Photos that will not be used on this year's Christmas card

Leaves, eyeballs, and poodle skirts

First of all, don't let this picture fool you. This was taken last week. All those leaves are no longer on my tree. I raked them all today. I find no beauty in the colorful leaves, I think the leaves are most beautiful when they are green and still on my tree. And as for the blue sky...we might not see that again until June. Sorry, sometimes Pessimistic Dee just roars her ugly head.
On to brighter things...

Like jars of eyeballs. Sam spotted a bag of eyeball superballs the other day at Target. His little eyes just lit up and he said, "Mom, can I get those?" I said yes. He was happy. I mean really, really happy. It seems like I have to say no a lot. No, you cannot wear shorts today....No, you cannot bring your gigantic teddy bear to school...No, you cannot eat graham crackers with chocolate a half hour before supper...No, you cannot go underwearless to school (long story). But this time I said yes and for the bargain price of $2.99 got to see my little boy really, really happy.

Holly just got home from a Halloween party. Isn't she just the cutest? After she was all dressed up, she asked John if her outfit brought back any memories. He had to burst her bubble and tell her that he wasn't even a gleam in his father's eye yet. I remember being 12 and thinking my parents were as old as dirt too. Funny how life works.

I Do Read

Sam is starting to read. It is so much fun. I am really enjoying our time spent cuddling on the couch and reading together. I love my Holly but I don't seem to recall loving this stage so much. I have come up with a number of possible explanations:
1. I am less stressed and more patient since he's my second child.
2. I was questioning my parenting skills after potty training Sam.
3. I was worried he would not read since I didn't breastfeed.

Anyhoo. It happened today. Sam is a sweet little boy but he is a little boy. This is the page we were reading...
Pay particular attention to the last line and picture Sam reading, "Joe got wet but"...he stops and looks at me and says, "but?" I say, "yes". Sam starts laughing uncontrollably. "I just read but" he says and starts laughing again. Suffice it to say that there are many stories in the "I Do Read" book and now Sam only wants to read about Joe and his "but".

Silly boy.

Wordless Wednesday

A little scare

The kids just got home from school. I had a little bit of a scare. When I opened up the door to let them in, I thought they had sent home the wrong kid. I thought I got Bob Marley's kid. Don't worry...I got the right one. It's just Sam in a spider hat.

By the way...this is not dried up spaghetti noodles stuck to a piece of wax paper. It's a spider web.

Wordless Wednesday - happy edition

Wordless Wednesday - yucky edition

Dee and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

It was a really bad day. I won't go into details. Instead, I will show you some stuff that really makes me happy.This handsome guy makes me happy. Here he is on his birthday after he got his new Wii game. Earlier this evening when I called up this handsome guy at work and told him about my bad day he said, "Do you want me to come home?" I said, "Yes." He did. And when he got home he emptied the dishwasher, wiped some runny noses, wiped up spilled milk, and generally restored order to my home. I love him.

This is my new scarf. I just got it today. It makes me happy but what makes me even happier is that when I picked Holly up from school she said, "Cool scarf mom," and asked if she could borrow it tomorrow. That makes me hip I think.

This book makes me happy. I just finished it. I LOVED it...despite the fact that it was written by a Calvin professor.

These guys make me happy. I talked to my mom about 4 times today. She told me that they are coming in a couple of weeks. YEAH!

This crabby, runny nose baby that doesn't walk yet makes me happy...even when she's awake.

I bought these for trick-or-treaters today. What makes me happy is that we really don't get any trick-or-treaters.

This pumpkin makes me happy. Holly rolled her eyes when I bought it. As you know, I am not a big "fan of autumn" but this warty pumpkin makes me smile. I'm so happy that no matter what happens, God loves me....warts and all.

A fall dress

Guess who looked so cute in her fall dress this morning?

This was actually my dress a long, long, long, time ago. I'm sure I was equally beautiful. Does she look like me mom?

I made big brother and big sister get in on the photo session too. The three of them are about as cooperative as a snake in a hamster cage...I just completely made up that analogy. Catchy huh?

Cooperative or not, they are my biggest blessings!

Visitors

Our family had some uninvited visitors tonight. I was finishing up the supper dishes and I heard Katie babbling and giggling by the door. When I looked over, this is what I saw... I had to open the door to get a better picture.

These three guys show up regularly at our house. I trapped their brother a couple summers ago and they come around every so often so taunt me and let me know that I will never get rid of them all. One was very bold and kept coming over to the door and actually standing up with his paws against the window. I think he was saying, "I am here to avenge my brother!" Either that or, "Throw out the little pink one, we're hungry!"

