More Vampires...

Since I have a ton of photos to download and post, a bunch of laundry to fold and put away, and continue to unbury ourselves in the Christmas meyhem, I don't have a post ready. But it's been awhile and I promised to be more consistent. So I think I'll do my review of the book I finished a couple nights ago...

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer.

This the follow up to Twilight...which I really liked. It surprises me that I even like these books because I'm not into the whole mythical creatures deal. But this author does a good job of putting them in real settings.

I didn't like New Moon as much. It was just okay. I think it was a little predictable and if you're into the chemistry between the vampire family and how they co-exist with humans, you don't really get it here...except a little bit at the end.

I will continue read the series (as soon as I can get the next book--it's sold out everywhere) because I want to see how this whole thing turns out. But I thought New Moon just seemed a little far fetched and the characters were developed as much as in Twilight.

So there...that's my opinion, for what it's worth.

I've moved on to a book that I can really, REALLY relate to...Confessions of a Shopaholic.

My Christmas Wish For You...

Peace

May you find the peace of God in everything you do.

Joy

Take time to stop and soak in the funny, quirky, joyful things in life.

Happiness

May you always have a happy song in your heart.

Faith

Keep your faith strong in the Lord...even in the tough times.

Love

The greatest of these is love...may your heart always be filled with it.

Merry Christmas to my dear family, friends and my blog world friends.

Christmas Stuff

Christmas is drawing near. I officially have 2 presents bought and 2 checks in the mail (my contribution to "group gifts"). That's probably 4 more than I had done at this time last year. Last year I had the excuse of the ice storm and being without power for 10 days. This year it's just nothin' but old fashioned procrastination. I just today ordered Christmas cards, too. Dang it, I'm SO behind.

I posted the Lams boogyin' to some disco tune for you to enjoy. I was going to do the classic version of Elf Yourself, but I liked how the disco version really made WM look groovy. I couldn't resist posting it! :)

I will soon be posting about Katie's first Nutcracker viewing.

I'm off to go do some online shopping. I'm sure my shipping charges will be outrageous since I'm down to the wire on time.

Next year in about June, will someone please post in my comments, 'start Christmas shopping.'

The Lam Elves

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Book Review, again...

This is going to be super, duper quick! It's my book review of Marley & Me by John Grogan. Here's my review:

I laughed out loud.

I cried out loud.

I loved this book.

Anyone who has owned a lab can totally relate to some part of this book. I could relate to a lot of it. Mainly because of this punk...

But this chick isn't off the hook either, she has created a lot of havoc in our lives, too.

Go read it--even if you're not a dog lover.

I can't wait to see the movie, but I might embarrass myself in the theater with my outbursts of laughter and tears.

So, now I've moved onto another book...back to the vampires...New Moon by Stephanie Meyer.

Happy Ho Ho Ho

I have been terribly neglectful of my blog...I'm so sorry, I've been overcome with Facebook and books. Yes, books. I'm determined to get through a couple books before end of the year. So my poor, poor blog has gotten the shaft. But Baloney and my SIL have inspired me to do the Christmas version of Get-to-Know-You. So here ya go...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. Always, always. Unless I have one gift left to wrap and just used the last bit of paper. I'm not going to go run out and get more for one tiny gift. I adore beautiful wrapped gifts--who cares what's inside if it looks pretty on the outside (okay--that's stretching it, but pretty on the outside is very important).

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real, real, real. I will only and ever have real.

3. When do you put up the tree? It varies from year to year. Since we have a real tree I usually put it up a couple weeks before Christmas so it doesn't dry out too much and/or become a fire hazard.

4. When do you take the tree down? Usually the weekend after New Years.

5. Do you like eggnog? Yuck, no. It's like drinking cake batter. Uck.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I remember when I was in about 1st or 2nd grade I had an all Barbie Christmas. Everything was hot-pink and Barbie. Barbie house, Barbie furniture, Barbie car, Barbies. I loved Barbies!

7. Hardest person to buy for? My dad and step-dad are the hardest to buy for because who knows what they want. But my mom is hard to buy for because I always want to get her something really special, but can never find exactly the perfect thing.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Any of the Three Little Lams. They are thrilled with whatever I get them and they flood me with ideas throughout the year.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, we have The Little People navity. It's silly to only have a child's navity, but it's important for them to be able to play with it and for us to explain as part of their play.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. I love getting Christmas cards. I'm terrible about getting mine out--but I love getting them in the mail!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? My grandma used to give us some of the most hideous clothing items. I can't recall any one in particular but trust me, they were bad.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I really like Elf with Will Ferrell. It's probably my favorite. But I also like It's a Wonderful Life a lot.

13. When do you start shopping? Let's just put it this way...I haven't bought anything yet. Does that answer the question?

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Not as a serious gift, but I've regifted White Elephant/Dirty Santa gifts.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Hmmm, that's a hard one. As far as sweets go...fudge, I only make it at Christmas and it's oh so good. But I also love my MIL's beef tenderloin with mushroom sauce, so good. And my mom makes a rockin' egg casserole that is a must for Christmas morning.

16. Color lights on tree? This is an area of disagreement for WM and I. I want white lights on the tree. Lots and lots of beautiful white lights. He likes the big colored ones. So we're switching back and forth from year to year. This year is his year--so right now we have large colored lights. Next year it'll be beautiful, peaceful, sophisticated, sparkly white lights.

17. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Home, last year we decided to stay home because it's just too hard to travel with three kids and all the gifts, etc. Plus, the kids want Santa to come to their house. I must say, last Christmas was one of my best ever because it was so low stress and at our pace.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? I absolutely can, I'm not going to type them all out, but trust me, I can name them all.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning. Santa doesn't come on Christmas Eve.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The unnecessary stress.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I've given up on the pretty/themed tree. It's all about the kids and how they want to decorate. My favorite ornaments are the three baby rattle/baby cups ornaments that marked each Little Lam's first Christmas.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? See above...MIL's beef tenderloin. Or I have to admit I do a pretty mean honey baked ham. Yummy.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Ha! I have quite a list this year, here are a few of the items on my list...Ugg boots, Tag Heuer watch, MacBook, black boots with spiky heel...the list goes on and on...I want to update my post-baby wardrobe that has been neglected for the past 6 years. And world peace.

Okay, I guess that's it. Have a happy ho, ho, ho. I promise my gift to you will be a more currently updated blog!

Let's Mix this Party Up

Each Christmas season my mom sends the Three Little Lams some Christmas themed toys for them to enjoy leading up to the big day. Last year (or it could've been the year before, I can't remember) she sent the The Little People Nativity. Which I really appreciated being that I think too many people are forgetting to put CHRIST in Christmas...but that's another topic for another post. This year mom sent The Little People North Pole set. Since having kids, I have seen--through their eyes--how Christmas can be kind of confusing...how does the whole Santa/reindeer/North Pole thing relate to the whole Baby Jesus/Nativity/Son of God thing? It is confusing for little ones, but apparently in my kiddos have melded the two together and this is what they've come up with.

