Confessions of a Memory Keeper

Right Now...July 12, 2011

2011-07-12T11:56:00.000-07:00

watching...Medal of Honor Ceremony

reading... New Moon

listening... to the TV....and kids playing

knowing... things are going to change.

drinking... nothing...I should get something to drink

wanting... to scrapbook!

embracing... change....

Right Now...3-22-10

2010-03-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

watching...Everybody Loves Raymond

reading... NOTHING...but children's books

listening... to the TV....and the sound of the computer running

knowing... that the computer is crapped out...and my pictures and videos are gone....

drinking... water..water and more water...trying not to drink calories

wanting... my computer to be back to normal...and all the work that I did on Memory Manager to be back.

embracing... not much...maybe next month will be better.....

Right Now...19 Feb 2010

2010-02-19T14:33:00.000-08:00

watching...a filet of fish commercial...

reading... children's books and magazines

listening... to the news...and dog snore

knowing... that I can't control others...and make them love me...they have to on their own.

drinking... water..water and more water...trying not to drink calories

wanting... a bloomin onion and Aussie cheese fries...I know terrible!

embracing... that I am who I am...no excuses...

Right Now....27 January 2010

2010-01-27T15:23:00.000-08:00

watching...Anthony drink from his sippy cup & the news

reading... blogs and party ideas

listening... Brent talking on the phone, the boys talking to eachother

knowing... that I have a lot of things to do and not a little time...

drinking... water..water and more water...trying not to drink calories

wanting... a vacation and for Mia to be here!

embracing... that my baby isn't a baby anymore :0( They grow up too fast!

Right Now....9-14-09

2009-09-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

watching...Anthony play in the excersaucer

reading... blogs and soon the new Dan Brown

listening... to the dog baying, Philip coughing and the Anthony playing and talking

knowing... that God is good all the time...

drinking... 'crazy juice' a mixture of white grape pomegranate juice & ginger ale

wanting... play and scrapbook

embracing... that things always change and that God is good all the time...

Must Have Baby things....

2009-04-08T07:17:00.000-07:00

I have a cousin that is having a baby for the 1st time and asked in her blog what Baby things are essential....So having 3 of my own I guess I could share a list of things I use everyday

Here is my list of things I couldn't live without 3 babies later!

1. Brent aka Daddy! Having a supportive, nurturing husband and father is the #1 thing, all the others are just things that help us enjoy our babies even more and make our lives a little easier.

2. The 1st thing we noticed that was a good thing to have especially in the hospital was scratch mitts, newborns have no control over the movement of their arms and can scratch their faces which always makes them cry the 'really sad' cry

3. Gowns- these are life savers in the middle of the night when you are half asleep and you seem to find a defect in the sleeper of the 'extra' snap! All you have to do is pull them up and down for the diaper changes.

4. 'Handsies'- With gowns you get little fold over hand covers! Nearly all gowns that we have, have them as well as the 'newborn' Carter's sized clothes. This is also good for at night when the little Houdini's wriggle their little hands out of the burrito wrapping and could possibly wake themselves up by...scratching.

5. The Burrito Baby Wrap- Nope this isn't a great new food at Chipotle!! It's the wonderful way the nurses wrap your new package! LEARN it! USE IT! Swaddling has been proven to soothe fussy babies and helps reduce the 'startle' in the startle reflex. They sleep longer so you do! We have always just used normal receiving blankets, they have the new expensive wrap contraptions, they are just costly...you can have 4 receiving blankets for the price of 1 wrappy thingy...

6. Cloth Diapers- No, I'm not that 'green' but they are the BEST burp cloths, wide enough and long enough. And the more you wash them the softer they get! If you can't do plain white adding a little ribbon or embroidery makes them colorful & fun!

7. Boppy- I have one in every room I nurse in. They are not just for mommas! Daddy can use it to just be a little more comfortable while holding the baby, it also helps with big brother/sisters to be able to hold the baby with support. With all of the nursing that is done in the 1st year and beyond your arms do actually get tired.

8. Nursing stool- I didn't get this until we had Michael- but it's reclined forcing you to sit back in the seat/couch as you nurse reducing the back strain that you will feel from nursing. Mine has a foot warmer too!

9. Baby Bijorn- there are lots of imitations but I swear by the brand- it is so wonderful super easy to put baby in and out! Michael lived in it and Anthony is too! When you don't want to fiddle with a stroller or just want to be hands free around the house. And babies love to be close and in motion. I got a blue jean one- not too girly, Brent will wear it.

10. McClaren- The best 'umbrella' stroller ever!! We have the Techno XT- VERY light weight folds easy with handle, lays all the way flat for newborns, the handles adjust to accommodate different heights (Daddy), comes with a rain cover (or plastic bag as I call them- good for rainy, windy or cold days) and a foot muff for cold days. We also have the Techno Double stroller- same functions as the single, but the seats are independent allowing for all ages to ride, when one is up and the other can lay flat. It's the width of a standard wheelchair so it can go everywhere a wheelchair can!

11. Pack n' Play- The ones with a changing station & bassinet are the most helpful and are used thru all the 1st year and beyond. We had and have a 2 story house and being a c-section mommy having a place the baby can sleep and be changed down stairs is a must...having a place for the baby to sleep in the room you spend the most time in is a bonus as well. And a play pen is good for when they are older to play & nap in. It gives them a safe place to play when you have to be in another room doing chores or housework.

12. Baby monitor- we have one with 2 receivers (one in our room & in a room where we can't hear the upstairs) It's nice to just have ears in the room when they are little and after a while when they wake up cooing and talking to themselves! Brent and I would lay in bed and listen to the babies babble, until they would yell for us to come get them! Also, you can listen for the sound of Velcro ripping when they are older and are taking their diapers off to make messes in the crib! (Oh, yes they do this! Michael finger painted!)

13. Convertible crib- You get much more use out of them if they can be used as a toddler bed. Philip used his crib for 5 years, Michael is still in his. Anthony is in Philip's crib now and will use it for a toddler bed. We have British Cot Beds so they only go into Toddler beds but some American cribs actually convert into full beds once they are ready for a big bed. I've even seen some that go into a twin bed as well.

14. A Lovey- it's comforting for the baby/toddler to have a constant that has familiar smells and a familiar touch. Our boys each have a blanket/stuffy lovey they are super soft and have bits of satin on them. I highly recommend buying 2 for a back up. They will attach to stuffed animals as they get older but the lovey will always be a favorite.

15. A Good Photographer/Good camera- these are the most important! To catch and preserve the precious moments of the 1st year and beyond. If the photographer is good they will take the time to get to know the baby and you will get the genuine smiles and sweetness! It's so great to live in the digital age...even though we lived across an ocean our family can see events that happened minutes ago in seconds! I have always tried to document to make sure grandparents/aunts/uncles etc... are apart of the boys life, even if it's in pictures. And don't worry about blinding them with the flash all of my boys have perfect vision! :0)

16. Breast Pump- this is up to the individual and the budget. I have the Avent Isis hand pump and have found it to work just fine for me. It's good to have once your milk comes in and the pain begins to relieve the pressure. And for when you start cereal to have milk on hand to mix with. Also, if you want others to help feed you can pump a bottle and have a break and having some in the freezer for back up if you are out and it's feeding time! The VIA system works great for storing and freezing milk. The Avent system is all interchangeable you can go from bottles to sippy cups with ease and use all with the pump.

17. Diaper Champ- MUCH better than the Diaper Genie! You use regular trash bags, and the only time you open it is when you are changing the bags so the smell is minimal.

18. A group of Girlfriends- they don't all have to be mommies too but it can help when you think that what just happened could have never happened to anyone else!! And to be able to hear that no it's normal! It's good to remember to take time a be a girl and with these girlfriends they will laugh with you in the peaks and help you in and thru the valleys.

19. A pretty nursing bra- I know it's silly but remember that you are a girl and once upon a time wore VS! And now your 'secrets' are leaking all over your shirt!! Not to mention the maternity panties!! It's nice to have nice pretty underclothes even when you are nursing and things are leaking everywhere! Plus, you wear a bra non stop mind as well make it pretty! Also, it's good to have good supportive nursing bras.

20. Bouncer/Swing- some place for the baby to hang out when you are not holding them! They sometimes just want to hang out with out anyone holding them. We have a bouncer that the boys loved and after the 3rd one got a swing because Anthony loves to be in motion. And sometimes the baby can't be bijorned...ie. cooking/bathing. these are your helpers.

21. A good baby sitter- or an adopted Grandma. Sometimes you need to go out. Having a teenager or one of your girlfriends that can come give you a break is priceless. And plus, it's important to go on dates with your honey!

22. A reference guide- I love What to Expect the 1st Year (I have the entire series) and use it all the time! It's good to read all the way thru or read as you go...

23. A (good) pediatrician- You should be able to talk to them openly about worries and feel that they heard you and are willing to help or offer advise. If your baby likes them it's a good sign! We have been blessed to have great docs for our boys!

24. Little Luxuries- my boys love their chamois sheets, blankets and bumper. Babies love soft things and it's nice to indulge and watch them smile! Also, nappy sacks, they aren't very 'green' but if you are at a friends house or out you can put your dirty diaper in the scented sack and dispose of it in regular trash without clearing the room.

25. Diaper Bag- a good one can be hard to find, my favorite is from Land's End I think it's called the Do-It-All Diaper Bag, it opens up like a doctors bag very roomy and is bright blue on the inside so you can see things. It holds plenty it's good for 1-3 kids! We have back up stuff for Philip and Michael as well as the essentials for Anthony in it.

Prayer! Pray! PRAY! In the good praise, in the ugly pray. Don't stop! It's also a little time that you can take for you and your Father to be still and quite and know that he is God and that you won't be given anything you can't handle. When I'm having a hard time (they will come, I have had my share and know that there will be more) after talking sometimes arguing with God I always come out renewed and refreshed. And know that while you pray others pray for you and your little one as well!

A 5th Birthday Party!

2009-02-09T17:49:00.000-08:00

Philip opening presents! He had a blast with all of his friends, and the weather was beautiful! So we sent the kids outside for some out of season play time. The 'Plant' cake...Since Wall-E finds a plant this was the cake complete with worms! And 'gree' punch, not forget the twinkies. I was so upset about the paper goods...the party supply discontinued all of the Wall-E paper goods, so we didn't have any of that character stuff...so we went with green and blue hence the color of Earth.
THE BIRTHDAY BOY!
On his birthday we all got up and walked him to school! Mia made and brought his cupcakes to his class. It was bittersweet hugging him on his 5th Birthday to go to the hospital 4 hours later to have a baby! I can't believe that Phil's 5...

Looking back...

2009-02-09T17:30:00.000-08:00

38-9 weeks....

2009-02-07T17:45:00.000-08:00

Well it's the home stretch....and I'm done! I can't sleep...my hips are about to kill me....ah...I'm 9 months pregnant.

Mom & Mia are here...we had Philip's 5th birthday party. That was nice, another post...

Monday is the big day!

37 week update...

2009-01-31T03:12:00.000-08:00

37 weeks was interesting...it started with a bang...more like a whack!

-Monday on my way to pick up Philip I fell...yes, before all of the snow and ice hit. (I don't need obstructions to kill myself!) Thankfully my friend Tiffany was with me and went and got Phil while I sat on my rump assessing the situation. I gave myself 20 minutes to feel 'better' and contractions started so I called the Dr's office and they told me to come to L&D. So, Brent came home...and off we went...

10 hours and 2 rooms later we got discharged but not with out an IV, tests, those stretchy bands for the monitors that they didn't design for a 'bigger' momma and the best of all...pelvic exam! We had a great nurse though, she was awesome! I must write her a note. I hope she's working when we are there. And my doc was on call, so that was nice. We started out in a Labor room then because of all of the mommies that were in 'labor' and waiting the pending result that could have caused us to have the baby then they moved us to a recovery room, reason: it was 10 feet away from the OR. Down side, NOT a hospital bed, but a gurney! OUCH! I had contractions all thru the night but they didn't seem to bother the staff as much as they did me and Anthony who was moving around enough to make me nauseated, which resulted in drugs...and due to the pain from the contractions the 'new nurse' (yes we were there for 3 shifts) thought I was complaining about my pain from the fall...I also got some Vicodin. So, needless to say, I was flying high...still nauseated, feeling the pressure and getting kicked...oh, and STARVING! I was put on NPO status, also, bedrest until Wednesday at my appointment, then we'd go from there. Brent was great the entire time, poor guy refused to eat.

-(Tuesday)So, upon leaving we went to the 24 hour McDonald's drive thru...fyi...they have a limited menu that does not include a simple plain hamburger! That's nice...tell a VERY pregnant woman who hadn't eaten in 15 hours that the one thing she wants isn't available! So, we came home went to bed, Brent stayed home with us and wouldn't let me do anything...I went from the bed when I couldn't stand to lay down anymore to the couch. And of course the snow and ice hit...so Philip wound up coming home early Tuesday and there was no school Wednesday.

-Wednesday's appointment, I was moving slow...but all checked out good. Heart rate good, blood pressure great, measurements right on track, still only 5 pounds gained...and the funnest...for some reason either I didn't do it (don't know why) or they lost the results but my inital blood panel didn't exisit so I had to visit the Vampires. And in the continuing saga to locate my medical records, we faxed the 'right' form to hopefully get them so the doc can review my surgical notes.

-Thursday, Brent came home early, Philip got to go to school. We were going to have pictures taken Monday but had to cancel, so this was the other day we could go. We got Philip's 5th, Michael's 3rd and Preggo Pics. Brent was super sweet and OK'd a trip to CheeseCake Factory but when we got there it was a 15-30 minute wait they couldn't say which...so we got cheese cake and went somewhere else.

-Friday, Philip's school had a day off...Teacher work day. Brent took the day off I wouldn't be able to handle the kids...they are trying to put me into labor! I slept most of the day...in the afternoon I got a call from the Drs office...the "National archives" that should have my records do not infact have them...they are at Leavenworth! WHAT! So, Monday Brent has to make some calls and hopefully they can get my records to the doc in 9 days! Cynamon came over in the evening to help me with one of the bigger projects. The washing & folding & rearranging of the baby clothes. We also made up the crib, for some reason the bumper doesn't fit like it did before...but we made it work. So 4 loads and 2 baskets full of clothes we finished around midnight! I'm starting to panic...Mom & Mia will be here in a week...Phil's party is next Saturday...I'm still organizing the house and trying to get things in order, but slowly...and I get tired so fast! But the baby will come, and it won't matter if I didn't get everything done, I just don't feel that way at this point...I want to get as much as I can done! Oh, well, one more week!

Here are some of the preggo pics *Warning they are belly shots....dun dun dun....

The Wall-E invitations

2009-01-22T14:41:00.000-08:00

So, Philip's party this year is a Wall-E theme...we are going with a 'green' space party with Wall-E. I looked for an invite that I liked but didn't find one...so I made one! It's a paper piecing made out of the new Creative Memories card stock. I freehand made and cut the yellow around the eyes, the neck is the personal trimmer, the grey in the eyes are the large heart punch cut in half and rounded, the black in the eyes is the smallest circle of the mini circle punch, and the whites are from the bubble punch. The stars are the small ones from the star punch and the '5' was printed from a font I found online and cut from the smallest circle in the patterns. I think they turned out ok. Will be posting more about the party and planning.

