I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

Okay, so maybe I'm not really dreaming of it. But at the rate we're going, I'm going to get one anyway. So Heidi came up this past weekend for a visit. We had a wonderful time relaxing, watching Christmas movies, and playing on my uncle's Wii. We had hot cocoa (Heidi's was covered in marshmallows and mine had whip cream). We saw some really cool lights. A guy here in Ankeny has lights set to music and you can tune in on the radio and watch the light show. It's only 3 songs that replay over and over, but it's still fun to watch. And Bodie made a new best friend. He'd come when Heidi called him, but not me. After she left, he wandered around the house listlessly, trying to figure out where his friend had gone. Luckily my mom came home on Tuesday so he was finally happy again.

And where did my mom go? Florida for a golf tournament that's held to raise money for a scholarship in my uncle's name. Anyway, she had a great time. My little bro reserved a room for her at a hotel situated on the beach (she could leave her room, walk down a ramp and be at the beach) and a convertible to drive around in (a brand new Chrysler Sebring - with only 8 miles on it, so no yucky smokey smell like Heidi and I had in the car we rented for our road trip to Florida). Anyway, she had the time of her life and even got to wait around the airport for a long time since we had an ice storm on Tuesday morning that closed the airport down for a few hours. Yesterday we had sun for the first time in forever. My car is now completely ice free and last night I opened my trash can for the first time in 3 days.

Other than that, nothing exciting. The Nahas kids are all sick and now so am I. Not as bad as George and Jimmy, though. Hopefully I'll be A-OK on Monday (and hopefully I'm not an invalid for the weekend since I have only 2 more weekends to shop).
I'd love to post pictures of me and Heidi, but my mom took my camera with her to Florida, so I only get the pictures that Heidi sends me. By the way, Heidi, please don't forget to send me the pics of the weekend.

Today is a very special day. It is my mommy's birthday. My mom is a wonderful person, as anyone who knows her is aware. She's sweet and caring, and though she might drive me insane every once in awhile, she's still the best mom ever! I would love to tell you all about how great she is and why I love her so so so much. But frankly, I'm just too tired. So I'll just tell you that she is wonderful and you'll have to take my word for it. I love you Mom! Happy Birthday!

I won't mention how old she is. But old definitely describes it.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Whatever's handy

2. Real tree or Artificial? I love the smell of real, but it's too much work. So I do artificial with pine tree candles.

3. When do you put up the tree? We used to have to wait until after my mom's birthday (Dec. 6) but now I do it as soon after Thanksgiving as I can. I put it up exactly one week ago today.

4. When do you take the tree down? Whenever I get around to it, sometime after the first of the year.

5. Do you like egg nog? Not from the store, but one year Heidi made some really yummy homemade egg nog (with liquor of course) and it was terrific!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? My Manolo Blahniks. Maybe that's what I wish I'd get this year. I think I got my Cabbage Patch Kid when I was about 7. Her name is Amanda. I still have her. I saw her in a box just this evening and I said, "Hi Amanda" and I gave her a kiss on her herd (maybe I shouldn't tell people that). My brothers and sister used to throw her up by her (cornsilk) hair and I was sure they were hurting her. I also was sure she could talk. She never did. I think if she started talking to me now, I'd freak out.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? No, I enjoy my mom's though.

8. Hardest person to buy for? I can't think of anyone. If I don't know what to get someone, I just give them a gift card. It is hard to know what to give the extended relatives. We give stocking stuffers every year and there are a lot of us, so they can't cost much. I know what I'm doing this year, though, so it'll be easier.

9. Easiest person to buy for? Blake. Two years ago he asked Santa for a "little present". Last year he wanted a "yellow car" and this year he wants a "red car". Bryce when he was 3 wanted a soccer ball, spiderman candy canes (just regular ones with spiderman stickers on the box) and an apple. So I guess he's the second easiest to buy for.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I don't mind either one. Mail is so much more personal and we display all of our cards.

11. Ever recycled a Christmas present? I'd be lying if I said no.

12. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I plead the fifth.

13. Favorite Christmas Movie? It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th St. and Love Actually. See my previous posts.

14. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I haven't yet.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Everything. The smorgasbord of treats and goodies at my grandma's house.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear

17. Favorite Christmas song? Traditional: O Come O Come Emmanuel, and O Holy Night. But Todd Agnew's Christmas album is hands down the best Christmas album I've ever heard in my life. And I don't say that lightly.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I travel an hour to my grandma's.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Of course I can. I just sing the song. I'm a nanny. How many kids songs do I NOT know?

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Anything that looks classy. Right now there's an angel on mine.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We have our big bash at my grandma's on Christmas Eve. Then the immediate fam on Christmas. When we were little, though, and didn't make it to Iowa for the holidays, we'd open one on Christmas Eve (or sometimes we'd open our stockings on Christmas Eve) and wait til the next day to finish the rest.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? The crowds. And inflatable lawn decorations. And the station that plays the exact same songs over and over.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I like blue, silver and white. Or also purple silver and white. Right now, mine is just our normal ornaments, though. Nothing as classy as I'd like.

24. What do you want for Christmas this year? My boys. But I won't get them. I don't really care what I get. As long as I can eat lots of food.

25. Do you hang mistletoe? What would be the point?

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! Part II

Here are a few reasons why I like the Christmas season so much. These are only a few of them. I'm sure there are more. I just love Christmas so so much. It truly is the most wonderful time of year. Feel free to leave your thoughts on why you like Christmas so much. (If you don't like Christmas, feel free to tell your therapist what's wrong with you.)

1. Celebrating the birth of my Savior, Jesus Christ, marveling that He gave up His divinity to become a little baby. And trying to imagine what he must have thought about everything he heard and saw. What were His first words? How long did He learn from His parents before He surpassed them in wisdom?




2. Christmas music!!!!




3. Christmas movies!!!




4. Christmas specials on t.v.!! (All of my favorite shows with a Christmas theme)




5. Christmas commercials! (think Coca-Cola Polar Bears)




6. Decorating




7. Christmas candles (my favorites: Christmas cookies, pine tree, and apple)




8. Festive lights everywhere I go. I love how the streetlights even seem to match the overall decor. And I love driving around looking at all the pretty houses all dolled up for the holidays.




9. Christmas Eve at my grandma's and seeing family I only see once or twice a year.
   



10. All the yummy-ness of Christmas gorging. My family spends a better part of the day munching on snacks and then we eat a big dinner, have some dessert, and spend the evening munching on snacks. (Joey's idea to wear maternity pants on Thanksgiving may not be such a bad idea after all.)




