In My Life, I Love You More

My Giant

2009-11-06T08:59:00.007-07:00

Jude is getting too old to still be two. Too old, and too tall. I'm starting to get the nasty looks and eye rolls from places that allow kids two and under to enter free. Everyone thinks that I'm the mom who's trying to get freebies well into the threes and fours. I don't mind if people don't believe me, but I'm really starting to wish that he was three for his own sake. At our church he spends Sunday School in the Nursery (the room for babies 18 months to 3) and he seems to be a LOT bigger than most of the kids. It became apparent in the picture I took of him and his Nursery friend last week. (Actual photo below)

The good news is that as of January 1st, all of the kids that are 3 will move out of the Nursery and into Sunday School. The bad news is that Jude's birthday isn't until January 18th. He'll miss the cut off by two and a half weeks. Lehman's terms: he'll have to spend another YEAR with the 18 month olds. I hope he doesn't scare the little kids when he starts growing facial hair next year.

This is Halloween!

2009-10-31T21:23:00.006-06:00

Happy Halloween!

Love, Our little Spiderman, Spider and Witch

Autumn Afternoon

2009-10-29T20:37:00.007-06:00

I Need Three Volunteers

2009-10-26T10:47:00.003-06:00

I'm working on a project, and need some help. It doesn't matter where you live - just leave me a comment, and I'll tell you what it is. Your help is greatly appreciated, and it shouldn't take too much time.

My Twin?

2009-10-20T14:12:00.006-06:00

A lady that I have known for a while, but has recently become a good friend, let me in on a little secret. Apparently she and her husband aren't very good at remembering names, so they make up in-home-nicknames for the ones they have forgotten.

She giggled a little as she said, "Ya know, before I really knew you, my husband and I referred to you as Kewpie Doll Face." I laughed and asked, "You called me WHAT?" She then laughed harder and said, "Kewpie doll face (pronounced Q-P doll)." I told her that I had no idea what she was talking about, but that I'd look it up when I got home.

When I got home there was an email from her. It read:

Tell me this isn't your face, Melissa!!

I've mentioned before that I am the queen of "you look so much like..." or "you remind me so much of..." But I have to say, THIS is a first. So, friends, what do you say? Is this really me?!

Punked

2009-10-19T08:10:00.003-06:00

The BEST thing about this prank was that since we had gotten a new key for Greg's room, his old key was disabled. So at 4am (I'm still not sure why they were out so late) when they came back to the hotel, they were locked out. They had to go back down to the front desk, and get a new key.

Other Noteworthy Wedding Events

2009-10-15T08:55:00.008-06:00

Obviously my mother's wedding was the main event of our trip back home - but there were a few other moments that, to me, were blog-worthy.

1. Greg wore pants...TWICE. This is a big deal in my family. He is often referred to as, "The guy in the shorts and flip flops," mid February, so I had to document it.

My little sister, Sarah, belted out an amazing version of "At Last," by Etta James. People were quite shocked that such a little thing could sing something so huge.
We had dinner with my Dad at my favorite restaurant, The Cheesecake Factory. {Seriously, how cute is little Evan?!}

My older brother, Dan, showed us that Mentos and Diet Coke don't mix, but the result really isn't "stand 100 yards back in raincoats" worthy.

Rob and I took this picture:
After seeing it, I said, "Rob! Why can't you ever really smile for any of our pictures?! I have a million pictures of this same face!" He looked at me and said, "Then why do you keep taking it?!" (I have secretly enjoyed that comment all week. I love this guy.)

I was able to spend some time with my friend of 14 years, Mary. We then took the worst picture of all time...so I've deemed it not-blog-worthy.

Oh, and I caught this video of Greg showing off his signature dance moves.

There is one more event that I am waiting for pictures of. I accidentally left my camera at my mom's house when we discovered that the front desk at our hotel would give out room keys to anyone. No I.D. necessary. All you had to say was, "I lost my room key." They'd then ask what room you were in, swipe a new key, and you were good to go. {Um, scary!} But for the first of many-to-come-family-travel pranks, it was awesome. I'll save that for my next post. By far, these were the best two days I've had in a long time!

The Wedding

2009-10-12T21:42:00.008-06:00

It's official, she's married. Congratulations Mom and David, you both deserve all the happiness in the world!