(I promise, I didn't pose any of these photos...I took them as they were playing with them).

Who knew...we all thought Mary arrived in Bethlehem on a donkey, did you know that really Santa took her in his sleigh?

And then he took Baby Jesus for a ride back home to Nazareth. Poor Mary...she gave up her seat and had to ride between Prancer and Vixen. Apparently she was still a little tired from the childbirth and decided to lay down on the reindeer.

I had forgotten that there was a lighted Christmas tree in the stable. Oh--and where's Baby Jesus?

There He is--at the North Pole--with Donner (or is that Dasher, I always had a hard time telling those two apart).

"Anyone know where my sleigh is??? Mrs....Elf Boy...where's my sleigh?"

Oh, there it is! Those two rascally shepards...they got sauced with Blitzen and took Santa's sleigh out for a joy ride.

"Hey! Stop right there, Pumpkin Boy...your holiday was last month...don't be comin' in here tryin' to steal our thunder! Run along...I've got a box full of Frankincense and I'm not afraid to use it!"

Awwww...the whole gang is together and celebrating the birth of our Savior.

WAIT A MINUTE!!!!!

Who's that blonde punk crashin' the party?

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Ice, Ice Baby

As I promised yesterday, I would do a post on what it was like for us, The Lam Family, to live through the 2007 Ice Storm. For all the Tulsans out there, this is probably a bore for you as you were enduring the same thing. So as I sit here gazing out at the gray, dark, drizzly day WITHOUT any snow, it's easy to picture what was happening 1 year ago. Here's the abbreviated version. Oh...and my photo selection was very limited. We couldn't find any of the photos of the tree on our house...I think we wanted to completely forget about that...and got rid of the photos.

It went a little like this...

Night 1--WM was smart enough to move the cars out of the drive away "just in case". Power went off and two hours later our huge 50 year old tree came crashing down onto our house. By the grace of God--and I truly mean that God's hands guided that tree--it didn't smash the window that Patrick was sleeping by. If WM hadn't moved the cars--they would've been smashed, too.

This is one small portion of the tree that came down on our house--this the part that landed in the street.

Day 1--No power...headed to my sister's house to camp out for the day. Spent the day on the phone with the insurance company.

Day 2--Still no power--stayed at my sister's--who still hadn't lost power and never did during the whole ordeal because she lives in Tulsa and has little bitty trees that don't fall down on power lines. It's one of the disadvantages of living in an old neighborhood--big trees that cause damage when they fall. I don't go to work because of the mess going on at the hospital and the daycare situation (too long to explain, just believe me when I say 'the fewer kids at the day care the better').

Day 3--Nope, no power. Starting to feel guilty about overtaking my sister's home.

Day 4--Went home and sat in the FREEZING COLD house while waiting for the insurance adjusters--who didn't show up. Decided to go to work and take kids to school so they could have a little of their regular routine.

Day 5--No power yet, the news reports it should be on tomorrow! YAY! The kids are ready to go home--the fun of the "sleep over" at Aunt Amy's has worn off and they want their toys and beds. WM reports he got a generator from work but doesn't feel like it's safe for the kids and I to stay at home.

Day 6--Still no power--but the PSO recording says it will be tonight or tomorrow. A ray of hope!
Day 7--SHUSH IT YOU STUPID PSO RECORDING AND TV NEWS STATIONS--my power still isn't on--don't tell me it will be tomorrow unless you can guarantee it.

Day 8--The guilt of staying at my sister's has overcome me--my kids want to be home--and I'm losing it. I must go home, power or not. Fire up the generator WM, the kids and I are heading home! (the PSO recording promised it will be tonight, we can handle a few hours with a generator heated home).

Day 9--Nope, not yet. I think I finally cried--the TV stations said they weren't going to report when power would be restored because 98% of the power was on. We were that 2%--which I could understand if we lived out in rural Oklahoma, but for Heaven's sake, I live in the heart of Brookside! My neighbors across the street had their power for 3 days--"your side of the street is on a different grid." (shut up, you stupid PSO person).

Day 10--Just when all hope was lost at 4:00 p.m. our power came on. I cried when I got the call from WM telling us to come home! 10 days later-yes, we found out later that we were truly one of the last to have power restored.

It was a trying time. It was tough dealing with it with a 4 year old, 2 year old and 4 month old (who was being exclusively breastfed at the time--causing everything to come to a hault every 2/3 hours). We were basically living day-to-day. If I'd known I'd be without power for 10 days, I would've packed up 10 days worth of stuff. But instead we ran home for "one more day's" worth. Christmas was a week and a half away, so besides putting our house back together, we were shopping, wrapping, etc. Crazy, crazy. But considering 29 people died--we are thankful. I am so blessed to have a sister that warmly and encouragingly opened her home to us and told us everyday to stay and not feel guilty.

So, I guess I shouldn't be so grumpy today when looking out my window at the dreary, misty cold day. I should be thankful that I have a warm home tonight.

'Til tomorrow! Stay warm!

Sending Out an SOS

Since typing that Heading I have that Police song stuck in my head. I'm not really complaining...I LOVE the Police like I love Starbucks (I like to listen to the Police while drinking my Starbucks). Is anyone else amused that I can get off track so easily. I mean, do The Police have anything to do with this post? No.

Here's what this post is about (it's two-fold):
1. My poor neglected blog and fellow blog readers
2. My normal Monday Mumblings

Here we go:

1. My Poor Neglected Blog: Here's what I have to say about that...I'm alive and I've discovered Facebook. Should be explanation enough. But I promise I'll be better about posting.

And here are my Monday Mumbles:

SNOW.....UM.....NO
First off...it's going to be cold tomorrow and I'm mad about it. As I've said many times before, I don't like cold. I really don't like wet cold. And I really, really don't like when 'they' say it's going to snow--and it doesn't. I've lived in Oklahoma long enough to know that snow is not that common, but we get lots of "it's going to snow" from our weather-dudes. Now, if we were in Kansas and they were telling me it's going to snow, I'd say, "Ok, it's going to snow" and I'd wake up to 45' snow drifts. I'm tellin' ya...I've seen it...I grew up in rural Kansas. It happens. If you're in rural Kansas and they say it's going to snow...it is. It may even snow without being forewarned.

Postscript: I like snow...it's how I tolerate cold weather. If God would work out a way for it to snow in July I would really appreciate it.

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DANG THIS WIND
We didn't have power for most of the day (hence my absence from Facebook and blogging until now). If there's one thing that ranks right up there in my dislikes, it's wind. I never have liked it. When I was in high school and it was cool to drive around with your windows down, I wouldn't do it. It was the wind factor. I don't like it. And I really don't like it when it blows over a tree into the transformer out back of our house and leaves us powerless for a day. I was having flash backs from a year ago...but that's a post for tomorrow.

