WISHING

...that my house AND tree looked as cozy as this

...that my wrapping was complete so i can curl up and watch THIS (tradition)

...that I didn't eat santa's whole plate of cookies...and drink all the milk

...that there was a real santa to set up all the toys for me.

Oh well...Merry! Merry!

I FOUGHT THE LAW

...and the law WON...

I went in with a determination to come out on top! I even had my angry music on to get me pumped up. I was going to tell them that I was RIGHT and they were WRONG!

But then the judge said in light of Christmas, everyone would get the traffic school waived AND in most cases, reduce the citation down to a parking ticket...so, i took a bite of some humble pie that i brought along as a just-in-case, wiped my mouth so that there were no crumbs, turned my angry music down (just a tad) and plead...guilty.

~MERRY CHRISTMAS, YOUR HONOR, MERRY CHRISTMAS~

"Not Me!" Monday

** Things I most definitely DID NOT do this week**

I did not subject my children to profanities while I was manuvering my way through the cold, white stuff. And my finger did not raise when that crazy driver cut me off while trying to text and drive at the same time. I am a good example to my children so I DID NOT do that!

I did not neglect my children while i listened to my fully stocked iPod for a few hours. And my voice did not go a few decibles higher when I found them emptying an economy-size bottle of baby powder in their rooms while I was listening to said iPod. I am very responsible so...not me! never!

I did not eat a whole plate of treats by myself in one sitting. I am very health consious and DO NOT want to gain my weight back that I recently lost. And when joe asked where that plate of goodies went...I, of course, did not lie and say i didn't know what he was talking about.

NO! NOT ME! NEVER!!

another thought...

today the twins turned 21 mo. why is that significant...well i guess only to me, but they are the same age as ty was when i had them. am i ready for another round? I THINK NOT and also not possible thanks to the ol' snippity-snip. I will just live vicariously through other people...like jenna who is going to have her baby tomorrow. good luck, jenna!

something to think about

SO...

it snowed in vegas this past week...two times!

does the phrase "hell froze over" apply here??

the end of the world is coming guys...get ready!

Not Me!

From the innovator of Not Me! Mondays:

"I have found that there is little more satisfying in my journey of motherhood
than admitting that I am not perfect, that I do not know it all, and that I cut
corners at mindblowing speeds. It's so satisfying to write about my shortcomings
and funny mistakes and then share them with you. I'm not
sure exactly why that is, but instead of trying to figure it out, I
instead offer you my Not Me! Monday list. Enjoy, and then join in with
some Not Me's of your own!"

Here goes my "Not Me" Monday list...

"Not Me!" Monday

**Things I most definitely DID NOT do this week**

I did not stay up well past midnight to read Twilight again...and I most certainly did not read it four times in a row. I am not that obsessed with Edward...or the book...or anything related to Twilight!

I did not see that silly movie Twilight again...for the fourth time. Really, I am NOT obsessed!! And I did not see it by myself because that would prove that I don't have any friends and I do not not have friends! Everybody likes me and wants to be around me!

I did not mop my floors for the first time in 4 weeks. That is just gross! My kids play around on that floor and I am not that kind of mother.

I did not wear the same outfit more than twice this week. That would mean I have poor hygiene and I do not have poor hygiene!

I did not give my kids fruit snacks and the holiday treat left on my doorstep for breakfast because I haven't gone to the grocery store in...I don't remember...because that would mean I was lazy and a bad mom. I am NOT lazy!

NO! NOT ME!!

Please share some of your "not me's" so I can see that I am NOT as bad as you are....

my obsession

If you don't know this about me already then you'll find out now... I LOVE music. I can't get enough of it...i love it, any and all. I love the way music makes you feel, i love the way music makes you move, i love the way music triggers your "feel-goods" and "feel-bads." I love finding new music for my earballs...simply put, I can't get enough of music.

Speaking of can't getting enough of something...

These guys are touring starting in January...so far I have not been able to find a Vegas show date (which is SHOCKING!) The only one close enough is San Fran...

I told Joe (hint, hint...) that tickets to see THE KILLERS would be an awesome Christmas present, even if it's a few hours of flying away. Anyone want to join me? I promise you'll love every minute of our little jaunt!!