11. Buying Christmas presents for my boys - even though I won't see them this year. At least I can picture them opening their gifts.




12. How excited children get about their big visit from Santa




13. Having a viable (in their eyes) threat for better behavior: "Olivia, every time you do something wrong, Santa gives you a bad check mark and when you do something good, you get a good check mark. You don't want another bad check mark do you?" "Olivia, when my brothers and sister and I were kids, my older brother was really bad one year and Santa left presents for everyone except him. The only presents he got were from my parents and my grandparents." (I really told her that.)




14. Making holiday crafts. Pretty soon Olivia's cupboards and doors will be completely covered in the kids' artwork.




15. Looking forward to Bodie's first Christmas.




16. Two words: Christmas cookies




17. Reese's peanut butter trees




18. Turning the lights off, sitting my the tree and listening to soothing music. In a word: ambiance.




19. Familiar stories: Twas the Night Before Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Frosty, and many many more




20. Trying to imagine what Mary must have felt. A young girl, no parents, no midwives, just a husband (who was probably as clueless about childbirth as she was.) Trying to picture her disappointment when there was nowhere for them to sleep. Was she scared? Worried? Or just completely faithful? She just had a baby in a stable, was it really a "silent" night?




21. Wrapping Christmas presents




22. Holiday baking.




23. Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with string...Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes, snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes, silver white winters that melt into spring...these are a few of Julie Andrews favorite things. (I know, you don't have to tell me how odd I am for me to know what you're thinking.)




24. The spirit of Christmas: scores of people all over the world suddenly feeling lighter and freer and jollier and merrier and more generous. It's infectious.




25. Christmas is another step closer to a new year and everything that brings.
    



26. Shoveling snow and scraping ice off of my car. Wait, no, that's not really one of them.




27. Counting the days until Josh comes home on leave!




28. Tis the season for hot chocolate!




29. Tis the season for holiday shopping!

30. Tis the season to wear green (my favorite color, naturally)!

Merry Christmas Season everyone!

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!

I absolutely love love love love the Christmas season. I just put up all the decorations yesterday and even lit the pine tree candle to make it seem like we have a real tree and lit a Christmas cookies candle because I didn't have time or energy or desire to make real ones.

Anyway, it is now the start of the holiday season (it really is - yesterday was the big lighting of the tree in Rockefeller Center - this year's tree: 84 feet tall. See picture above.) So, I've decided to compile a list of the greatest Christmas movies of all time. I'll try to remember them all. Here goes:

1. It's a Wonderful Life

2. Miracle on 34th Street (the classic version is the best, but the remake is also very good)

3. Love Actually

4. A Christmas Story

5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the cartoon version)

6. The Holiday

7. A Christmas Carol

8. Mickey's Christmas Carol

9. White Christmas

10. Frosty the Snowman

11. Elf

12. The Simpson's Christmas (not technically a movie, but it is the length of 2 regular shows and very funny.

13. The Polar Express

14. A Charlie Brown Christmas

15. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

If I forgot any, let me know. And if you think I forgot Home Alone, I didn't.

Merry Christmas Season!!!!!!!!!

Postnote:

I forgot to mention National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. It ranks towards the top, but I don't feel like fixing all of my numbers, so I'll put it down here instead.

Bodie the Bunny

(Don't) Let It Snow

This is the view from my back door. Can you tell where Bodie was running?

Yes, it's that time of year again. It's beginning to look like a miserable season. Today we had our very first snow. Usually we start out with a couple of times where we get a few flurries, maybe a light dusting on the ground. Wouldn't that have been nice. Well, the weatherpeeps said that we were going to get about 1/4 inch here in the Des Moines area. Try multiplying by 16. That's right. Part of Des Moines got 4 inches of snow.

I don't know if a lot of people know this (I only tell every person I see) but I'm not a big fan of snow. It's okay every once and awhile. And it looks pretty in pictures. And I do like how clean and clear the air is afterward. But I don't like the shoveling. And the scraping. And carrying a bunch of it in on my boots. (Today, I did not wear boots. I didn't even wear shoes that completely covered my feet. I wore shoes that had velcro straps on the top with lots of big holes on top. Cute shoes for spring and summer. Not so much for cold and snowy.)

Now Thanksgiving is going to be here in a few hours. Heather and the boys are on their way and we have snow. The worst part is the high on Monday - 2 days ago! - was 70.

Okay, I guess it's not all bad. Bodie got to enjoy his very first snowfall. I wasn't really sure how he'd take it. He's little and scrawny and hates getting wet. But he absolutely loved it. He bounded out into the yard and ran around forever in it. The snow was perfect snow for bounding. Very big fluffy snowflakes. And then he'd put his face into the snow to try and eat some and pull his head up and shake the snow off of his nose. Very cute. I just wish it would have waited a couple more days.

Isn't that the cutest picture ever? He's trying to eat the snow, while dancing around in circles.



He just couldn't get enough. I had to make him go inside because I was getting too cold.

To a Terrific Friend

Today is a very special day. It is the anniversary of the day one of my best friends was born. Heidi Elizabeth Gliedt, known to most people simply as Heidi, or Heidi Gliedt, is celebrating her 27th birthday today. Anyway, Heidi is such a great friend. She always does little things to make my life better. For example, sometimes she'll say really stupid things, or spell things wrong, or just act really ditzy. I know it's only because she wants to make me feel good about myself. Which it does. It makes me feel smart.

Heidi and I have known each other for only 4 years and 3 months. But it feels like we've been friends for a lot longer than that. When we first met, people called me several different names, so she says she didn't know what my name really was, and it really confused her. Some people called me Jen, some called me Novey or Noves, or Supernovey, or Supernovial, or Supernova, or Nova Scotia. I can kind of see how it might get a little confusing, but she finally knows my name and now calls me Canola. (I don't know why. You'll have to ask her.)

One great thing about Heidi is that we think almost exactly alike. It's scary, I know. But we can just be stupid around each other and not feel like we're being judged. Or at least we know that if we are being judged, it's not going to affect our friendship. Or at least we know that our stupidness cancels each other's stupidness out.

Anyway, Heidi is a wonderful person, my kindred spirit. And I am so thankful that she's my close and dear friend.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEIDI!!!