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PACI-BABY
When all three of the Little Lams were babies I really wanted them to be pacifier babies. It would be easier to "pacify" an un-pacifiable baby if they had a pacifier, a.k.a. "paci". But, no, none of my kiddos would take one, so I spent HOURS pacing and bouncing them. But, this weekend Baby Lam found and old paci. I don't know where, but Saturday morning she came walking into the living room with one in her mouth...and really hasn't taken it out since. Now she's to the age that I don't want her to have one...so what gives with my backwards child?

Here she is with her paci. She's also discovered how to unzip her jammies. Throw on a couple gold chains and she'd be one rockin' 70's disco babe!

Secretly--doesn't that picture want to make you rub her soft little belly? Nothing better than a baby's soft belly.
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CUT 'N COLOR, PLEASE
That's self explanatory--I need a cut and color in the worst way. I look in the mirror in the morning and embarrass myself. It's one of those neglected mom things that I put off. But enough is enough--I'm making an appointment this week.

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ONE YEAR AGO TONIGHT
Hey all you Tulsans reading this...remember what happened 1 year ago tonight? I'm going to do tomorrow's post on living through it.

Peace out!

The Fabulously, Fantastic Blog

For some reason my friend Baloney thinks my blog is fabulous. I find that very flattering and fantastic and far out, but that is kind of far-fetched to fathom. Ok, enough with the "F" words--this week's letter at Katie's school is F, so we've been talking a lot about F words. NO--not THAT F word!

Anyway...thanks Baloney for thinking my blog is fabulous. Actually now that I've discovered Facebook, my poor blog has been somewhat neglected. I'm going to try to be better about it--kind of a Christmas gift to you, my faithful friendly followers.

Here's what I'm supposed to do since I got my award....name 5 of my addictions and pass on 5 blogs that I nominate for the award. So here we go...

My addictions....

1. The internet...Facebook and blogging in particular.

2. Starbucks--Decaf grande mocha, please.

3. My family--I just can't get enough of those 3 Little Lams and Mr. WM.

4. Shopping--I love to shop, by myself, on my time.

5. Donuts--I don't know why, but I just can't keep away from them.

Sorry my addictions aren't so exciting...but check out these blogs. Besides Baloney, these are some of my favs...

Susie's Zoo--she's not keeping her current--hint, hint, but when she updates they are pretty darn good!

Mamma Llama--this is my SIL who puts up with my "Baby Prince" brother. I sometimes wonder if he pulls his sob stories on her just to get her to toast him a bagel or fix him something to eat--so he doesn't have to get up to do it. He's such a Baby Prince! :)

Paper Doll Designs--go here to check out her cute, cute stuff!

Manning Memo--this is my friend Kathleen who posts photos of her super cute, precious baby that I want to hold and love on all the time.

Ok, that's only four, but that's because I'm not popular and don't have a bunch of blog friends. But isn't quality more important than quantity? ha ha ha...it's how I make myself feel better for not having very many friends. Poor me!

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Notice that I changed the book over there? Yes, I'm actually reading again. I'm doing things a little backwards. I went saw the movie Twilight first and I'm reading the book second. So I know how it turns out, but I'm more about character development and you just don't get that in a movie. Baloney said I should read the book so I can really get to know the characters and their relationships with each other. Hopefully I'll be able to buzz through it quickly.

There's a Storm A-Brewin'

Do you ever get that feeling that something's up and you can't really put your finger on it, but you just know that trouble is coming your way. I've had that feeling lately and I think it has a lot to do with Christmas coming. But I don't think that's it really.

I think this is it...

That girl....oh, geesh, that girl. She is trouble with a capital T! I don't know what to do with her. She's 15 months old and already knows how to work it. I get those monthly "What Your Kid Should Be Doing Now" emails and the last one I got said "your 15 month old should have 5 or 6 recognizable words." Yes! My girl is right on track! And here are her six words:

1. NO!

2. MINE!

3. DON'T!

4. MORE!

5. DADDY!

and my favorite that she likes to yell at me whenever I am wiping her nose, changing her bottom, cleaning her face or any other activity that causes her to do something other than her desired activity...

6. STOP!!!!

Yes, she talks in exclamation points. Everything is said loud and proud!!

I should've known these would be her words, I think I said several of those same words when I found out I was pregnant with her...

"NO! (I can't be a pregnant again)"
"MORE???" (kids)
"STOP!" (telling me I'm pregnant everytime I come to your office--this I said to my ob/gyn)

Baby Lam wasn't planned, but she's here and I love her more than anything. WM and I just sit back and watch her in action and realize in about 13 years we are going to be in trouble! She's so much fun, but she's a live wire and strong willed. If you're anywhere near her, you'd better watch out, she's bound to take you down.

Here she is taking down her sister...

And this one is her taking out her daddy.

If she's around, you'd better be on your toes because she'll get ya!

I've tried to protect her from all the internet weirdos by not giving out her name, but I think she could hold her own. And I also realize that I've given out the name of my other two kiddos, so why keep it a secret.

Her name...Hurricane Josephine. And goodness gracious do I love that wild child!

...And the Turkey was Good, too.

I meant to do a couple posts over the Thanksgiving holiday, but as it always happens, time just gets away. I'm not so sure time got away or if I was just too busy eating myself into oblivion. Goodness gracious I had some good food over the past week! I'm on such a sugar high that I have to keep baking and creating goodies so I don't come crashing down and do something rash...like eat a whole pie in one setting (I could do that, really, I could).

So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving here are some things I'm thankful for:

1. First and foremost...my precious, precious family. I really am the luckiest wife and mommy to be blessed with such an awesome family.

My family.

2. My extended family. I love my family and my in-law family. Again, what a lucky girl I am!

This is WM's side of our family. This is the crew we spent Thanksgiving with...we always have such a great time together.

3. My friends. These are the people who put up with my nonsense and still like me...not because they are my family, and have to like me. They just do. I have the best friends around.

4. This is going to sound ridiculous...but in the spirit of #3, I'm thankful for Facebook because it's allowed me to reconnect with some of my dear, dear old friends from college. My good ol days as a sorority girl. These are friends of mine who I've lost contact with but have wondered about and prayed for over the years. I'm so glad that we've reconnected and can now share this new chapter of our lives as wives/mommies/professionals/etc. Plus Facebook allows me to be even more silly with my current friends and family.

5. My church(es). I know that sounds weird. Most people belong to one church. Technically I'm on the membership roles of three churches. But only two get to see me on a weekly (or regular) basis.

6. My job...I love my full time job as a mommy and my part-time job as a marketing/PR person. I have a great boss, great co-workers, great place to work. Sometime I'll do a whole blog on my job.

I have many, many other things I'm thankful for, but I won't bore you with them. I'm just thankful that I can get up every morning in a warm home and put food on the table for my family...I'm thankful that even though my children make a mess of our home that they are healthy and happy. There are many people out there who don't have homes, food or health. There are many mommies out there who are holding their sick children praying their pain away and wondering if they have the strength for another day.

