how did this happen?

When did my baby girl get to be such a big girl?

20 months going on 20 years?

a weekend of celebration

trains, trains and even more trains

this past weekend we celebrated Lance's 4th birthday and the theme of course was Trains

On Thursday Lance celebrated his birthday at school with a special train shaped treat and the birthday crown

Then Saturday six of his friends came over for a birthday party, the weather was a little less then ideal, cloudy and chilly the kids still had fun playing out in the yard

The kids really liked the look of the train cake, but didn't really eat much of it, not enough icing for most 3/4 year olds

Lance had a great time with all his friends

and all his new toys, especially the nerf dart gun, not my favorite, but he is being so good about not aiming it at other people, I hope he will continue to obey that rule

Sunday evening was a party with the family and he got his big present, he came over to help Gigee get the presents out of the van

and he was shocked to discover there was a PowerWheel inside for him

it took him a second to realize it really was for him, very cute

and his birthday wishes all came true

It was a jam packed weekend, but we were able to stop and enjoy ourselves.  I am a little sad my little baby boy is such a big boy, time flies and I can't believe how much he has grown and changed.  I am so thankful for him and had a great time celebrating 4 years of Lance.

I was thinking

A blogger I read regularly was blogging about tolerance and the lack there of these days and it got me thinking.  Where has the love gone?  Or did humans ever have it?  I heard about this project and it is really cool, but at the same time sad because people aren't loving other people.  This especially sad when I think about how many "Christians" are in this city, heck in this country, yet acts of kindness are few and far between.  Sometimes is just seems like Christianity is more about politics, conversions, and being a Pharisee and not about showing love to the unlovable and passing on a random act of kindness.  Maybe things aren't as bad as they seem, maybe things are the way they have always been, but thinking about it makes me want to change, to make a difference, be a part of the bigger story.

why can't things just be simple

Everything seems to be so darn complicated these days.
For example:
1- Last night we went to Toys'R'Us to buy party supplies because I had a 25% off coupon, well of course they didn't have enough plates so I went to the party store close by and finished getting what I needed.  Well I thought I had a pretty good deal until we went to Target and discovered that Target was at least 50 cents cheaper then the sale items at Toys'R'Us and the party store so that meant another trip to return everything when I had hoped to be done shopping for that kind of thing last night.  The return saved me at least $5 and I had to go back to the party store anyways to get the coloring books I decided to use as party favors so I didn't necessarily lose my savings from the gas and time, but it was still annoying. 
2-  I went to the party store this morning and of course the coloring book I wanted to buy didn't have as many copies as I need.  I ended up purchasing two copies of the one I wanted and 6 copies of the more expensive one.  Then when I went to pay for the coloring books I noticed that the expensive books rang up $4.99 although they were marked $3.99 so I had to wait for a manager to come and override and system and do a whole bunch of changing all the while trying to keep Lily from getting to the candy and pulling off all the disposable cameras off their hooks, not fun.
3- This morning Lily and I also got our bangs trimmed.  I pulled into the parking space in front of the salon, got Lily out, and as I was walking around the car I heard a hissing sound coming from the tire.  Knowing that I had more errands to run I had to call Jeff to come and change my tire.  I know how to change a tire, but I lack the strength to loosen the lug nuts and I don't want to even try and change a tire and wrangle a 20 month old.  So twenty minutes of solo child time was lost getting a tire changed since it took the twenty minutes we were getting our hair done for Jeff to get to us. Too bad we went close to home or the tire could have been changed while we were in the salon, but the way life goes, Jeff arrives right when we were finished.
4- Tuesday I had to go pay for my summer graduate classes, and right before I headed over to the school, but after I had run several errands I realized the credit card I was going to use to pay for the classes was missing.  I searched the car, searched my bag, and retraced my steps and after wasting 30 minutes of driving around to all my previous locations I realized it had slipped down between the seat and the door, though I thought I looked there multiple times.
5- Yesterday at Food Lion I didn't have with me my MVP card and after trying to use my phone number the cashier who was of little help asked the lady behind me for help, fortunately she was able to put in her number and I was able to get my savings, though it would have been a whole faster had the lady just swiped an MVP card many cashiers have on hand, or at least the ones at my regular Food Lion do.  Well to pay for my purchase I had wanted to use my gift card, but it is a bit peculiar and the last two times the cashier had to punch in the number.  I tried to explain this to the cashier after swiping it once and receiving an error message, but she didn't seem to believe me and repeatedly tried to get the card to swipe.   I was irritated at the cashier for her insistence that the card should be swiped and finally gave up and wrote a check.  After all this I realize that both of my children are kneeling by the candy and Lance is starting to unwrap a package of gum.   What should have taken a minute ended up taking 5 minutes and I was thoroughly annoyed, why couldn't the lady just punch in the gift card number so I could move along like I tried to tell her?