2009-10-05T08:48:00.006-06:00

"When I wear this to school my friends will say, 'Maddie!! You look so stylish today.' "

(Thank goodness it wasn't a school day)

What a Wonderful World

2009-10-01T10:08:00.005-06:00

Sometimes it's just nice to get out and get some fresh air. Especially when the mountains are on fire with color.

The Indignity of it All

2009-09-24T13:06:00.009-06:00

I've been called out. My aunt Cindy just IMed me and said, "Saw the sexy pictures on Greg's blog. Looking good!" My first thought was, "Mandy is posting sexy pictures on her blog? That seems out of character.." But then I remembered that my little brother, Greg, challenged me to a blog-photo war. In a "Happy Birthday to Melissa," post he decided to post a picture that I SWEAR is not me. However, my sponsors would still like me to issue this statement:

"While we cannot confirm or deny that it is Melissa in the recent photo scandal, it is very important that the public realize that no tube tops were harmed in the making of this photo."

Even though the subject of this photo is NOT me, I can only imagine how such horrid film came to life. I picture it going down like this:

One afternoon some eight year old girl with brown hair and blue eyes was hanging out at her friends', Janelle and Joanne's house. Janelle was the same age as this brown haired girl, but Joanne was a few years older. A camera was found in the girls' home, and Joanne suggested that they make a fitness magazine. Joanne decided that she (being the oldest) had to be the photographer. Janelle then offered to be a model. Joanne, in true older sister fashion said, "You're to fat to be in a fitness magazine. You get to be the one who holds the lights." Since there were only three girls, the brunette was left to be the fitness model. The brunette girl really wasn't in any shape to be a fitness model either, and actually remembers being directed to, "suck in that roll," during this shot.

This picture was obviously taken before digital cameras, and once the shots were taken, the brunette girl forgot all about them. She really hoped they would never resurface, because the brunette girl thought her parents would kill her. She wasn't allowed to wear tube tops, and thought her parents would think she behaved like a floozy at her friends' home. Unfortunately, at the time Janelle and Joanne's mother happened to be best friends with the brunette's mother, and some time over the next ten years, the pictures were passed from one family to another.

This is all just a theory - I mean, who knows, maybe the brunette really IS a fitness model now. Maybe she's actually Megan Fox, and now I can blackmail her. And maybe now Janelle is a TWIG. The world will never know. One thing I DO know....Greg, you're dead.

SEE AFOREMENTIONED PHOTO HERE

Looking Up

2009-09-21T16:58:00.004-06:00

Finally, a diagnosis! I've spent the past, what seems like, eternity, looking like this:

glasses, ratty hair, un-showered in PJs, with continual television running in the background. I've ventured out from the house on few occasions loaded up on Excedrine and/or Advil to try to maintain a normal lifestyle, but today it was figured out. I have strep. And I've had it for a long time. It's been giving me every symptom in the book...including the lack of blogging desire, but no more. I'm back, baby! (Or will be in five days when the meds take care of business)

Labor Day

2009-09-08T09:41:00.007-06:00

We had a really busy weekend with my mom and her fiance, David, in town. {Oh yeah, uh...maybe I forgot to mention that my MOM IS ENGAGED!} Unfortunately I only captured a few pictures of our hike up Donut Falls. The other activities (blessing Evan and a surprise grad party for Rob) went un-photographed.

Tired Jude hitching a ride with Jessica's dad. He was so sweet to carry him!

Rob found a butterfly.
People everywhere started taking pictures of Rob and his find. We even overheard one lady saying, "Oh wow - look at that! The butterfly must be his spirit guide." Seriously.
My brothers Derek and Johnny
Jessica's Mom
Glad naked guy was able to be part of the family pic.

I can't believe that after all that, I don't have any pictures of my mom and David. I'll check my phone, and post some of those pictures soon. Thanks, you guys, for coming out. We all had such a great time and can't wait to see you in October.

Donut Envy

2009-08-30T21:22:00.007-06:00

I haven't had much time to bake lately, but my friend's recent blog post inspired me to get back in the kitchen. Even Rob helped out with today's tasty treat. We made cinnamon, glazed, powdered, and chocolate. Thanks, Kat, for the yummy recipe. These were crazy delicious.

WARNING!