So on the days when I don't think I can't stand to pick up one more doll or Hot Wheels or complain about making dinner or whine about having nothing to wear...I will remember those who would love to have those things be their problems...and be thankful for what I've been blessed with. Will you do that, too, please? It's kind of a 'positive attitude pay-it-forward.' Let's all be thankful.

Whew...that was deeper than I had planned.

Can you believe tomorrow is Dec. 1! YIKES! I don't have one Christmas present bought yet! So that's my question for today...how much Christmas shopping do you have done?

My Monday Mumbles; Part 9032

Here's another addition of My Monday Mumbles. A.k.a...just a bunch of random nothingness....

This weekend was nice...Katie's last soccer game...she got a trophy and was so proud of herself. I was proud of her. I missed the final game because of the accident with Patrick--who is doing fine, but has a nice red gash and developing bruise.

I went to see Twilight with Baloney and some new friends. I haven't read the book, so I was going in with fresh eyes. I really liked it. I'm going to read the book now. Thanks Baloney for the invite--I had a great time and loved the movie!!

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I'm in the midst of a baking marathon....Thanksgiving baking to do....preschool is having a bake tomorrow........Girl Scout meeting tomorrow. I'll be up 'til midnight baking.

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This is my favorite thing that happened today...I'll put it in dialog format:

Katie: Mommy, you need that.
Me: What?
Katie: Rewind, I'll show you
(I back up the tv show we're watching)
Katie: STOP--that, you need that
Me: What is it?
Katie: It's stuff for your eyes, it says it makes them look young
Me: Why do I need that?
Katie: So your eyes will look young
Me: Do my eyes look old?
Katie: (pausing) yeah......kind of

Nice...I know that I'm aging everytime I look in the mirror. Now my 5-year-old who is supposed to love me unconditionally is telling me I need to buy some beauty product that will make me look younger. She does love me unconditionally...but I don't want to hear it from her that I'm looking old. Grrrrrrr!

I think what concerns me even more is that she listened to the ad and acted on it. I worry about what society is going to implant into her innocent little brain. When she's 15 is she going to think she's fat or needs a boob job, etc. because a TV ad said so?

I think we need less TV.

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VOTE for Kim and Warren (Dancing with the Stars). Even if you don't watch the show, just vote for them. Go to www.abc.com and vote. They're not going to win...but let's give 'em a shot!

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Happy Monday--I gotta go bake now. Tomorrow's post should be better!

YOWZA--That Hurts!

Today was Katie's last soccer game. I was so proud of her for completing the season--I wasn't sure it was going to happen. And as I've told you before...I HATE COLD WEATHER!!!! HATE IT!!!! HATE IT, HATE IT, HATE IT. But, today, I was going to be stonger than the cold and go out and support my girl in her final game (I only missed one game--last week--it was cold and Baby Lam was sick, so we hung out in the car). I got everyone dressed in cold weather appropriate clothing, was saying my warm weather chant to myself (it helps--trust me) and just as I was tying my shoe I heard this....

(Feet running).....

THUMP

Patrick screaming

Katie: "oh no......MOMMY!"

I'm used to thumps and cries so I just sat in my room and casually said, "what happened Patrick?" And as he walked into my room, before my eyes, I watched my boys forehead morph into something you see in horror flicks. His little head was growing a growth...a.k.a. a "goose egg." Fortunately very little blood was involved...apparently it was all staying under the skin. The poor little guy was unconsolable and his head was hurting...bad.

All is well now, he's fine, he and WM actually ended up going to the TU/Tulane game. He's going to look pretty beat up for the next week or so. I was planning on taking Christmas card photos on Thanksgiving...guess not.

Here's my boy's head...this was taken probably 3 hours later--after much of the swelling went down.

Poor baby...don't you hate it when your little one gets hurt. Even though you know they're going to be fine, it still breaks this mommy's heart.

The Diary; Part 2

If you didn't get to read the first installment of The Diary, click here to get caught up and see what I'm talking about.

I thought I'd update everyone on Katie's diary. I still realize this is a total invasion of her privacy...but she's 5 years old and I'm her mom--I still get to say what's invasion of her privacy. And shoot, she invades MY privacy all the time. Between she and Patrick, I get all sorts of comments while I'm getting dressed and I don't know the last time I got to go to the bathroom alone. So I don't want anyone giving me any grief about her privacy.

She's been quite busy putting entries into her diary...

She's been working on her numbers...

And her letters...

She's even been working on writing her name in cursive. Notice she's changed her name to "Kate."

I'm rather fond of this pretty little butterfly that she drew.

But not near as fond as I am about this lovely drawing of a beautiful princess who has been named Aylssa. I'm pretty sure that's supposed to be me! :)

It's still very important to remember who is #1--God. Not sure why weird mutant gerbil is below the word God. Maybe she's wanting God to help poor Mutant Gerbil.

But then look at this beautiful kitty.

I think maybe Mutant Gerbil was actually a sweet, little kitty the whole time. It just took time to perfect it. Kind of like the story of The Ugly Duckling, but this could be titled, The Mutant Gerbil.

I think maybe I'll get a diary where I can put my random pictures, practice my writing skills, tell stories, express my daily concerns, etc., etc. Sounds just like what I need....to......start............

Oh.......maybe I already do.

What a Bunch of Nothin'

I wish I was one of those people who had organized thoughts...could start and finish a sentence and it make complete sense. But I'm not. Well...I kind of am...the thoughts are in my head, they are brilliant, well organized, sometimes even quite cleaver, the problem is they are interrupted by various outside sources. I can't tell you how many times I've started a conversation with WM and I always end up side tracked or something and he's saying "finish your story." It happens a lot. I think it frustrates him. I know it does. Oh well, it's the best I can do.

In the spirit of that statement, today's post will just be a bunch of random, half thoughts. Here goes.

MAMA'S PLEASE HELP ME!

You would think that since I have two girls that I know what to do with little girl hair. But I'm struggling here, people, and my precious, cute little Baby Lam looks like an Appalachian child most days (sorry for all of you lovers of eastern Kentucky, Tennessee and West Viriginia). I've made a promise to myself not to cut Baby Lam's bangs because I made that mistake when Katie was little and it's been a nightmare ever since--we're still in the process of growing out her bangs. My Katie has had some B-A-D hair cuts in her short little life. My problem is Baby Lam--she won't leave in a pony tail, bow, hair clip--nothing! What's a mama like me supposed to do? This is what she looks like most of the time.
Her hair hanging in her cute little face.

Someone, please, tell me what to do! (and don't tell me to cut her bangs--I'm not doing it)!

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4:00 a.m.--Really?