36 weeks...and counting

2009-01-22T14:21:00.001-08:00

This was the 34 week pic...I'm quite uncomfortable. My hips do not like me anymore!

Michael spending some quality time with 'Anphoney' as he says. He refuses to touch my stomach unless he can feel my skin. So, there you go!

A new concept for me....Nesting. I did not do this with Philip or Michael. I mostly slept with them but I find myself waking up at 5ish wide awake and doing laundry! But not just laundry, folding and putting away, which is a task for a preggo to walk upstairs. We had bought a bassinette earlier this fall and I was looking at buying a few more sheets, they wanted $7 for 1!! So I waited for a sale at JoAnns and bought enough for 7 for the price of less than 2. And I may have enough left over to make a little blanket as well. But that is on hold until I finish Philip's quilt (another post) Not only am I doing laundry, I'm planning Philip's birthday party, making stuff for his grab bags, organizing the house, getting things in order, making the guest room ready for all of our guests...

Yes, I'm 35 weeks here....and I'm now only wearing 'stretchy pants'. Mia always refers to me a Nacho Libre...Thanks Mia! Someday she'll have to wear stretchy pants too!

36 Week appointment....yesterday...the count is still 5 lbs gained (no more), blood pressure is great, there is no swelling (my rings can still slide off, nearly fall off when I'm outside), heart rate is perfect, Anthony is head down and getting ready. Even though it won't matter which way he is it's nice to know that he's doing what he should be. I had a slew of questions for the doc yesterday and he was great and anwsered them all! I found out that I will not get taken to the other side of the hospital to recover but just in the other room and the baby and Brent will not leave me! This is nice, since after the boys I went one way & Brent went with the baby the other and I didn't get to hold or see them for 2-3 hours. We are counting down the days until c-day...17 and a wake up.

2008 in review!

2009-01-07T05:38:00.000-08:00

January- New Year! I got to go to the Kennedy Center to see My Fair Lady! We had a little bit of a snow day with some sledding! 'Cube' decided to go back up to heaven, 'he' was with us 9 weeks.

February- Miranda's 28th birthday, Mom comes to visit. SuperBowl-Pats & Giants (w), Andrew West (nephew) is born! Philip's 4th birthday & party! Mia & Patrick come for a visit. Valentine's day, Miranda & Ruth's sleep over Birthday Party!

March- Miranda makes a trip to Wisconsin to visit Samantha & to meet Bryan & Andrew! Got to see Mom & Dad for an afternoon before flying back. Road trip to NJ for Abby's 16th birthday! Tried cheese steak w/ fries pizza... Easter with the Wilsons & Patricks

April- A new member of the family- Holly Golightly (the sweet baby cat) Guess Who's Coming to Dinner with the church. Redecorating of the Masterbed room.

May- Nicholas Wilson joins our church family! Mother/Son golf outing Philip & I go have a great time. Diego's birthday party, more golfing! Andrews air show. Preschool graduation! Memorial Day picnic at Allen Pond. Brent leaves for NCO academy in Alabama for the summer.

June- Melissa moves in while Brent is gone. Daina comes to visit. We find out that we are expecting again! Mom (Cathy) comes to visit. We all go see Wall-E

July- We take mom to DC for the day. Brent & Miranda's 9th wedding Anniversary, not the best day of the year... 4th of July spent at the mall. Mid-July Brent comes home! The morning sickness attacks!

August- Road trip to NJ to visit the Harrisons. Miranda & DeAnna go to New York for the Breaking Dawn concert series! We meet Stephanie Meyer and stay for the midnight book sale! The obsession with Guitar Hero begins... The WE Partee in Kansas City. Philip's 1st day of school- Pre-K (all day 5 days a week)

September- Softball season starts. Daddy's elbow & shoulder surgery. Brent's 30th birthday! Ultrasound- It's a BOY!

October- International Festival- fried oreos! Navy Day Ball. Camp WAMAVA church retreat Brent re-enlists in DC. Miranda begins the quilt project. Ultrasound-to see what they didn't see the last time. Have to go back in a few weeks. Halloween- the Lion & the Pirate!

November- Election day! Packing party for Operation Christmas Child- the church/school gathered 99 boxes! Daddy's other elbow & shoulder surgery. Veteran's day dinner. Michael gets the mother of all rashes! TWILIGHT!!! Thanksgiving!

December- Miranda throws out her back! Craft fair at school. Last Ultrasound- Everything looks perfect! Still a boy! Squadron Christmas Party and cake contest- Homemade Carrot Cake made and lost! Air Force Christmas party at Mimms, lots of fun as always! The making of lots of presents & wrapping of even more presents! Visits to Santa. Christmas Eve with Wilsons, Uptons, Roberts, Melissa & Edwin! Christmas! Wii & Guitar Hero...Trip to L&D with contractions, but they go away. Michael's 3rd Birthday! New Years Eve with Ashley & Kyle (I made it to midnight!)

It was an over all good year, there were some heart aches and straight up heart breaks, with losing 'Cube' and the break up of Mom & Dad and Daddy & Judy. Those were the worst of the year. But they are all out of my control... Philip & Michael are growing, happy healthy little boys and there was great joy this year as well, Andrew was born! And we were blessed with another suprise, Anthony Paul! Here's to 2009 and all that will happen!

34 Week, Baby update...

2009-01-05T05:26:00.000-08:00

I had my appointment today...we are measuring at 34cm (right on schedule) and I have gained a total of 5 pounds. (1 pound over the 2 weeks that is Christmas & New Years) We have had a few bumps along the way since the last appointment, the Saturday after Christmas I wound up in L&D with contractions, but I was dehydrated so they pushed fluids and after 10 hours of contractions about every 10-15 minutes they slowed down enough for them to send me home. With that I'm always carrying water around with me now...
I have also been having terrible charlie horse cramps in my lower legs that wake me up in screaming pain. I was told I didn't have enough calcium, so now I'm eating tums everyday since milk isn't one of my favorite things. I'm also running low on iron....so I'm on iron once again.

Upon mashing on my belly the midwife told me why I am also having a hard time sleeping at night...Anthony is laying cross ways, side to side in my belly. Basicly when I lay down on one side I'm on his head and when I get so uncomfortable to move I'm on his rump. It also explains why I get kicks on both sides at once (leg & arm). He hopefully will turn head down in the next few weeks. It doesn't really matter since we are a c-section but I would be a little more comfortable.

A Rockin 3rd Birthday!

2009-01-04T05:12:00.000-08:00

This year it was hard to come up with something that Michael loves, he really doesn't have a 'favorite character' he loves them all equally. But the one thing he loves above all is MUSIC! Brent and Michael will sit at the computer and listen to all kinds of music and watch videos for hours. Santa even brought him a Guitar this year! So, when I finally came up with the theme it all flowed out! I designed the cake and got the idea to make microphone cupcake cones.

The food buffet was inspired by the research of rockstar back stage demands. Apparently it started with Van Halen not wanting brown M&Ms at all, so someone took them all out! We went the extra mile and seperated all of the colors. The Jonas brothers apparently ask for 24 pieces of sushi each, not really liking sushi I made fake sushi. Of course there was pizza, a mountain of chicken nuggets, since it's frowned on to serve bubbly to minors and Cristal is $200 a bottle...we did sparkling grape juice and glass bottles of Avian water along with "Green Room" punch.

The invites were concert tickets that I designed and the kids got upon entry an 'All Access Pass' and the adults got 'Press Passes' It was a great time! We ate, played a little Guitar Hero, there was some Karaoke, opened presents and had cake! Michael had a great smile the entire time and is still talking about it!

Happy Birthday Michael!

Christmas!

2008-12-30T08:13:00.000-08:00

Santa came!!
They nearly ran down stairs! It's all very exciting!

Stockings and the Stitch
The toy heaven!

Twas the Night Before Christmas....

2008-12-25T08:01:00.000-08:00

Spreading the reindeer food out in the front yard so Santa will know to stop at our house. I think they got more in thier hair than on the ground.The before Bed shot.

All ready for bed in the cutest matching Christmas PJs ever!
Helping Brent pour a drink for Santa. He got Egg Nog this year, a new family favorite.

Christmas Time is here....

2008-12-25T06:42:00.000-08:00

The boys were very excited to see Santa this year... They rambled off thier wish lists to him and even asked him what he wanted which tickled the jolly man. They were even good while we waited in line... Philip even signed his letter.

After seeing Santa we went and drove thru the Symphony of Lights in Columbia. The boys just loved it! They kept yelling, 'look on my side', 'no, look on my side' They have always loved taking the drive thru the neighborhood to see the Christmas lights.

The boys decided that we needed a few more decorations last minute, so Brent just before he had to go to work, Christmas Eve helped the boys add some extra lights to the bannister of the staircase. They even helped me make and bake this year. They couldn't wait for Christmas to come this year!

This was the 'mountain of fudge' that I made for Christmas. We also had Chocolate Chip Cookies, Spritz Cookies, Sugar Cookies, No Bake Cookies, Salsa, Cheese Dip, Guac & Chips French Onion Dip & Chips, The Full Taco Bar, Beans & Rice, Sasuage Cheese Balls and a few other things...We do Christmas eve bigger than Christmas Dinner, because we have lots of people over on the Eve and it's normally just us on Christmas Day. And in the grand tradition we play games and eat all night! And this year Santa's elves were NOT up all night wrapping for Santa!!! A major bonus this year!

And there's always something to laugh at! This hopefully will be the last year that the Santa apron looks like Santa! (Thanks Mia) And Jeff, our preacher came over in his sock monkey onesie. They were a riot!! And they also provided the Christmas miracle....ICE!!!

The Baker that Can't WIN!

2008-12-14T07:57:00.000-08:00

This year for Brent's Squadron Christmas party I decided to make a Carrot Cake. Having never made a carrot cake before...I did a test run on Sunday night with our small group. It turned out really good! I made a few adjustments but over all was happy with the outcome. I even had a little helper when I made the entry cake. Michael was all to happy to help.

I was going to make fondant trees and snowmen...but I figured having never worked with fondant and being very preggo that it may not be a good idea...so I made these really cute paper piecings. I figured...carrot cake...snowmen...carrot noses. It worked. The trees were just for fun. My friend Melissa also had an entry, she made this awesome Oreo cake it looked just like an Oreo and tasted even better! Michael actually picked her's to win. What can I say chocolate...

But the moment of truth came....there were 3 entries...and let's just say...the Oreo & Carrot lost. So even though I worked on that cake the bulk of the afternoon, I still lost...and sorry to say will have to really be coaxed into making another masterpiece to enter in another one. At least with that crowd...

Baby Update....

2008-12-12T07:41:00.000-08:00

Well, we had our last ultrasound the 9th at John Hopkins. Didn't know what to expect with why we had to go back...they saw in the 24 week ultrasound a dangingling chorriohid (I know I butchered that) but basicly the main 'tube' that feeds the spinal cord, spinal fluid was just a 'little to large' and by that I mean 'normal' is .40 and his measured at .46 they really worry at .60 so there was no reason to worry but we did. They looked at that 1st thing and the tech told us everything looked 'normal' so it fixed itself. We also got to see 'Anthony' practicing swallowing and his sucking reflexes which was really cool! He was nuzzled up against his placenta so we didn't get a great 3-d shot of his face but just knowing that he is ok was enough for us. He was weighing about 3.5-4 pounds. And at my last dr's appointment I was back down to 3 pounds. So we await his arrival in 8ish weeks.

Oh, Christmas Tree Oh, Christmas Tree...

2008-12-11T07:51:00.000-08:00

The boys helped us again this year. I was laid up on the couch with my back out so I supervised and took pictures. They were very serious about where they put each ornament and there are multiple candy cane colonies again.

Thanksgiving!

2008-12-04T05:16:00.000-08:00

This year the boys helped make the pumpkin pie, it was extra fluffy due to the fact that Michael whipped the eggs so well. They also helped Brent decorate the turkey cookies, half went up to the church and we kept the rest. They were wonderful taste testers of the candy corn!

The appetizers or light lunch

The Spread! Rolls, Cranberry & Apple salad, Corn, Sweet Potato Souflee, Stuffing, Green Bean Casserole, Turkey & Gravy, Mash & Mac & Cheese (not from a box as Davis would say) We also had an addition of Fried Chicken!The Dessert Table, I had a request for yellow cake with chocolate frosting.

We had about 10 people over and had a great time eating and talking and always laughing!

Baby Update!

2008-12-02T05:40:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm now in my 29th week! 9 more to go! Yesterday I got a call from the Dr's office confirming my surgery date....Are ya'll ready for this!? It's Monday, February 9th! For any of you not knowing why that day and date are special to us already....Monday, February 9th is Philip's birthday! So we will be having 5 year twins! The only thing that stinks is that I have to wait until 2pm for delivery! But we have a birthdate and can't wait! We have our follow-up ultrasound the 9th of December and my next appointment is the 8th or 10th I can't remember... I'll keep you posted!

And for those counting I have gained....drumroll....4 pounds so far!

Christmas Card Picture Session

2008-11-24T05:20:00.000-08:00

This year I was able to get Christmas photo cards at a really good price, so after church last Sunday I coaxed Melissa into taking our picture. It's interesting what happens when you mix 2 toddlers with 2 pets! Above is the final choice, but the outtakes were too good to not share!
He has the cat in a headlock!

Yes, he's biting the tail...and Philip decided to sit on the ground

Making Rocky look at the camera...

The animals are trying to escape!

The mother of all rashes!

2008-11-20T05:28:00.000-08:00

This is Michael's leg....and that is the rash that happened in 20 minutes! I had changed is pants just before we went to get Philip from school one afternoon....by the time it took to get back home about 20 minutes, we stopped to talk to a few people, he was walking funny and crying! I got him in the house and could smell the acid poo...he had leaked down his leg, the crazy thing is this is the only place that got angry! So I changed him and tried to put some diaper ointment on it, but he screamed like I was trying to tear his leg off! He did go down for a nap but woke up screaming! It got worse as the day went on and by the time he went to bed it looked like this! The poor mite was walking like he had ridden a horse for days! I called the dr's office the next morning and talked to a nurse she told me that it was more than likely a chemical burn and to let it air dry as much as possible and it just had to heal....we are still trying to think what this kid ate to cause that kind of poo!

Interview with a Vampire

2008-11-14T15:08:00.000-08:00

I found this on MSN it's for Seventeen Magazine....
17 Questions for Robert Pattinson

1.When was your first kiss?
Twelve.

2.Who's your celebrity crush?
Kristen Stewart (his "Twilight" co-star!).

3.What's the girl fashion trend that confuses you?
Ugg boots!

4.What's the chick flick you secretly love?
"Pippi Longstocking."

5.What's your TV guilty pleasure?
"American Idol" and "X Factor" (the British version of "Idol").

6.Who would play you in the movie version of your life?
I'd play it, because I probably won't be employed after this.

7.What's your dream job?
Being a pianist.

8.If you could trade places with anyone in the world for one day, who would it be?
Someone who has lots of respect or power. George Bush, possibly.

