Man child

Kennen pees standing up now. This might not seem like 'news' but when you don't have a penis (like me) and you have not been the one to show your son how to lift the toilet seat, it's pretty fucking hilarious to watch him pull down the front of his pants, aim and fire! Then at the end of every 'event' he says, "Shake it off," as he...ahem...shakes it off.

Then there was that day that I sent the kids outside to play and I was sipping my coffee and watching out the window when I nearly choked. He was running and then stopped, whipped it out and peed. Shake it off. Tuck it back in. Run and play 'Monster Hannah' with Kim and the dog.

Every day I love them just a little bit more. :D

4?

I was just on myspace and I saw a bulletin from a girl I used to know when I lived in Illinois. She had 2 kids when I lived there a little over 2 years ago, but now she is expecting her fourth child any day now.

I kind of cringed at first but honestly I am jealous. I know I could physically have 4 kids if I wanted too but I am too scared to make that choice. I am jealous of her faith that everything is going to be just fine...even if she and her husband are doubly outnumbered.

3 would be my ultimate maximum. Oh, and what would a new baby do to Kennen? I like him the way he is now. Completely confident of his rank in the family. Kimberly has gotten over her bitterness of her little brother the interloper. He would be 3 1/2 or 4 by the time a baby would arrive.

Argh, this is crazy talk. No.More.Babies Stella! I'm in the home stretch. Kennen is potty trained day and night. 2 more years, he will be in school full time. I could get a job. We could actually have disposable income. Honestly I think I am too selfish to have another one. I only want that sweet baby. Once they are 2 I start pushing them to be independant and out of my hair. I have a boy and a girl. A perfectly matched set.

Go away baby fever!

Random...

I hate to say it but the holiday snacking has caught up with me. I put on my fat jeans the other day and they were tight. Oh Snap! :D

It's okay though. I have a bike that my old neighbor gave me before she moved (halloooooo! Lisa...do you read my blog still? I miss you girl!) and I pumped up the tires and gave it a whirl.

Biking is really fun! We have great biking trails close to my house, and aside from them being thickly wooded and a good place to hide a body, it is a very pretty and serene ride. The only bad part is that I've been told by someone that I look like a giraffe on wheels. LOL, okay she didn't say that but she saw me riding when she drove by and was like, 'whoa she's tall!' sigh.

No I don't play basketball in case you were wondering. :D

Hmmm, what else. Oh, Kennen and his talking are making me proud! Just now he came walking out of his room holding a toolbox full a tools and said, "I'm not tired anymore." Um, dude...I tucked you in for the night! This isn't catnap time, it's bedtime! Ah well, he is charming and I will let my let my kids get away with a lot as long as they are charming. I get away with a lot because I'm charming. I think it's a good trait to learn. I'm totally kidding. sort of.

Oh, and here is the bestest news of the New Year! I'm going to Disneyworld! Woo Hoo! Thank you in-laws! I know that my in laws really just want to take kids there but know that Kimberly and Kennens pesky parents are sticklers about shipping the kids off to a different state. I'm a B-list vacationee, but whatevs! I'm going to disneyworld!

I do love my in-laws dearly and they love me too, but c'mon. They don't fly out every 6 weeks to visit me. How do I know this? Oh, um...pictures like this pop up every once in awhile. Notice the body with the chopped off head? That's me. My body made it into this shot because it is the vessel that delivered the grandchildren to a wonderful set of newly retired grandparents. But my face? My eyes? The window to my soul? Not so much.

p.s. Isn't my son a stud?

Now my new goal is to make sure that Kimberly has plenty of princess dresses to wear to the magic kingdom.

Humble Pie...it's delicious!

Tonight I was walking with a neighbor to go get Kimberly from playing at her friends house. As we were walking she looked at Kennen and commented on how cute he is. This is when I gushed that he was really being a sweet little guy lately and how Kimberly was at a very easy stage too. Normally it seems like they are either both being awful at the same time, or one of the two is stressing me out. But right now, I am just really enjoying both of them.

Um, yeah these are not words I should have spoken. :D At least if there is no wood to knock on.

I sat and chatted with Patty while the kids played outside. Kim started crying her 'devastated because the world is so unfair' cry. I went outside and Kim was bawling because she and a boy both wanted the same truck. Ugh, normally they just figure these things out themselves but she was hysterical so I told her she was too tired to play and that it was time to go. Then I made the mistake of saying it was time for a shower (aka Mommy's new torture device...Kimmy prefers baths) and bed. She we completely batshit crazy! Crying 'I want to play with my friends', and 'It's not dark out, I can't go to sleep yet', and 'I don't want to take a shower'. AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

Lord please give me strength.

Didn't I just say to my neighbor two minutes ago how easy and pleasant my children were being? Yes humble pie is delicious. She just raised her eyebrow at me and I walked my screaming kindergartener to the door. Ugh, I hate that look. The one that says, "That child needs to be beaten!". Yes, it's okay to beat your kids in Texas apparently. Yee haw.

*I just wanted to add that during all of this chaos, I didn't feel like taking the 60 seconds to put Kennens shoes on. Kennen is all about being orderly and tidy, and when you go outside, you put on your goddamn shoes. Long story short is that I didn't put his shoes on for him and he also screamed the whole way home. Again...Lord give me strength.*

I got her home and showered without loosing my shit. I got her in her jammies and talked to her about the whole ordeal and she apologized for 'Not having dignity for myself and respect for others.' Hee hee ha ha. I love making little kids say big words. It is the small amusement that I had this evening. I got Kennen showered and jammied before I sent them downstairs to eat dinner with Daddy.