I come from a long line of hunters. My grandpa was a hunter, my dad is a hunter, both my brothers--and I married one, too. Now, these fellas aren't those weirdo red-neck type hunters. They have a refined taste in hunting and only hunt pheasants, ducks and quail. As a matter of fact, my dad used to take us hunting with him when we were little. I can't think of a more miserable experience than sitting in a duck blind at 6:00 a.m. in -3827 degree weather, or stomping through the snow to "flush up" a flock of pheasants. But I've done it and even though it was, like, 25+ years ago, I remember it vividly and how much I hated it. But--it was the cold thing I had a problem with. I knew I'd hate cold weather at a young age. Now that I'm grown, I secretly think my dad was using us kids in place of a good hunting dog (even though we had the best dog this side of...of...of...eastern Kentucky.

But here is my question of the day...why do hunters have to get up at 4:00 a.m. to go hunting (Like WM did this morning)? It's not like you can see anything before sunrise...especially birds.

Just wondering.

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THE RAT PACK

Look who I got to hang out with for about an hour this morning.

I'm not joking, I did. I had to go out to Channel 8 today (the local ABC affiliate for all you non-Tulsans) and these guys were going on the morning show, too. So we hung out in the 'green room'--although it's not an official green room--it's their conference room. Anyway, these guys are in town for a couple nights doing a show at the BOK. They were nice Brits--had on TONS of stage make up, but they were nice. It is a little distracting to talk to dudes who have on 10 times as much make up as you have on (I kept wanting to blend in their make up and say "you have a make up line", but I knew they wouldn't understand and just think I was wierd). The dude who plays Frank Sinatra was playing the role...he was interested in the ladies (his back up singers who were there). The station was definitely all a-buzz because of these guys. But I had a nice conversation with "Sammy" (who is American).

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Hey--ever since you read the words "West Viriginia" up there in paragraph 2 or 3 you've been singing that John Denver song, haven't you..."West Virigina, mountain mama, country road, take me home."

Yes you have, don't lie to yourself.

And if you weren't...bet you are now! ;)

Silly Ol Sally

Many have been asking about our puppy Sally. She's not so much of a puppy anymore, as much as a gawky, long legged teenager. I thought I'd give you a quick update on our girl.

1. She's wild and still runs around like a crazed lunatic with random backyard toys in her mouth. If it's left in the yard--it's fair game.

2. We could feed that girl a 20lb. bag of dog food a day and she'd still be skinny as a rail. Everyone, including my BIL, the Vet, says she'll gain weight. It's just how puppies are.

3. We think we were mistaken on what her breed is. She's definitely mostly lab, but she's starting to show signs of having some type of Setter in her.

4. She's great with the kiddos. She gets super spazzy excited when we first come out, but then she settles down and lets the kids play with her. Baby Lam is especially fond of her.

Lots of hugs....

And kisses.

"Are you getting ready to take a bunch of pictures of me?"

"Seriously, it's annoying. Stop."

"Hey! Look over there! There's Lucy...go take pictures of her!"

"I'm going to ignore you so you won't start taking pictures of me, too." (Thanks, Lucy...you're a real helper).

"Heeeeeeyyyyyyyy, why did you quit taking pictures of me? I was just kidding. I'll act cute, I promise!"

My Beloved WM

My fellow bloggers and friends Baloney and Susie both have posted this and told me I'm supposed to do so as well, so here we go. We always get to know each other...what about our other half?

Let's get the formalities out of the way...here is a photo of him. It's kind of corny, but I have to be sneaky taking his pic because he doesn't like to be photographed.

What is your husbands name? Robert, but he goes by his middle name which is David (Robert is a family name...WM's dad's first name is Robert but he goes by his middle name and Patrick's first name is Robert, but he goes by his middle name. I know it's a confusing mess).

How long have you guys been married? 9 years and 28 days

How long did you date? 2 years

How old is he? 25--HA HA HA! Just kidding--he just had his 45th b-day on Sunday. He's older than me, by the way!

Who is taller? Him!!! I'm 5'10" so I had to have someone tall enough that I could wear high heels and not be taller. I think WM is about 6' or 6'1".

Who can sing best? Are you kidding????? ME!!!!!! Though I have to admit that he can do a pretty impressive Jim Morrison/The Doors impression of "Come on baby light my fire."

Who is smarter? Well, what do you think I'm going to say? Me, of course. But actually, he's probably smarter. Well...it depends. He's brilliant in the math, algebra, physics, science type stuff. But I've got him when it comes to grammar, writing, create type stuff. We make a good team and will have all areas of "homework help" covered for our kiddos. He is also a master do-it/fix-it yourselfer.

Who does laundry? Mostly me, but he does it sometimes, too. Lately, though, he's not be allowed to do any of my laundry, though. I'm particular.

Who pays the bills? Him. One less thing for me to have to worry about.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Well...that totally depends on the night...last night it was Katie, the night before it was Josie, the night before that it was Patrick. But if it were just WM and I in our bed (which is a new rule that I declared as of this morning) it would be WM on the right side--if you're facing the bed.

Who mows the lawn? Him. I've done it before, but that's his deal. I actually mowed the lawn once when I was 8 months pregnant with Katie. Not sure what I was thinking.

Who cooks dinner? I would say this one is 50/50...we both do it.

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? If I didn't admit I was wrong then our arguements and/or discussions would never end. WM rarely admits he is wrong (at home--I think he does at work).

Who kissed who first? Him...good grief, what kind of girl am I? Girls don't kiss boys first!

Who wears the pants? We let WM think he does. Let's just say I'm the quiet backseat driver of this family.

I am so blessed to have a really great husband. He is a great husband and awesome father. And best of all he puts up with me--which is not an easy job.

Now--all you bloggers who read this...you do this (unless you're Baloney or Susie)...

Good Morning Bal-Ti-More!

I think I mentioned last week that Katie's new fav movie is Grease. I can't really tell you how excited I am about this because I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE musicals. I love to sing and dance around the house all the time. My kids often just look at me with a quizzical look and say "what are you doing?" It's probably all my years of dancing and being in choir(s), I can't help it, I break out into loud song and dramatical dance all the time. So I am THRILLED that my girl is loving Grease. I'm also thrilled that she doesn't understand at all what most of it is about. Luckily her least favorite song is Grease Lighning (which is one of my favs of the whole movie). I don't think I really need to be explaining what a p---y wagon is to a 5 year old. I am, however, a little concerned that she might be singing it on the playground at school. Surely I would've heard about it by now--being that she goes to private Catholic school and all--I bet they wouldn't let that fly. I remember my sister and I roller skating in our basement to that song and singing the lyrics loudly--obviously we didn't know what we were singing...but I bet my mom was upstairs saying "Oh, Lordy...my sweet innocent girls." (Notice...the loud singing and dancing began at a young age).

So I got even more excited when the movie Hairspray came on yesterday and Katie exclaimed "Mommy, I love this movie!" I can't figure out if it's all musicals that she likes or if it's 50s/60s inspired musical. Either way, I don't care--LET'S SING AND DANCE!!!!!