9.Who in your family are you closest to?
My dog, Patty.

10.What's your favorite Web site?
YouTube.

11.What's the fast food you can't live without?
I like all fast food, but my favorite is probably In-N-Out Burger.

12.What's your worst habit?
Speaking too much.

13.What's the last song you listened to on your iPod?
I don't remember the exact song, but it was something James Brown from the
"Black Caesar"soundtrack.

14.What's the last thing you bought?
Toilet paper.

15.What did you dream about last night?
Kristen [Stewart].

16.How much money is in your wallet right now?
Thousands of dollars.

17.Fill in the blank: When I was 17, I was ____________.
So much cooler because I knew less about myself.

Vote!

2008-11-07T05:36:00.000-08:00

So this was the 1st year, I'm sad to say that I have ever voted...my sad excuses for not voting in the last 2 elections are...I was out of town for the 1st in 2000 and I was out of country in 2004, we didn't get our absentee papers out in time...

With that I thought it would be a good year to get out and be a good example to my children and vote! They had lots of fun with this as well, Philip had a mock election at his school and they gave him the flag for voting. Since Brother had something Michael wanted something as well, so I made the 'Vote' sign. They waved it all along the way to school as well as down the hall when we were going to get in line. They were really good for standing in line for 25 minutes.

When it was time for me to vote all I could see was the cords everywhere and so did the boys...I kept thinking...oh, great...my kids are going to unplug the things and we are going to have a big mess!! So I kept telling them to put thier hands in the pockets. We all got 'I Voted' stickers which made them happy! Hopefully they will take thier kids with them when they vote.

The Cutest Lion EVER

2008-11-02T13:14:00.000-08:00

Michael decided that towards the photo shoot that he was going to get adorable!!!

This is him doing his best Cowardly Lion!

This one reminded me of the Lion with the thorn in his paw. He just started looking at his hand and the photographer caught it!

This was too much! You may have to visit your dentist after looking at this....

An Now Something You'll Really ENJOY!

2008-11-02T13:08:00.000-08:00

We took the boys for a Halloween Photo Shoot last week....they make it so hard on us....ENJOY!

Holy Moly It's a HOTT RPattz!!!

2008-10-23T16:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I don't normally go ga-ga over movie stars and such, wait who am I kidding....I do! And the latest hott guy to turn not only my head but countless other women of all ages is Rob Pattinson!! For those of you who live under a rock, he's playing Edward in Twilight that will be released in a mere 28 days!

I came across this pic trying to find out this wonderful man's birthday and to prove a point of how not so young he is...and WOOOOHOOOO!! I just love a burly man!! So enjoy the eye candy for as long as you want but be sure to clean off your monitor when you are done.

And God bless The United Kingdom....God save the Queen...and all of that.

Philip's School Picture

2008-10-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

Philip brought home his school pictures today. How cute is he!!! We bought the copyright so I can make more pics and post them legally.

Philip

Pre-Kindergarten

2008

David Letterman's Letter to US

2008-10-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

David Letterman wrote this; it's the David we don't often see....

" As most of you know I am not a fan of President Bush,nor have I ever been, but this is not about Bush, it is about us, as Americans, and it it is about us, as Americans, and it seems to hit the mark.' The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some Poll data I found rather hard to believe.It must be true given the source, right? The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americansare unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the President.
In essence 2/3 of the citizenry just aint happy and want a change. So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, 'What are we so unhappy about?''

A. Is it that we have electricity and runningwater 24 hours a day, 7 Days a week?

B. Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter?
C. Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job?

D. Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at anytime and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

E. Maybe it is the ability to drive our cars and trucks from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state?

F. Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter?

G. I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough either.

H. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

I. Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home.

J. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use topnotch equipment to extinguish the flames, thus saving you, your family,and your belongings.

K. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or a prowler intrudes, and an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss.

L. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90% of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

M. How about the complete religious, social and political freedomswe enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world?

Maybe that iswhat has 67% of you folks so unhappy. Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S., yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in theworld who do nothing but complain about what we don't have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here. I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name inthe book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorists attacks? The Commander-in-Chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?
Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or on a talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad? Think about it......are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the 'Media' the 'Media' told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behinds every day. Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go, then end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an "other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable" discharge after a few days in the brig. So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percentof Americans? Say what you want, but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells,and when criticized, try to defend their actions by 'justifying' them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murder like O.J. Simpson to write a book about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way....Insane!
Turn off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your birdcage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad. We are among the most blessed people on Earth and should thank God several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative.'"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

David Letterman

I don't know if David Letterman really wrote this but I think it says a lot of truth. We are ungrateful brats that just want more and never see what we truly have. I think it's high time that we get flat on our faces every day many times a day and thank God for what we have, and in turn ask Him for guidance and not rely on the media to tell us 'what they want us to know and how they want us to think' Bravo Mr. Letterman, I wish more public figures would have the courage to stand up.

Working with my hands

2008-10-16T08:52:00.000-07:00

This is my 1st time ever trying to crochet anything that had 3-d shape to it. They were not too bad, once I figured out how to count the rounds. I made this for a family friend at church that adopted a son from Russia. At first the only thing he was interested in was 'dogs' so this was the only thing to make him! He loves it!

This is my first shell blanket. It's called Ocean Waves. I made it for a very special baby, his parents were married on a beach so I had to make this one! I love the colors they are so calming. It was quite easy except for changing the colors every row and all of the tucking at the end.

I made these over the summer while Brent was TDY
All of these patterns can be found at joann.com under projects.

The Name Game a Weighty Issue

2008-10-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

Since we have found out the sex of the baby we have had a boys name for quite some time now...but never had a girls, well kinda, but I decided that I wasn't inlove with the name, the nickname but not the name. And every time I tried to talk to Brent about a girl's name he would divert the conversation....I guess he knew...

But we are naming #3 Anthony Paul

Anthony is after my mother's father his name was Antonio (But on a side note I can't name a 'white' baby an ethnic name.) Not that I don't like that name it's very strong and masculine but my kids are WHITE! I can't do it! But we will call him Tony for short. And that's how I remember my grandfather, I called him Grandpa Tony.

Paul is after Brent's father and grandfather. There is a whole 'jr/sr' thing going on there but it's not this generation to name that it should have been Brent's name so it wouldn't be approiate to skip the generation. Plus, Brent's Aunt Kathy took the namesake so.....there you go.

We were going to go with Edward as the middle name but Anthony Edward...I kept thinking of the actor on ER that died years ago...then after reading the Twilight series (EVERY ONE SHOULD) the main characters name is Edward Anthony....I can't do that. Really... And after finally watching Iron Man I wanted to know more about Tony Stark, and googled it....well Tony Stark is infact named Anthony Edward....so that was the last nail in the coffin for that name.

On a lighter note...pun intended...I'm now nearly the start weight I was when I got pregnant with Philip! Pregnancy has been the best weight loss plan for me so far! That 5 pounds I couldn't get rid of after Michael and the 5 pounds I kept after I lost 'Cube' are now a thing of the past. I'm 3 pounds away from being the original start weight for both boys. Which is interesting because I started at the end weight for both of them with this pregnancy. I was worried about gaining more than I was really, and wondered how it would affect my body. Thankfully I haven't suffered from any ailments due to my weight. My asthma has flared up for the first time in over 5 years! I'm back on an inhaled steriod and Singulair, but the risks out weigh the outcome i.e. not breathing. The doctors are not worried about the baby so that's fine with me. It has been kinda crummy the way I lost the weight I would not recommend throwing up everything you eat, or try to eat.... But other than that things are going well and we can't wait to meet Little Tony~!

Navy Day Ball

2008-10-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

We went to the Navy Ball this year! It was lots of fun, the Navy knows how to throw a party! Thankfully, my smarter than me sister, Mia, picked out a great bridemaids dress that I have gotten to wear 3 times now while I'm pregnant.

It was at the Marriot over by BWI this year instead of a country club. It was nicer I think. Dinner was served quickly and was good. The speaker didn't talk for too long. The DJ was a sailor and was really good, he played mostly songs that got you on the dance floor. The first one being the Macarena....I felt soooo old when I was talking with a young airman who was at our table, he was 7 when that song was popular in the summer of 1996!!! ARRRGH!! But of course there were a few slow songs that I didn't make Brent dance to, they were the worst slow songs you could have picked, I did give the DJ a hard time about those choices. Brent promised to mosh if they played 'Smells like Teen Spirit' but they ran out of time. It was a really good time, I didn't have my group of girls to dance with I had to dance with an intoxicated Capt and an airman that was 7 in 1996, but they were funny, especially during the hair band tribute. Brent did dance a little but thought it would be best to document the silliness in pictures. I'll spare you those pictures.

Update on the claim

2008-10-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

It went faster than expected, the military is giving us all but $200 of what we claimed due to the decline of value of some of the things ex-book case, bakers rack. But we will get the full value for all of the Lladro that was stolen with appreciation since half have been retired. Which I'm happy for. We expect to see the money by next week some time. I have to say bravo for the turn around of the claim.

99 Things....

2008-10-08T05:09:00.000-07:00

So I have had 2 cousins make lists....and I'm going to take a stab at it. So far I've learned lots of fun things about them and really wish we lived closer!

Here it goes....

1. I didn't wear all white until my wedding day.
2. I'm terribly allergic to cats but can't live with out one.
3. We live across the street from Philip's school and 1/2 mile away from church but still can't make it on time or early!
4. I didn't have a Barbie until I was 7 and a Ken until I was 10.
5. I really think we need more roundabouts in the US, they are great! *if you know how to properly drive on them!
6. I greatly respect my parents/grandparents for not pushing thier political views on us and letting us come up with our views and ideas.
7. I have known Brent since I was 12. (About a week after I met him I decided I was going to marry him) *Ask Mia
8. I DO NOT LIKE Rollercoasters!
9. I can remember phone numbers and number sequences but can't tell you what 6 x 8 is!
10. I really love to cook, and would love to have a show on the Food Network.
11. I have to always keep my hands busy, if I'm watching TV I'll crochet or do something with my hands.
12. I played Piano for 4 years but couldn't play much of anything now....I would like to pick it up again.
13. I always wanted a swing set.
14. I do not like blue cheese, I know cheese is mold but it doesn't have to 'look' like it!
15. I have to attempt to call Brent two times a day at work even if I don't get ahold of him.
16. I really wish there were such a thing as a laundry fairy!
17. I would love to write a book
18. When I was a child I would come home from church and have 'church' for my dolls complete with communion.
19. I have once performed the hula infront of a crowd of at least 500 people!
20. I still like to watch Mr Rogers and Sesame Street.
21. When I was about 11 I thought I could save the world by recycling. I made a club and we even had badges!
22. I was a girl scout up till Juniors and was a Daisy girl scout leader around 2000 with a friend.
23. When I went to NYC this August the moment I was on Broadway I had a terrible urge to sing! I did!
24. I cried when I saw the Colliseum up close, I was over whelmed by what I was looking at and what had happened in that place. I also heard the swell of music from Gladiator.
25. I really really miss being in choir and singing everyday.
26. No one really taught me how to sew, I found my Grandma sewing box one day and some fabric and made a bag for my jacks. Little did I know it was the fabric that she bought for a dress that was roughly $60 a yard! I still have the bag.
27. I do not like Guinness but I love Steak & Guinness pie.
28. I really would love to meet Martha Stewart.
29. I thought I had lots of patience untill I had toddlers.
30. I don't understand people who can't cook.
31. On my mother's side of the family I'm grandchild #121
32. I'm going to be Juno this year for Halloween and I'm still talking Brent into being Paulie Bleaker.
33. I used to be pretty good at rollerskating, don't think I have the courage to try now.
34. I love to go garage saleing but haven't in years.
35. I'm terrified of having surgery but yet I keep having babies!
36. I have a terrible fear of needles and IV's I know that IVs are plastic but I just think that they are going to break off in my arm.
37. I love fall and winter
38. I hate cigarette smoke but love the smell of a pipe.
39. I love taking pictures and wish I could be better.
40. Even after 4 pregnancies we still don't have a girls name....but haven't really needed one.
41. I love to garden, but can't seem to find the time or funds.
42. When I was younger, Grandma & I would have proper tea at 2pm every day with our little Wedgewood tea set.
43. I have 6 scrapbooks in progress, I get board of one and move to another....
44. I'm making 4 quilts for Christmas this year.
45. Just like scrapbooks I'm the same with cross stitch projects....I'm still working on one that I started in 1993.
46. I have scoliosis, 1 curve in the middle of my shoulder blades and the other at my lower back.
47. I'm obsessed with hands, I love to look and study them. And take pictures of them, especially baby hands, they grow so fast.
48. I love reading.
49. My favorite book is Gone With the Wind
50. I have always wanted a Victorian doll house.
51. I believe in Santa Claus
52. I love to watch Philip and Michael play when they think no one is watching.
53. I can't wait to Black Friday shop every year, as well as Christmas Eve shop.
54. It bugs me when I'm asked to to something that would have been just as easy for them to do it themselves.
55. I love to do Beth Moore Bible studies.
56. I tend to keep the TV on for background noise.
57. I like it to be colder when I sleep.
58. I like to use maps/GPS but I still ask for directions/help if it's needed.
59. I love English Muffins, toasted with cream cheese and blackberry jam (Thanks Ant Peggy!)
60. My favorite summer was the summer I spent in Paiona CO with my Aunt Peg.
61. My great grandma Speir taught me the new testament books of the bible, even though she would only sing...'Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Jude and Revelation.' most of the time.
62. I love to decorate for holidays, especially Christmas and Halloween.
63. I only only eat butter, I can't stand margarine.
64. I had a Daddy Warbucks growing up, he was my mom's boss, he was big and bald and the sweetest man ever! Even after we moved he would still write us, his wife knew how much we loved him, and for years after he passed away would still send notes to us signing his name so we wouldn't be sad. I was an adult before I knew Daddy Warbucks had died.
65. I knew about the Holocaust when I was 4, from my Granny Schwartz, who was 95 in 1985, she and her family survived.
66. I can't stand when people speak to offend the English tounge.
67. I think that writing your life story down is the most important thing you can do for future generations. Let people know why you took the picture, who is in it, what you were doing, why. There are so many people that have passed and we will never know how wonderful they were.
68. I don't have a fear of heights but of falling.
69. I loved living in England.
70. I didn't know how much I could love someone until I saw Philip for the 1st time the same with Michael.
71. I love football but have never been to a game, not even High School.
72. I love school supplies! There is nothing like a new box of crayons.
73. I love the ocean
74. I like coffee but with lots of cream and sugar.
75. I have always wanted to be a teacher.
76. I like a good imported beer, really cold.
77. I still trick or treat
78. I make lots of lists then make a list for that too!
79. I had to have French Onion Soup in Paris....it was SOOOO good!
80. I love to watch children dance, they don't worry about who is watching or what they look like they just let the music take over them.
81. I'm so grateful that my sister Mia and I are best friends.
82. I really enjoyed working in a hospital, helping people and seeing them smile.
83. I stood in the rain for 8 hours 30 weeks pregnant at the world premier of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in London, just to see the actors walk across the bridger and red carpet and had the time of my life!
84. I love theater! Musicals are my favorite.
85. I want my children to be happy successful Christian men.
86. I make new years resolutions and rarely ever keep them, I do try....
87. I'm voting for John McCain
88. I don't care how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.
89. I support direct sales because someone gave my grandma a chance and look where it took her.
90. I was only going to do 75 things but kept thinking of things....
91. I loved to watch Garfield and friends on Saturday morning.
92. My feelings get hurt very easily but most of the time I never let anyone know.
93. I love to throw parties
94. I would love to have a catering business someday.
95. We have 100s of CDs but haven't listened to them in years....except for the Christmas ones.
96. I have all 10 seasons of Friends on DVD and love to watch them over and over.
97. I suffer from asthma, panic attacks and mild depression
98. I can't stand people who make you feel that you are in thier way even though you are both at the same place for a reason and there is plenty of room.
99. I could keep going but I'll save it for another time!

