Happy Birthday, Miss Priss

Tomorrow my daughter will turn three years old.

Allow me to tell you about her.

She is teeny in stature.  She is both short and thin.  She still wears clothes size 24 months.  She has teeny finger nails that she insits I paint the same color as mine (she's not quite 3 and she is rocking some very chic gray polish).  Oh and she calls them "neen-grrr nails."  She has a small ski slope nose that takes after her aunt Lizz and short hair that has finally grown into a bob.

She has this teeny, squeaky voice...this voice that when she is happy you can hear the pure joy and innocence in it.  And when she is tired and cranky and whiny she has the whiniest voice on the planet.  But when she laughs, well, I'm pretty convinced her laugh can cure cancer and broker peace between Israel and Palestine.

But for all the things that are so small, so elfish about her, her personality is not.  She has the biggest, bossiest, sassiest, charmingest, sneakiest, most mischievous personality I have ever seen.  She is a politician.  She is crafty.    She will declare her edicts of love for you one minute and the next minute push you away.  She hits her brother in private but cries in public that he hit her.  She squirrels toys away where only she can find them.  She is at once a tom boy - jumping off couches and insisting on wearing sponge bob underwear and at once a princess with her nail polish and demanding I blow dry, flat iron and hair spray her hair.  (I don't always cave on that one.)

She knows how to be shy and how to be coy to elicit her way.  But she is direct and bossy and demanding of the women in her life.  She can flirt with any waiter in any restaurant. And both grandpa's?  Forget it, they are knights in shining armor.

Her favorite moments of every day are laying on the couch with me in the evening while I rub her back.  This is the only time she is still.  She tosses and turns and snores and kicks in her sleep.  In her wake she jumps and skips and runs and twirls and never stops moving.  Unless I am rubbing her back. 

Every night she insists on giving me, her daddy, her bubba and the dog about 100 kisses each.  She shouts and she whispers "I love you."  You goes to sleep screaming happily her love for every one she knows as she is placed in her bed.  (Where she promptly climbs out and lays blankets on the floor and sleeps.)

We square off now, her and I, with each standing our ground.  No, you can't wear shorts when it's 20 degrees out.  No you can't have candy for breakfast.  I imagine in 10 years it will be no, you can't date that boy or no, you can't leave the house in that mini skirt.  But how I hope in 10 years and even in 20 that she lets me rub her back as she lies still in my lap.  That she lets her mommy love her.

Three years ago my beautiful baby elf girl came to me.  I love you to the moon and back Miss Priss, Miss-Chivius...Miss Sydney Claire.

She loves to slide

Cinderella for halloween

Miss America wave

Giving her brother a choke-hug

So there's that...

For TB....

and anyone else who was wondering where I have been for two months...

Thanks for your concern/interest.  It is sincerely appreciated.

Life has marched forward with life... kids got flu shots (the mist actually), Owen had his 4 year well child visit and his follow up w/ his urologist (both a-okay), we had halloween.  Syd is growing up and being a smarty and a smart alack.  Girl has attitude. 

We voted as a family.  Well, the hubs and I share different political view points.  We still take the kids to vote together.

We wake up, we eat, we go to work and school and we do laundry and cook dinner and walk the dog and run the vacuum... everything you do.

Tis life.

I may post something of import or interest later.  For now enjoy:

I was looking at our neighbor dressed in a very scandalous Dorthy outfit

My princess

Yep, in the laffy taffy already

A State of Affairs....

5 years ago today.... 

I had the first date with the hubs.

We were suppose to go to the Great State Fair of Oklahoma.

But we drove around the muddy fields for about 30 minutes and no parking to be found.  It seemed the entire state was at the fair checking out the monster trucks, the 4H pigs, riding the decrepit rides, eating fried bacon & chocolate on a stick and drinking beer.  Now in all honesty, that would have been a pretty romantic date.  I was dressed for it in a tank top, a hippie floaty peasant skirt and rope sandals.

But we skipped the fair.  Had we gone who knows how our first date would have gone.  If there would have been a second.  Or an Owen or a Sydney.

We went ahead and went to Charlestons, a local steakhouse.  We ordered the exact same thing: house salad with ranch, loaded baked potato and an 8 oz steak medium well (I now order my steaks medium rare - with each pregnancy I liked the taste of raw meat more and more...must be an iron thing).  The hubs didn't finish all his food so I finished it for him (along w/ mine).  I then devoured a slice of apple pie a la mode.  And then chastised him when he littered his cigarette wrapper out the window of his truck.  And he knew it was love.  

By the time our one year dating anniversary rolled around we had been married 4 months and I was 8 months preggers. 

