movin' on up.

The other day when i told Sheamus i wanted to "wrap him like a present and gobble him up" he looked at me with one part horror, one part disgust and two parts complete confusion, and it donned on me....he is totally ready for Kindergarten.


Recently Sheamus's preschool teacher (who is fantastic in every way) made a very sweet public comment about mine and Adam's parenting style. Since I know it's not polite to deflect such a compliment, Adam and I just laughed to ourselves at what a good job Sheamus has done making people think his total sweetness has anything to do with us. If he were my first child it would be easy to dupe myself into thinking I was doing everything right (teaching manners, empathy, and good nature). A beacon of patience and wisdom if you will. But in reality, I am just feeling lucky i haven't corrupted him with my tarnished soul.

It has been invaluable having him primarily home with me for the last 5 1/2 years. I'm grateful for his late birthday so i could keep him one year longer (hands rubbing greedily together). But now its time for him to move on from the kung fu grip of this adoring mother. If for nothing else than to escape the possibility of this creepshow life. 

Love you face.

team Boo ♥'s you

turkish delight.

sonny & uncle cheese

This is me resisting the urge to post the classic picture of a giant plate of Thanksgiving food (you better believe i took one) You also won't find any pictures of me preparing any food (cause i didn't) If you are thinking you might see a picture of me blowing out a candle or two, think again (for this marks the 28th year my birthday was overshadowed by driving and packing :) But if you are dying to hear a good throw up story, then i am your blog, cause I've got tons (since my family has the gag reflexes of champions, or rather non-champions).

We seriously have someone throw up at every holiday. Like this year on Halloween, I reminded my kids all night not to eat too much candy or else they would get a tummy ache. When we got home...Adam threw up (from eating too much candy). And let us not forget this time.


So this Thanksgiving when cousin Ashlyn burped at the table, Elyott was so grossed out, she heaved every last morsel she had just eaten back onto her plate (such a considerate thrower-upper) When cousin Ashlyn saw this, she went to the bathroom to toss her own cookies (this is also a girl who one time barfed at her own fart smell). I don't make this stuff up guys, luckily it doesn't even phase me any more. 

team Boo ♥'s you

get a CLUE?

Elyott told me while we were painting in our backyard: 

"Mom I don't even think you understand how much i love to paint!...i think the decorating part of the party is way more fun than the actual party....Do you think they will put me in charge of this job when you are too old to do it?"

She knows just how to make a momma proud

(be careful what you wish for my love ;)

So as i said before our theme for this years halloween party was "Clue" (see last years circus freak theme here), so inspired by this artist we painted 6 foot portraits of each character to adorn the walls of our "mansion" (aka. basketball court) with some up lighting to make them extra spooky...

We constructed a giant pvc chandelier in the center of the room over a long dining table decorated with plenty of moss skulls and candles. And centerpieces of giant weapon cards (like in the board game) with green moss on silver chargers and #10 cans. I envisioned the chandelier to have WAY more lights strung on it but we had to pare it down based on "blown fuses"...stupid electricity is always interfering with my ideas ;) The perimeter of the room had carnival style games that represented each of the rooms of the mansion with the stage as the "scene of the crime." Unfortch i only have the capacity of my camera phone to capture the mood but hopefully you get the idea...

team Boo ♥'s you

whatta man.

Last week my man and i had our 8th anniversary...and much like Mary Catherine Gallagher, I feel my thoughts for my Handsome Bob can be best expressed through the classy lyrics of a song (by some of my junior high favorites Salt n' Peppa teamed up with the timeless vocal divas formerly known as En Vogue...this may only make sense to you if you were paying attention in the 90's).

So to quote some lines that come to mind (and are clean enough for this blog) "I'd like to take a minute or two and give much respect due to the man that's made a difference in my world...

a. my man says he loves me (never says he loves me not).

b. he spends quality time with his kids when he can. secure in his manhood because he's a real man.

c. not a fake wannabe trying to be a pimp.

d. he's a God sent original, man of my dreams.

e. it is me that he's choosin'. with him Im never loosin'. and he knows that my name is not Susan (although my middle name sorta is).

f. anytime i need him he's always got my back...never disrespectful ('cause his momma taught him that).

I gotta good man.


...So here's to the future cause we got through the past
and i finally found someone who can make me laugh
(ha ha ha ha ha)
you so craaazy...
I think i wanna have yo baby." 
(...or three of them. is there and higher/classier compliment than that?)

happy anniversary lover.

"Superstar!"

team Boo ♥'s you


(my hands down favorite line is "e"...it reminds me of my terrible poems from third grade)

this train don't stop.

So I know I talk tough here and there, but I must admit i am a wee bit achy to send these little munchkins to school. Just a reminder that i can't slow life down.

(figurative group hug?)

(photo inspiration)

I am really trying hard to let Elyott own her independence and not manipulate "persuade" her to wear things that I think are cute....but did i really let elyott go to school looking like such a raggamuffin??

geez.

team boo ♥'s you

touche'

For mother's day my kids went with Adam to pick out some sweet little things of their choice.

One trip to Walmart later, and my jewelry collection was $23 dollars improved.