Well, there it is...hopefully this gives you a small glimpse into the crazy mind of mine!

Reclaiming our things...

2008-10-03T06:04:00.001-07:00

When we opened our door to the men who would carefully pack and box our things 2 years ago we never thought for a moment that they would rob us blind! But that's what you get for thinking! Last night we had to finish our claim on our things that were damaged, missing or stolen. I had to go online and get the prices/value for everything, most of my pieces had been retired. Brent has bought me Lladro for special occasions over the years, mostly anniversaries and the birth of our 1st born. I have loved Lladro since I was a little girl, I remember sitting in the 'off limits' room at grandmas looking at her beautiful statues. My favorite was of a young girl getting harrassed by a puppy. The soft creamy and muted colors were just beautiful. I was more than overjoyed when Brent bought my 1st piece for me! The most special would be the 2 doves called "Love Nest" that I remember seeing in the jewlery shop when Brent and I 1st started dating, I would have loved to have had it for a wedding cake topper but it was expensive....years later we found it in the BX in England. I was so excited to have found it again that Brent bought it for me right then!! This leads me to the picture posted...when making a claim you have to have picture proof of that you 'owned' it, this one is of my swans. But the "Love Nest" was never displayed...we bought it in July of 2006 and we packed out August 2006, I just left it in it's box to come out at our new house. And with that I have no picture....we have pictures of all of the other ones but that...Brent thinks that they may give us a hard time about it...but all I can say is we were robbed! No no one broke into our house but they packed a box with very special things and replaced it with an empty box! I think it's horrible that we are the ones that have to 'prove' something when we were the one's who did no wrong!

I'll keep this posted to how things turn out, hopefully I'll get to have my pieces back...

It's a BOY!

2008-10-01T06:20:00.000-07:00

We had our ultrasound yesterday! The boys were there, they loved seeing the baby. I saw that it was a boy before the tech did...we are both very excited! He's a happy healthy boy!

It's a BOY!

Little Foot

The alien baby face

The 3-D shot!

He sees you!

Catering by Miranda & Melissa

2008-09-20T05:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, it happened again! We do have so much fun!

This was for our Operation Christmas Child Kick off Party.

The savory treats, Sharon, Melissa's mom made the Bell Cheese Ball and the meatballs. We did everything else!

All of the sweets and the pork wrapped pork!

The drinks table, the punch was really good, and we had a hot chocolate station.

My Golden Eyes

2008-09-15T05:18:00.000-07:00

So, knowing how much I love the Twilight series, my friend Ashley a fellow Cullen lover made me these!! I think I look good with golden eyes!!

A Bulletin Board

2008-09-10T05:04:00.001-07:00

This is my 1st attempt at a bulletin board. We had a back to school Sunday at church and I gathered all the names of the children in our church, school and homeschool group and made them apples. During the sermon Jeff asked everyone to pick a few apples to remember to pray for those children during the year. It was a great success! And I'll use the tree for the fall and our small group families. I think it turned out pretty good.

Back to School!

2008-08-27T05:16:00.000-07:00

Philip all ready for his 1st day of Pre-K complete with an apple for his teacher! We went shopping at the Gap and Phil picked out the shirt. I got him the pack pack while I was out with friends at the Disney store the lunch bag came free. We were all excited and a little sad when we bought the food for his lunches...I did cry as I made his lunch the night before. I really just seems like yesterday when he was born...

Brent took the morning off to be able to walk him to school with us. We even got 'I took my child to school today' stickers...going in the scrapbook!

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This is Phil's teacher, He has already told us she's pretty...the 1st day was a little bumpy but he has improved since and loads since preschool. Here's to a great year!

The 1st Ever WE Partee!

2008-08-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

1st I have to explain "WE" My Daddy's last name is Winn and Judy's last name is Enisminger so not liking the EW we went with WE!

All of us kids went to Kansas City for a weekend of fun and games, there was good food too!

Story time with Aunt Mia and Uncle Evan in the 'spidey bed'

The sweet smell of Wii tennis VICTORY!

The discovery of reading glasses!

The Pizza Party to beat all pizza parties!!! We almost ate all of it!

Fun with Mia in the hammock!

15 pounds of RIBS!!!

Fun with face paints!

Fun with the pool and sprinklers!

A trip to the T-Rex Cafe

Michael made 'George' and I just love the smile on this face!

Grandpa and his boys!

And after a long weekend we have 2 very tired babies! But lots of great memories!

The Big Apple Twilight Style!

2008-08-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

DeAnna is in the loop for Twilight stuff...and there was this 'little' concert with Stephanie Meyer and Justin Firstenfield (spelling) She was on the site the second they went on sale and got us tickets! So this is my 1st trip to NYC!

Waiting for my miracle! I was so excited to be on 34th street!

I'm such a tourist! Someone was getting arrested and I had to take a picture!

Wanting NYC pizza we found this little place just off of Times Square! Aptly named Bella!! We knew it was the place for us to eat!! And we were right! The last time I had pizza that good was in Rome!!

Along the way we found Madame Tussauds and thought why not! Dee hadn't been to the one in London and we had some time to kill...
And wouldn't you know! They have my friend and yours Jenn and not far within her view is Brangelina!! The NERVE!

It was fun hanging out with all the wax! At the end they have a 4-D theater that was awesome! This holiday season they are doing the Polar Express and it really snows in the theater!

So not knowing how long the line was around 4:30ish we found out! It looped around the building that is one city block!!

We finally got in and actually got seats! Thank GOD! My camera isn't that great so I didn't get any good pics of the concert but I now have a new fav band! Check out Blue October! My Favorite Balance Beam and Pulling Heaven Down...now he did them all acoustic and they were wonderful! I was crying during some of them...and it was so cool to see and MEET Stephanie Meyer! We also got her autograph on a limited edition bookplate! DeAnna was awsome and made us 'Forks' earrings and got Cullen crest t-shirts! Which Stephanie Meyer loved!!

After the concert we decided to stay in NYC for the midnight releasal of the book. With book in hand at 12:34 we headed to the train station to read on our trip home!

2 Kitchen Nightmares

2008-07-25T11:36:00.000-07:00

Well, for anyone keeping track...it was officially 9 years and 13 days that I made something that Brent and I refused to eat!!
I was trying to 'create' something for lunch. We had steak for dinner the night before and I found terrakyi sauce and pineapples and rice....throw it all together and viola! Something really not worth eating! The only sad thing was it smelled really good!

And on a sad note I lost a dear friend in the kitchen as well...due to slippery fingers, bad grip and a hard surface my rectangle stone that I bought in Oct of 99 bit the dust and on it's way down took a finger nail and smashed a toe!

You will be missed! But already replaced! I can't live without my stone!

Dancing

2008-07-24T07:49:00.000-07:00

If this doesn't make you smile and have hope for us I don't know what will!

Summer Recap....

2008-07-20T11:19:00.000-07:00

So, this summer has come and gone...Brent was gone for 6 weeks of it...to Alabama.

In a nutshell...Daina came to visit...

Brent left we with a really nice suprise...

Melissa stayed with us and cooked good food!

Mom came and there were movies to be watched!

a trip to DC for Mom...

an 9th anniversary celebrated from a distance...

a 4th of July spent at the mall...

all to end with the return of Daddy! And all is well with the world once again~

The Luckiest of ALL days!

2008-06-13T07:20:00.000-07:00

Today is Friday the 13! And 61 years ago, a handsome young man named Philip and a beautiful young lady named Evelyn said their "I dos"! My Grandparents are celebrating 61 years today! And the amazing thing is they also married on a Friday 61 years ago. 61 years later they have 2 beautiful daughters and one dashing son, 2 wonderful son-in-laws, a beautiful "Just Judy", 6 grandsons, 4 granddaughters and 1 granddaughter-to-be, 2 great-grandsons and 1 brand new great-granddaughter. They are the most amazing people in the world! They love like there's no tommrow, give with smiles, they have opened up their home to countless guests and family members. They give the best hugs! I could go on and on about them but there isn't enough space on the world wide web! They are great Christian examples to all, and I love them for showing me the way. I love them for so many things! They are the best~!

Happy Anniversary Grandma & Grandpa

Here's to many many more!

He's gone....

2008-05-29T23:30:00.000-07:00

So Brent left for his 6 weeks of NCO academy today...we were all up at BWI at 7:30 this morning! BAH! I didn't cry! The boys thing he is lost at the airport...on our way home the BIG Wal-mart is on the way home so we stopped in for some therapy...I got the boys life jackets so we can go swimming this summer with out worrying about them. They were so tired from waking up so early they didn't fight a nap. Brent called about 4ish to let me know that he got there safe. I tried to call him back and his phone wasn't working. He called back, the kids didn't get to talk to him I figured that they would when they went to bed. But it was an ok day...they missed him at dinner and bed time. Michael cried himself to sleep, and I tried to call Brent and his phone was still not working! Hopefully they can say good night to him tonight! So the countdown begins....

Our Little Graduate!

2008-05-23T09:59:00.000-07:00

Well he did it! We made it thru the 1st year of Preschool! The little ceremony was very cute! Philip was his usual self...but he did sing...some. It's always cute when you put 3 & 4 year old up on a stage and expect them to be...not 3 & 4. So, off we go to Pre-K next year! I can't believe how fast he is growing! I can still remember holding him when he was small. I seems like yesterday we were bringing him home. I just had to have that jacket for him! I went to 3 stores looking for something for him to wear and the last place I went to was Gap. This was in the Easter line so it was on sale! Wooo! And it looks so cute on him!

Philip Graduate of the 3's class!

Miranda & the Horrible, Terrible, No Good VERY Bad Day!

2008-05-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, I had one of those! Thank goodness for little miracles! It all started when I was getting the boys ready for school....Michael has decided to potty train, but instead of the potty he has deemed the floor suitable! So, he peed on the floor....clean up #1. I took Philip to school and Michael was in no mood to be at the office today so I decided to work at home....I was on the phone with Kinkos when I noticed that he was once again naked....and his hands were messy. So I took a deep breath and went into the play room to see what he did...and what he did was Horrible...he had pooed in the playroom and smeared it the length of the playroom and was running his cars back and forth thru it like mud...yes...mud! clean up #2, So I took him to the bath and cleaned him up...clean up #3, having only 5 minutes to go get Philip from school...Milagro was upstairs and I asked if I could leave Michael with her since he was half dressed...she is wonderful in so many ways!

I get Philip, sit him and Michael down in the living room to watch a movie while I clean up the poo....I was not even half way done with that and I hear Milagro screaming!! I run in to see water, the toilet, and a roll of toilet paper...and 2 kids. clean up #4. They had taken the roll and were throwing it into the toilet to see how big of a splash they could get! LOVE these kids! So I put them back on the couch...Milagro cleans up the bathroom...and I head back into the poo room! I call Brent at this point and declare a state of emergency. I go back to the playroom, I was almost done cleaning the floor and was working on cleaning the toys....when Philip comes laughing into the office saying Michael had salted the table, clean up #5. He was also licking it! At that point I didn't know what to do...of the 4 years I have been a mom, at no point did I train for this!

So, without thinking I send both of them upstairs, not because they were in trouble but they couldn't do much more in their room....so I thought! I was finally done with the poo room and Philip comes running down, I had forgotten that the kid knows how to open the gate to their room....he's telling me Michael has made a mess...WHAT!? I walk up stairs and smell something good...hmmm....he was in our room. (I have had a basket of room sprays and fragrance oils in our room for as long as I can remember) There was a huge spot on the floor....clean up #6. But it gets better....Michael smells like lavender & apple jack peel....so does his breath....I ask him if he drank anything and he says yes and it was yucky....

This sends me flying down stairs and to the phone to call poison control....they tell me that the only thing to worry about is the alchol content in the spray and to give him anything sweet to help his blood sugars and to watch for signs of drunken behavior...YES! FUN! Not only that I get to give him sweets for drinking poison! WHAT!! And also, if he inhaled the oil when he was drinking that it could cause pnemonia!!! He didn't show signs of coughing or anything like that and he didn't get sick...so I felt a little better.

By that time I called for lunch and asked Milagro to stay for lunch, she had helped soooo much! We ate lunch, Brent came home...at that point I was very calm almost lethargic. I put the kids down for a nap and sat down and crocheted for the afternoon. I could tell that Brent was aggravated with me but I was too tired to worry, I think he wasn't expecting me to be so blah but I was DONE for the day.

It was a really horribe, terrible, no good, Very bad day!

A Miranda of many names!

2008-04-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

I found this on my cousins' blog...

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME (first pet, current car): Bonnie Blue Oddessy

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe): Cookie Dough Crocs

3. YOUR NATIVE AMERICAN NAME (favorite color, favorite animal): Pink Panda

4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name, city where you were born): Michelle Kansas City

5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 of your first name): Pofmi

6. SUPERHERO NAME (2nd favorite color, favorite drink): Purple Margarita

7. NASCAR NAME (the first names of your grandfathers): Antonio Philip

8. STRIPPER NAME (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy): Princess Kisses (OH MY!)

9. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME (your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter): Smith San Antonio

10. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower): Winter Rose

11. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now): Strawberry Jeans

12. HIPPIE NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree): Oreo Cherry Blossom

I love the whole world!

2008-04-16T06:31:00.001-07:00

Finally a girl!

2008-04-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

This is our newest addtion! Her name is Holly Golightly she is a very petite 8 month old cat. She was a bit of a impulse...I was getting the bulliten printed at Staples and while I was waiting I walked out I could have gone to Borders (where I would spend lots of money) or Petsmart (where I would maybe get something for Rocky). So I went to Petsmart, walked around the dog section and saw on one side of the store they actually had an adoption center. Curious I went over and there was a small room with kennels and lots of cats! There was also a volunteer inside. So I go in...the 1st kennel on the top at eye level is this sweet tiny cat! I put my hand up to the cage and she starts purring and rubbing my hand like crazy! It was love at first sight. I asked the lady about her...she was rescued from a kill shelter and was really just needing a home.

I came home and well, Philip and I went back to go pick up the cat. We brought her home and Michael immediately loved her! She has taken to us pretty well too! Her and Rocky are still getting used to each other. She's so sweet and loves to cuddle. Which makes me happy

I got to pick her name....Holly Golightly is Audrey Hepburn's character in Breakfast at Tiffany's. She finds a stray cat in the movie and realizes that she too is a stray that needs love. I thought it fit since the cat was a stray and she is so small and petite. I'm looking for a Tiffany blue collar for her. It would be the only color for her!