Things have just been extra complicated and difficult this week and I don't know what is going on, why can't things just go simply or smoothly, does everything have to be an ordeal?

time to bust out the survival skills

This week is going to be a busy one. 
Today:
-play group
-laundry
-finish cleaning up from last night's dinner with friends
-start cleaning up the house
Tomorrow:
-lance has school
-pay for summer courses and buy books
-garden day with my mom
-buy party supplies for Lance's 4th birthday
-finish questions for Wednesday morning's small group
Wednesday:
-I'm providing snack for small group so I have to make something
-small group in the morning
-order food for b-day party
Thursday:
 -lance has school in the morning
 -IEP meeting for Lance in the afternoon
-bake train cakes for Lance's birthday
Friday:
-speech for Lance in the am
-decorate train cake for party
-clean house and prepare for party
-evening at the children's museum w/my mom
-wrap presents
Saturday
-get ready for party!
-lance's birthday party
-clean up and prepare for family celebration tomorrow
Sunday
-church
-Lance's 4th Birthday
-going out to eat with family and even more cake and ice cream at home afterwards
Monday
-the circus
and I think I am forgetting something there, hmmmm, I think there is something else Thursday evening, but I can't remember what it is right now
so lots of fun and busyness, I can't believe that my baby boy is going to be 4, he is growing up so fast

there are worse things

I know there are worse things then your child not measuring up to their peers and being label special ed, but it still is a little upsetting.
Lance has been receiving speech therapy through the city school system for a year and a half now and his progress has been slow especially at preschool.  Lance's speech therapist wanted him evaluated to make sure there wasn't any other problems other than a speech delay so after a visit to the developmental pediatrician, a battery of intelligence tests, several observations, and telephone interviews we had an eligibility meeting for Lance and he was found eligible for additional special education services.  So now in addition to weekly speech therapy, he will have weekly sessions with the occupational therapist (to develop his fine motor skills especially the correct way to hold a pencil) and help in the preschool classroom with a special education teacher (hopefully to improve his language skills with his peers as well as adaptive classroom skills).  Lance will be 4 next week, but his expressive language is that of a 2.5 year old.  This delay in expressive language is starting to impact his social and classroom skills which is concerning.  I hope that his current struggles are not a indication of his learning abilities in the future because we have a whole lot of school ahead of us.  So though it could be worse, I am still upset at the struggles Lance faces and that he isn't the normal practically 4 year old boy.  School is difficult especially for boys and starting out behind everyone doesn't make things any easier especially with No Child Left Behind or in other words: No Child Shall Be Left Untested.

Top Ten Favorite TV Shows

Last night there was nothing good on television and it got me thinking about my favorite television shows and how most of them are "reality" television shoes.  Some are shows are educational where others are my guilty pleasure and fortunately most aren't shown in the same season so I am not watching television all night, every night.  So here's my list of favorite television shows:

10- Million Dollar Listing (Bravo)
- I have no idea why, but I am hooked, I guess I am fascinated by really expensive houses and the price people will pay for them and not to mention the super huge, silly egos those boys have

9- Tabitha's Salon Takeover (Bravo)
now the first season was really good, and the second was okay, but I am amazed at how these salons are gross and unprofessional and how to the point, tell-it-like-it-is Tabitha is

8- Deadliest Catch (Discovery)
-we started watching it 4 years ago when I was in the hospital after having Lance, I don't quite know why I like it, it is a "manly" show, yet I enjoy it every season, I guess it is just sentimental to me since it was on a marathon the day Lance was born and I had to watch ever episode since Jeff had the remote and I was too tired and in pain to fight for it, new season starts tonight!

