him. He told her how to fix it, and she just made the situation worse! There really was no fixing it at that point.

Animal was really upset and worried that kids at school would make fun of him on Monday. We discussed possible solutions…none of them terribly good. Then, out of the blue, Animal announced that he wanted me to shave his head again. He said that he wants to grow it out again, but that I should shave it and we could start from scratch.

So…that is what I did. He is back to being my bald boy, and I am going to enjoy every second of it, cause it won’t be long before he is begging me to spike his hair again!

Also…next time we will go to an actual barber for his trims!

*100 points to the first person who can correctly guess where I got this from!