A trip to Whoville!

2008-04-09T06:18:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday we all took a trip to IHop to enjoy the Who cakes and green eggs & ham! Also the 'special drink'

They were really good and I don't think I have ingested more sugar in one meal!!! The kids loved them. I was the only one who got the green eggs & ham- it's creamed spinich with scrambled eggs. They were ok.

The Beezlenut splash was really worth getting. The kids had just as much fun as Melissa and I did!

Definetly make a trip to your local Ihop and have a little fun with your food!

A note: they have a kids and an adult serving size of Who cakes. If you order 'Who cakes' they will bring the BIG order. Philip actually at all 5 pancakes! Michael did his best!

My Nephew, Andrew

2008-03-31T18:37:00.000-07:00

Well, it happened! Someone in my family had a baby other than me! HA!

And I got to go see him and spend LOTS of time with the little guy and his Momma, my sister Samantha! And I got to meet my brother in law! FINALLY!

I in tears walking down the terminal when I saw, Samantha, Bryan and a pram! I knew that my little nephew was in there! And when I got to see him he was PERFECT! I couldn't stop taking pictures of him! His little hand holding his mommas. All of the little coos, noises they were precious. I thought it was so neat to watch Samantha hold Andrew and care for him! I couldn't help but remember us as kids and now we are mommies!

I was saying good night to the boys one night and Philip asked if he could sing Andrew a song, so we put him on the speaker, and he sang his daddy's lullaby to him. It's the song from Babe: "If I had words to make a day for you....I'd sing you a morning golden and new....I would make this day last for all time...and give you a night deep in moonshine." At that point I cried, and cried.

I had a great week visiting with my sister and my brother in law and meeting my new nephew!

I miss him already! I can't wait to see the whole family again! And hopefully introduce them to my boys!

The BEST Birthday Present!

2008-03-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

This is the last of the BEST birthday present ever!

My dear friend DeAnna is so sweet and thoughtful! When I was preggo with Michael I craved baklava and the best was from Harrods in London! But it's hard to always get there and it's expensive. Well, what can you say, 30 layers with butter, honey and nuts! Now, I love it anyways, even when I'm not pregnant.

Anyways, knowing this DeAnna made baklava for me when I was preggo and you know what?...her's is better! I think I had it 2-3 times during my pregnancy with Michael. Knowing that each batch was a labor of love. Well, as most of you know we were pregnant at the beginning of this year, and by my birthday we had lost the baby. I hadn't gotten to call every one yet to tell them and I really couldn't say it any more. But it was about the 2nd of February and we got a box from Dee and her family. She had birthday presents for the boys and a present for me. I was a little shocked to see plastic ware in the box....then I knew...And I cried! Yes, I cried over baklava! I cried because I knew I had a wonderful friend. I cried because I had some CRAZY hormones surging thru me! I cried because she knew I loved this last time I was pregnant. I cried because I wasn't anymore. But I cried because I don't think I have ever been blessed as much as I was in that moment.

Yes, baklava gave me a revlation. And I loved it! I was very nice and did share...and thought it was sooo sweet that Jason helped out too! I ate it very slowly sometimes and didn't other times. I have to say it's the best baklava ever! But I still just really like going to Harrods!

Thank you DeAnna!

It's a small world after all.....

2008-03-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

....it's a small world after all, it's a small world after all, it's a small world after all, it's a small, small world.....

OK enough of that! One would wonder why I chose the mind numbing song....

Well, I was leaving my driveway yesterday afternoon and got just about to the edge of my yard when I saw a familiar burgandy SUV and 'over seas' tags, proudly flying Redskins flags. Not really believing what I was seeing I flashed the car and as he slowed down...it was MATT! Our friend, Matt from England! (we were thier sponsors, when they came to the UK back in 04) Small world....I was like what are you doing here!!?? Turns out his bro works at the school across from us. I pointed to my house and said that's where we live! He stopped by for a quick visit with Brent. And hopefully will come over for dinner next week.

This is one of the reasons why I really love the military....you have friends all over the world and sometimes right on your door step!

Terrific Twos!

2008-03-16T20:30:00.000-07:00

Today Michael is 2 years, 2 months, 2 weeks and 2 days old!

Gifts...

2008-02-27T08:20:00.000-08:00

Question: If money wasn't an issue what gifts would you give the 5 most important people in your life?

1. For Brent: I would give him a 64 1/2 Mustang and all the parts to be able to restore it with the boys, I would get him a membership to the golf course (he has to get in his PT some how), and a basement fully decorated like a pub (with all of his military stuff on the walls) with bar (all the Guiness stuff and all of the different glasses for the different beers) A custom made hold'em table with personalized chips, soft leather chairs and couches, a BIG TV with a custom made center for the game systems, surround sound set up like a theater (places for all of his superhero stuff), A pool table and air hockey table, a little putting area with all of his golf stuff, A pin ball machine and a seperate table to be able to play other games on, an area for playing with legos and making models, and a fire place. Oh, I would have a pub sign made for him too. I would also give him a fully equipped (Craftsman) heated garage with a Red Corvette, Yellow Lamb and a Toyota Truck with tow and a fishing boat. I would also get him the best seats in what ever town we lived in to see the Cardinals and Rams when they came to town. I would also send him, Patrick and Jason Harrison to Ireland to have a VIP tour of the Guiness factory (where he will buy all of the Guiness stuff).

2. For Philip & Michael: I would give them college funds, wedding funds, put away $50,000 for a down payment on a house, and a play room with a full Lego wall and bouncy castle, a library with comfy chairs and good lighting with tables to put puzzles together on and play games on, and a Disney cruise to see the real Black Pearl. I would also put in 'little toilets' for them. And a play fort outside with electricity so they can have a clubhouse and a swing set with spiral slides.

3. For Mia: I would set her up with a Paula Dean kitchen! And let her and an interior decorator go nuts in her house. I would get her a maid so she can relax and spend more time with her hubby. I would give her standing tickets to come to where ever we live 3 times a year or more if she wants. I would get her a closet like in Princess Diaries 2 and take her shopping at H&M till she got tired (not me) and I would take her on a European trip just us to clothes and furniture shop! Being able to ship anything home we buy!

4. For Mom: Cathy: I would get her a contractor and start from the ground up and let her tell them exactly what she wants in a house and have it built in 30 days! (Hey if they can do it in 7 on Extreme Home Makeover they can do it in 30 Days) I would buy her EVERY color and make of Crocs that they have. I would take her to China to see the Snow Monkeys. And I would also get her a maid who cleans, irons, mends, and cooks (when she doesn't want to). I would get her a staff that would take care of the orchard when they weren't there so the fruit could be harvested and taken care of. Also so she wouldn't have to pick for people anymore only when she wanted fruit to make things with.
Daina: I would let her have the pick of a ROCK in Tiffany's and have it set in what ever piece she wants it in. I would get her the same contractor that built Mom's house to make her a house of her dreams complete with house staff and pool boy! ;0) And I would take her to Paris, London and New York and have a complete wardrobe made for her along with shoes....LOTS of SHOES!
Judy: I would hire the contractor to have him do all of the projects around the house. A brand new state of the art can cook 6 pies at once stove/oven. I would send her and Daddy to Paris twice a year in the summer and winter until they didn't want to go anymore. I would also buy her a house in Cabo on the beach so her and the girls can go it it when ever they want. I would also get her a maid and office assistant (to keep the paper under control) :0) And a vineyard in France where she can grow and produce her own wonderful wine. She would need a jet to be able to check on the vineyard and a House there too with staff.

5. For Angie: I would get her a full time maid and an on-call Nanny for when she needs a break. I would set her up with tickets to come see us where ever we are. I would hire the contractor once again to have him build the house of thier dreams with a heated garage for Mel to fix up cars in. And I would fly her with our boys to London, hire the photographer that took the Abbey Road picture and have him take one with the 6 of us (the 2 little ones would be bare foot) and have it blown up and framed. I would also, fly her and I to LA and have the LA Ink girl do our tattoos that we have been talking about forever!

That would be nice!

There are 2 more Poffs on the Road!!

2008-02-21T15:16:00.000-08:00

So, this is what Uncle Patrick got the boys for Christmas/Birthday

Now, I normally don't like the combining of gifts thing unless it's a pony or car....so this is a car and it's ok! :0)

And they couldn't have done anything better with it in the 1st few seconds they have it!

Sorry Aunt Mia!

Whoo Hoo Beagles!

2008-02-18T09:10:00.000-08:00

This is the Westminster Kennel Club over all best in show!! A BEAGLE! A really cute beagle named Uno. Numero Uno!

Being a Beagle Mommy I couldn't be prouder to have a sweet Rocky! Who drives me crazy with his Baaaarrrooo!! And who just celebrated his 1st birthday too!

So Way to go Uno! And Happy Birthday Rocky Doggy!!

Valentine's a la Miranda!

2008-02-15T15:22:00.000-08:00

Ah, my first Valentine's day with kids who actually give out valentines! How exciting! So I went on familyfun.com (a website must for families. And found these really cute valentines and had the glow sticks on hand. Always have LOTS of cardstock.

Philip helped cut out the hearts and Brent and I carefully glued on the hearts and threaded the delicate glow sticks thru. I only say 'delicate' because I snapped 2 and made them glow. (oops)
But they were a hit! And lots of fun! The party was really fun! They invited moms/dads to come. And they specially invited Michael who thought it was really neat. They made the kids lunch. And they made handprint butterflies which is now proudly displayed in the dining room, need to frame! And they had thier own Valentine's boxes and everyone brought valentines. They also made cards, which Philip handed to me and said,

'Here Happy I Love You Day'

I also made these heart shaped lollipops with white chocolate and milk chocolate for writing. They are super easy! All you have to do is dolip chocolate with a spoon and form a heart, then swirl the sticks and I cheat by freezing them to hard set. Then the little packaging! I thought they turned out really good! I have taken to making candies. It's lots of fun!

2008 Resouloutions revised

2008-02-15T12:14:00.000-08:00

I had a great pregnancy, no matter how short
Do plan on going to Sonic still!
Redecorate my office at church.
Read the bible and try my hardest to UNDERSTAND it!
Finish Philip's monkey blanket by his birthday (9 Feb) Finished 2 Feb
Set aside 1 day a month and take the boys out to lunch, just us. -went 2 times so far.
Go on 12 dates with Brent! Went on 3 so far!
Finish Philip and Michael's baby books by July so I can be done!
Make good use of my clean house!
Finish one of my many incompleted projects a month. 1.Monkey blanket 2. girly blanket 3. grab bags for Phil's party, working on the baby lovey & star blanket.
Go to Curves 3 times a week
Send off Christmas before Christmas.
Make menus and stick to them. Not doing too bad on this....
Make homemade pasta
Make homemade cinnamon rolls
Make homemade ribbon candy
Perfect my flour tortillas
Read a book a day to the boys
Tell my family how much they mean to me every time I can
Make a gingerbread house from scratch
Wake up 1x a week with Brent and have breakfast with him Haven't done this at all!
Finish 25 scrapbook pages a month So far I'm 48 pages behind
Turn the TV off!
Use my bread maker at least during the winter and fall.
Play with the boys when ever they ask.
Take all the pictures I can to not miss a moment
Write down the little things the boys say. So I never forget.

5 Things (I got tagged)

2008-02-15T10:12:00.000-08:00

5 little known facts about me-

1. I had to take voice lessons when I was a younger because I had to scream to be heard at the daycare I was at. They made me talk like Marilyn Monore.
2. I was 19 before I ever rode a roller coaster and that was also the last time...
3. I still get the 'butterflies' when ever I see Brent (even when we aren't getting along)
4. I Hate (yes, I dropped the 'H' bomb) when people bite their fingernails!
5. My engagement ring was originally a size 4 1/2 and now it's a 5 1/4 (the only thing small about me!)

5 places I want to go -

1. New York City
2. Austrailia to go to Steve's Zoo
3. Austria to buy crystal
4. Mexico to see the Aztec ruins
5. Africa to go on a safari

(places I want to go back to- England, Rome, Paris, Hawaii, Disney parks)

5 things I can't live without-

1. Camera
2. Creative Memories
3. Bible
4. Journal
5. Kitchen (and all things in it!)

Philip is 4....

2008-02-10T14:38:00.000-08:00

Well it happened! Philip turned 4...he's 4 years, or 48 months, or 1460 days old!! Not going into the hours or minutes thing...He had a great day! Grandma Cathy was here, Aunt Mia and Uncle Patrick came as well to celebrate with us! His birthday started on the Thursday when he had is 'in class' party with his school. We made (British) flapjacks and sliced apples at his request. He got a sticker, crown, fun star sunglasses and a special present from his teachers. He even managed a green face the whole day!

The day of his birthday started with breakfast, and a trip to the grocery store. Needless to say it was a stressful day. (Mom tip-No more parties on the actual birthday, don't really get to enjoy the day with the birthday boy!) Thank goodness I had enough sense to have an evening party! Aunt Mia designed the cake and I made the frosting, we decorated it! The Pirate theme was lots of fun! We made pirate lollipops with skeleton and jolly rogers on them. The floating boat and gold coin cupcakes were yummy!

The menu for dinner was:

~Beef and tomato kebabs~pirate's teeth (corn)~tri colored seaweed (pasta)~Treasure Chest fruit salad~gold fish crackers~and not to forget CHEESE CURLS (Veggietale thing)~Lime Grog Punch- to ward off the survy!

We played a toss game with a pirate hamper that Grandma bought Philip. Watched (or had in the background) Jonah (With the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything) Ate, drank and were all around merry! He got a lot of great treasure and was more than happy in true Pirate fashion to be greedy!

Over all it was a great day and he hopefully will remember it as a great day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PHILIP!

WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S NOT MY BIRTHDAY!

2008-02-08T15:19:00.000-08:00

This is a reaction to why he didn't get a free ice cream! He SCREAMED!! LOVE IT!

My 28th Birthday

2008-02-06T11:12:00.000-08:00

So really I guess my birthday started the 31st when after I cried for a week for my mom to come help me (Not only did I misscarry, Philip got the croupe) I really could use a drought!

Brent got home really late the 31st and when he got home he told me that there was a package and asked me to help bring it in....well it was mom! So, that was the beginning of the 28th birthday.

We woke up and got every one ready and left the house at noonish. We went to have lunch at McD's (the boys choice) and got pictures made at Picture people (they turned out really good!) Shopped at the town center. Bought things for the kids. Went home picked a place to go eat. I had to go to the bank and some how we wound up shopping again....Melissa got to the house, mom decided to get her ears pierced so that took a while. But we got back and went to Los Portales. And I got my tamale fix and margarita fix too! They brought the sombrero out and the guitar and sang. I can honestly say that was a 1st for me! It was fun! Came home late and watched a little TV and went to sleep.

P.S. Wondering what Brent got me??? Me too! He is going to give me my present at my party that I'm having with Ruth later this month.

A long time coming....