After the tag team Mommy to Daddy switch I had to get out of the house. I treated myself to something that nobody in the house is interested in eating...A greek salad, chocolate truffle cake and a bottle of red wine.

I'm calm now. I'm glad I kept my emotions in check. I'm just praying that it will rub off my my Kimmy-girl drama queen. Oh, want to know the best news? School starts in 2 more days! Woo hoo! Yay for structure and discipline that isn't administered by me!

Who loves her Wii?

Mii!

This thing is so much fun! The sports game that it comes with is really fun and my triceps are actually a little sore from playing baseball. Boxing just plain wears me out. Golf is more my game.

Jeff is really into the Harry Potter game. Meh...I think it's kind of boring after just a few hours. Yes hours. Time flies when you are playing Wii. It's fun to wave the controller like a wand and stuff but it's more of an adventure game and apparently I like more action.

I did look online for the reviews on the different Mario Bros games. Super Mario Galaxy seemed to be 'the' Mario game to have so I picked that up from my friendly neighborhood Walmart. :) Let me tell you...that game is super-cali-fragi-fucking-awesome! You are hurtled through space from planet to planet to collect jems, coins, pieces of broken stars and then at the end of each planet, you slay a monster. There are like 3 planets in each solar system, 3 or more solar systems in each galaxy, and then 8 galaxies. The first person to tell me how many planets/levels there are in that equation get...a pat on the back. :D

It's so fun because you have 2 controllers and you hold the nunchuck in the left hand and you use the thumb sized joystick on that to move, and the controller in your right hand is used to jump or spin and aims your lazer to collect jems. Its very interactive and so fun. Each planet is a big round ball (with very good gravity) and not flat and sometimes you are upsidedown shooting gems at your opponent...omg wicked awesome. The graphics excellent and they play mario music. Granted now it has grown up into an orchestra rendition, but you can still hear that old familiar song.

The good thing about Wii is that it entertains everybody in the family. The bad thing about Wii is that, um...I didnt get much done today. McDonalds, Walmart, Wii, dinner, Wii, blog...and probably Wii again if I can get the Wii controller out of Jeffs hands...Expelliarmus!

I did a very bad thing.

Or maybe a good thing. Or maybe a very very good thing. I went to Target today to exchange my meat thermometer. (Oh crap! Patty, have I given you back your meat thermometer?). Anyway, I had my mil pick one up for me at the store but she got one that I can't leave in the meat while it is cooking so I was going to exchange it.

I was standing in line at customer service and there was a little old lady RETURNING a Wii! I'm assuming that since she is a little old lady that she didn't know that she could sell it on ebay and make some money! I am a well programmed little consumer and I just could not NOT buy that Wii. At first I was thinking I could just sell it on ebay and make some money. Then I looked and I would only make $50-$70 if I turned around and sold it right now. And that would be worth it...except for one thing. I want it. I like it. I'm good at Wii golf. And I scored a 171 on Wii bowling at Kelly's house.

Reason number two is that I told Kim that we cant play Wii until she cleans the living room. Like really cleaned. Put things away. Sweep the floor. Shoes in the closet. Dishes in the dishwasher. And you know what? She did it. My living room is clean, she is sweeping as we speak and Kennen is at the ready with the dust pan.

This is just another lesson in never say never. I've alway hated video games since my brother traumatized me as a child by making me watch him play for hours on end...hoping his Mario would die so my Luigi would get a turn. Oh, and since it's Nintendo they have a Mario Brothers Game!

p.s. I forgot to buy a new meat thermometer.

Happy New Year Everybody!

What is it about January 1st that feels so shiny and clean? It's like we get this gift of a fresh start every year. I feel energized and excited about 2008! I am thinking it is going to be a really great year. My resolution? Hmmmm, that is a tough one. I have a lot of things I can change, but I almost am afraid to choose one because I don't want to fuck it up. New years resolutions are notorius for being thrown to the wayside a few weeks into the new year. This is probably the busy season for Gym memberships across the country. Ironically enough, Jeff is about to join the flippin gym. I personally think it is the biggest waste of money since he has a weight set and plenty of jogging trails right in our neighborhood, but whatever. He can make that decision himself.

Speaking of jogging, Jeff and I took advantage of my in-laws watching the kids and we went for a quick run/walk this morning. I now see the value in hiring a nanny. :) Ahhhh, in another life huh? We also went and saw I Am Legend this week, which was friggin awesome! I love my in-laws. There is nobody in the world that loves my kids the way they do. I was talking to them earlier today and I said that they are such a gift to us. I also told them that when Kimberly was little, I used to try to do everything and I didn't accept their help. I didn't want them to think I was a slacker or something. Now though, I jokingly told them that I am just getting in the way if I try and take over while they are enjoying the kids. They laughed because they know it's true...they prefer to watch the kids alone so that they don't have to adhere to Mommy's rules. :)

Last night was off the hook! We went to Patty's and she and Dr. N really outdid themselves. It was the most fun I had in a very long time and it was a great way to start the new year. :) Pictures were taken, but not by me so I will post some after I steal them from different peoples flickr accounts :).

Oh, I guess I need to officially choose my resolution, so I guess it will be...ummmm....Oh, I will get back on the flylady.com system. When I actually followed her steps my house was clean all the time, and my laundry was always done and folded. And I am going to do it right and start with the first step and work my way up so that I don't crash and burn by trying to do too much at once. So there it is. Boring but I feel like a much more peaceful person when I know that there isn't a laundry monster gnashing it's teeth at me.

So what are your resolutions y'all?