WM just rolls his eyes at us.

I thought I was safe on naughty lyrics (none, really in Hairspray) and having to dance around the sexual references but I was not prepared for this question from her...

"Mommy, why can't the brown people dance with the white people?"

"Uhhhhh....errrrr.....well.....ummmm....LET'S SING AND DANCE!!!"

Then I tried to explain it in a way a 5 year old might be able to understand. And this is what she said.

"Huh, well, that's dumb. I guess people weren't very smart back before we were born."

God Bless her little heart...don't you wish you could keep our children so innocent and forgiving forever?

(sigh)

Hey--LET'S SING AND DANCE!!!!!!

"Good Morning Bal-ti-more!"

Make A Wish

Happy Birthday to WM!

Today is his birthday!

Since the day I met him he is a firm believer in not celebrating--or really even mentioning--his birthday. So I spend the whole day feeling guilty that I don't have any great gifts, delicious dinner or special plans. But I know that if I did these things it would make him irritated. And we DON'T need that!!! So, we laid low today. His only request was that instead of a cake he wanted me to make banana bread with mini M&M's. So that's what we stuck candles in and sang Happy Birthday.

Love ya, WM! I'm glad there's a November 9th--because if there wasn't, then there wouldn't be a you. And your kiddos think it's fun to celebrate daddy's birthday.

Here he his blowing out the candles on his birthday bread.

Oh--and to clarify--about my bathtub post. WM was busy putting Baby Lam to bed, that's why he couldn't address Patrick's needs--people have been asking. :)

A Nice Warm Bath...Nothin' Better to Wrap Up the Day

I love to take long, hot baths. Especially in the fall/winter, but I also take them in the warm months of the year. But it's been awhile since I've taken a loooooong, hot bath, the kind where it turns the skin bright red and fingers and toes are pruned because you've been soaking for 30+ minutes. I took lots of those long baths in the weeks that followed the birth of my each of my babies. WM knew it was the only time I would have to myself in those new days of motherhood and would graciously rock, bounce, walk with a screaming baby who wanted nothing but mommy and her boobie. Those bath days weren't relaxing--listening to my crying baby on the other side of the door--but it was nice to just sit there and be by myself. Since it's been a little more chilly the last two days, I decided to indulge myself tonight. And it went a little something like this...

(Keep in mind that all dialog is through a closed and locked bathroom door...me on the inside, everyone else directly outside the bathroom door).

8:00 p.m.
Me (to the kiddos and WM): "I'm going to take a bath"
Them: (no response--total ignoring of me).

8:02 p.m.
I get in the bathtub.

8:02 and 15 seconds p.m.
Baby Lam standing outside the bathroom door screaming and banging on the door

8:05 p.m.
Baby Lam still standing and crying outside the bathroom door (so much for relaxing)

8:06 p.m.
WM gets Baby Lam and starts putting her to bed--ahhhh, peace and quiet, try to relax.

8:06 and 30 seconds p.m.
Patrick: "Mommy, will you get me a 'Pri Sun?" (That's how he says Capri Sun)
Me: "When I get out of the bathtub"

8:06 and 40 seconds p.m.
Patrick: "Mommy, I still need a 'Pri Sun, can you hand me the one in there."
Me: "No, I'll get it when I get out of the bath"

8:06 p.m. and 45 seconds p.m.
Patrick: "Mommy, hand me that one in there"
Me: "Patrick, there aren't Capri Suns in the bathroom"
Patrick: "Yes, I put one in there"
Me (noticing one sitting on the sink): (sighing loudly, getting out the bath and opening the door so a huge blast of cold air invades the nice toasty bathroom I've created): "Here...go finishing watching the movie"
Patrick: "I love you, mommy"
Me: "I love you, too, sweet pea"

Feeling guilty for being annoyed at my sweet boy who loves me, I immerse myself back into the warm water.

8:07 p.m.
Patrick: "Will you fix this?"
Me: "What?"
Patrick: "This..."
Me: "What Patrick, I can't see what you're talking about"
Patrick: (exasperated) "THIS"
Me: "Patrick, when I get out of the bath"

8:07 and 5 seconds p.m.
Patrick: (sliding a broken plastic ruler under the bathroom door): "THIS...will you fix this?"
Me: "I can't fix that, it's broken"
Patrick: "But I need it"
Me: "I'll tape it up when I get out of the bath"
Patrick: "Ok.........(long pause).....you're taking a bath?"
Me: "Yes, I'll be out in a minute"

I sit there for 30 seconds waiting for the next interruption, and just as I let my guard down and start to relax my muscles and slide a little deeper into the water...

8:07 and 35 seconds p.m.
Patrick: "Mommy?"
Me: (not answering)
Patrick: "Mommy?"
Me: (not answering)
Patrick: "Momm......"
Me: "WHAT?"
Patrick: "I need another 'Pri Sun"

8:08 p.m.
I exit the bathroom fully dressed and ready for bed.

And that, my friends, is why it's not even worth to try anymore. I guess I'll stick with my morning speed showers.

Breast Pads

I realize that just by reading the title of this post that I've lost 100% of my male readers and a good chunck of the rest. I know that all the men saw it and their faces got hot--that 'hot' feeling your face gets when you're terrible embarrassed, NOT the 'hot' feeling when you think something is "hot", as in "that chick is hot"--in no way am I suggesting that breast pads are a turn on and make men "hot"--geesh, people. Oh goodness, let's stop before this thing goes too far south. But since I'm a "Baby Machine" and "The Queen of Breastfeeding" (titles that WM has bestowed upon me) to me, talking about breast pads is as normal as men talking about sports.

ANYWAY...back to the post...

When my mom is in town--like she was a few weekends ago--it is a ShopFest. Not so much for me, because I don't really like taking 3 kiddos shopping, but it is for my mom and my sister. Those two will shop for any bargain. That's not my style of shopping...I know what I want, I go to the store, I buy it...who cares if it's on sale or not. If it is...it's a bonus for the day and I go buy myself an extra Starbucks. But, when mom is in town, everyone wins...my kids get lots of clothes/shoes/books/other kid items and I usually score one or two things, too. I ended up with a great pair of shoes. They weren't really my size, but I figured they were close enough, I'll make them work. When I tried them on they slipped a bit, but a couple of those shoe insert things and we'd be good to go.

So yesterday I was ready to debut my new shoes. I was all dressed and even put on pantyhose/stockings/nylons/whatever you call them (I call them pantyhose, although I've yet to ever have a pair that actually comes with panties--that cotton material at the crotch doesn't count as panties). When I put on my new shoes they slipped pretty bad, so I thought "I just need another shoe insert, but I don't have one." And I went about getting ready.

While in the bathroom, in the back of the bathroom closet I spotted them, the perfect shoe insert!

A box of breast pads!! After breastfeeding 3 kids for a year (or more) each, I've got quite the stash of breast pads. I've always wondered what I was going to do with them, and now I know!