2008-02-02T10:31:00.000-08:00

As some of you noticed....the 'egg' went away. And yes that only means one thing...we lost the baby on 24 Jan. (we were 9 weeks) It was horrible and VERY painful and really hope no one will have to ever go thru that EVER! It not only is physically painful but it's emotionally horrific. I'll spare the gorry details but it was like being in a nightmare, we wound up in the ER due to the fact I saw my "10" on a pain scale. Thank God for narcotics!

The only thing that got me thru was God's love thru others. I know that sounds really hokey but it's the straight truth. We were so blessed by others since it began and even in the end we still could see the blessings even though they were some times overwhelming. I sometimes felt really hurt knowing that God gives and takes away. I wished he wouldn't have taken so he wouldn't have to give, but it's His plan not mine. I am truly grateful for the prayers and all of the love thru ice cream & magic shell, drinks! :0), flowers, cards, hugs, tears, smiles, calls, and just letting me be sad when I need to be and be happy when I can.

So it's been a little while, I still cry...I still don't know why, people tell me it's nature's way but I don't buy it. For some reason we were given the blessing without our knowing and for some reason we lost it. I'm still messed up. I don't know if I want (or if we want) to try again now or later. We fell inlove with our baby no matter how small. We began to plan...we had due dates, we had a nursery floor plan, we had a baby....we called it 'Cube' (for the 3rd Poff baby) Brent talked to it and I began to sing to it in the shower (better acoustics). It was our very special Christmas Present. It was ours.

I get so upset when people say you shouldn't tell or plan anything untill 12 weeks...well I'll tell you something as soon as I know that there is life (and by life I mean a positive pregnancy test or sore boobs) None of this pro choice crap it's a life as soon as the 2 cells start to split primitave as it may be! ...that the more people that are praying for you and the baby and sending good thoughts up that nothing but blessings will come down.

So thank you for all of the prayers that went up on behalf of 'Cube'. I know they were heard and that good will come out of this because God is Good all the time.

20 Rules that I have broken.....

2008-01-20T11:59:00.000-08:00

The 1st one would be the easiest one.....speeding....thankfully I have gotten better since I carry precious cargo in the car with me.
To not kiss on the 1st date. I can't help myself sometimes!
To not feed my kids junk food.....They LOVE oreos!
To not share hairbrushes.
To not yell at my kids. (working on it)
To let the kids eat infront of the TV
To let my kids watch more than 2 hours of TV a day
I have not always been patient with people
I let my babies sleep on thier backs if they rolled over. (Rule I don't break.....Don't wake a sleeping baby)
I make up my own rules for Pit, I competely ignore the rule book!
I have worn white shoes after labor day and before memorial day
I have registered to vote but didn't
I have paid bills late....
I have mixed pasiley with stripes in a scrapbook
I go outside with my hair wet ALL the time
I let my kids drink fizzy drinks and they had tirimasu for dessert today!
I don't always color in the lines
I haven't always honored my mother and father
I didn't always go to chapel in college
I skipped school (college) with my own mom! (But it grew our relationship so I don't know if that was so bad...)

I'm sure there are many more....but who's perfect???

Are there any rules you have broken??

Possible Due Dates.....

2008-01-16T06:02:00.001-08:00

Since we are having another ultrasound sometime this week....we have a 2 week difference in the results of the 1st ultrasound and the LMP date. After this ultrasound they will take the average and figure how far along I am......either way the doc told me that she does scheduled c-sections on Wednesdays.

So we have 4 possible birthdays:
August 20, 27
September 3, 10

That's about all I know for now...
Brent's happy that he won't lose his birthday!

100 things I LOVE about England!

2008-01-11T14:58:00.000-08:00

Before I am tarred and featherd.....there are about 1000 things I love about America....that will come later! So before you pass judgement and think I'm not a patriot, read these and you too may want to go to the land of our fathers!

(These are in no particular order)

1. Philip Scott born 9 Feb 2004
2. Michael Allen born 29 Dec 2005
3. bangers (cumberland sasuage with apples) and Mash-
4. sasuage rolls
5. PG Tips
6. scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam
7. High Street Shopping
8. profiteroles
9. Knightsbridge
10. lavender bushes
11. Lambing weekends.
12. farmers Markets on friday
13. organic Baby food!
14. 30 second tea kettles
15. Tesco
16. Boots
17. The fresh produce
18. The 5th of November
19. Joan Mitchell
20. LONDON
21. Abbey Road
22. Cornish Pasties
23. The Ice Cream Man!
24. roundabouts
25. BBC Radio 1
26. # 7 Goshawk Close
27. Stonehenge
28. Covent Garden
29. "OY!"
30. Hard Rock
31. roses
32. Christmas Crackers
33. Hyde Park
34. Big Ben
35. Peter Pan
36. GREEN Springs
37. Hangar Dances
38. BBQs on the green
39. Alison, Frank, Alessandro, Luca and Daniela
40. Alconbury Independent Baptist Church
41. bouncy castles
42. Cottage Pie!
43. Science Museum
44. Natural History Muesum
45. Picadilly Circus
46. Red Phone Booths
47. Bev, Mark, Korey, Analise, Louis and Adam
48. Leister Square
49. Harry Potter
50. Milky Bars
51. Thornton's
52. The WEST END!
53. Woolworth's
54. Brampton Pie Co.
55. flapjacks
56. Cadbury
57. Father Christmas
58. Cotswolds
59. "Bump"
60. The arrivals gate at Heathrow/Gatwick Airport
61. Cambridge
62. Platform 9 3/4
63. Kings Cross
64. THE TUBES
65. Harrod's
66. Harrod's Baklava
67. Double Decker Buses
68. The Food Hall in Harrod's
69. London Eye
70. The Orbital (really)
71. Brown toast with Irish butter and lime marmalade
72. radiatior heat
73. warm towels in the morning
74. crush
75. real Cheddar cheese
76. picnics
77. jacket potatoes with mushrooms & cheese
78. McClaren strollers
79. Tatty Teddies
80. Sarah, Michael, Claire, Paul and Charlie & Joshua too!
81. cot beds
82. Tesco onsies
83. Mothercare
84. Madame Tussaud's
85. playgrounds
86. shortbread
87. Sticky Toffee Pudding
88. Charlie and Lola
89. RAF Alconbury, Molesworth & Upwood
90. conservatories
91. Minis
92. the rain
93. when the sun comes out
94. castles
95. old churches
96. thatched roofs
97. The Beatles
98. London Taxis
99. Goshawk Close

100. The lifelong friendships that we made there and the fact that it will always and forever be 'home' to me!

I AM A CHICKEN!!!

2008-01-09T16:30:00.000-08:00

So, the ultrasound to figure out when my due date is was this afternoon.....

First of all, I drank my bloody 24 ounces of fluid on top of my regular amount of fluid I consume due to the fact I'm pregnant (about 64 oz all together) and we get to the place and my appointment is at 1:30....

So my legs crossed, and eyes swimming I wait and there is a fish tank in the waiting room with a VERY loud trickle sound of water!!!

Now, I can be very patient...but when you have drank soooo much water and it's 10 minutes past your appointment you turn into a very impatient person.....to put it nicely.

It took me about a minute to stand up all the while telling myself to not pee...and walk to the front desk asking where the bathroom was....the lady tells me that I need to have a full bladder and I (as nicely as I can) tell her that it was nearly 15 minutes ago....she also asks me why I drank so much water, I kindly tell her that I was pregnant.

The bathroom was close! Ahhhh....

I go back and sit and Brent the whole time is laughing at me. NOW here is my question....WHY do they torture pregnant women. I was actually told that it wasn't necessary to have a full bladder unless they were looking at the cervix. Well we just wanted to find out the due date.

I get called back and get up on the table. Thankfully I still had a rather full bladder so that was nice. I have had LOTS of ultrasounds with the boys and always had really nice techs that tell me what they are looking at as they are looking. This lady didn't, but since I have seen so many I wondered where the baby was....the 2nd part of the ultrasound was coming and I asked if Brent and the boys could come in, she thought I was alone. So they come in. I had shown Philip his 'early' ultrasounds so he would know what we were looking at.

And we see.....nothing....now I don't know when this all happened but I do know my LMP and that we were noticing something 'not right' the week before Christmas and found out on Christmas. So we figured that we were about 6ish weeks. All I saw was a black hole (water) she did point out the yolk sac but when I asked where the 'baby' was she told me there was no baby.

WHAT!! My next question was....am I Pregnant? She looked at me like I was stupid. And said from the mesurement of the gestational sac I was barely 4 weeks. Now I'm no scientist nor am I a doctor but that doesn't make sence....that would have me 2 weeks when I found out that I was and the week that I became preggo I started having symptoms.....

This confused me. So I asked again why couldn't we see a baby (the teddy bear) she said that there was no baby basicly if I cracked open a chickens egg that's what we were looking at. Now, with the wonderful internet and all of the technology that we have you can 'see' what a baby looks like at every week of development....including the little growing thing that counts down the days on my blog. So I can see that there is something that is developing it may be small but it's still there. So she shows us the blood flow which was cool and I asked if we could hear a heart beat....she reminded me that there was no baby so no heart....

I was beginning to think that she had no heart! And that there is a heart & circulatory system at 21 days.....hmmmm So needless to say... this lady was not nice!

I felt so bad when Philip asked where mommy's baby was...I think I would have hurt the woman if she told my child that there was no baby....

So she gave us a picture of the 'egg' and said that we would more than likely be sent back in a few weeks where there was a baby to look at. Well, I won't be going back to that place I will ask to go to another radiology clinic.

And we still don't know when we are due!!

Kids say the silliest things.....

2008-01-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

Philip to Aunt Mia- these are the rules....1.be good 2. Don't break the rules.

Michael to the play phone- Hello? Hi! Just a minute (pushes the button) Hello? Can't talk right now ok bye (pushes the button again) Still there?

Michael to Brent-
Brent-Hi
Michael-Hi
Brent-are you ok?
Michael- I'm ok
Brent- Whatcha doing?
Michael- making messes!

Philip to Miranda-
Miranda-Philip please put away this toy (repeated 3 times getting louder every time)
Miranda- How many times do I have to ask you before you will put it up!!!???
Philip- 99!

Philip to Ms Frankie
(After completing a hot or cold project) Frankie-A BBQ isn't cold....
Philip- Daddy was awfully cold the other day when he was using it!

Michael to Miranda
Hi mommy I love you!

Philip to Miranda
Miranda-Mommy is having another baby....
Philip-Is Michael going to get smaller?
Do I have to go back in your tummy?

Philip to Brent- Don't worry dad it will all be alright...someday we'll live in a castle and have servants, you'll see everything's going to be ok....(the kid watches Alladin too much)

Michael to Melissa- Gimmie Phone NOW!

Philip to Miranda- (after showing Philip a picture of what the baby looks like a 6 weeks in a book) It looks like a fish! No, wait a snake!

Michael to EVERYONE- I a silly boy!

Iowa.....oh Iowa......

2008-01-04T08:08:00.000-08:00

The election year is up and running and last night was the Iowa caucus.....

And the winners were Senator Obama for the Democratic ticket
and Governor Huckabee for the Republican ticket

I have NO idea who to vote for in the election in November, thank goodness I have 11 months to figure that out....and this doesn't solidify the party tickets for these 2 people...

But here are some things that have crossed my mind about the 2 people that could historically change this country.

Obama- I don't know much about him, I know that Oprah likes him, that he has 2 young children, when ever he and his wife are on TV they really look in love and happy and he's running for president. He seems like a nice guy.

1. Obama worries me because he doesn't put his hand over his heart during the National Anthem. Now, it may not seem like a BIG thing, but will this cause other people to not do it??? Will they stop teaching it in schools? For some reason it bothers me, I know that because of the wonderful country we live in that we have the choice and that he has the choice but if he wants to run this country to show a little respect in a tradition of ours.

2. He wants to take out the troops...now I don't like the fact that we are STILL at war....and that young men & women are dying but I really feel if we pull out now or in the near future that it will just cause my boys and their generation to have to fix it again.

3. I do like that he supports the Guest Worker program.

4. I do like that he thinks that "marriage" is a word meant for a man & a woman.

Huckabee- I know a little more about him because I lived in AR during his governorhood. I know that he is a Baptist preacher, that he lived in a triple wide while the Governors mansion was being updated and renovated, that he's a father of grown children and he's from ARKANSAS!!

1. This is what worries me....he's from ARKANSAS! As far as I know it's at least in the 40s for ranking in Education, medical care, poverty, and housing.

2. Why do the American people think that a governor from Arkansas can run the country?? I have nothing against him as a person....he seems like a nice guy but from Arkansas...

3. He did create the Covenant Marriage act and that 'marriage' is for a man & a woman.

4.He thinks that we should finish what we started in Iraq and finish it right...

So there is my little political say for the moment...
I'm excited to be so close to DC during all of this and for the chance to maybe meet a Presidential Candide Republican or Democrat.

The Devil comes in very pretty packages!

2008-01-03T22:30:00.000-08:00

So, I haven't read the Golden Compass books or seen the movie nor will I. But from what I have read about it and the buzz that the movie has created I have come to the conclusion that it's horrible.

From what I understand....there is a little girl that is given the 'golden compass' she is supposed to save children from evil people that are hurting them. With the help of her morphing demon, (yes, demon) and a polar bear they go to save the world.

The books from what I have read say that there is much violence done to the children to include castration and abuse unspeakable. And that they practice killing God. The movie 'toned' down the violence and from one friend that went and saw the movie said that they took out most of the God killing but did make the Catholic church look like the bad guys. Much to the shock of the the Catholic church Nicole Kidman (being Catholic) defended the movie.

The author himself is a self proclaimed athiest. And these books according to him are his anwser to the Chronicles of Narnia books (that were written by a Christian and have MAJOR Christian undertones and values) He hates all things Christian and good as far as I'm concerned.....

This is directly from his website:
"But organised religion is quite another thing. The trouble is that all too often in human history, churches and priesthoods have set themselves up to rule people's lives in the name of some invisible god (and they're all invisible, because they don't exist) – and done terrible damage. In the name of their god, they have burned, hanged, tortured, maimed, robbed, violated, and enslaved millions of their fellow-creatures, and done so with the happy conviction that they were doing the will of God, and they would go to Heaven for it.
That is the religion I hate, and I'm happy to be known as its enemy."

And then goes on in another part of his website to say that most of his writing is for Children!!

So, what had bothered me most about this whole thing is that they made this sooo geared to children. The movie itself is rated PG 13 but yet they made tons of toys to make kids want to re-create it, meaning that they would have to see it. Now I actualy give parents lots of credit but the fact that the media had already made the decision for them because the previews are very big, bright and there's a big talking polar bear! Who wouldn't want to see that?

But it get worse! tonight while Brent and I were on our date there was a commercial for the Golden Compass video game!!!! And it even made a point to say. "with the help of her morphing demon" I actually heard an adult say WOW cool!!! When did the help of morphing demons become something we want to have on our side???

Demons! The helpers of the devil, it actualy looks cute at times.....there is something really wrong with this.

Well, wether you have read the books, seen the movies liked them or not I for one will not support this person and his mission work for the devil! And how he makes it look so nice and great just makes it even harder for Christians to dodge the minefields of him.