Veteran's Day

Since this is Veteran's Day, even if only for a few more hours, I just thought I'd give a shout out to all of our veterans. For those of you who don't know much about my family, I have a lot of relatives who have served, or are serving in our military. First, my grandpa was a WWII veteran and received numerous life-threatening injuries during his duty. Actually, the fact that he even made it out alive is a miracle, one which I am extremely grateful for because if he hadn't, he would never have met and married my grandma, they would never have had any children, and those children would never have had any children, and I would not be here right now. Out of my 4 uncles, 3 of them served in our military. One uncle was stationed in Vietnam, another in Korea and another in the Gulf. My older brother Jeremy was in the army (but the farthest from he went was Panama City), but we still appreciate his service. My cousin Jonathon is currently in the Air Force and is stationed in Italy. And of course, my baby brother, Josh is serving in Baghdad. (I'm sure I have tons of super-extended relatives - like 2nd, 3rd, etc. cousins, as well as great-uncles and all that - who are also military men, but I don't know who.)

Anyway, I just think we should all spend some time reflecting on what they have done for us. So, take a moment right now to say thank you to our veterans.

I was just at a Bible Study earlier this evening and we were talking about persecuted Christians. I know that not everyone who reads this is a Christian. But I think that everyone appreciates the freedom we have to express our religion and not fear for the safety of ourselves and our families. There are so many things that we take for granted daily that we would not have if not for the men and women who serve our country and who will continue to do so to uphold the freedoms, rights, and privileges we enjoy today. (Side note: today is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. So let's all pray for the Christians who have given their lives, freedom, and safety for the incredible God they serve.)

So, if you are a veteran. Or if you're the family member of a veteran. Or if you're the friend of a veteran. Or if you're the friend of a family member of a veteran (you all are - me!). Or if you live in this amazing country. Or if you're just grateful to our veterans. Please join me in saying "Thank You" to our courageous men and women, both past, present, and future.

Finally some good news...

So anyone who has been in another dimension for the past couple of years might not have heard about this church in Kansas that protests at funerals of fallen soldiers with signs that say things like "God hates fags" and "Thank God for dead soldiers". This church believes that God is punishing America for it's stance on homosexuality and that is why soldiers are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan. Anyway, the thought of someone actually going to a funeral where families and friends are grieving for a lost loved one and telling them that their soldier died because God hates America is repulsive at best. It really makes me sick just thinking about it.

I am sure that everyone has heard about this. But finally, some good news. A father in Maryland who lost his son in Iraq and had the funeral interrupted by these people sued them and was awarded a ton of money, upwards of 11 million dollars. It makes me feel better knowing that the people responsible for these pickets (namely the pastor and his daughters) have pretty much been ruined financially, and one can only hope the church as well. Hopefully this will halt future attempts of public protest. Any church who preaches a message of hate toward America and our soldiers isn't preaching the true gospel.

Here's the link to the msnbc article. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21566280/

Faker Cry

So my dog isn't really the best behaved dog. Combined with his itty-bittyness, he easily gets away from me (and often hides under the sofa). So in order to counteract this, I usually keep him on a leash when he's running free around the house. Tonight, my mom was bringing a bag of laundry out of her room, so I was holding onto his leash to keep him out of her way for a moment. Anyway, not realizing that I was holding him back, he tried to jump off of the end of the sofa, flipped over and landed on his leg. He started whining and crying, so I got really worried. I picked him up and held him and checked to see where he hurt. He was still whimpering a little and wouldn't walk or move at all. He just looked at me with his little sad eyes and said (in dog language) mommy, I hurt myself, please make me feel better. I wanted to see if he limped when he walked, so I asked my mom to throw me a cracker. She picked the box up and Bodie instantly jumped up and ran as fast as he could to my mom's chair, stood on his back two legs (one of which was supposedly hurt just a moment earlier) and begged for food. I'll never buy that poor injured puppy cry again.

Mmmmm....

I Like Cheese.

ARRRGGG..... No Pirates Here!! ARRRGGG

So, I was thinking today and missing my two best friends, Heidi and Valerie. We used to have so much fun together. So much fun in fact that I feel bad for other people who are around us. We can, no.. we WILL get pretty loud and obnoxious. In an attempt to keep his sanity, Josh, Val's husband knew to leave the room whenever we all were together. I thought about one particular time when we went to the movies. As we as we were walking in there was a sign that said, "No, Pirating Allowed." It was accompanied by a picture of a pirate with the red circle slash sign over it. Of course we knew that meant we were not suppose to film the movie and sell it. But it is so much more fun to take it literally. For the rest of the movie we talked about how discriminating the movie theater was to not let pirates in. This evolved into talking like a pirate and throwing in the word ARRRRGGGG. Not once, but over and over again. Again, I felt so bad for the people around us.

Now, as we all know the best times end with a inside joke that you and you friends can have for the rest of you lives. This was one of them. To this day we will still randomly will say ARRRGGG..... No Pirates Here!! ARRRGGG!!! This is another good time with Val at our friend Mason's wedding. And of course me and the Heidster on our cruise. Thanks for the good times Heiders and Vallie miss you both.

Dog Days

So I dog sat this weekend for a family on the block where I work. Just from Saturday to Sunday. I brought Bodie with me. They have this golden-doodle (golden retriever/miniature poodle) puppy that's a few weeks older than Bodie. The dog is insane. He's very friendly. Too friendly. First, he doesn't know the difference between a girl dog and a boy dog. Or maybe he does, but my dog doesn't shoot that way if you know what I mean. And he just kept chasing Bodie everywhere. They wrestled for hours and hours. The only time they stopped was when I picked Bodie up to give him a chance to rest or when Bodie finally realized he fit under the sofa and Nola (the other dog) didn't.
Anyway, it kind of annoyed me a lot until I got home on Sunday morning. I was tired from not having slept much so I took a nap. Bodie slept from around 11:30 to 2:30 and then went outside for about an hour. Then he came in and slept for a few more hours and went outside for about 30 minutes. Then he came in and slept for a few more hours. I was really getting worried that he wouldn't sleep at night. Around 11:30, after he'd slept pretty much the entire day, I dropped an empty water bottle on the floor accidentally and Bodie chased after it. I was thinking, "great, now he's awake and I'm ready for bed". But after he chewed on it for about 15 seconds, he got tired again and laid down on the floor. Then he slept all night long. So, this whole long story just to say how happy I am that I dogsat.