7-  Storm Chasers (Discovery)
- I am afraid of tornadoes, yet I am totally intrigued by these people who get as close as humanly possible to a tornado, I can't wait for a new season

6- Dirty Jobs (Discovery)
-I think Mike Rowe is funny and entertaining though after a friend told me she thinks he is "hot" I have a hard time watching Dirty Jobs now without thinking about Molly and her crush on Mike, the show does make me thankful for not having to do some of the NASTY things people do for a living, my favorite episode of Dirty Jobs was the behind-the-scenes where they showed the crazy things the camera men, producers, and sound and lighting guys do to get the perfect shot, they are crazy

5- Desperate Housewives (ABC)
-It is so a soap opera, yet I enjoy it and like how the weekly theme runs parallel in everyone's lives, Jeff supposedly hates it, but if it is on he gets sucked in, maybe that is why he hates it so

4- Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice (ABC)
-I was a big ER fan when ER first arrived on the scene and I like medical drama and enjoy these two shows, well sometimes I love one and don't really like the other depending on where the storyline is going, but I usually watch both shows regularly and am hooked

3- Lost (ABC)
-I have had a love/hate relationship with this show over the many years, I loved the show in the beginning and currently do since things are kind of making sense, but I have hated the large gaps in between seasons and a few of the tangents that it went on in the middle years, overall it is one of my favorite shows that has kept me interested over the years and I am sad the end is near

2- Whale Wars (Animal Planet)
-I hope there is going to be another season of this because I love this show, I am amazed at how you have two groups (the Sea Shepards and the Japanese Whaling Fleet) who both are right and who both are wrong and the intense war between them, can't wait for a new season especially since I heard on the news the Japanese sunk or tried to sink one Sea Shepard's boats, or maybe it was the other way around

1- The Real Housewives (Bravo)

-Real Housewives is my guilty pleasure.  I am extremely entertained to see how these women live and how ridiculous their lifestyles can be.  It has been extremely interesting these past seasons with the economy being rough and watching them try and downsize.  My favorite seasons are Orange County and New York, though New Jersey can be quite a circus and can give a good laugh.  Watching makes me appreciate my simple, genuine, poor life, this show has proved that money doesn't buy happiness and love, it just buys stuff

This is just my top 10 of favorite television show, Oh Amanda has even more Top Ten Lists for reading fun.

monday morning

This morning started off badly, both kids awake at 5 am, they did go back to sleep after some time, but I still woke up tired.  Then I stepped on two toys and scraped myself each time and I almost fell down the stairs and scraped my arm trying to catch myself and got no where on the phone with the representatives with FAMIS.
Then we went outside and my bad day turned right around.  It is a beautiful sunny day, not too hot and not too cool.  It was wonderful and I am so thankful. 
I enjoyed:

that the trees now have leaves

which then provides shade for outside play

the azaleas are blooming which brightens up the yard

and even the tulips are still blooming and looking amazing

I love flowers

and it was just perfect for a lunch on the deck.

So despite the rough start, we enjoyed being outside and all thing new thanks to the change of seasons.  It makes me wonder, would I still appreciate the leaves on the trees, the flowers, the deck, and the warm weather if it was like this all year long or is it because it because it comes and goes that I am able to appreciate it?

Ultimate Blog Party

This is the first time I have done the blog party, I have been blogging for several years, and though I have some blogs I regularly read I wanted to find some new ones so I decided to join in on the fun.

About me:

I am 31 years old and still not use to be in my 30's.  I am currently a domestic engineer, which doesn't pay much, but the rewards are priceless.  I have been married for almost 10 years and I have two children:

Lance my almost 4 year old boy
and

Lily, my 20 month old baby girl.
My husband and I have a third "baby," our store, we sell skateboards, snowboards, and have now branched into recycling, road bicycles that is.  Our store has been open for almost 9 years and has been the best and worst thing we have ever done, but we are doing what we love and trying to make it work.

Life has been extremely chaotic the last couple of years and my blog is a place for me to celebrate the little adventures of life, like dancing on the sofa, but also to vent my frustrations when life is tough, like when our store burned down when there was a lapse in insurance.  I am learning to be content, learning to let go, to embrace the chaos of our life, and most importantly, I am learning to trust that God does have a plan and purpose for us even if it doesn't look the way I think it should.