Resolutions 2008

2008-01-02T10:00:00.000-08:00

Well 2008 is here and it's taken me a few days to decide what I wanted to attempt to do, not do, or achieve in 2008.....

And here it is......

Have a great pregancy- try to have Sonic at least 2, enjoy the little things, smile every time the baby kicks, get lots of rest, and thank God every day for the blessing He gave us.
Redecorate my office at church.
Read the bible and try my hardest to UNDERSTAND it!
Finish Philip's monkey blanket by his birthday (9 Feb)
Set aside 1 day a month and take the boys out to lunch, just us.
Go on 12 dates with Brent!
Finish Philip and Michael's baby books by July so I can start the new baby's book!
Make good use of my clean house!
Finish one of my many incompleted projects a month.
Go to Curves 3 times a week
Send off Christmas before Christmas.
Make menus and stick to them.
Make homemade pasta
Make homemade cinnamon rolls
Make homemade ribbon candy
Perfect my flour tortillas
Read a book a day to the boys
Tell my family how much they mean to me every time I can
Make a gingerbread house from scratch
Wake up 1x a week with Brent and have breakfast with him
Finish 25 scrapbook pages a month
Turn the TV off!
Use my bread maker at least during the winter and fall.
Play with the boys when ever they ask.
Take all the pictures I can to not miss a moment
Write down the little things the boys say. So I never forget.

2007 in Review

2008-01-01T09:30:00.000-08:00

January- New Years! Michael took his 1st steps. Quit nursing...

February- My 27th birthday, Philip turned 3, Mom came to visit from Iraq, Mia came for the birthday party, Super hero Birthday party, The ice storm and Valentines day!, Philip potty trained!

March- The great snow storm & sledding, snow ice cream, visited Philadelphia, Harrisons, Poffs and found Steve, went to Jenn's 30th birthday party!, St. Patrick's Day! allergy testing for Phil- allergic: white potatoes, carrots, vanilla, peanuts and sesame seeds!, Brent gets his award from Molesworth, Michael holds his breath and passes out causing a 911 call, Easter party with friends at church, played at the Baysocks field!

April- Adopted the pup, Rocky the beagle, Harrisons came for Easter went to Baltimore; Hard Rock and Children's museum, Easter egg hunt and celebrated Ryan's birthday, went to SONIC in Delaware! with Melissa and Ruth, took the boys ice skating, Tacky party at church, Memoranza, and the tulips that Philip planted bloomed!

May- Michael got his 'big boy car seat', Uncle Carl visited, Bike rodeo, Matt's graduation!, Mother's day, Uncle Vic, Aunt Joyce and girls come for a visit, Grandpa Paul comes to visit, Memorial Day, Get a great part time job as Church secretary, get a new Preacher.

June- Philip's 1st pinewood derby, Fixing the Rodeo (or 'busted up truck'), Father's Day, Reagan visits, go to DC see the National BBQ festival (STARVE), go to International Children's festival, concerts in the park, Julie's baby shower.

July- Swim party, Michael's 1st time swimming, Our 8th Wedding anniversary went to Bennihana's and saw Phantom of the Opera at the Kennedy center, 4th of July, fun at the beach, fireworks at the park, fly to KC visit Grandpa and Judy, Winn Family Reunion in Branson, Philip's 1st VBS, go to 6 Flags, Poker night, Harry Potter book 7, made the boys a book nook.

August- Cards and Nats game with Spillers, Ager shower, Went to see Dog with Melissa in DC (I still LOVE you, DOG!!!) The camera died, Poff girls visit for week.

September- Poffs camping, Ager Labor day picnic, 1st Pedicure, Philip's 1st day of school!!!, Ladies retreat, Grandma Daina visits, Brent's 29th (poker) Birthday party, 1 last swimming party.

October- 1 year with Creative Memories! Michael gets a big boy bed, Navy Ball, Mom and Dad come home from Iraq, went to the corn maze, Melissa & Miranda's party food craze! Halloween! Sewing and party!

November- The boys meet Bob and Larry, packing of Operation Christmas Child boxes, leaves change colors, Thanksgiving, Black Friday shopping and the flat tire, Marcinkowskis visit, Game night.

December- Tree goes up, 1st snow, More kitchen creations, Ornament exchange, party at Mimms, Decoration of the tree Philip helps this year, SQ party and the 2nd place 5 layer checker board cake, Church Christmas party carnival, Cut 10 inches off, Philip's 1st Christmas program, Visit Santa, Christmas eve with Wilsons & Sharon, Christmas Day, found out about #3!, Michael turns 2! Elmo Birthday Party! New years eve party at church! (didn't make it to 9pm!)

What a great year!!!!! Happy New Year!

Yes! I do know what causes this!!!

2007-12-31T10:48:00.000-08:00

Just in case anyone wants to ask here is the anwser! YES!! I do and we both know what causes this!!!! It's not really rocket science....

Just a little sick and tired (no really, I'm pregnant) of all of the 'you do know what causes this' questions.

It's not like we have kids less than one year apart....or that we are freaking out about the extra financial expenses or that we aren't happy about the suprise. After all said and done Michael and this one will almost be 2 3/4 years apart. Philip will be 4 1/2. It's not that bad of spacing.

We did have other plans....I wanted to lose more weight, let at least one or both boys be in school....let Brent have one more stripe....BUT it's not up to us really. God had his plan and we are ok with it. He has blessed with another little bundle. I know the physical toll it will take on me with having another c-section and the recovery is not the nicest thing I have experienced.

So, just incase you were wondering what causes this....if you don't know I suggest you blame the school systems....and we are considering a TV for our room!! LOL!

Michael turns 2!

2007-12-30T08:30:00.000-08:00

My Baby is 2!!! He has grown up sooo fast! Today was so fast I think I got to cuddle him for a little while before the day began! I went one way and Brent took the boys and went another! And before I knew it I was making a cake and the door bell rang.....

He had an Elmo birthday party with lots of friends and presents! And of course loved every minute of it! He also got a hair cut that makes him look so much like a big boy....
Everyone loved the pizza bar. The kids got to make English Muffin Pizza with lots of toppings and I took orders and made 5 pizzas for the adults. Along with fruit salad (yummy yummy)

The party wouldn't have gone as smoothly if I didn't have my partner in crime Melissa! Thank you THANK YOU!! And as always had lots of fun with you making a mess in the kitchen!!

After all the presents were opened, pizzas consumed and punch was gone I sat down and looked at my sleeping 2 year old and measured his foot to my finger and got teary eyed they grow up so fast! How I wish I could slow time a little just to be able to savor every moment.....

Well Happy Birthday Michael!

P.S. I also realized that I have a 3 and a 2 year old for around 2 months!! LOL!

Tonsils Stink!

2007-12-28T07:09:00.000-08:00

So, I have been told by many docs that my LARGE tonsils with holes in them are normal....yeah, they don't have them!!

So not to get to gross I get icky things in them almost every day and they sometimes scratch the back of my throat making me cough and choke. (having a VERY low gag reflex at the moment) I was trying to cough up one of the things and it got stuck. So I tried to manually take it out with my finger. And what do you know...I managed to tear my tonsil!! It was horrible! I called my doc knowing that if I went to the ER I would be there all day and night. So they sent me to an urgent care center where I had an appointment. The Doc came in and looked at me like how did you do this. And then proceeded to tell me that he had never seen this before!!! That made me feel soooo much better! HA! He said that he couldn't do anything and I need to see and ENT and the worse they would do is numb it and clip off the part that tore and do a few dissolving stitches!!! AHHHHH!!!

So, now I have to make an appointment and the mean time I feel like I need to swallow something that won't go away!! It's very annoying! And now that I have a bigger hole food gets caught in it!!!

Tonsils Stink!!!

Morning Sickness??

2007-12-27T09:34:00.000-08:00

Well it's happened (early I might add) I've been sick! Not just in the morning but last night! And first thing this morning....It's great! NOT!

Ah, here we go again! I wonder why they call it 'morning' sickness? My body doesn't care what time it is!! I told Brent we are going to have to stock up on ginger ale and saltines. (that's my remedy for nausea) I like the little osyter crackers too.

I have my first appointment as well, they said that we will get a picture! That's exciting, I love ultrasounds and the steady train heart beat of a growing baby.

The Christmas Suprise!

2007-12-26T13:06:00.000-08:00

Well, we had a great Christmas and got a suprise! I hadn't felt well for a while, I was tired....I actually couldn't eat food the other day! I ignored the body signs....silly me! So I took a test yesterday and brought Brent home some flowers! We are having Poff baby #3!!! It's crazy but a wonderful blessing!

Jingle Bells according to a 3's class

2007-12-20T08:13:00.000-08:00

This is great! I love Philp's dancing!

4 Years Ago....

2007-10-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

It's been 4 years....since our life changed...the day we landed in England. For some reason it's a major moment of change for me. I was 20 weeks pregnant with Philip and we set off to be in another country for 3 years. Which seemed like FOREVER!! But we landed with high hopes for the future and lots of adventure. Got a whirlwind 'back roads' ride to Alconbury. (NEVER did that again too many roundabouts!!) Arrived at the base, met our sponsor and went to lunch. We were there a day before we found out that a good friend of ours from Scott was stationed there as well!! The 1st night was interesting, found out that there is a magial place called Tesco and KFC isn't worth eating!! But fate there was a McDonald's on the other side of the roundabout. Monday came, and I discovered that I could walk the entire base in 20 minutes!! Where was I?! The Commissary and BX were closed! And that the housing office wouldn't let me look at the house they wanted to give me....so we went off base. We looked at 2 houses, so did another family the exact 2 houses. They took the 1st one and we took the 2nd one we looked at. I think we instantly fell in love with 7! It had a space under the stairs (Like in Harry Potter!) a consevertory, 4 bedrooms (1 was a glorified closet, but it worked for an office and scrapbook room) a garage, a really nice (small) back garden with an apple tree, and the second I saw the room over the garage I saw my nursery!! I think so did Claire (the landlady) and Brent. It was great!! I missed my family everyday. I didn't have a way to get around, Brent worked 12 hour shifts and the fall in England the sun comes up at 8or so and goes down at 6, so not too much sun. That was hard, but when he came home it was just us and that was nice. I did manage to get in on the ESC meeting and meet some great girls!! Most of who are friends on myspace now!! And so, we would go to the Ford's house for football in the middle of the night on Sunday. And Thanksgiving came and went, Christmas, New Years, and then the big day when I woke up with the urge to pee and my water broke...Philip came. Mom was visiting for the birth. He came into our home with love and joy. Months passed, I got to know the neighbors and created a family. Then we got another wild hair and Michael came along. We lived life and didn't realize that time was passing. We went to London, Paris, Rome, all over England, saw wonderful theater! All of the joys babies were enjoyed in true slow motion. Little did I know that time was about to expire in England of us. We packed up and headed to Maryland. The bubble that I had lived in was about to pop. I think that's why I still miss it. It was a safe bubble for me, where my life really changed, I became a mommy there, I got used to the English way of rearing babies!! I miss the lack of choice and having to find something that will work just as well. And realizing that it's better. I missed being near family, but I found one there military and 'native'. Life there is just slower and not so commercial, it's great to not have all of the commercial places that we have here. Sure I missed going to a 'real' mall, but after 3 years of not living at one I don't even miss it. I know it's there but I don't have to go. I think England or the little crappy BX on base cured me of my shopping bug!! Don't get me wrong I still LOVE to get a good deal, I just realized that I don't NEED everything that I think I do. Just to enjoy the little things, like playing with a baby all day and hanging out with friends. So anyways.....we've been here for a year and I still miss it every day...I know that it wouldn't be the same if I went back because it was a moment in time that I cherished and look back on with longing.....and I can't get it back....I do have my 2 gifts from England that remind me every day of the wonderful time that we had there, Philip and Michael! I think it's so hard for me to let it go and move on because in way everything that I ever wanted to be happened there and I can't be there now. That's why I'm in turmoil now, I think. But I need to look at it with a happy heart and be thankful for having that experience. Take it and enjoy the pages that have been made and quit being sad for what was and love what is now. Not worry about what tommrow will be but be happy about today.

So, 4 years ago was the start of a journey that hasn't ended but will continue as long as the good Lord will let me! It won't always be in the same place (thank you Air Force) but I will always have the memories and people that I love along with me!

And Now I Have A Boyfriend!

2007-09-21T19:33:00.000-07:00

So, with the FIOS (it's awesome) installation I couldn't blog about the latest and greatest in my life!

So Melissa and I went to our favorire haunt to celebrate our fasting ending....ah the sun also sets! We waited, there is always a crowd...So we get seated at a table, not our favorite spot. We like the booth in the corner. So we get some totally awsome queso fundido!! TRY IT!! YUM! And our dinners, and traditional drink. And right in the middle of dinner we decide that we are moving, and ask if we can go to our booth, they even help us move all of our stuff. Now I have been going here with Melissa for about 10 months, they know her (her hubby worked there) and are starting to know get to know my face. So, we are at our booth and the host comes over to bring us something and calls me his love. We laugh and he walks away this proceeds a 'will you be my girlfriend' and a marriage proposal. All with the same anwser, "I'm married (happily) with babies. Thank you but, no" Always with a red face and giggles. I don't know what to think. My self esteem is all but non-existant and this throws me for a loop. He even brings extra large fried ice creams with a smile and a "I don't care you are married" Gotta love the persistance! So here I am to him beautiful! So I have to call my hubby and let him know about my proposal of marriage and he asks how much I've had to drink!! I'm laughing Melissa is cracking up! So, we get ready to leave and he tells Melissa (oh, yeah she is my translator, he speaks only a tiny bit of English) to tell me that he hopes to see me a lot because it will make him happy. With that we get the check and had free fried ice cream and more smiles! I love it! Just when I think that I'm the ugliest thing that walks the world. Someone tells me otherwise.

And YES my husband tells me all the time and reguardless that he has to tell me that or he really believes it are 2 different things. I know he loves me and wants to be with me because he thinks I'm beautiful and all of that. It's just really nice to hear it from another person (ie. male)
So, for now I have a 'admirer' and a free ice cream (every now & then) and the pick booth! And Melissa likes that! (the pick booth and ice cream) :0)
That's the excitement in my life! Ah, gotta love Mexican restaraunts! I was serious about the Queso Fundido! It's cheese dip with chorrizo!!

You Know What Sucks?

2007-09-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

Going along and washing your hands and realizing that you have a paper cut in the underneath of your nail!!! OUCH!!! And that's how you find out you have a paper cut! Gotta love secretary work!

