A Christmas Post

I'm anxiously awaiting this big move that we have coming in less than two weeks. It is eating at my brain every second of every day. It is haunting my dreams and consuming my thoughts all day and night. I've cried from stress and rejoiced about possibility.

As a mom, what is important to me above all else, is giving my kids everything that they want, within my power. Christmas is no exception, however, I find it to be a much smaller scale than I knew growing up. I'm trying to stay within my means to some extent.


This pretty little baby doll is a Kathe Kruse Doll that I won in a blog contest that my friend Sara, who runs Sara's Toy Box was having at Christmastime.


"Baby" is my Princess' favorite Christmas toy, by far, and fortunately for me, she cost me nothing.


Perhaps not my Angel's favorite gift, this Transformer Candy Cane warranted a very breathy "O. M. GEEEEEE" from my three year old that morning. I was the only one fortunate enough to hear it, and I will never forget it. I love when they let you know you might be saying something a little bit too much.


While there was no way that Spike was going to move in with us for Christmas, I thought his mini-friend, "Dragon" would be a nice replacement. I was right!!! Thank goodness! Angel Boy loved this dragon and he still sleeps with him every night.



But, the reason behind this post,




One of the main reasons I am so darn excited to be moving into our little rental house with a yard,


is because Santa added to our family that morning, and made a little boy and girl infinitely happy!!



Chase can't wait to have the freedom of a yard and a gorgeous town to go for long walks in!! I can't wait to make Chase a happier dog!!

A Life Change is in Order

Like the title says, a life change is in order. I need to get my parenting back on track, get a grip over myself and my kids and the dog. I also need to get organized and off the computer as much. Lastly, I still have about 20 pounds that need to go and this will happen when I address the exercise and eating healthier part of my "Life Change". So... I'll chronicle this hear as we go along... My goal is to actually start posting at reliable intervals :)

On top of this, we are moving at the end of February, into a small house (rental). We are beyond excited because we will have our own small yard, a fireplace and gorgeous kitchen!! I plan on painting and having so much fun decorating a house, I can't wait! Stay tuned.

I need to decide what the first step of this life change will be, something small I can work on until we move. Once we move, a lot of these changes will begin, kind of a fresh start idea... easy to change in a new place, ya know? So... until then... I'm stuck on finding a place to start, other than with packing :)

A Lightning McQueen Birthday

He's 3! I can't even believe it. Sometimes, before I go to bed, when I check on the kids, I just look at his hands. They are just so big, so much bigger than when he was born. His beautiful eyelashes resting softly and his "Ga" cuddled close to his face, the tag still clasped between his fingers. He's sleeping peacefully and I definitely do not take this for granted. We had sleep struggles for at least a year and a half and with every tooth that broke through there after. There are nights (weeks) that we still struggle and just when I think I might crack, he sleeps again. I can't ignore the little thought that tugs at my heart strings, though, the one that says, "wake him, cuddle him, take him to your room and let him sleep in your bed just like he begs to do every night". I know better, I know this will only exacerbate our struggles, but it almost breaks my heart to turn and walk out of his room every night. There's no one like your first born... nothing like the scent of your own babies...

Scenes from a birthday party


Angel Boy and The Princess mixing up some funfetti birthday cake, the "King Dinoco" birthday cake.


Beautiful Aunt Sarah and Andy; The Dinoco pit crew; my step-dad Richard shaking hands with Andy (don't you wish you knew what they were talking about?!!); Alex playing a party game


The favors - ingredients and instructions to make your own play-doh and a notepad/marker set; El Vaquero, Step-dad, and Scott; classic shot of Step-dad and Robin; my big 3 year old!


My boy wearing his 3 year old shirt that I made for him. It was crazy easy and had I used freezer paper it would have taken no time at all! The Lightning McQueen image on the back is a pumpkin carving stencil!

Enjoy your babies, the years just pass us by.

A wreath

Inspired by : Living With Lindsay

I created a wreath. A fabulously phenomenal wreath that I am totally obsessed with. Everyone that comes to my home is obsessed with it, too.



Made with an aged book that was falling to pieces, and accented with a black and white gingham ribbon.



Just in time for Angel Boy's 3rd birthday, I finally finished the holiday decor.



And just like that, Thanksgiving came and went (his birthday fell ON Thanksgiving this year), and the time came to begin Christmas editing.



I simply nestled the red ornaments in the pages. The ones on the bottom had a tiny piece of tape so they wouldn't drop out, but most of them didn't even need that. I was half way through Christmas decorating here and, unfortunately, don't have the completed photo. Imagine, fall foliage out, evergreen and red berries in. Owls and blue cones out, Rudolph, Christmas trees in. I started a salt dough nativity but as most of my projects go, it was unfinished. I also started an awesome advent calendar that I will hopefully be able to share this coming Christmas :)

Enjoy the wreath and please, PLEASE! make one of your own. Just don't burn your fingers. Wait until you see what I have in store for the rest of the holidays.