Introduction...

...to the cold, white stuff: SNOW!

Our family along with Jenna and Kam, & co., spent last weekend up at their cabin. All the kiddos LOVED playing outside despite the cold weather and snow. Ty was very excited to finally see that stuff called snow and he really wanted to make a snow-man but there just wasn't enough...or that was what he was told. But we did get so do some sledding on the make-shift hill in the back yard. Here are a few pics of our sledding advetures. You can check here to see if there are more pictures...I was just too cold to break out the photo snapper...

Kaden and Tori getting pushed down the hill

Ty and his daddy swingin'

Trace getting pushed down...he called it a "weee"

relaxing outdoors...trace reminded me of Ralphy in The Christmas Story

Thanks Jenna and Kam for hanging out with us. We had a lot of fun!

Thank Goodness For Little Boys

GOTTA LOVE LITTLE BOYS

Two young boys walked into a pharmacy one day, picked out a box of tampons and proceeded to the checkout counter. The man at the counter asked the older boy, 'Son, how old are you?'

'Eight', the boy replied.

The man continued, 'Do you know what these are used for?'

The boy replied, 'Not exactly, but they aren't for me. They're for him. He's my brother. He's four. We saw on TV that if you use these, you would be able to swim and ride a bike.

Right now, he can't do either one.'

I got this from my S.I.L. as an email so I thought I would share. For some reason, Ty (and now Trace and Tori-due to Ty's example) think that they make terrific "rockets" . We were at the grocery store one day and I turned around and saw Ty showing his "rocket" to some lady in the isle. I can't even imaging what was going through her head. I have found countless "rockets" around the house...and just incase you were worried, they aren't used...some may call it sick and wrong, I call it imaginative...

I've decided...

...that if i stop at ANY moment today, i won't be able to get going again...

...that someone needs to remind me of my TRUE age...i'm not as young as i once was...

...all-nighters are for the birds...wait, birds don't even pull all-nighters. birds are the smart ones...early to bed early to rise...or is it the early bird gets the worm. well we can all see where sleep deprivation gets me. i just hope my kids aren't scarred for life after they realize that my great and wonderful mothering techniques won't be so great and wonderful... i've fallen off the mom train today... (or just fallen asleep)

...that nap time simply cannot come any faster ..

(D@%* you, Twilight!)

P.S. how are my P.I.C.'s doing??

From the mouth of Ty

Occasionally when the twins are crying for what Joe thinks is unnecessary, he will say "stop your boobin'!" Well apparently Ty has picked up on this...yesterday when we were getting undressed from church and hurrying to get to my parents house, Trace was crying and Ty said to him "stop it with your boob, Trace!

On a side note: BOOB has become a bad word in our house over the past few months due to some recent events...why do boys like boobs!?

B-I-N-G-O!

A new love (not habitual) was found several months ago...we all may be about 3-4 decades off than what we should be but nevertheless there is nothing like sitting in a quiet room with your girl friends, sipping our "drink" of choice, letting our machine do all the work for the 11pm BINGO game. Anyone care to join us?

buddies

...nothing better than spending a day at the park with your best buds...

all grown up

So there's something to be said when your child reaches the age to where he gets to "go play" with the neighborhood friend. Our neighbors across the street have two kids around Ty's age and the three of them have gotten to know each other from playing outside in the cul-de-sac. But today, Ty was asked to go play with them at their house...

Oh, and don't worry...we know the parents and family and they check out to be a really nice family.

I really hope he behaves himself...

TY'S Amazing Alphabet Adventures

I recently ordered and recieved THIS as a recommendation from a friend. It is really cute and I think Ty will love this as a Christmas present. It was a little pricey if you think about it as just a book but I liked the fact that it is personalized for him so, for me, it was worth "every penny." Ty LOVES books and books read to him so this was perfect for him. You can even put your own message on it for you child!

SAN DIEGO

Our recent trip to San Diego was a lot of fun...but it is good to be back home in our own beds and to have the triple t's back on a normal schedule of daily life. We were gone for 1 week but it flew by way to fast! Here are some of our adventures:

Day 1:

hung out on the boardwalk and enjoyed the best waffle cone and soft serve i've ever had...