The Croc Hunter

2007-09-15T07:47:00.000-07:00

Steve, the Croc Hunter has now been gone from us for a year now. And yet he seems still with us, showing us beauty in animals and that they are truly just as much a part of this world as we are. We were checking into our hotel about to leave England when the TV in the lounge reported that Steve had died. I had to sit down, I couldn't believe it....even knowing that he put his life on the line all the time. I guess I thought he was ivincible and that animals loved him as much as he loved them....and I know that what happened was an accident but it's just so sad. His wife and children especially Bindi are doing a wonderful job of carrying the torch. What made it worse was that just a few months prior Philip had discovered 'Steve' and started watching his shows. Since they were showing so much of him being only 2 1/2 he kept clapping and saying 'I love Steve' thinking that it was just another show. He still watches the Croc Hunter shows and now we have a family favorite, Bindi the Jungle Girl. It's really neat, the sad part is they started filming before Steve died and he has been in all the ones we have seen so far. His wife, Terri is so strong and wonderfully faithful to him still and his mission in life. I couldn't be so strong. My heart goes out to her and the young son who will only really get to know his dad from shows. But I guess he will know his father well in a since because you could see the heart and soul of that man and the love he had for animals. I have watched the croc hunter for as long as I can remember, Brent still has the action figure I bought him back from the Christmas of 2000. Funny thing, the action figure has been thru some attacks himself, from teething babies to puppy teething! He is now safely and proudly displayed on the top of the computer desk. Smiling always, smiling...That's why I guess we all love him...we felt like he was a friend, the crazy friend we all love who always smiled!
So, to the world (human and animal) we all lost a great friend. But we will always have the shows and specials that will always be on for us to see. he world will never be the same because of him and it hasn't been the same since we lost him but what a blessing to have had him in our time to know or at least get a peek into the mind of a man who loved all creatures.

Crikey! We miss you mate!!

We survived the 1st Day of School!

2007-09-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Philip's 1st day of school, preschool, but the 1st time someone else will take care of my baby other than Brent or I during the day for an extended period of time. Don't get me wrong he's had babysitters, but these ladies will be helping raise and mold Phil. And for a Christian school I'm grateful! So, we got up, he wanted cereal, Brent was ready to make what ever he wanted for breakfast, and he wanted kix!! Brent took the day off for moral support. So we got ready, and he brushed his teeth. He looked so cute in his new Gap outfit!! Very grown up. He nearly ran to his classroom! I had to hold his hand to keep him from running. Now, for those of you who don't know...in the picture the door to the left of them is the classroom door and the door to the right with the gray box next to it is my office!! So he's not far....but still! I decided to not work during his 1st day but go home. Brent took Michael to the commissary and I took a NAP! I should have cleaned but with not feeling well I rested, it was wonderful! When it was time to get him we went back to pick him up and they checked thier cubbys and got in line to walk to the foyer. As soon as he saw us he smiled so big and ran right to us!

He had a great 1st day. Once he understood that you have to listen....he loves is teachers too!! I have my 1st piece of art from school too! It's an 'all about me book' very cool! And a Scholastic book sales thingy. I had forgotten all about those!! I'm so excited! Books! They are learning about 'me' for now and then about community. Brent and some co-workers may be able to go up in uniform to teach them about military service in the community. That will be really cool and of course there will be pictures! My baby all grown up! Suprisingly I didn't cry, I was a little sad to see him just say 'bye' and run into the room. But the smile he had when he saw us was priceless! We took him to McDonald's for lunch and he told us about his day. He even took a nap that afternoon without a fuss. He's growing so fast!

An Ode to My Camera

2007-09-01T17:01:00.000-07:00

Well, since the middle of last month, more like the beginning....my trusty camera had died! I felt like I lost a best friend, more like a baby...that thing caught memories and moments that because of it I will always have. I was behind that thing for the 1st 3 1/2 years of my babies lives. That camera got to see my new born baby hold his daddy's hand before I did. And it got the glimpse of Michael before he was even all the way out. It saw a great grandpa that got to see his grandson who brought his family full circle back to his home land of England before he passed away. I got the joy of a great grandma running to see her baby while her husband proudly held his namesake. And the 1st time an Aunt saw her nephews it caught the smiles and tears. All of the holidays, events, birthdays, weddings, babies....the silly pics and the great pieces of photography, I say thank you old friend.

This thing was bought in England, has gone to Paris, France, Rome Italy, Washington DC, London England and the US all over countless times until it took the last picture of a beautiful evening in London and moved with us to Maryland. All of the landscapes and places that's it documented, thank you old friend.

It's been tried and true. Babied, dropped (only a few times) and went thru tons of batteries. I'm sad that it's gone. But I will always have the images that it took for my family and I and for that I'm thankful. So, today I took my 1st pictures with my new camera, it's a little smaller, has a lot more bells and whistles, and was WAY more cheaper than cameras 4 years ago. But the 1st pic that the new family member took was of the old camera that has done so much for me.

So, I say goodbye to an old friend and welcome a new friend and can't wait for what this one will see and take for our family.

Thank you old friend. That'll do camera, That'll do.

I Got Tagged

2007-09-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

Here's how you play:
Once you have been tagged, you have to write a blog with 10 weird, random things, facts, habits, or goals about yourself. At the end choose 10 people to be tagged, listing their names and why you chose them. Don't forget to leave them a comment (you're it) and to read your blog. You can't tag the person who tagged you. Since you can't tag me back, let me know when you've posted your blog so I can see your answers.
Okay, here goes. If you REALLY know me some of these things are obvious but for the rest of you here it is...
1. I once played Snoopy, and had the time of my life

2. I had to take voice lessons when I was little because I had to scream to be heard at the nursery school I was at, It nearly ruined my voice

3. I thought I wanted only girls, until I had boys

4. I am the Queen of Useless Knowledge

5. I actually think I take a good picture

6. I never beat Super Mario Brothers (the orginal one)

7. I honestly can't tell you what 8x7 is with out adding 7+7 is 14 and 14+14=28 and 28+28 is (8+8=16 carry the one) 56

8. I would love to be a professional scrapbooker, that gets to design things and make albums for people, on a grander scale than what I do now.

9. I truly love all of my friends and when I say, "If you ever need anything" or "anytime" I REALLY mean it!! I'm there.

10. I don't think I'll ever get my degree, and really didn't think I would ever not get one, and that's ok. My success isn't going to be measured by a piece of paper but by the Men my boys turn out to be.

I am tagging Melissa A, Ruth, Ashley, Mia, Melissa K, Tina, Bri, Angie, Janie, Daina

Thoughts on Owen Wilson

2007-08-29T11:29:00.000-07:00

I was so sad to hear the other day that Owen Wilson called 911 (or someone did) on a sucide attempt. I guess now he is out of the hospital and is doing well, but I was truly sad to hear that he hit the bottom of the pit, that he saw no way of getting out of. He brings so much happiness into lives that he will never know. And the fact that he wanted to end that, I can't believe the pressure he is under being a movie star. He is so funny and charasmatic, something that is hard to find in a true star now a days. And I for one was so glad to read that the movie he is working on with Jack Black and Ben Stiller will still go on. I didn't think that Ben Stiller would ever recast him, unless he asked him to.

So, I know that Owen Wilson will never read this but, my heart goes out to him and I'm praying for him and his family for recovery, peace and ability to go on from this stronger. I for one will always go to the movie if he is in it, so I hope that he keeps doing what he does best! And keep up the good work, you always have a fan in me!

Just another page in my crazy life!!

2007-08-17T10:32:00.000-07:00

So far in this life I have been thru what I consider a great deal of CRAP....from my parents, from school, from my parents, from different friends I have had over the years, from my parents, from nature, did I mention my parents??

Well it all came to a head yesterday....and I'm DONE! I'm tired of being the parent and the responsible one, the mature one, the voice of reason. I can't do it anymore...I have my own kids to teach right from wrong. Because of this at 9 I lost my childhood, the right to be a kid and carefree. I can't do it for my mom anymore. I joke that I am in my own personal war with Iraq, (no offense to the good people of Iraq) but it's true. I'm concerned for her and love her very much (I have this understanding that there is an unconditional love with a mother and child and child and parent) but I just can't fight with her anymore. I can't go along with what she says as being truth and what reality is. I work VERY hard every day to not be a nutcase because of my childhood, teenage years and just the day to day life of a mother of 2 toddlers. Unlike my mother I have decided to not let my past control who I am right now. I understand that I can get up every morning and know it's a new day, a gift of a clean slate if you will, and do it again the same or different. And not let yesterday control what will happen today. Now with this being said I don't forget the lessons I learned from the mistakes or sucesses that I have had. That's the problem with humans and why history repeats itself. I still make mistakes sometimes the same ones but I don't blame anyone but ME.

And I hope that I have never let anyone feel that I wasn't totaly appreciative for anything anyone has ever done for me and because of that and those people I have felt blessed and loved and couldn't want anything more. To make a statement that one has been appreciative of what others have done for them BUT in the same breath say they have never gotten what they wanted is the ramblings of a ungrateful spoiled little brat! Yes, harsh words. But would you believe that they came from a 50+ year old!! I have to use this and take it to make sense to me....it would be like me telling Brent thank you for buying something for me from Tiffany's but it's not what I wanted.....What the HECK!!! I would sound like a brat! and people would want to hit me in the head!! Well that's where I am right now.

The outcome of this is that I was hung up on and she isn't coming to see me anymore. Now I know that more than likely isn't happening but that's the emotional lashings I have been given since I was 9. But you know this time I just may let her be and not call her and want her to know that I really want her in my life. And my boys. But the fact that a mother wanted to walk away from me is her choice and frankly I'm tired and can't fight the war anymore so I choose to take my army and go home. If she wants to continue to destroy herself and life there is nothing I can do or say to make her stop. She has the choice just like I do. This is all very hard for me to wrap my head around and I've come to the realization that I don't want to or need to. I just need to be the best mother, wife, daughter, friend, and christian that I can be but only with the help of the man upstairs. I guess He is the only parent I have that has been there all the time no matter what. Kinda nice huh, knowing that I have always had someone that has been there even when my own weren't or couldn't be. I also have an entire aresnal of 'parents' that will always be there for me and have always been there. It just hurts that I don't have the one who was given the job.

Ok, I have to stop for now. Thanks for reading.

Elmo!

2007-07-27T11:30:00.000-07:00

Well, after stressing about what to do for Michael's birthday party he revealed a favorite!! ELMO!! He adores him! Everytime he sees Elmo he lights up and gets happy! So a natural choice. It will be lots of fun too! I did a little research and discovered that Elmo loves Pizza and bananas soooo there's the food!! I think I'll let the kids make a pizza and we'll have bananas with peanut butter and chocolate with banana shakes to drink....and of course Cake!! Trying to find some Elmo games more than likely I'll get the help of other Sesame Street characters for that. Like a paper clip game for the older kids...thanks Bert!

And it wouldn't be an Elmo party with out Dorothy!! So We'll have to adopt a goldfish. Don't think Brent would mind too much And lots of crayons!! I'm already excited about it!! And it's not until December!! but anyways! if any one has any ideas about Elmo parties let me know!!

Magical Me!

2007-07-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm fighting the urge to wrestle Brent for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book that we are sharing!! I'm really using my kindergarden skills and sharing really nice!! He is like 3 chapters ahead of me only because he stole it from me this morning!! And he's hogging the TV!! I think I'll have to put in the 1st movie and watch it while he reads the latest intallment. I did at one point remind him that I stayed up till 1:30am to get the book that he is reading!!! But so far what I have read it's GREAT!! and holy cow!! She didn't waste a single letter messing about! It's a ride from the beginning! But I just wanted to vent about having to share the Harry Potter book!! nox

6 Months till Christmas!

2007-06-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

Well I just noticed that we have 6 months till Christmas today!! And it's all going by so fast! I started shopping earlier this year....I know I'm wierd. But living over seas I learned that if you see it just get it because it may not be there the next time!! But it also spreads out the cost as well. Spending $10 here and $20 there instead of $1000 all at once.... And with Christmas coming it also brings Michael's 2nd birthday!! Then mine and Philip's 4th birthday!! I can't belive it!!

I'm still stuck on what to do for Michael's birthday party. He really doesn't have a favorite character, other than Lola of Charlie and Lola. And they really don't have party things for them. He does like Mickey Mouse and Little Einsteins. I could do a Baby Einstein party like we did with Philip's 2nd but would that be fair? Do you think he would care or should I do something different all together?? Philip is having a pirate party, and we are going to take 8 kids to the new Veggie Tales movie the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything and after we will have cake and a treasure hunt for the 'loot' bags. It's horrible I have Philip's party all planned and I don't have a clue what to do for Michael's. Well...I'll figure it all out. I do have 5 months to figure it all out....

Wicked

2007-06-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

I FINALLY finished reading Wicked!! Around the 7th or so!! It was a great read and I enjoyed it a lot!! I have 'Son of a Witch' the sequel to Wicked. Will start reading that more than likely after I get thru 'The Devil Wears Prada' only been reading that one off and on since we moved. Brent and Philip bought it for me at Heathrow Airport in London....so I have a lot of reading to do but it's good.
Summer tends to be a good reading time! Hopefully I can get it all in!! Happy Reading!

Children & War

2007-06-17T12:27:00.000-07:00

So I got an email from a friend the other day...one of the many forwards everyone sends!! But this one really go to me! I have deleted it because it upset me so much but I'll give you an overview of what it said. Basicly it was a mothers account of her husband explaining to thier 9 year old son, NINE year old SON....why we are at war. It was very graphic describing his neighbor dragging his wife outside and killing her infront of the neighborhood- the man is Saddam, the wife is Iraq, the neighborhood is the world. Then asked his son what he would do if he saw that, the CHILD said that he would call the police, so the police is the UN and they 'Don't care' Then the man goes around and kills others and the little boy is overwhelmed and decides to close the blinds so he can't see. But the his dad says open them because he's at our door and wants to kill your mom, sibilings....and that innocent CHILD gets so much rage that he starts to cry and shake and yell at his father that he's 'gonna kill him! he hates him, he'll protect his family'
Now.....I may not make any friends by this posting but I don't care! We all have our different opinions.
First of all....WHAT was that Mother doing letting her husband give thier CHILD nightmares like that!! I would have STOPPED that description dead in it's tracks!! People don't realize how quickly children lose thier innocence these days! They (kids) want to grow up so fast and these Parents have just done that for thier baby!! YES, we are at war and our children have to live in these times. I don't know what I would say to my (almost) 3 year old if he asked me why we are at war. I would have to discuss it with my husband first. Something I don't think this family did. But the best thing for us to say would be 'the only way the bad people win is for good men to do nothing!' How could a NINE year old grasp the concept of a man killing his wife infront of him!! We are a blessed people that live in the greatest country in the world and don't have to see such things in our front yards!! I know there are places that this happens but we aren't there!! Why would we expose our CHILDREN to things like this!!? Yes they will be curious at some point but to push a CHILD so far to the point that it fills him with RAGE and HATE is terrible!! We should teach our children LOVE, Patience, Charity, PEACE! There is a whole world out there that will try to undo the good that the family instills in a child why would a parent do that!! How confusing for the little boy. Hopefully someday we will all be at peace and we won't have to tell our children that we are at war and babies will not have to lose thier mommies and daddies who defend and protect our country, but for now let the children be children. Innocence is something that is almost a lost concept to us, why not hold on to it for as long as we can!
Ok, I'm done.

3s

2007-06-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

I was looking at my profile on Myspace...and noticed that on Philip's ticker there was a really cool thing that will never happen again!!!

TODAY: Philip is 3 years 3 months 3 weeks and 3 days old!!!!!!!!!

Just a golly gee wiz!