I stuffed a pair in my shoes and voila! Perfect fit!

You never know what an old box of breast pads might come in handy for! Since my shoe insert discovery, I've been thinking, and here's some of my other ideas...

Ear muffs/warmers--a little peice of elastic and two breast pads...there ya go!

Coasters--they are designed to soak up liquids

Bandage--no reason a little Scotch tape and a breast pad couldn't work as well as Band-Aid brand

Picture frame--just cut a circle in the middle and put in a photo--perfect for dad's office (or maybe not)

Oven mitt/pot holder

Got any other ideas??

Finally--Halloween

I promised that I would get around to posting about our Halloween, so I finally decided to bite the bullet and get it done. In years past I've always wished I had more than one opportunity for the kiddos to wear their costumes. One short evening doesn't seem like enough. So this year we found more activities. Actually we may have over done it. We had FIVE Halloween events. I'll try to give our festivities justice in photos:

Event #1: Boo Ha Ha trick-or-treating. It's one of the great things about living on Brookside, you walk out your door and there you are in the midst of the madness. Baby Lam didn't go trick or treating down Peoria, the timeframe didn't work well with her nap schedule. And you don't want a fussy, tired kitty at Halloween parties planned for later in the day...

Event #2: Halloween Parade--again...walk out your front door right onto the parade route. It's great. The kids loved it. But Baby Lam only last about 20 minutes. She wanted to be part of the parade and wouldn't be still. So she and WM headed back to the house to watch college football.

Here we are before heading out to Boo Ha Ha. Katie was a Snow Princess and Patrick was a race car driver (or as we found out, Tony Stewart, the race car driver).

Event #3: Halloween Party at Cedar Ridge--I wanted to the take the kiddos to this last year, but Baby Lam was itty bitty, so we opted to stay home. But we made it this year and grandma got to come along! So what was the best part? Katie won the costume contest!! She was SUPER proud of herself and marched right up to the front to receive her prize. WM actually had to go up and get her because she wanted to stay standing in front of everyone. We had a great time and WM and Patrick went on the "spooky" haunted hay ride. WM said it wasn't spooky at all, but Patrick sure thought it was. But as he said "I was very brave and didn't cry." Katie didn't have any part of anything that might be remotely "spooky." She stay back at the clubhouse with Baby Lam, grandma and I.

Here's Katie in her award winning costume (along with spaghetti stains on her chin). It's not a very good pic, but it's the best one of her whole costume.

Here she is getting her prize.

Baby Lam, a.k.a. "Baby Kitty" hanging out on the patio at the clubhouse.
WM and Patrick getting off the haunted hayride. Notice he's changed costumes from earlier in the day--now we're Batman.
Event #4: Halloween party at my office--this was a hoot. It could've been called "Kids Gone Wild." The kiddos decorated pumpkins, played games, ate snacks, etc., etc. The best part was trying to get a group photo. I can't do it with three kids, what ever possessed us to think we could do it with 8 kids ranging from age 4 months to 6 years?

Don't they look like a happy bunch of kids??

Event #5: Halloween night--the big event. I actually didn't get any photos from the big night. Patrick, Katie and I went to my sister's and trick-or-treated with my niece and nephew. It's something we've always done. They are in 2nd and 4th grade and are probably getting tired of their "little cousins" tagging along, but they were good sports and my kiddos had a great time. They were worn out by the end of the evening. And when we got home, WM had Baby Lam asleep in her bed--after they had handed out all of our candy.

Here they are the morning after...as if they hadn't had enough sugar over the previous week and a half, we went and got donuts the morning after Halloween at this super cute donut shop that has fun holiday donuts. Katie chose a candy corn shaped donut...Patrick opted for a baseball and as you can see in the photo, Baby Lam didn't really care, she just wanted to know who ate all her donut holes (it was her, by the way)!

In addition to these 5 activities we also had Kindergarten and pre-school parties. So, all in all, we had a great Halloween season this year, have more candy than Target and Walmart and our costumes got LOTS of mileage. I would say it was a success. I'm actually a little relieved it's over, now I'm prepping myself for the upcoming doozy of a holiday--Christmas. I think we have enough candy to last us the rest of the year.


Boo!

Clarification

Ok, so I guess I need to clarify things a little bit. I guess there was some confusion on my comments about KU v. K-State. So let me put it this way.

K-State provided a better education FOR ME. I needed to go to a university where professors, academic counselors, TA's, etc. were more approachable and willing to help me. Would I have received this at KU? I don't know, maybe so. But all I knew and what I had to base my decision on, was what happened to my sister when she needed help when she was attending KU. (She ended up doing fine, by the way). But that's what I had to go on when deciding between the two. I knew I didn't have the aggressive personality it was going to take to succeed like I wanted to in college. So...I, me, got a better education at K-State because the environment fit my personality better.

WM knows that I'm a KU fan, too. He just likes to stir the pot...because I wasn't giving him the reaction he was wanting when he was taunting me this weekend. :)

What Will Today Bring?

I was going to do a "Monday Mumbling" yesterday, but in the midst of adjusting the little ones to the time change, it just got away from me. So what should we call our weekly update that is happening on a Tuesday? Tuesday Tattles? Ok...that'll do. Here goes...

Halloween--I'm coming down off my sugar high that I got from my kiddos treat bags. I'm a little sad the holiday is over, but part of me is ready to move on. All my fellow bloggers have been so good about posting pics of their little ones. I promise, I'm going to do that. Probably later this afternoon or this evening. So if you're in need of a little pick-me-up...stay tuned.

KU/K-State--this weekend was the annual KU/K-State football game. WM gets WAY more excited about this than I do. Fortunately for me, if you ask Katie if she like the Jayhawks or the Wildcats she will always answer...the Wildcats. I know that the value of an education that you receive at university cannot be measured by the outcome of 300 pounders tackling each other. I know that I got a better education at K-State than I ever could have at KU. Visit each colleges website and see who has more Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Goldwater, and Udall scholars (actually K-State is 1st nationally amoung state universities). In life, what will get you further? A good education or a good football team? So I guess K-State really is the better school, huh?

Election Day--Hmmmm, I'm not going to say much about this because I think everyone knows my stance. I'm just not one to shout it from the roof top (or my front door, or my office door, or the bumper of my car--it's just not classy). I'm a stubborn person, I know who I'm voting for and no matter what you say it's not changing my mind. I did stand in line for 45 minutes this morning...with Patrick and Baby Lam...to vote. It was a challenge with a wiggly little 14 month old, but we got it done. And Patrick was SO good and such a good helper. But I have to admit, while I was standing there I was proud that we as Americans can go vote freely without worry of being shot or beaten. I was proud as a woman that I'm allowed to vote, unlike so many women before me.

Will I be proud this evening?

No, probably not. I will not be proud of the direction we will be headed. I will not be proud that riot police have been called into our major cities.

