Tonight we carved all the little pumpkins. We have one huge one we might try to do tomorrow when it's still light outside.
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Tonight while Anna was getting ready for bed....
Mommy dinosaurs can go trick or treating.
Really?
But if they roar they can't go. Right mommy.
Right.
Pause.
But we don't have dinosaurs, we have doggies.
Yes.
They can't go trick or treating either, that would be silly!
We've had trouble off and on with getting Anna to go to sleep. Sometimes we'll hear her talking and playing in bed more than an hour after we've left her. Sometimes two hours. She has been wanting to read but the nightlight wasn't bright enough so I'd been leaving the closet light on. Not ideal. So finally we made a purchase this weekend. It's only night #2 but so far its the magic lamp. She reads with it on and then pulls the moon to turn it off to go to sleep.
Friday
I picked up Chilis on the way home and Kevin and I watched Godfather Part I on A&E. Except I couldn't stay awake for the last 20 minutes, which I'm told is what the entire movie leads up to. I'm sure they will rerun it again and I'll catch the ending. This was the first time I have ever seen this movie, to Kevin's amazement.
Saturday
Anna had dance and it was costume week so she wore her Halloween costume to class. I didn't do Zumba because I couldn't get a sitter and Kevin had to work.
We made cookies at home for the new neighbors across the street. We keep waiting for "the big truck" but I guess they're moving in one Suburban load at a time. Or maybe it came during the day when we weren't here. The woman said she has 10 kids. Only 5 live at home still and the youngest is 9. She has a 14 month old grandchild. I heard from another neighbor that she is widowed. Her Geek Squad guy showed up right as we dropped off the cookies so we didn't get to talk too long. She did say she has twin 13 year old daughters, and I told her we'd love to have them babysit. She said they'd all come over to meet the kids sometime.
Sam and Candi invited us over for dinner and made white chicken chili and corn bread. We took an appetizer dip and chips and the leftover cookies for dessert. We played Settlers of Catan again and I won one game. Yea for me.
Sunday
Carter woke up with pink eye. I swear if you just say the words Pink Eye around my kids they get it. I saw a sign at the daycare, in a room that Carter doesn't spend much time in, that they had 2 confirmed cases last week. Yea, I get to try to work from home tomorrow with a sick baby. Good times. Poor thing though, he has a cold too I think because he is all snotty and plus he's cutting two teeth so he just doesn't feel good. I keep giving him tylenol and motrin to help.
Even so, after his morning nap and everyone ate lunch the kids and I ran some errands.
We finally got around to dragging the scanner to the dr. - aka Radio Shack - to see if they can fix it. They told me I have the wrong power adapter but they didn't have a right one. She wrote down what I needed and sent me on my way. I asked her if she thought Best Buy would have it and she said I should call. Yea right. I used to date a guy in high school that worked at Best Buy. Those guys could care less. So not sure if I should try to track this power adapter down or just buy a new scanner. Buying a new one seems easier, but finding a power adapter seems cheaper.
Either way I need to get one working so I can finish collecting the photos for the memory album I'm making for my grandparents for Christmas. Speaking of which, I read a great entry on another blog about journaling old photos.
We also made it to Target, Babies R Us and Wal-mart. While I was at Babies R Us I realized I am really picky about some of my baby purchases. I trekked all the way over there specifically to get a Carter's brand mattress pad/cover and one of their flannel lap pad protectors in a full crib size (not sure what they are exactly called but they are like lap pads except much bigger). This makes it so I only have to change a sheet when a diaper leaks, instead of changing all of the bedding. These big lap pad protectors are also great for Anna's twin bed when she has an accident, which is still known to happen. But you can't find them at Wal-mart or Target. Anyway, mom tip for anyone who is collecting those.
I resisted buying a work bench shape sorter for Carter and a steering wheel/driving toy for Carter, and a basket ball and baseball toy for Carter. We really don't have many boy toys (hee hee that sounds bad but I'm not going to edit) and Carter keeps playing with Anna's kitchen but that's ok. Maybe he'll be a good cook when he grows up.
So on Saturdays Anna goes to dance (tap/ballet) and I noticed that there was a class going on for women at the same time. So last Saturday I decided to take the class rather than sit on my ass and watch Anna.
The class is called Zumba and Candi has taken it at a gym before. She raved about her gay instructor who would scream WATER when you were supposed to take a break. I don't think my instructors were quite as motiviational but it is rather fun. It made me realize how out of shape I am. I took the class last Saturday and I am just now feeling back to normal. I could hardly walk on Sunday, although I'm sure the dancing at Hilloween didn't help either.