Neglect

I was checking up on all of my favorite blogs this morning after my MJ post and I saw this post on The Women's Colony . It reminded me not to forget my man, Johnny Depp, my second ever love. He is also the longest lasting of my loves. Ever since 21 Jump Street this man has resided in my heart...

Oh Johnny...



Sweet, sweet, Johnny.

The First Man I Fell in Love With...

was Michael Jackson. I can't remember how old I was, but I was born in 1981 so I was young. But, boy oh boy, I was in love!



My dad took my sister and me to a MJ concert one year. I can't remember the concert at. all. but I remember sitting in the stadium waiting for everyone to clear out. You see, my sister, Binsky, had fallen asleep and Dad wanted to wait until everyone left so that it would be easier to carry her to the car.



As we were walking out a lady stopped to tell us something terribly sad. Michael Jackson had walked through the hall.

Right there, right where we were standing.

Michael Jackson had signed something for her.

Right there, right where we were standing.

Only we weren't standing there when it happened. We were sitting in our seats waiting because Binsky was asleep.

I was SO sad. Distraught, even. It really tore me up... I could have seen the man of my dreams and I missed him! IL was sad for a long time, until I became mad. I became mad because one day Binsky informed me that she was not, in fact, sleeping at the time. She had been pretending so that she could get carried to the car.

This is a punishable offense. Some one, quick, come up with a punishment.



So, I spent this morning scouring the web for pictures of Michael where he didn't look like he was missing chunks of his nose, or where his skin wasn't so white it was translucent. I tried to find pictures that flattered him, pictures that showed the best of him. It saddened me to see that it is getting so hard to find the good pictures of him anymore. What happened to him? It also made me laugh... I suppose that my very first celebrity crush, the very first man I fell in love with, had more to tell about my future than I ever really noticed.

I was engaged before I had Angel Boy and married El Vaquero. Yes, I was.



He was from Barbados. This makes him Bajan. This also makes him black.

I also have been known to kiss girls at bars.



I guess I shouldn't be surprised.




Yesterday, after the news was released, and even this morning, I have a heavy heart. No matter what has become of Michael over the years, what he has or hasn't done, he was still the King of Pop. He changed the music and dance world forever. There is no way this world will ever be the same.



RIP, MJ... the world is not done fighting for you.

Today is a Really Big Day

Today is my mom's birthday. She wants us all to pretend that it isn't her birthday, though, because today is also my younger sister's graduation day. Snotface is graduating from high school and my eyes well up at just the mere mention of it. I can't even discuss it.

Stop it.

Get a grip, woman.

Whew, okay.

If I had a scanner, I would show you a time line of this girl's whole life, but I don't, so I won't... ummm, can't.

Here she is, May 2003. Snotface is 12 years old. Gosh, she is so little!



July 2003, at the beach with Mom and our Brother.



December, 2005, "The Sisters". I'm on the left, our other sister, Binsky, is on the right.


Where was my mother when this picture was being taken? Why wasn't she telling me to stand up straight?!

November, 2006, Snotface meets her nephew - Angel Boy.



June, 2007, Angel and Snotface doing their thing.


poor kid had terrible hair in his early days

August, 2008, Snotface meets her niece - Our Princess.



May, 2009, Snotface goes to the Prom. Second pic is her dad, my stepdad.





(Graduation post to follow, I hope - rain please hold off!!!)


It has been a long road, watching her get braces, and get her braces taken off. I've seen more soccer games than I can count - and there are more in our future. She is going away to college on a soccer scholarship!! YAY! I've watched her grow into a great, loving woman. She defends and supports her brother, takes care of those around her. She possesses both the best and worst qualities of us all and is unique in her own right, as well.

She has had trying times, too. In elementary school she was the victim of intense bullying. The girls didn't like her because she was good at soccer, because their boyfriends were friends with Snotface. It is hard for a girl to be friends with boys because eventually their girl friends get jealous. As is the case with most bullying cases, the school did nothing. It got so bad that our mom eventually had to pull Snotface out of school and put her into catholic school. Things drastically turned around for her and when it was time to go to high school, she rejoined the kids that she had grown up with.

This day is so bitter sweet for me. My kids adore her. She comes over every Sunday night with our mom to watch the kids while I work my one shift. I see her all the time, we talk all the time. Snotface has a great relationship with Angel Boy and it makes us all sad that Princess won't have that same relationship because Snotface won't be around as much for the next 6 (YES SIX) years. She is going to school to be an athletic trainer. Her college is still in state, less than an our away, but her soccer will be demanding, her time limited.

On the flip side, we are all just SO proud of her, so happy that she is dedicated to her schooling and that her hard work with soccer and all the time spent got her money for school. So proud of the woman she has become and continues to grow into.

Good luck, Snotface, congratulations and we love you!