A pearl "wedding ring" that my kids were so relieved to see on my usual bare hand

(...my original fell in the ocean only one month after purchase. wah wahhhh)

Some colorful earring studs...Elyott liked the star ones with diamonds inside, sure to make the scuzziest of mothers feel her fanciest

And finally a silver heart locket set engraved with "mom" (think sailor tattoo)

As we stepped out for church, i donned a little of everything, sure to impress, and asked Elyott and Sheamus in the hoitee toiteest voice i could do...

"How do I looook?!"

Elyott looked over at me straight faced, and very patronized, and said:

"Mom. you don't have to say it like that."

...and just like that I graduated from a mom to a MOOOOM.

team boo ♥'s you

oh blah dee, oh bla da...

...life goes on.

and my sweet Elyott turned 7 yesterday!

despite the crazy week and hospital drama, for a little girl...the show must continue.

It was a surprise party at a local birthday hotspot

and were even able to Skype in daddy to "be there" for the surprise.

It was all very "lifetime original movie"-ish

...and Elyott was in heaven.

Happy Birthday my to my best girl!!

(and no, you can't have a cell phone when you turn 8)

Adam should be out of the hospo by Monday!!!!!

(fingers crossed)

team boo ♥'s you

there's a she wolf in my closet.

...but mine isn't nearly as flexible as Shakira's .

Although she still breathes really heavy, does that count?

either way...it was the soundtrack to our new year's eve

my kids and i can't get enough.

(and no they will not be watching that video...geeez)

{34 weeks}

Here are our friends pretending we didn't just play scrabble for two hours and nearly forget it was almost midnight.

So what did i learn in 2009, you ask?

...a #10 can of nacho cheese and the most freaking boring game ever you really can't call a New Year's Eve party. But that doesn't mean we didn't have fun (see above) Thanks Summer for messing up your house instead of mine ;)

Ah-oooooo!

team boo ♥'s you

a very dikefest christmas...

Making Christmas eve wishes...

Sheamus told me "mom, all i want for christmas, is you"

what a sweet kid.

...or maybe he just knows how to manipulate the crap out of me.

This christmas I wish for at least one kid that doesn't regularly throw up at the dinner table. Christmas eve was Sheamus's turn...

nestled children....

Surprise!...Santa installed a swing in our front room...

bad idea Santa.

but at least he also brought this spazzy kid a helmet...

Hope your Christmas was a blast :)

team boo ♥'s you

never mind the metal chairs...

Here is my latest form of life sucking force:

Christmas party #2

(the first for 30 guests, the second for about 250)

but good news....no contractions!!

I really think a lot more could have been done for bigger impact, but I had a Metric concert to catch, and that stuck a middle finger to any further embellishments.

(Bethlehem had snow and enormous orange basketball hoops...no??)

In the end, I showered, rubberbanded the fly of my blue skinny jeans and stuffed my face with ham before a night with Emily Haines and some mild heart burn.

And at this point in pregnancy, you can't really ask for much more than that.

It's all down hill from here donkeys!!!

team boo ♥'s you

Love me still.

Since i have been SO terrible about posting lately

I thought the least i could do was post a peecture.

These are my brothers and sisters...

Aren't we cute?? (also a little vampire-y)

(if you look closely you will notice my tummy is catching up with my chest...but just barely ;)

I have so many Chirstmas projects I have been working on

Parties (yes more parties while pregnant...i can't stay away.  One down one to go)

...homemade wreaths, woodsy chandeliers, yarn ornaments, fireplaces, mangers, snowy stick trees and more!

stay tuned...

I will type more when my hands heal after working with pine cones

(p.s. they are frigging sharp)

and, of course, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!!

team boo ♥'s you

How to launch yourself into pre term labor...

1. Agree to head up decorations for a church party

2. Hold said party in an enormous basketball court on a $250 dollar decor budget...(thank you appliance store dumpster) using cardboard, paint and tree branches (without putting ANY new holes in the wall)

3. Decorate party for two days straight

4. All the while bending to paint and jumping up and down a stage 67 times

5. Drink only Pepsi Max for both those days

and VOILA!

...you will find yourself in the hospital triage in no time.

So even though the party was a total success,

as was my body's ability to not dilate through two days of premature contractions, basically I learned

pregnant chicks need to have more helpers and drink more water when throwing a party.

(oops.)

All is well.

(Though I might be swearing off soda for the remainder of my pregnancy)

homies, lovers and friends

Even though you always use my toothbrush, cause you forget mine is the green one, and that you happened to have a green toothbrush like 2 years ago (again, french kissing and wiping your tooth scum onto mine are not the same thing)...

...even though you listen to the lamest music, like 2001 style R kelly, so much that our preschooler makes regular requests for the "freakin' weekend song"

...even though you'll willingly let your softball leg wounds ooze into our sheets

...I love you through and through

♥ Happy anniversary lover.

(*and just as two wrongs don't make a right, 

I realize some random drawing and a silly backhanded post don't make a suitable anniversary gift

...but that's how we roll ;)

(p.s. the wedding photo above is basically opposite day of what we looked like at our wedding. I don't even think Adam could have grown a mustache yet....think pregnant teenagers ;)