They call it latin dance moves. but really its more like hip hop. and i think i'm doing it right until i look in the mirror and realize how ridiculous i look. but so does everyone else so what the hell.
the instructor has a great ass and i just kept thinking, if i keep doing this mine could look like that too. so here's to getting off my ass to make it look better.
On Saturday night we went to Hilloween.
Candi was Princess Lea and Sam was Darth Vader.
It was such a good night that we actually lost Candi's camera. Luckily she was able to get it back today. Whew! The really good pictures are on there.
Each year we go to the Johnson Farms pumpkin patch. This was Carter's first year. He loved it. He just wanted to crawl among all the pumpkins.
2006
2007
On Fridays the kids ride to work with me and my mom meets us there to pick up the kids. This way my mom doesn't have to get up quite so early. We usually go through the drive thru at Starbucks on my way - by Friday I need the caffiene.
So this morning we were on our usual drive, listening to the Disney Greatest Hits Volume 1 which includes tunes like Zippidy Doo Da, Kiss the Girl, that one from the Jungle Book and Anna was just chattin it up...
anna: What is that mommy?
me: Looks like a big hill.
anna: No, it's a mountain. You have to walk up it.
me: That would be a lot of hard work.
anna: No you have to go up a snowy mountain, not a grassy mountain. That's silly.
and you take a sleigh.
me (did a double take): a sleigh?
anna: yes.
me: What do you do with it?
anna: You put it away.
me: Do you slide down the mountain on the sleigh?
anna: NO, you go UP the mountain. (implied: you idiot)
me: oh ok.
anna: then you put it away and have supper. Grandma calls it supper.
We continue on our usual route on an overpass where there is usually a train sitting.
me: there's a train.
anna: we need a moving train, not a stopping train.
and continuing on...
anna: Look, what's that?
me: (looks like small piles of dirt from a digger) I don't know.
anna: I think they're building a mall so we can go there. An indoor mall.
more disney...
anna: don't talk mommy.
me: silence
anna: say "no"
me: no
anna: no mommy. say no again.
me: no again.
I think I only amused myself.
In Starbucks drive through. Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious playing in the background.
me: What is Carter doing? Is he asleep?
anna: He's looking at Starbucks.
me: What are you looking at Carter?
anna: I don't think he wants to talk right now.
anna: If you climb up a Starbucks it would be really dangerous right mommy?
me: right.
anna: How did they make Starbucks mommy?
me: I don't know anna
anna: Me neither!
I get my coffee from the barista and she says "OH, do you have a princess in there!?" I'm like, I guess. I had completely forgotten she was wearing a tiara she found in a toybox this morning.
It was pretty continuous for the entire drive and highly entertaining.
So work sucks this week and it's only Tuesday.
Let's think about something that's more fun. Something I would spend more time doing if I wasn't working.
Scrappin it up.
Here are the layouts I created last weekend. Again, sorry for the reflection from the camera, reallllllyyy need to get the scanner fixed or get a new one.
Anna Sandwich (still need to add my journaling)
Snow Bunny (still need to add journaling)
Vegas Baby
While running errands last Thursday on my day off, my car said "Brake Failure" again followed by "Reduced Engine Performance" followed by "Service Required." I called thinking I would take it in on Friday around lunch but found out they couldn't guarantee a loaner vehicle then, but they could now. So we (me and Anna - it was girls day) drove to the dealership to drop it off. This was after we had been running our errands.
Which included
I'm way behind on posting so I'm going to try to catch up...
This week Anna is mat helper at school.
me: What is mat helper?
her: I help put the mats away.
of course.
She is doing a 24 piece puzzle of SpongeBob SquarePants all by herself.
I found this video on the camera when I was uploading pictures this weekend. Anna is singing Old MacDonald to Carter.
**********
We are on a schedule of roughly every other night for baths. Bath night is Carter's FAVORITE thing.
Oh - and Carter is taking one step. sometimes. with lots of encouragement and being very very close to him.
He is good at walking with toys.
UPDATE: Carter Video working now using Viddler. Anna video didn't upload correctly so I'll try again.
The kids' school fall program was last Thursday. Good for a few giggles.
Anna singing I'm A Wide-Mouthed Bull Frog
(here are the words
There once was a wide-mouthed bullfrog friendly as could be
He liked to hop around and talk to any animal he’d see. He’d say,
“Hi. I’m a wide-mouthed bullfrog and I eat bugs. What do you eat?”