I miss you Grandpa

On September 30, 2006, my grandfather passed away. So now on the anniversary of his death, I'm going to post a few thoughts about him.

First my grandpa was a great man. And I really mean that. He was this terrific guy who had the ability to make everyone around him feel special and cared for. After he died, at the viewing and the funeral, I heard so many people say how much they admired him, that he was one of the greatest men they'd ever met. It just amazes me how many lives he touched and how many people he affected just by being himself.

He loved children and (lucky for me) especially grandchildren. The picture below is the only one of him I have on my computer. He's wearing my cousin Kennedy's hat and winking at me. He always seemed to be half-kid and it was always so easy for children to talk to him and be around him.

He loved the Lord more than anything, loved his family and when he was younger, fought and almost died in WWII. He lived his life devoted to God and no matter what circumstance he found himself in, I never heard him complain.

The night he died, my whole family was in the nursing home with him. I went home just a few hours before he passed away. It was really hard to see him looking so sick and fragile. He was completely unaware of what was happening. But at the same time, it was also really special and sacred to be there, to be in the room with someone who was moments away from kneeling before Christ and entering paradise.

On a side note, if you're ever at a funeral, and a 5 year old tries to open the deceased person's eyes to see what it looks like, and realizes that they won't open, don't let them open your eyes instead. I did this, and the day after the funeral, my eye was swollen. I always figured it was a reaction to the makeup, or maybe bacteria from my grandpa that did this. But today, it was brought to my attention that it could have been the bacteria not only from my grandpa, but also all of the other dead people that the makeup had been used on that could have caused my eye to swell. The thought of all of the other people's bacteria kind of freaks me out. Hopefully I won't have any weird dreams now that I'm thinking about it.

Another funny moment brought to you by George

Don't let him fool you. He may look cute, but he's about as cheeky as they come.

The other day, George had taken something of Olivia's and she wanted it back. So I finally cornered him, but he did not intend to give it up easily. So he reached his hand all the way up in the air as high has he could and said, "Try and get it." I, of course, had to reach down to pluck it out of his fingers.

Hold Me Closer...

Have you ever heard the song "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John. It goes "hold me closer, tiny dancer, count the headlights on the highway...." Anyway, I heard it the other day on the radio. I love Elton John and I'm always excited when one of his songs comes on. Anyway, I remembered how when I was little and I heard the song, I misheard the lyrics. I used to think he said "Hold me closer, Tony Danza". It took me a couple of years, but I finally figured it out. It makes a lot more sense when you sing it the right way.

Why I Should Be a Cowgirl

Because I've already got a long little doggy.

Oh (almost) heavenly day

So I found out today that there is a new Chipotle in Iowa City. It is the only Chipotle in the entire state. Now, Iowa City is about an hour and a half from me. But that's still a lot closer than having to go to Kansas City to enjoy the world's best burrito. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I also found out that if I'd been to their new restaurant between 5 and 7 pm on Wednesday, in honor of their grand opening, I could have received a free burrito. If I'd known, I would've been there. I'll definitely have to find a reason to go to Iowa City sometime in the near future. Now, if they'd only put one in Des Moines. I may gain 75 pounds in the first 6 months, but I'd be so happy and satisfied, I wouldn't even care. I'd just march my mumu-ed clad butt right back in for another burrito.

Maybe there's hope

Update on previous entry: Bodie unwound himself from the chair and is now eating his food.

Blah, blah, blah

I really feel as though I never have anything new to report. This is because I really don't ever have anything new to report. Yet, I somehow still find a way to talk to Heidi for hours on end. I don't understand it, but at least I accept it. So here's the update on my life:
Work is still the same. Watching twin babies is a lot of work. For those of you who've never had to do it before, it's way harder than just watching one. Any time I go anywhere with the, people always comment on how busy their mom must be. This is true. Carey is very busy. But, she gets to take care of the twins in the evening when they go to bed and only wake up to eat once or twice between 7 and 7. I'm the one that has to juggle the feeding and the changing and the diapering, as well as trying to get them to take naps, which takes up most of my day because they sometimes like to only nap for 45 minutes at a time, which means 3 or more naps a day. It takes about 10 minutes a baby to get them to sleep and by the time I get the second one down, the first wakes up. But it's all in fun, really. Sometimes it gets old, but then I remember past jobs that I've had and I feel much better.
George and Olivia are in preschool now. George only goes 1 morning a week and Olivia 5 mornings a week.
Bodie is getting bigger all the time. He might weigh almost 5 lbs now. Which is twice what he weighed the first time I took him to the vet. Right now he's wrapped around the chair in the living room I hooked him to. I wish he could figure out how to unravel himself, or how to not get tangled up in the first place. My last dog I had in high school was a basset hound. I loved her to death, but man she was stupid. I'd always hoped my next dog would be slightly intelligent, but all signs are pointing to negative on that one. At least he's cute, right?
I'm in the process of trying to work things out to go back and get my teaching certificate. That should be fun, whenever it works out. Also, I recently watched seasons 1 and 2 of Prison Break. It's a very good show, so if you get the chance you should watch it. It starts up again on Monday, and I don't know how I'm going to handle watching only 1 hour at a time. I'm so used to just zipping through all the episodes. I did it for 24 and now for PB, I just don't know if I can take the suspense.
That's about all. Peace out.
P.S. (I love spell-checking my blog and realizing I didn't have any spelling mistakes.)

Please learn from my mistakes...

About my previous blog entry: There are reasons people tell you not to give out your password to anyone. This includes best friends. Last night, while I was lying in bed, trying to fall asleep, someone who fancies herself as some kind of superhero and goes by the name of Heidihawks, signed into my blog and posted a lie. Yes, it's hard to believe, but let me clear things up. Andy Roddick and I are not engaged. Sorry if I got anyone's hopes up. And if anyone sees this Heidihawks, I would encourage you to run the other way and call the police. Or Supernovey. Also, don't let her take any pictures of you. You can see the result.

I have news!!!

Andy Roddick and I are finally engaged!!

Aren't we a cute couple?