And the randoms:
things I hate
1- bugs, especially stink bugs and wasps
2- dishonesty
3- the cold
4- politics
5- mushrooms and water chestnuts
6- pollen, more specifically my allergy to it
7- that I am a bit of a control freak
8- vomit
9- traffic
10- pantyhose

things I love
1-summer
2-water especially swimming in water
3-the ocean
4-Target
5-being outside
6-flip flops
7- warm homemade chocolate chip cookies
8- going for a walk at dusk when it is warm outside
9- having a girl after having a boy and discovering the joys of dresses and all things pink
10- being able to make an adventure out of an ordinary day


and the prizes I would love to win from the UBP2010?
well #1 pick would definitely be the #17 apple gift certificate, I really want a iphone or an ipad
choice #2 would be #15 target gift certificate, I love me some Target not only because of the stuff, but they have cherry coke in the cafe in a fountain drink
and choice #3 would be a toss up between the hotel prizes  the Hilton Garden Inn (# US 39) hotels stay or hotel in Florida (# US 40)
then there is prizes of Netflix, amazon gift certificates, gift certificate to Toys R US, gift certificate to Kroger, another Target gift certificate, gift
but truthfully any prize would be awesome!

Top 10 LIttle Hints of Warm Weather

There are a few things of spring and summer that appear at some point without us really noticing and disappear just as mysteriously.  Most of the hints aren't something we really think about until we notice them, which makes them a little magical.  So here's my top 10 little hints of warm weather, some bad, some neutral, and some are good, but all of them are things that are usually ordinary things that are forgotten about in the fall and winter:

10- being sticky- not sticky like sugar coated, but hot, sweaty sticky, when you don't want body parts of touch each other nor touch anything like leather car interiors, ick!

9- shade- how wonderful the shade feels when it is sun is beating down, during the fall and winter months standing in the sun helps to keep warm, but there is a shift come late spring when shade is the place to be because the sun is so hot, it is amazing how the sun is so different in the summer as compared to the winter

8- wasps, bees, ticks, and mosquitoes, not my favorite spring and summer friends, but they appear one day and are a pain while they are hear and every year I resolve that I will find a way to safely win the war against these creatures without chemicals

7- the smell of fresh cut grass- I always forget this warm weather smell until I smell it for the first time each spring and am reminded of summer memories and good times

6- thunderstorms- we had a big one last night, it woke me up, the wind was blowing, the rain coming down in sheets, the lightening was as bright as day and the thunder never seemed to end, I forget about thunderstorms during the winter and it takes a little getting use to, the first couple always wake me up at night and scare me a little, but by June, I will be use to them and not even wake up and before I know it they are gone like the warm weather

5- having the ceiling fans on at night- having to keep the ceiling fans on all night long and all day for that matter, they are a hint of warm weather in our home, I love the soothing sound the fan going and the cool breeze they produce

4- the smell of sunscreen- it is a warm weather smell that brings back fond memories, we rarely need it in the winter so the first time we apply it is nice, by August it isn't so fond anymore

3- the warm breeze that occasionally occurs inland that reminds you of the beach, every now and then when the weather is warm a warm breeze will blow in such a way it reminds us of an ocean breeze

2- flip flops- I am not a shoe person and love no shoes and flip flops and a hint of warm weather is being able to wear flip flops without having your toes freeze

1- lightening bugs- though they haven't appeared yet, they are my favorite sign of warm weather, I love the way they just seem to appear one night and every night thereafter, you get used to them being around and then one night you just notice they aren't there anymore, which always kind of sad because it means summer is over, but until then I will look forward to seeing my warm weather critters

Spring has just begun so all my favorite warm weather hints are cherished and enjoyed until it becomes the norm and then before I know it they are forgotten and gone until they return each spring.  Spring and Summer are my favorite seasons and I am just soaking it all in, I'm out of hibernation and loving it.

Snapshots of our Easter Weekend

Friends came to visit

and came to play

 eggs were colored

 though it was a bit crazy with Lil' wanting to help

many were broken, but there were some to show off afterwards

Easter dinner and dessert were prepared and eaten

eggs were found hidden around

candy eaten

and baskets with a few goodies discovered

Lance even got to try out snowboarding on a real hill instead of the backyard

and he did awesome!

we even got to do a little tubing while we were there

we had a great weekend!

newlyweds

Though they will be living in separate houses, they are a wonderful, loving couple that work so well together.

They are my Dyson ball (the wife) and my friend's Bissell steam vacuum (the husband).  I love my Dyson and didn't think there was anything as wonderful until I used the steam vacuum, wow, all my rugs look brand new.
Here's the proof, Lily's carpet before:

notice that the relatively new rug had a big old black dirt stain in the middle of it which I didn't think would come out, but. .  .

It did!!!! and the carpet looks wonderful. So together the two vacuum are a match made in heaven.  I love cleaning that shows results and extends the life of my floor coverings.  Next thing I want to try, a steam mop, it maybe the mistress, we will see!