One day on his travels he saw a blue-feathered bird.
He hopped along and sang his song. Sing with me each word.
“Hi. I’m a wide-mouthed bullfrog and I eat bugs. What do you eat?”
“I eat wiggly worms,” said the bird.
“Oh!” said the bullfrog.
And he hopped, hopped, hopped away.
Next he met a brown mouse, a cute furry little thing.
He went real near the mouse’s ear and began to sing. He sang,
“Hi. I’m a wide-mouthed bullfrog and I eat bugs. What do you eat?”
“I eat seeds and berries.” Said the mouse.
“Oh!” said the bullfrog. And he hopped, hopped, hopped away.
The frog went to the swamp. Saw a gator swimming around
The wide-mouthed frog jumped on a log and began to sound. He sang,
“Hi. I’m a wide-mouthed bullfrog and I eat bugs. What do you eat?”
“I eat wide-mouthed bullfrogs” said the gator flashing big teeth.
The bullfrog pulled his mouth real small and answered back real sweet.
“You don’t see many of them around here.”
And he hopped, hopped, hopped away! )
Carter is here today
Finally got around to scrapbooking this past weekend. I finished a two page layout in one night. Now. if any of you have every scrapped with me in the past you know that I have been known to take weeks to finish a single page or layout. I'm getting better. These pictures are from August 2006. Sorry Carter, you still don't have any layouts yet. Second child syndrome definitely in effect.
Sorry for the glare on the layout, I had to take a picture. Still haven't had a chance to take the scanner to the dr aka radio shack.
At scrabulous in facebook. No one plays all their tiles to spell Siderite. Cheater cheater pumpkin eater.
Thought you would enjoy some photos.
Key West Crew at Hogsbreath
Carter feeding himself
Annika has learned how to chew gum. We have one rule. In your mouth or in the trash.
Anna Says:
This evening Anna was eating a snack and her cracker broke in her peanut butter and she said Dammit. What did you say? Dammit. What did you say? Dammit. Yes it's what she said stop asking her you idiot. We say Darn it, Dammit is a bad word. Ok mommy.
Tassie has been eating various items around the house again. Kevin didn't lock her up when he came to pick me up from the airport on Wednesday. I think she ate a toy that day. On Thursday, while I was home, she ate some of Anna's happy meal doll toys. Itty bitty pieces of plastic arms and legs were scattered by the front door. Yesterday she was locked up and she worked on eating the drywall Kevin had already repaired. This means there are white chalky pieces all over and therefore white chalky paw prints.
Sonar has not been an angel either. Yesterday and Today he has gotten into the kitchen trash can and shredded trash around the house.
Today Tassie Has Eaten:
One orange plastic pool toy on the deck.
So while I was out of town Merry Maids had the sink replaced. (To get up to speed you can read the previous posting.) But, it is not the right sink. Mind you they TOOK the original sink after they ordered the incorrect one last time to make sure they got hte RIGHT sink. But it is not the right sink. And, now they have broken the pedestal as well.
I had the owner of my Merry Maids franchise come to the house today and showed her what is wrong.
Old sink
Current sink
This is where they broke the pedestal.
She of course apologized and said they will make it right. But I feel it is now my responsibility to find the right sink since they seem incapable of doing so and are clearly trusting a plumbing company who is incompetent (Pyramid Plubming in Grandview you suck).
So I have contacted Crane directly to see what to do since you cannot purchase directly from their site, nor am I 100% sure if I have the right model number because their website sucks. Um, it's 2007 people, get a better web site. Call me Crane, we'll hook you up.
...Was the highlight of the night at the conference dinner this evening. Here is my video highlight of his performance.
The story behind this: He is a speaker and had posted this online via YouTube at the request of highschool kids who saw him speak so they could watch the video, practice and perform it at a talent show. He then went away to a weekend retreat without internet or cell phone access and came back to have his phone nearly explode and find out 200,000 people had viewed it. It's now up to 59 million views. Here's the original posting.
apparently i haven't mastered the video posting yet.. technical difficulties in progress.
I am now in Indianapolis at an ExactTarget conference where today I gave a short presentation of a case study on Gordmans, one of our email marketing clients. The audience was suffering from end-of-day-burnout but overall I think it went well.
I have one more day here and then I'm heading back to KC. I have to admit, I miss snuggling my baby Carter and listening to the funny things Anna says. It's been almost a week since I've been on home ground so it will be good to settle back into a routine. I'm sure the junk mail pile is about to reach the ceiling.
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