How to look like Spiderman, according to a 5 year old

I don't have any pictures of this, which is too bad, because they'd be really great if I did. Anyway, on Thursday, Olivia's friend Kiran and her nanny came over to play. We let the girls play upstairs in Olivia's room, for possibly the last time in a very long time. Why? What could they have possibly done that was that bad, just playing in Olivia's room? Well, they decided that they wanted to look like Spiderman. And apparently they needed to be red all over to do that. So what did they use to be red? Markers, paint? No, no. They used Carey's bright red fingernail polish. They managed to completely cover their hands and their shins. I think they must have run out of polish, or else decided they should wash up before we found out. So, about 5-8 minutes after they went upstairs, Tasha checked on them and called down, "We need fingernail polish remover. Lots of it." We scrubbed them in the tub and then doused them and scrubbed them with fingernail polish remover, and then scrubbed them down again, and they were good as new.
They had planned to paint George next, but he said no. According to the girls, "He knew better." And also according to the girls, "Our head said we shouldn't do it, but we still did it." It wasn't such a big deal, except they got it on Olivia's carpet. We had a neighbor Google it and she found out that Windex takes it out.

Cutest dog in the world

You know when parents claim that they have the cutest baby in the world, there's probably just a bit of bias in their claim? Well, I think that I have one of the cutest dogs in the world. I know it sounds biased, but everywhere I go, people just go crazy about him. Everyone that sees him says that he's the cutest dog they've ever seen. I was telling Heidi this yesterday, and while I was on the phone with her, I went to Starbuck's. So I put my phone on Speaker, and ordered my drink. When I pulled up to the window, this girl saw Bodie and literally squealed. Then she called all of her coworkers to come see the puppy and they all saw Bodie and literally squealed. So, do I think Bodie is the cutest dog in the world? Yes, I do. But more importantly, everyone else does as well. So here's some pictures to prove my point.

So, now that we know I'm not lying. I have to point out that I also have the two cutest nephews in the entire world. I didn't lie about the dog, and I'm not lying about the boys, either. You can take my word for it.

Sorry it's been so silent

Well, the end of a long run of super extreme busy-ness has finally come to an end. Hopefully I'll be busy now and not extremely busy. The boys were in town, the weekend of the 21st. Then the following weekend (last weekend) Josh was finishing up his time here. He left earlier than expected, last Monday. He has 11 days left before heading off to Iraq, so I spent his last weekend hanging out with him as much as possible. This weekend, I babysat from Friday night through Monday. And then there's Bodie. My wonderful and amazing dog that won't give me any peace. Ever. And of course he has to poop in the house. And pee in the house. Always a lot of fun. Today he managed to sneak into my mom's room and crawl under her bed ands poop. I couldn't reach it and there's not enough room in here to move the bed. But with my incredible ingenuity, I was able to remove the poop. First, I took my mom's reacher (a tool she got when she had her knee replaced. It can pick things up from a distance). Then I covered the reacher with a plastic bag. And I was able to get all the poop up on the first try. And after that, thank goodness for Swiffers! I really hope he learns soon how to not poop on the floor. It's driving me insane. Anyway, I would love to continue typing, but I tied my dog to a post outside, because he didn't want to come in, but I think I should probably go get him now.

My Birthday!!!!

Yes, it has finally arrived. Today I am 27. I can no longer call myself mid-twenties. I have stepped into the late twenties stage of my life. I had a fun day at work. Tasha (the other nanny on the block) has a birthday tomorrow, so we had a joint party today with all the neighborhood kids. It was Hawaiian themed and we (meaning Tasha) made hula skirts out of yarn and green streamers. All the kids got one as well as Tasha and I. We had a fun time. I really will post pictures sometime of me and the kids dressed in our hula garb. But I don't feel like it tonight.
Last night, we went out to dinner with two of my aunts and uncles, plus two cousins, and my brother. We ate at Chili's and we had a great time! My wonderful aunt Brenda picked up my tab, which was completely unexpected and completely appreciated. She is such a wonderful, sweet, caring, loving person. She's only 2 years older than me, so it's weird to call her an aunt, but she's great! And then tonight, my mom, bro, aunt and uncle went out to dinner at a really yummy restaurant called Hickory Park. The food was delicious! And again, my aunt and uncle picked up my tab, which was unexpected and completely appreciated! My aunt Carole is also very wonderful. She's funny and nice and so much fun to be around. My uncle Paul is cool, too. He is a very nice guy, always doing super nice things for other people! I feel so blessed to have such a great family.
I would also like to thank my friend, Val, for her wonderful birthday wishes to me. You can check them out on her blog. Thanks Val, you're a great friend!
In other news, my puppy is so cute! But, after having him for a few days, I am starting to not like his name, Bogart. I only ever call him Bogie anyway, but I think I like the name Bode. (pronounced Bo-dee). Anyway, I call him Bogie or Buddy all the time, so it's not like it sounds that much different. Anyway, I think that's going to be his new name. All right, that's all for this birthday girl.

Sweet little bit

I love my new puppy. I thought I'd post a few pictures so everyone could see just how teeny tiny he actually is. The first one is my first puppy/mama shot.


This is Bogie's new puppy bed. It's one of the smallest they had and you could easily fit 3 or 4 more of him in there, or even more than that when he curls into a little ball. This is him next to a tennis ball.











Here I am holding him. A lot of you might not know this, but I have short arms, and he's still that small!


Bryce loves the new puppy. He is so good with him, or at least tries to be. Blake is a little skittish. It doesn't help that when he squeals or laughs really loud and runs away that Bogie thinks it's playtime. And it also doesn't help that Blake's hair looks a lot like Shaggy from Scooby-Doo. Bogie thinks it's for playing with. And his toes are just the right size for gnawing on.

















Here's Bogie not liking his collar and leash. I hope he gets used to them soon, but right now, he stops every 20 seconds to scratch at it.




Well the boys got in safely and we had fun last night. We went to the park to play. Bogie was Mr. Popularity. I felt really bad for Blake because he wanted me to push him on the swing (even though he's perfectly capable of pumping by himself) but everyone at the park - and there were a lot of people at first - wanted to pet the little bitty. Bogie also made friends with some enormous dog. I don't know what type of dog she was. Her name was Bailey and Bogie would seriously have fit inside her mouth. They loved each other. Our neighbors have dogs, too. Two little Beagles. But every time I take Bogie outside, they bark at him because they want to play. But it scares Bogie and he runs and hides behind my ankles, and then he won't pee outside like he's supposed to.

Bogart

I've decided my puppy's name will be Bogart, Bogie for short.

Here's Bogie chewing on my belt. At least it's better than my toes.

He's so little. He's not even as long as my shoe.

He really likes the fringe on my rug. I'll have to break him of that habit (and many others) early.

He's so cute and playful.