I know there will be lots of people celebrating, but let's talk in 4 years and see how you feel about your decision then.

But enough about that. There are things that are more powerful than whoever our President will be...God and prayer. And I think that if there were ever a time for both of those in life, right now is that time. I know I will spend more time talking to God, reading His Word and doing His Will than I will talking to our President, reading his agenda or doing his will. I know that God loves me and cares for me and WM and our children. I'm pretty sure that our new president won't give a hoot about me. So pray tonight to the One who really can make change happen...

Pray for our country.
Pray for peace.
Pray that people do the right thing.

And as always, pray for our children...just because you should.

But here's some great news...Katie's new fav movie...Grease! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that movie. Thank goodness she can't understand 95% of what they are talking/singing about. I do love to listen to her sing "Look at Me, I'm Sandra D."

What I'm Reading

Have you notice that little thing over there on the right side of my blog that says "What I am Reading"? Have you noticed that the same book has been there for 3 months? You probably haven't noticed because it's kinda like that suitcase that has been sitting in your hall for the past 6 months, you just don't notice it anymore, it's part of your home decor and is now becoming a nice little hall table. Oh, but I'm off the subject.

WM--PUT THE DANG SUITCASE AWAY FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD! (This is a total 'battle of the wills' going on over who is going to move the suitcase. If WM hasn't figure it out by now--9 years later--he's married to one stubborn chick. It's one of the glories of being Irish--it's in your genes). I'm going to take a pic of it tonight and post it, just so you can see the evidence.

Anyway...it's back to the book. Are you thinking that I finished that book a long time ago and I just have been too lazy to post the newest book I'm reading? I wish that were true, my friends. But I have not finished that book. And what's worse, I have another book that I'm half way through and is 3 months overdue to the library. You'd think those snarky little 'reminders' (I call it Library Hate Mail) would be enough to make me pick up the book(s) and finish them. But really, who has time? I mean, come on...there are meals to cook...kids to bathe...homework to do...Dancing with the Stars to watch...kids to put to bed...dishes to do...school uniforms to iron...school lunches to pack...laundry to fold...house to clean...not to mention; Halloween costumes to figure out...Halloween parties to prepare for (X3)...Jack 'o Lanterns to carve.

Who has time to sit and read a book that really isn't good enough to keep your interest?

So here's the deal...anyone out there who has read:

Shadow Baby and The Shack, just tell me how they end. I'm 1/2 way through both and I'm going to do something that I've never done. I'm just not going to finish them. They are going back to the library today. End of story (literally).

So will someone tell me how those two books end??

Please???

Then I can post another new book that I'm going to read...and leave it up there for 3 months.

I'm A Classic

Today I was planning on doing a post on the award winning Halloween costume that Katie and I created and the fun we had this past weekend at Boo Ha Ha and the country club Halloween party. But I got a little side tracked...

I had to run some errands today so I hopped in my car and flipped on the radio (because my iPod battery is dead) and as I was flipping through stations, I happened to stop at the "Classic" station (not to be mistaken with Classical). The "Classic Rock" station isn't what I think of as Classic Rock. To me Classic Rock is Led Zepplin, Aerosmith...those types of bands. But no, this station of "Classic Rock" is the PC way of saying "Oldies." So let's just say I was listening to the "Oldies" station. You know Oldies..."She Loves You Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" and "You make me wanna SHOUT!" That's what I thought I was going to get. But you wanna hear what they were playing...or maybe I should say...what they were saying...

"Flashback Lunch...1994"

1994

1994?

Did I hear that right

1994??

NINETEEN NINETY FOUR????????????????????

Since when is 1994 considered an "oldie"???

I'm coming to terms with my age these days...I'm probably 10 years older than most parents who have Kindergarteners; when I had Patrick and Baby Lam my chart was marked with a giant red AMA--Advanced Maternal Age--the nice way of saying "an old woman having a baby"; I find I have more in common with a 50 year old than a 20 year old. I've come to terms with the fact that my 30's are quickly becoming my past. But am I an OLDIE? No way!!! Actually, 1994---that would make my little brother an OLDIE, too. And what would that make WM????? Oh boy, he's 6 years older than me--that would make him....

Elderly...a Senior Citizen!

So I'm boycotting that station from now on until they put the Beatles back on. Maybe even then. I know I'm not a spring chicken, but I don't need a radio station reminding me of it! You need to boycott it, too. If you live in Tulsa, just search around a little while, you'll find it...in 106 range.

1994 was a lame year anyway (BTW, I was out of college by 1994).

I'll take the 80's anyday! But that's because I'm a child of the 80's.

Regardless, I'm mad at that dumb radio station...

I'm going to go eat our entire bowl of Halloween candy now.

The Evil Eye

To start this blog it would be helpful if you could sing that song by Madonna from the Austin Powers movie that goes "Evil...Evil is his one and only name." That would be good background music for this post.

It's been said, "a child's behavior is a reflection of it's parent's actions." I believe this to be mostly true. Yet my three children do something that I never do. I mean, NEVER...I never, ever, ever do this. They give WM and I "the evil eye" like nobody's business. They have mastered the art of the evil eye and know in exactly what situation to execute it. At our house the evil eye has no age or gender boundaries...it's an equal opportunity trait that all Three Little Lams have. Even Baby Lam has it down (though she has a little work to do on her evil eye in order to be called a master. But she's well on her way).

Check this out...
She doesn't really have the squint going on that an "official" evil eye has, but she is definitely workin' it right there. She was getting in trouble by WM for climbing the ladder and jumping around on the top bunk. Is that a look of defiance or what? Ooooweeee are we going to have trouble with that one.

Ya know what's even funnier? When Baby Lam was giving WM that evil eye, at the same time I was getting it from Katie. I captured it--the simulatenous evil eye of the Lam girls.

Here's a close up of Katie's. She's MASTERED it (you saw this one in a previous post, but it's worth showing again because of the perfection of it).
Look at the perfect form she's got going there...perfectly executed eye squint, exquistly performed brow furl, no hint of a smile in site. Perfection, I tell ya. I give that evil eye a "10"!

So you think that the evil eye is only inherent in my girls? Nope. Patrick's got it, too. He's got the male version of it, though. Instead of the squint he does the "look at you out of the corner of your eye (or over the brow bone, or down the nose)" thing.

See...

Unfortunately for my kids, the evil eye doesn't work on me. It just makes me laugh and run for my camera! Which usually then results in even more evil eye-ing. It's a vicious cycle--that I think is funny. Maybe I'll start using the evil eye more...at work, home, in public. Such as:

WM: "I'm golfing in the morning"
Me: giving the evil eye with no response
WM: "Never mind, I'll stay home and fold the laundry."

or

Work person: "I need 5,000 brochures by tomorrow afternoon"
Me: Giving the evil eye with no response
Work person: "Oh, I see you are busy, I will send you a written request."

See...I think it could work beautifully!

Why don't you try it--let me know how it works out for ya!

Peace!