...and we went to the big "castle" in the sky as Ty so adequately descried it

Days 2 & 3:

we experienced the SAN DIEGO ZOO & the WILD ANIMAL PARK...

...saw this and many other types of monkeys...

...of course, marty the zebra was found by ty...

...we visited the serene pandas, who only slept both days we saw them...

...and we took a "safari into africa" at the wild animal park. this was a lot of fun to see animals in the "wild."

Day 4:

we went back to the zoo so ty could finally see mellman, the giraffe...

(sorry for the back-of-the-head shots, he wouldn't take his eyes off of them)

...we "rode" a rhino...

...and saw lots of flamingo -not sure why but these birds fascinate me

Day 5:

we loved, loved, loved IT!!

...ty got his driver's licence...

...saw a lego-version of las vegas (there's more but i won't bore you with the others)...

...just about everything was made out of legos...

joe and i both loved legos as kids so this was just as much fun for us as it was for ty.

...and rode the "splash mountain" of legoland. i think you can tell from the face on joe just how intense this ride is.

Day 6:

the weather was perfect for a day at the beach...so that's just what we did...

...ty and trace tried to decide if trusting joe is a good idea...
...tori played in the sand and brought enough home in her diaper to play with later...
...ty got to finally build his sand castle...
...ty loved chasing and splish-splashing in the water...but not quite sure of the taste of it...

all three kiddos loved the beach and cried when mom, having had enough of the sand EVERYWHERE, told them it was time to go.

HOME (and standing on my soapbox)

pictures from our vacay will soon be posted...i know all my fans out there are just dying to have a visual of our trippity trip. but i have some other pressing business to take care of...(becky, here are my thoughts)

I have been reading (blog surfing...call it what you want) other peoples comments about the newly elected president, and it's amazing at all the negativity there is about Obama. I do have a confession to make...I am a registered democrat and I voted for the "anti-Christ" as I saw one blog describing him. I like what he has to say and I read all the pros and cons and am happy that he is our president...that said please don't stop being my friend just because I am an Obama supporter...there is a lot more to me than who I voted for...

Oh yeah, one more thing...being in CA during the election, it was interesting to see the reaction of Prop 8. This is what I have to say about that: I don't care if gay/lesbians want to be united, that's their choice and I am not the one to pass judgement on THEIR decisions. If they want to be "married" call it something else, not marriage. But I do think it's ridiculous that the blame is on the mormon church...

OK...off my soapbox...next post....pics!!

Off...

to fabulous San Diego!! Gone for a week of fun and relaxation (much needed of both)

remember: no fun while I'm gone, absolute bordome...until I get back.

AND...bonus present when we return to anyone who can tell me what San Diego means according to Ron Burgandy...

see ya in a week!

that's how i roll...

finally...we got our new ride! after a lot of discussions and let-downs and surprises with our dealer friend, our new mode of transport has arrived. so much room...all it needs is one of those privacy windows that limos have between the driver and passengers and doing all my runs for joe will be C-A-K-E!! Now all we need to do is replace the other P.O.S. that we have.


(thanks , joe, for your hard work to allow us to have such luxuries...he made me say that)

"rollin' down the street sippin' on my gin & juice...LAID BACK.

with my mind on my money and my money on my mind"

just laugh it off!

and for those of you out there freaking out about the economic crisis: sit back and relax our trouble are now over.

Read THIS article and all your cares will go away!

president schmesident

i've given up...getting involved in this election is just causing me emotional stress. i mean, who can really trust a politician anyway! isn't that an oxymoron...honest politician? here's my coping method through all this mayhem of politics...thanks to the onion:


How to pretend you give a $%@& about the election:

1. Invite your friends over to dinner and have the news on. When they get there, turn the TV off while apologizing and say “I promise I won’t talk about politics tonight”. It won’t be hard to keep your promise.

2. When they ask if you are a Democrat or a Republican – here are a list of political non-opinions for you to offer.

- “At this point, there isn’t much difference between the parties anyway.”