He doesn't like collars apparently. He's chewing on his old one which was just too big. When I take him outside, the grass comes up above his chest, and it doesn't even need mowed. It makes it hard to tell when he pees, so it's hard to know when to praise him.

I gave him a bath earlier, and he absolutely hated it. He saw the shampoo, and saw the water, and tried climbing onto my back. It was so cute (and pitiful). I'll be taking tons more pictures this weekend, and "plenty of boys playing with puppy" photos. I just can't get enough of my little guy. Speaking of little guys, my nephews should be here in less than 2 hours, so I should go make sure things are ready for them.

My PUPPY!

Josh got in this morning and when I opened the door, he said, "Say hello to your new puppy." Of course, I squealed. And then I jumped around a bunch. Then I squealed some more and jumped around some more. And then when the poor little thing was over being traumatized by my squealing and jumping, I played with him. I took him to Petsmart right away to stock up on the necessities. Josh named him Hubert. I don't really like that name, so I'm trying to find one that I do like. Any suggestions? He is a Dorkie. That's a dachshund/Yorkie mix. The dachshund part of him is a miniature, so he's only going to be tiny forever. He's 6 weeks old, today actually. He was born on June 8th. (Mental note to self: put that on your calendar before you forget.) He's black and tan and oh-so-cute. I will be posting pictures, but he's sleeping right now and I hate to disturb him, since I have things to do, and he's so peaceful when he sleeps and when he's not jumping around chewing on everything. Stay tuned for pictures.

Weekend Adventures

So I went to Arkansas this weekend for my friend Christie's wedding. (Congratulations Christie!) The plan was to drive to Kansas City after work on Friday, meet up with Heidi and then drive the rest of the way to Arkansas. Well, when I to Liberty, just a little before KC, I ran over the rumble strip on the side and then my oil light came on about 1/4 second later, and then my car died. Completely died with me going 80 (or, for any overprotective aunts who may be reading this, I was going 65) mph. I managed to get over to the right shoulder and stop, but my car wouldn't start.
Luckily, a guy in a tow truck saw me pull over, so he came back around again and offered his assistance. I had to call my own roadside assistance first to make sure they would pay him to tow me in, but since it was 6:30-7 pm on a Friday night, no one was open. We ended up leaving my car at an auto shop overnight and then I called the next morning to give them my information. They looked at it and called me back Saturday afternoon to tell me that my car, as a safety precaution, turns off the fuel to the engine in case my car gets jostled too much. I guess it keeps the car from exploding in an accident. Anyway, all they had to do was push a button to make it work again. They were very nice, and didn't charge me for it. But they didn't open until 7:30 on Monday morning, so I picked my car up and had to drive back to West Des Moines for work on Monday, which meant I was 2 1/2 hours late. I was so happy, though, because it could have been so much worse. I feel dumb every time I tell that story.

Happy Birthday to a Wonderful Friend!

Tomorrow is my friend Val's birthday. But I will be out of town until Sunday, so I am taking the time today to say Happy Birthday! Also, she lives in the Philippines, and it's 10:30 in the morning there, so it really is her birthday. Anyway, Val is this amazing person that I just love so much! If you don't know her, she's tall and beautiful, sweet and funny, smart and caring, and one of my dearest friend in the entire world. (Really, she is probably the greatest person who has ever lived, except for Christ, of course. The only person who even comes close is Jack Bauer, and he's still a step behind.) I greatly admire and respect her. She has 2 beautiful little girls. Mackenzie will be 3 next month (I can't even believe it!) and Bella will turn 1 this fall. I have many wonderful memories of the great times I spent with her. I have also come to realize she is the single reader of my blog, and will thus be the only one reading this. No hard feelings for anyone else, just appreciation for Val.

Anyway, Val: I hope you have an absolutely WONDERFUL birthday! I miss you tons and cannot wait until you get back to the states. Happy Birthday Valerie!

Huzzah!

I really like the word "huzzah". It's like saying hooray, but way better. Anyway, my huzzah today is for Roger Federer who won his 5th straight Wimbledon title. I was so happy he beat out Rafael Nadal. I babysat last night and got home at 1:30 am, so I missed the first part of the match. And then I had to go to church. I almost didn't, but God's better than Federer, so I finally decided to go. I made it home just in time to watch the last 3 plays of the match. Anyway, congrats Federer! Huzzah!

Aw, Man!

I was able to watch part of the Roddick/Gasquet match at work today. I've been keeping a close eye on the Wimbledon coverage whenever possible. (I'm so glad that Carey has cable. What would I do during Grand Slams if she didn't?) Anyway, I missed the first part of the match, when Roddick won the first 2 sets and winning the 3rd. I got to see the last 2 1/2 sets that he lost. I was pretty unhappy. But I'm not changing my loyalty. I'm a Roddick fan, through and through. Next month is the U.S. Open. I'll just keep my fingers crossed. I think part of the reason he may have lost is the facial hair. It's gotta get in the way. And I just don't like it.

In other news, George has a new game he love to play. He wants to "doctor me". He takes random toys and pokes me with them, like he's giving me a shot. Then he wants me to cry. So I pretend to cry and he pats me and whispers, "It's okay. Sh. It's okay." He sounds so sweet when he does it. It's definitely worth getting poked with toys (it actually does hurt when he does it) because he's so darn adorable.

Happy 4th of July!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

I hope everyone has a great 4th! Remember the sacrifices that have given us the freedoms we enjoy today. Don't forget to pray for our troops around the world, serving our country.
(I didn't take these pictures, I just found them online, in case anyone was amazed at my photography abilities.)