Katie kept trying to open up the door and let them in. Silly girl. Little did she know her very life was at stake. Good thing her big brother was there to protect her....she's had a cold and been a little on the crabby side lately. I was tempted.

Happy Birthday John

Violets are blue
Roses are red
I will love you
Until you are dead

Okay, you're all going to have to cut me a little slack here...I have a snotty, crying baby trying to help me type, a sick little guy on the coach who has been waiting patiently for me to cuddle and read books with him (although that probably means that I will get sick too), and I haven't had a cup of coffee yet.

Happy birthday babe - how about you and me taking off to someplace tropical to celebrate?

Worldess Wednesday

A fun fall day

I must confess. I don't like fall. I really never have but this year it just seems especially tough. I'm doing all the right things. I'm burning the cinnamon scented candles, I'm starting the fireplace, I'm wearing my favorite sweaters, I made my grandma's delicious pumpkin bars, and I even splurged on an Orchard Chai foo foo drink...I'm trying hard folks. Most days I wish we could just "get on with it" - I wish the leaves would all fall and the rain would start. I'm okay with winter. Why does four months of constant rain and never seeing the sun not bother me but this fall stuff get me down? Perhaps I am just unique...perhaps I need psychiatric help...perhaps I need some chocolate. In any case, I feel better now. Blogging can be very therapeutic.
On a lighter note, yesterday was a fun fall day. It was apple picking/pumpkin patch day with lots of dear friends from church. When we moved to Washington four years ago (can you believe it's been four years?) a wonderful gal named Lea who barely knew me called me up and invited me to go with her and her friends. She had no idea how much I needed to get out of my little rental house with unlimited cable stations and be with people. I was lonely and homesick and addicted to HGTV. In no time at all, I cancelled the cable and had myself a bunch of wonderful new friends. We go apple picking and then to the world's cutest pumpkin patch every year now. My kids have a wonderful time...and despite the fact that it's fall...so do I.

Wordless Wednesday

Vegas Baby

You were probably beginning to wonder...I guess what happens in Vegas really does stay in Vegas. Wow, it was a lot of fun. In my opinion, Vegas can best be described as an adult Disneyland. I'm not sure who came up with the idea that Vegas is turning into a family friendly vacation spot. They must have a strange family. Don't worry...the only thing I caught there was some blisters and a sunburn. I didn't even lose any money - unless you count spending way too much at the M&M store!
Here is a smattering of pictures for your viewing enjoyment:We stayed at the Venetian. In my opinion, the nicest hotel on the strip. And yes, I did go in about all of them. I think I could get used to staying in places like this.

Here's my mom drinking water out of a wine glass. Classy.

Our hotel from the outside. It (obviously) was built with Italy in mind - hand painted ceilings, a canal with gondolas, naked statues, etc. Now I've been to Italy but I think I liked the the Vegas version better - cleaner and better coffee. I am such an American.

I've never been to France but now I don't have to...

Same with New York...

And Egypt!

Me and my mom.

MGM Grand

New York, New York...my second favorite hotel.

We spent a lot of time in here.

This is the lobby ceiling in the Bilaggio. It's hand blown glass but it reminded me of jellyfish.

The inside of the hotel was all decorated for fall - even though it was 100 degrees outside.

Desserts that were too pretty to eat.

Caesar's Palace

Amy and I went to the Blue Man Group. I LOVED them! Here's me with the band...

and with a blue man.

My mom has always wanted to go to the Liberace museum. She grew up listening to him. He he he.

Here's me and my favorite Liberace costume. I wish they sold these in the gift shop. I would have bought one for John.

I had to settle for a postcard.

Look who got to try on a costume!

Yes, we ran into a couple of celebrities. Here's me and Johnny.

And me and Prince. Did I ever tell you I tried to go trick-or-treating at Prince's house? That's another blog.

We met up with Shelly and Laura, our dear friends from Minnesota. Here's all us girls with the king.

This is the Hoover Dam. It was such a neat place to visit. Incredible the foresight these guys had way back in the 1920s to build something like this.

This is looking downstream from the dam. A bridge to by-pass traffic around the dam is being built. The Hoover dam was completed two years ahead of schedule...I don't think that's going to happen with the bridge. Does that ever happen anymore?

Here's my mom and Amy inside the dam.

And here's me sporting a very stylin' plastic hard hat and zebra bag.
It was a great vacation but now it's back to real life...I have a baby with a runny nose trying to crawl onto my lap, a sink full of dirty dishes, and I have to find out who got kicked off of Survivor last Thursday!