But before you think it was some shotgun thing...it wasn't.  Not really.  When you know you know.  We pretty much spent every waking moment from the first date together and were engaged by January - before I was preggers.  

Five years later... I am married to my best friend.  He makes me laugh.  I make him laugh - mostly with my ridiculous antics.  I have never been so vulnerable with anyone before - I can be my true self with him - be honest about anything no matter how weird or lame or silly or gross it is.  We have to amazing kids who bring us much exhaustion and much joy.  We have a beautiful home though it is cluttered and messy (but not dirty) and a spastic dog.  

Going on that date was the best thing I ever did.  Well before I married him.  Or had his babies.

(I should really end on that note...but....)

For the past 3 or 4 Saturday mornings I've been woken up by the sound of the kids taking turns in the bathroom ("you can do it Owen!  squeeze my hand!  My turn!"  Okay TMI).  And then they sing their alphabet.  Loudly.  It is a pretty good sound to wake up too.

I'm addicted to iBooks.  I've read 3 Dennis LeHane books in 3 days.  I'm not sure how I'm sleeping at night.

I am feeling much better.  I've had no starbucks in at least 10 days.  I've cut my caffeine back to 1 cup black coffee a day.  The rest of the day is water - so I have drastically increased my water intake.  More fruits and veggies.  More being aware of caloric and nutritional intake.  (Side note: do princess gummie vitamins count for my daily vitamin?  Maybe I should take 2?)  I've been to the gym 10 times in 14 days.  I'm no exercise guru.  Can barely walk a mile and half (no jogging yet)... but it gives me some energy, some confidence.  I am feeling better already.

Now off to enjoy my family.  Hey guess what?  The fair is in town.

A food confession...

I own a scale.  I just never use it.

For the first 23 years of my life I was skinny.  Without trying.  I could eat 3000 calories a day (and often did) without batting an eye or gaining an ounce.  If I weighed a 100 pounds, I was most likely fully dressed with heavy boots and a coat on.  I'm 5'4 so 100 pounds was a bit thin.  But quite honestly, I couldn't gain wait if I tried.  In high school my school counselor was concerned I was anorexic ---- based solely on appearance --- after she saw me eat she thought I was bulimic.  I wasn't.  I had to tell her "those are very serious illnesses and there are girls here at school who suffer....but no me.  Your time is better served helping them."  

I may have been addicted to eating.  Maybe.  I ate full fat, full sugar, full carb everything.  I ate late at night right before bed.  I ate fast food and homemade food and preprocessed junk food.  I love food.  Love it.  I did not discriminate... I liked buttery, salty, sweet, chocolaty... everything.  And don't get me started on the fancy schmancy Starbucks coffees.

When I got preggers at 23 I was like "score now I can 4000 calories a day!"  I may not have accomplished that.  But I did eat candy bars and fast food and fruit and veggies.  I did really eat healthy stuff when preggers.  But also a lot of unhealthy stuff.  I only gained weight in the belly.  I was one of these pregnant women who had the skinny arms, legs, etc that from behind you wouldn't know I was preggers.  I gained exactly 30 pounds.

I managed to lose about 7 pounds after Owen before I got preggo with Syd.  I gained that weight back...but in my hips and butt.  When I delivered Syd I weighed the EXACT same amount as when O had been born...and the kids weighed the exact same amount.

Syd is rapidly approaching 3.  And I have yet to have changed my eating habits.  Or lose any weight.  In fact I have gained weight.

And honestly...until this week I have not minded.  Who cares if I'm a size 10?  Who cares if I have a big booty?  So does J Lo.  I really didn't care.

But then something clicked this week.  I realized that for the past month (if not longer) I have been seriously crabby.  Stressed.  Snappy.  And waaaay sluggish.  Always exhausted.  I realized I was short changing my family with this attitude.  And it just clicked "maybe some fresh foods, less sugar and some exercise would help banish these feelings."

So, I downloaded an app on my phone that helps me track my daily caloric intake as well as all the vitamins and nutrients.  This has really put it in my face and helped me be more conscientious about what I eat and how often.  I haven't even had Starbucks in a week.  Black coffee only.  Haven't been as good about the fruits and veggies as I should but I'm progressing.  I haven't been as good at water but I've been better.  I have for sure decreased my amount of consumption, if only by a smidge.

Two nights this week I went on a mile long walk around the neighborhood.  Nothing earth shattering.  But it was two miles more than I have ever walked.  (I know, that's sad.)  Then...I joined a gym.  With my mom.  We joined on Thursday and I worked out (and by work out I mean I went 4 miles on the bike and did some of the weigh machines...)  I went last night as well and did the treadmill, the bike and some of the weight things (arm pres, etc).