Get Away From Me

So Carey's cleaning lady is this chick named Debbie. She's in her fifties and extremely spacey. She's annoyed me since the day that she started. The first thing she did was (jokingly) tell Olivia and George that if they squirted her with water (they were playing with the hose) she was going to kill them. Seriously. You don't say that to children, even if you're joking. They don't understand sarcasm. It's just wrong.
She also always brings them candy. She brings packs of Skittles and tells them they can have it after they eat their breakfast. But, no, I'm not giving them candy at 8:30 in the morning. It's never gonna happen, so please don't get their hopes up. (The only good side to this is that they don't get to eat the entire package, so that means they get a little and Carey and I have the rest.)
She can't clean up after herself. She leaves the cleaning supplies just wherever. She doesn't put the vacuum cleaner away, and today she left the dusting cloths in the sink, on top of dirty dishes. She also takes the electric plug safety covers off to vacuum and doesn't put them back on. Today I found one on the stairs, about a foot from George's head. Seriously. He's 2 1/2. Ever hear the phrase "choking hazard"?
The worst thing about her is that she is very space-invading. I really don't like to touch people, especially people I don't know. I'm not as bad as my friend Scot by any means, but I don't like strangers to touch me. She puts her elbow on my shoulder, or grabs my arm if she wants to talk to me or get my attention. I can't stand it. She also thinks it's okay to call people by nicknames that they haven't approved. Like Jenny. My name is not Jenny. I allow my family to call me that, but only because it used to be my name and I know, hard habits are hard to break. But seriously, you don't shorten someone's name if you don't know them. Especially from Jennifer to Jenny.
And today, she did the absolute worst thing I could even imagine. (Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration, but it was still so wrong.) I was getting lunch ready and I had corn on the cob on my plate, with one of those things you put on the end to hold it. She saw it and asked me if it was Pampered Chef (how the heck should I know) and then, she touched my corn. I am not kidding. She is cleaning the house, using chemicals, and she actually touched my corn. I was so appalled. Tasha and Kiran were there for a picnic and Tasha for some reason found this to be humorous. I couldn't see it. You DON'T touch people's food! EVER! It is never okay. How could someone not know this? I would rather have George stick his hand in a tub of yogurt, lick it clean and touch my corn than have this strange (by that I mean very odd - abnormal) lady touch my corn. She comes every 3 weeks, so my new plan is to be gone the entire day whenever she comes. I know that's not going to happen, but I won't let her near my food again.

Hooray for July!!

My favorite month of the year is now here. I love July. First and foremost because it's my birthday month. But there are other exciting things happening this month, too. My friend Christie is getting married in Arkansas. I can't wait to be back there to see old friends. The coolest person in the world has a birthday on July 13th, and an anniversary a week later on the 20th. Blake is turning 4. Olivia is turning 5. And my brother is coming out to visit for a week or two on leave. And when he comes, my sister is bringing my two nephews for a weekend. We have a huge bbq planned with family. It'll be great.
But best of all. My birthday! Anyone who knows me well knows that it is impossible to forget my birthday. I remind people constantly. This is the first reminder, and there will be others. As in, "only two weeks to go". "Only a week left" "My birthday is only 4 days away". I pretty much do this every day for the entire month of July. I actually expect that sometime in the future, my birthday will become a national -strike that-international holiday. People all over the world really should line up in the streets to celebrate me. For those of you who don't believe me, my time will come, and you too will celebrate with the world. Wuahahaha. So anyway, just a reminder. Only 22 days left until NOVEY DAY!!!

Pray for the Persecuted Church

So I was thinking about how blessed we all truly are. We have so many freedoms here that we take for granted daily, not the least of which is religious freedom. To be able to openly serve our amazing God is truly a wonderful thing, but it becomes so easy to forget that so many other people are not allowed to do the same. It made me wonder what I would do if I were forbidden to serve Christ. I know that I would continue to follow Him, but would I devote myself outwardly and share my faith, knowing that I could be imprisoned or killed? When I think about it, I'm sure that I would, but how could I really know if I'm never put in that position? But for countless men and women all over the world, they have answered that call and put their God first, even at their own peril.

I've provided some links to a few different sites. So take a look at them. I think most of them can be found at the first link, plus links to other websites. Anyway, read about what people are going through in other countries, what they risk for an amazing God, and what different organizations are doing about it, as well as how you can pray for them. Learning more about the suffering of others has made me realize how great our God really is. He has given us all so much, and His plans are bigger than we can ever comprehend. I, for one, feel compelled to pray for those who have not been given the freedom or the material blessings I have, but who have been given the same saving grace that I have been given. And even though our fellow Christians are being persecuted far from here, I know that we are still connected, members of the same family. I hope that by reading this, and visiting the websites, you will feel the same call that I feel. And if all I, or anyone, can offer are our prayers to Christ, I know that it is more than enough, because God is more than enough.

http://www.persecutedchurch.org/
This website has a list of other links to visit, including some that I haven't posted, as well as information on the national day of prayer for the persecuted church, coming in November.

http://www.persecution.com/

This is a link to the site for Voice of the Martyrs, an organization I heard of through a girl from my church.

http://www.persecution.org/suffering/index.php

http://www.christianfreedom.org/
Two organization that helps suffering, persecuted Christians throughout the world.


http://www.jesusfreaks.net/index2.htm
A site that has information and excerpts of true stories of Christians who have been persecuted and killed for their faith.

I've added these links on the left side of my page, under the section titled "knowledge is power" where you'll also find other links to visit and learn about other issues facing our world today.

The dumb things I do

So after work this evening, I had to go to the store to buy a few groceries. I decided to use the self check-out, where you scan and bag your own items. Anyway, when I was paying, I asked for $20 back. I put my groceries in my cart. I grabbed the receipt and put it in my purse, and I left my $20 in the machine. I'm the kind of person who will pay for something and walk away without my bag. Or I'll give the clerk a 20 for a soda and then they run after me when I'm leaving without my change. But this time was worse. Because I had actually consciously asked for money back. And then left it.
So I got home, realized I didn't have the money and totally thought there was no way anyone would ever have turned it in. So I decided not to even call. And then I started thinking, "what would I do?" And of course, I'm usually brutally honest about that kind of thing. When I go to Starbucks, if they forget to charge for the extra shot of almond I get, I tell them they're not charging me enough. Anyway, I decided, why not just call? It's not going to hurt. So I called and some lady had asked for $20 back and when she got her money, she had $40, so she turned in the extra to customer service. So in the end, I got my money. Anyway, I figure if I was the sort of person to keep the extra money, I would have just assumed everyone else would do that, too, and I wouldn't have even bothered to call. But in the end, honesty pays, because I thought there was a chance someone else would turn it in, as well.
Moral of the story: Be honest. And don't trust me to go to the store for you.

My new favorite song

So I just got the newest Michael Buble CD. And I gotta tell you, it's great. Anyway, there's this awesome song on it that's just so sweet and cute. So, go to www.michaelbuble.com and music automatically starts playing. Anyway, the first song that plays is "Everything" and I just think that everyone should listen to it, because I just love love love it.

What's that sound?