- “Politics today has too many labels”

- “We take voting for granted - much of the world doesn’t even get to choose their leaders.

- “I’m an independent.”

3. Talk about how sad it is that so many refuse to get involved with politics. Blaming other people for being uninformed is a good way to seem informed yourself.

4. It’s important to keep your cell phone on vibrate so if they happen to corner you on a particular issue, you have an excuse to change the topic without the need for a sound.

5. For ‘election day’ madness – it’s easy to get your hands on a sticker. It’s important to wear that sticker, it puts it right out in the open. It’s smart to have some sort of story about being at the polls. “I ran into my old college roommate” works, but “the roof caved in” does not. It has to be something that no one can check up on.

6. If they still don’t believe you, draw a child-esque drawing with markers and crayons (nothing too sophisticated) and show it to them. Tell them you saw it at the school where you voted and it was just so cute you had to take it home. (For those in Clark County Nevada, this still works if your voting station is a high school. Yeah for public schools in Clark County!)


Other tidbits of information that can help you:
-The less you know, the more you should pretend to know.
-Most people also know nothing, so they won’t question you.
-‘Election Day’ is November 2.
-Women can ‘vote’ too. Animals cannot.
-Candidates are “Barack Obama” and “John McCain”.
-Barack is the Black guy, John is the old guy.
-Mention ‘Swing States’ to sound smarter

i'm baby wise! how 'bout you?

i don't concider myself brainwashed as much as well-trained...

but i still revert back to the methods of this book when it comes to planning my day out with my children. Even though they are well out of the baby stage, i still think about keeping them on a ridgid schedule. Maybe it's because when i was a new mom my paranoia got the best of me. anywhoo, i'm still holding out for the user manuals for your children. i am happy to say that i can finally relax...no more babies!

i absolutely love this book and would recommend it to anyone and everyone. i found this review about the book and thought it was utter nonsense!

ONE OF SATAN'S LARGEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS

"a sickening, disgusting book that is helping destroy this country. Satan works extra hard in hospitals and anywhere a newborn is, since they are the foundation of God's people. The latest media alert by the American Academy of Pediatrics says it all: A strong correlation with this book has been documented in babies who have failure to thrive."

REALLY!! one of his LARGEST accomplishments?! This book is nothing if not plain common sense. if you are a baby wise mom, what did you think of the book?

i thought i had a girl

this was taken on a recent trip up to mt. charleston. all this girl would do is sit and play with the dirt. needless to say she was a dirty girl!

What do you get...

...when you have three names with the letter "T"...triple trouble, that's what.

I love it when I notice that its been a little too quiet and I ask Ty what he's doing and he answers me with this response: "Umm, I'm just doing nothing." Yeah right!

Last time this happened, just a few days ago, the three of them emptied an entire bottle of baby powder in the twin's room...a big economy size bottle. Literally, you could see the powder in the air and it still smells like baby powder. No pictures though, my anger just couldn't break for a photo opportunity...

one of those days

i can remember when ty was a baby and he said daddy first instead of mommy...

i can remember that i was a little hurt...

i can remember practicing with him, pointing to myself and saying "mommy" over and over...

i can remember that it took forever for trace and tori to say mommy and really wanting to hear it.

TODAY: i can go without hearing "mommy"...i'm just being honest.

but just to clarify, there is no greater joy than to come home from a night out with friends and hear three excited kids say "mommy"

I Googled myself!!

interesting...this was really interesting. it was fun to do and see what pictures came up with the corresponding information. you should try it and post it on your blog.

here's what you do: type in your answer to the following questions & pick your fav pics from the first 3 pages of results. it would be fun to see what you come up with. here is what Google had to say about me:

my first name

my middle name

my last name

my age, 29 (this was the best picture i could find)
my fav place to visit (slo, ca)
a place i'd like to visit (milan, italy)

a past celeb crush

my grandma's name (carol)

my college major
a nickname

my first job

a pet i've had (or have)

my favorite food

my favorite treat

my favorite color(s)

a bad habbitwhats for dinner

with this for dessert!!

what i'm doing right now

A little of this And a lot of that