2009-08-28T13:50:00.005-06:00

***This post may contain graphic material that is not suitable for those with weak stomachs. Simply put, my brother-in-law, Aaron, should not view this post. ***

Yesterday while eating my lunch I hear, "EEEEW! Mom - there's poop on my fingers!" I do the over-done eye roll and heavy sigh, and put down my salad. As I turn the corner to the bathroom Jude says, "Mom! What happened?! "

In horror, I ask him, "Yes, Jude, what DID happen? HOW ON EARTH DID THIS HAPPEN?" He replies, "I don't know, mom! Did you see that mess? What is that?"

"It's poop Jude! IT'S POOP ALL OVER THE BATHROOM!"

He looks around and says, "Oh dang."

I still have no explanation as to how a completely potty trained little boy manages to get poop all up his back, all over the carpet, all over the shirt he had already taken off, all over the toilet, and yet still manages to keep his undies clean. There seems to be a "magic bullet" phenomenon going on at our house.

Birthday Girls

2009-08-24T00:01:00.000-06:00

We've done it all; to include dressing like Stone Cold Steve Austin and Hollywood (or Hulk if you prefer) Hogan for a halloween party hosted by boys that we had crushes on. Bad move. Apparently, college boys don't find women in facial hair attractive. Even worse move: nobody else even bothered to dress up.

Happy 30th to Mary, and happy 28th to me. I love you, Marty. And from 1400 miles away, and seven years apart, these pictures help remind me just how much. I still claim this as my best halloween costume ever.

400

2009-08-17T16:16:00.005-06:00

This, my friends, is my 400th blog post. I originally wanted to celebrate this post with a blog-birthday-rewind party in which I revisited some of my favorite posts, etc...but that's because for some reason I was thinking that it was my 500th blog post. 400, just not as exciting. Not as deserving. I suppose I should give myself props anyway - after all, I can't say that I've done many cool things 400 times. So - hoorah for me!

To stick with the "not-quite" running theme of this post - here's a picture of my AWESOME birthday present. No, it's not the headband, nor the purse. It wasn't even dinner at the restaurant in the background, it was an iPhone.

I have held off on getting one for a long time because I knew that at some point I would qualify for the "upgrade discount." And as of Aug 1, I was eligible for an iPhone at a MUCH more reasonable price. Unfortunately, Rob is using the iPhone to take the picture. Sure wish I'd put that together when he snapped the shot.

Long Time Coming...

2009-08-12T15:32:00.007-06:00

Words cannot express the absolute joy that this day brings to my little family. Although I haven't really mentioned it much on the blog, my husband has basically (with the exceptions of weekends) been gone for the past three years. He heads to work in the morning, and then goes directly to school. He generally gets home sometime between 9-10pm. But I am proud to announce that as of tonight (keeping fingers crossed that he passes all of his classes) he will be done.

It has taken a lot of hard work and sacrifices on his part, but I am so, so, SO unbelievably proud of him. When we first got married we both started working, and put off school indefinitely. But realizing the importance of a degree, Rob got himself back in the game and saw it all the way through.

My kids and I have missed him greatly, and I can't even begin to imagine what life will be like when he's home. Thank you to everyone that has helped keep me sane during those thirteen hour days, we wouldn't have made it through without you.

I love you so much, Rob, and know that everything you've done has been for us. Congratulations, babe, you're the best!

In true-proud-spouse fashion, here's a picture of Rob on (or around) his first day of school:

And here he is on his last...obviously VERY happy to have his picture taken:

I LOVE THIS FACE

2009-08-10T13:42:00.004-06:00

...even when it's covered in sweet potatoes.

Good Sports

2009-08-04T19:26:00.005-06:00

I love to go jogging in the mornings, but I don't have a jogging stroller for three. I bought this stroller used three summers ago, and it is an absolute piece of junk (the kids lovingly refer to it Mater). But it still works, and they still kind of fit - so I can't complain. These cute kids have been so good about squeezing in and enjoying the ride. I'm a lucky mom.

2009-07-31T12:31:00.013-06:00

Here's the deal. I'm not crazy when it comes to insects. I don't have a lot of issues with them, for the most part they just annoy me. There is only one insect that sends me to the fetal position with any encounter, and we all know what that is. Currently there is one of the aforementioned insects of satan hiding in my couches. I'm a bit of a wreck over the mystery of the missing moth, but my biggest problem this summer seems to be with earwigs.