I haven't lost any weight yet.  But it has been only 4 days.  And I've been taking baby steps.  I am feeling some better.  I just know, if I stick to it... I will fell better.  I just got to do it.  For me.  For my kids.

9021-OH!

So, I was sort of confused as to why all my friends on facebook changed their names to David Silver and Andrea Zuckerman and Brandon Walsh until I realized today was 9/02/10.  It took me a minute.

In other news, the kids started school again.  Here are 1st day pics:

Super cheesy grins; Syd's baby is doing the Jersey Shore fist pump; also the baby is named Hairy.

He is nearly 4 and getting so tall

Yes, she is fierce.  The girl will cut you.

Still fierce despite the sun in her eyes.

This could only happen to me

Or anyone really.  But that doesn't sound near as exciting.

I took the kids to the zoo today (it was a playdate w/ Halley and her momma too).

It was a great day to go b/c it was the middle of the week, after school started and it was really overcast.  Not cool though, it was waaaay humid.

We had a fantastic time.  Our zoo has a new childrens area which is freaking awesome.

They even have an area that is like a mini spray ground.  The kiddos ran and played in the water for a good half hour and were soaked to the bone.  (This is about the time the sun came out and the temp went from 85 and humid to 92 and humid...also, we had been at the zoo 3 hrs and this was the last stop.)  Luckily, I had packed a change of clothes for each kid in case of a potty accident (though Syd has never had a potty accident which is bizarre but wonderful and Owen hasn't had one in a few days).  So, I stripped the kids down out of their wet clothes and put on dry clothes.  But the only place to put the wet clothes was the diaper bag.  Except my kids don't wear diapers so I use one of those reusable grocery bags.  And who wants to carry a purse at the zoo?  so the bag had sippies, snacks, my ph and money and after the spray ground some really wet clothes.

Well guess what?  Really wet clothes that touch a blackberry?  Yeah, my phone is dead and gone.

I have a ipod touch at home so once we got home I got on it and emailed the hubs.  (I guess I could have used the laptop but I really like my ipod touch.)  I think *hope* when he gets home from work I can go get a iPhone.  I had my blackberry 2 years and the hubs has an iphone and I like the iphone better.  We shall see though.

I also came home with a migraine...but several excedrin later I am doing better.

But for real, who would have thought wet clothes would ruin a phone?

Before Meets After

It's been a while, y'all.

I'm pleased to announce we are all healthy once again.

We are also a 90% diaper free household (Syd is 100% and Owen is the 90%.  I know, he is older.  Whatev.)  It's not a myth when someone tells you their kid potty trained themselves.  Syd woke up one morning and decided it was time and it was.

It is *insert curse word* hot.  Like over 100 for 10 days in a row.  Add in the humidity and the heat index and whatnot and its like 110.  The heat is oppressive.  It just bears down on you.  It's icky.

It's been so long I feel like I have a million things to blog about and nothing at all.  Weird.

I suppose I should say - even if I haven't blogged or commented on yours it doesn't mean I'm not reading yours.  I have followed project sleepy time and gallbladder surgeries and moving to your dream neighborhood and whatnot.  I know comments are the life blood of bloggers and I sincerely apologize for not leaving them.  (And for being the creepy anonymous reader!)

Okay, I have a few topics I could discuss:

- my amazingly wonderful near-perfect kiddos (or maybe share some of their imperfections - lol)

- how I'm a total (beauty) product junky and review a few products (primer, foundation, gloss)

- My new Clarisonic!!!!!  (I'm in loooove)

- Or a bit of narcissism (who I am kidding?  A lot of narcissism!)

- Other random blogable moments - y'know the kind that are truly enjoyable to read - every day antidotes that capture a snapshot of humanity at its best/worst.  Like Owen's new "in-bid-able" friend.

Well, folks... what's it gonna be?

Well what is the easiest thing that I can readily write about? 

Narcissism.  Sort of.

Recently a gal at work was like "so it's nice that you have pictures of your husband with another woman on your desk."  It's true: when the hubs I first met I had long plain dark hair (that I always wore in a pony), had glasses, never wore any make up and dressed sloppy.  Somehow he still fell in love with me.  Now my hair is short, lighter, I wear contacts & make up and sometimes actually iron my clothes.  Here is pic from approx 3 years ago, so I think I had evolved to mascara and lip gloss...

Pic taken this week... it's sorta grainy, excuse the pic from the camera...also note I know have two adorable rugrats attached to me:

        

So, that's my attempt at get myself back into blogging.  Maybe I won't be so lame next time.  Missed y'all.