So today, I was making lunch for George (Olivia is spending the weekend with her grandparents out of state) and I heard a noise. It was very muffled, and at first I thought it might be the bouncy seat in the other room because it was obviously musical. But it was coming from somewhere in the kitchen and then I realized it was my phone ringing. And I was trying to find it, but couldn't seem to tell where it was coming from. Anyway, I managed to follow the sound and I opened up the freezer, and there was my phone sitting on the shelf. I asked George what my phone was doing in the freezer and he said, "I was making dinner." Note to self: Keep phones away from George.

Missing my Babies

So for some reason, I've really been missing the boys today. I was looking at pictures of them and just got really sad and wished they were here. So I called them. I talked to Bryce for a couple of minutes, but there was a lot of background noise, so I couldn't hear or understand much of what he said. And then Blake got on the phone for about 30 seconds. Anyway, to make me feel better, I'm going to share some pictures now.

These pictures I took early last fall, maybe September. I took the boys out to a really cool park I'd never been to before. I made the boys dress up cute in the outfits I had just bought them. (I bought them the jeans, the jackets and the shoes) and then made them take pictures. They really wanted to play on the playground, but I was the mean aunt and made them take pictures first. They ended up having a great time, but our outing was cut short by a messy diaper and silly Aunt Jen forgot to bring a diaper bag. (I was fortunate enough to have some wipes in the car, so Blake ended up going commando for awhile before we got home.)

Update on the Kiddies

Let's start with Olivia. It is now summer vacation, so she is home all the time. She is a great helper with the babies when she wants to be, but sometimes she has random episodes where she just freaks out for no reason. I don't get it. She's been learning to ride her bike without training wheels. It took her a little while at first, but now she does great. Her latest achievement is going around people on the sidewalk instead of screaming at them to move. We recently borrowed some books from a neighbor. They're called "Bob Books". They're very short, maybe 6-8 pages with only 3-6 word sentences on each page. And the words are very short and easy to help beginning readers. It's mostly to teach how to put the sounds together and Olivia has been doing pretty good at it. I highly recommend these books. You can get them at Barnes and Noble if anyone is interested...And this weekend Olivia is going to go on a short vacation with just her grandparents. It will be the first time she'll ever sleep away from her mom and dad. She was so excited about it that she wanted to pack today, even though she isn't leaving until Friday. So she went upstairs and pulled out a couple of bags and put some random things in, like dress-up clothes, a tea pot, a couple of dolls, a few pairs of shoes, some socks, a baby blanket, and I think she even managed to get a few items of clothing into them as well. It was really cute.

On to George. Today George did something he'd never done before. He went potty in the toilet!!! He'd been refusing to even try, so I just stopped asking for awhile and then I today after nap I had him sit on the potty and I said, "Maybe if you go, you'll get something special." And he said, "Like maybe I'll get a bouncy ball?" And I said, "Maybe." And just like that, he peed. It was pretty funny. So we called his mom, who was out at the store, and told her and she picked him up a couple of little presents. I'm just so proud of him. And he was really proud of himself.

The twins: They had their 2 month check-up today. Joey is 9 1/2 pounds and Jimmy is just over 9. And they're finally in a percentile. 3 for their head and 5 for height and weight, (except Jimmy whose head doesn't register yet). But hey, it's a start right? They didn't register for anything before. They both have colds this week and ear infections, so I know Carey has been up a lot. They get so uncomfortable and they're so stuffy it must be hard to breathe. But I guess yesterday they were a little fussy most of the day and didn't sleep much, so last night they slept for 6 hours. I'm sure that's just a fluke though. I cannot wait for them to become more interactive. They smile occasionally now, but soon they'll smile a lot and start to laugh and play with toys.

My own (not so) baby boys. I actually don't really know how Bryce and Blake are doing. Bryce is 5 now. I got him a cute little outfit at The Children's Place, my absolute favorite kid's clothing store. Their stuff is way cuter than Old Navy, and about the same price as you'd pay at Target, except for sometimes they have terrific deals. They'll be coming out to visit next month. Josh will be home for leave mid-late July, and Heather, and possibly Mike, will be bringing the boys out. My dad is planning on coming, too. So it'll be just a grand ol' time here in Iowa.

Happy 2 Month!

Yes, the twins were born 2 months ago. Of course today is a Saturday, so I won't get to wish them a happy day. And I don't have any really recent pictures of them. I'll have to take some next week to post so you can see how much they've grown. They'll go back to the doctor I think on Tuesday and I'll get to find out how big they are. Probably in the 9-10 lb range. They are 2 months old now and they're finally the size of a full-term newborn. How crazy is that?

Weird Dreams

So I've been having a lot of weird dreams lately. Some of them I forget shortly after I wake up and just think to myself, "Where did that come from?" But I thought I'd share a couple of others with you, just for your amusement.
One of them I had just a couple of nights ago. I dreamt that I was still in college and I had to sign up for my room for the following fall. When you sign up for a room at my school, students with the most credits get preference over those with less. Since I've already graduated, my thinking was that I should have whatever room I wanted, because I obviously had more credits than anyone else. Anyway, I was on my way to sign up when I realized that all of my friends had their own houses or apartments elsewhere and I had no idea who I was going to room with. I woke up, completely freaked out about what room I was going to get.

Another one I had when I was still in the midst of my 24 mega-marathon. Anyway, I was helping Jack Bauer with this assignment. There were some terrorists who wanted a bunch of Americans to die or something. Anyway, they released this toxin that caused people to turn into a zombie. And once that zombie attacked someone, they would then turn into a zombie as well. Anyway, it got personal with me because my mom was attacked by a zombie. Anyway, once attacked by a zombie, apparently it's a gradual process to turn into one. What happens is that one of your arms and also your face turn green. And then you start thinking that it would be nice to munch on someone's arm or leg or something. Of course, being part normal you don't do that because it's just wrong. But then when the zombie toxin completely takes over your body, you just start attacking people and eating their human flesh. It's a very nasty disease. Unfortunately, I woke up before we could find a cure for everyone. And I still think my mom is staring at my arm thinking how tasty it looks.

Happy Birthday Bryce!!!

Today is Bryce's 5th birthday. I still can't believe he's that old. It's like a milestone where he goes from being half child/half baby to being just a kid now. I miss him terribly and of course I don't have any pictures of him from today. But I do have some cute ones from before, so here are some cute Bryce pics.

Top to bottom:

Bryce tried to put my makeup on one time.

Bryce has the most beautiful eyes, the color of crystal.

Bryce opening presents on Christmas Day.

Bryce decided to run through the water fountains at the Crown Plaza in Kansas City (in 60 degree weather of course.)