It all began when my sister-in-law, Sierra, started talking about the earwig problems they were having at her house. They were everywhere - she even found one in her salad. Blech. Once she mentioned it, I started noticing them in odd places at our house. I have found three crawling on my refrigerator. While in the shower the other day, I moved the shampoo bottle to find one hiding in the corner of my tub. I waited until I was done showering, then sent him down the drain. A few minutes later, while drying my hair, I watched him climb back out of the drain (who does that?!). Another day as I was grabbing my towel to dry off, I found one nesting in my towel. Yes - these are all gross, but I hit my ultimate "I've had it with bugs" point this morning.

In the midst of my "why is there a massive moth in my my house" freak out, I went outside to check on Ella who was sitting on the patio in her BUMBO chair. She turns to look at me and smiles with one eye awkwardly closed. When I got closer I realized that her eye was closed, because there was a huge earwig crawling on it.

As I was typing this, I had a terrible thought. What if MOTHS eat EARWIGS? I'd better Google that now, just to make sure I'm not setting myself up for many-a-sleepless night. What a quandary that would be.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

((As a side note - stay away from yahoo answers. When I googled, "What do moths eat?" the answer I got was, "Your sweater." I'm 90% convinced that some idiot wrote that, but the other 10% is checking my sweaters for the missing moth.))

When Does it End?

2009-07-29T12:31:00.008-06:00

I wish that there was an opposite of the above picture. You know, like in the cartoons when the wimpy guy goes to show his muscles, but the skinny stick arm ends up bending under instead the muscle bubbling up? That's how I feel lately!

I broke the stove yesterday. Well, technically, I broke-it-more. For the past several months the burners have been going out. As of yesterday we had two reliable burners: one large, and one small. Last night while trying to get one of the supposedly reliable burners to turn back on, I got really mad, shoved the burner into the socket - and broke part of the stove. Guess we're down to one. {$}

For the past few weeks we've been noticing little puddles of water coming from under our fridge. I assumed it was from melting ice that had fallen from the ice maker. Wrong - the fridge is leaking from somewhere underneath. Not a big deal...UNTIL the water comes out so profusely that the entire kitchen floor is soaked. {$$}

Last week one of our tubs was draining slowly. Then one day...it just stopped draining. I (being Rosie Riveter) read the DRAIN-O bottle, and it said that it worked on standing water; just pour in, and in a little while the standing water will will be gone. Nope. A few hours later when Rob got home from work, I showed him what I had done. At that point we were starting to notice a little bit of black stuff coming up from the drain along with a few small bubbles, so we let it sit. It wasn't until the next morning (when we remembered the DRAIN-O blunder) that we realized the black stuff coming out of the drain was actually the drain itself. The DRAIN-O had sat in there so long that it literally ate our drain. The worst part of all of this is that as I type this the DRAIN-O and water are still sitting in our tub. Rob's schedule has been so crazy that he hasn't had time to fix the problem yet. {$$$}
I thought the floating shampoo bottle was a nice touch. Guess we can add a new bottle of shampoo to the list as well. {$$$$}

***UPDATE***

To add serious insult to injury, after writing this post, I decided I was going to use a glass mason jar to bail out the tub. After about twenty minutes of dunk-dump-dunk-dump I was able to get a better look at the now ruined drain. It was closed. So I opened it - and watched the rest of the water go right down the drain. PLEASE tell me that wasn't the problem from the beginning!!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2009-07-27T09:59:00.007-06:00

The blonde hairapy was starting to grow out - so I decided it was time for me to go back to my natural color of crazy-bright-red. When I first saw it, I kind of chuckled to myself and thought, "Well, this is ought to be fun!"
I've shocked quite a few people but oddly enough, Rob LOVES it. He has complimented this color more than anything I've ever done. I guess this shouldn't be so much of a shock to me...afterall, he spent many of his childhood years dreaming of this redhead:

No. That's not a joke. But I suppose to be fair, I should add that I spent my days dreaming of the monkee on the left.

Oh Davy...{swoon}

2009-07-23T09:24:00.006-06:00

She's telling Rob, "Uncle Jeff is crazy, but Aunt Jodi is nice and smart."

I'm pretty sure Rob is saying, "You're the smartest four year old I know."

Shut it Down

2009-07-21T08:18:00.005-06:00

My friend Nels changed his facebook profile picture the other day. Friendship aborted.