A to Z About Me

Well, I've done it. I finally posted our Christmas Eve pictures. Go look at them! This is a preview, I do have some of all us but I guess I didn't copy them to my disk. So Brian is missing from all the group shots. Sorry!

Anyway, I was tagged by Serendipity, which always makes for an easy post. Woo hoo! Thanks!

A - Available/Single? - Nope! I am not available. I'm not married, but most definitely not available.

B - Best Friend? – Brian is my best friend and then I have a work friend that I would also consider my best friend even though we don't see each other outside of work very often. Because she is the greatest. And her name is Bert, which is silly.

C - Cake or Pie? I'm a cake person. I love chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. And those cakes with the cream cheese filling or fruit filling or pretty much any filling. Ice cream cake is good too.

D - Drink of Choice? Is this suppose to be an alcoholic drink? Regardless it's a good ol' beer. However, I have come to especially enjoy a Cosmo martini when the opportunity to have one presents itself.

E – Essential Item You Use Everyday? Coffee Maker and Hairdryer

F - Favourite Colour? Pink

G - Gummy Bears or Worms? Gummy Bears

H - Hometown? – Boise, ID and now I live in Nampa, ID about 20 minutes away.

I - Indulgence? Shopping (as often as I can, which isn't very often), dry roasted peanuts. Those things are addicting.

J - January or February? I would say January because there are lots of parties to plan. New Years, Riley and Brian's birthdays...I'm sure there are others.

K - Kids & Their Names? Riley, boy 10. Darby, girl 6.5. Jordan, boy 6. Jillian, girl 1.

L - Life Is Incomplete Without? Family-meaning Brian and kids. The other family I wouldn't want to be without, but...

M - Marriage date? Not married and there is no date to be married.

N - Number of Siblings? 1 older brother, two younger sisters. I was a middle child. Ugh. The funny thing is some people have assumed I was an only child.

O - Oranges or Apples? Oranges

P - Phobias/Fears? Small spaces, but they have to be really small, like you can't move or breath, which is one of the reasons for my divorce.

Q- Favourite Quote? "I do not take a single newspaper, nor read one a month, and I feel myself infinitely the happier for it." Thomas Jefferson. I had to search for a quote because I couldn't think of one right off the top of my head. Thomas Jefferson always had interesting things to say and when I found this one, I felt it was perfect. This is exactly how I feel and it's true. The news is depressing.

R - Reason to Smile? When my sweet little baby does a new trick. That's what we call them and she does new things every day. It's so much fun.

S - Season? Summer, because it's cabin time!

T - Tag people? Everyone should do it! If you do let me know so I don't miss it.

U - Unknown Fact about Me? I don't know, is there anything I haven't revealed about myself? If there's something you want to know, just ask.

V - Vegetable you don’t like? Are radishes a vegetable? Because I hate those things.

W - Worst Habit? Biting my nails

X - X-rays You’ve Had? Teeth and my finger that was slammed into the door. That hurt and I still have a scar.

Y - Your Favourite Food? That's easy I love any kind of Mexican food.

Z – Zodiac Sign? Leo

Well, it only took a day and a half to fill that out but I finally did it. PS Thanks for all your comments on my little bottle dilemma, though I'm still afraid! But I'll do it. I know I can do it!

WeanHer

So, I'm suppose to start getting Jillian off the bottle. Brian actually wanted her weaned by her first birthday. I was very anxious to have that first birthday approaching. I hadn't even started to get her drinking from a sippy cup. I just didn't think she was ready. And maybe I wasn't all that ready. Luckily for both of us the doctor said that 18 months was the ideal age to have her go exclusively to a sippy cup. I think we both let out a huge sigh of relief.

Except now, she's 14-almost 15 months and I still haven't insisted she use her cup. I tried not giving her a bottle on Saturday morning. Brian fed her oatmeal and I sat down with her and gave her some milk from her cup. That seemed to satisfy for her for a few minutes. But then she started getting clingy and whiny and grabbing her bottle blanket and trying to get me to go to the fridge for milk. And eventually I caved. Not because I felt bad for her, but damn that whining and clinginess gets annoying. So, I instantly transformed into one of those Nanny 911 parents I make fun of and put down for letting their children control their lives. I caved to the whining because it's so much easier. And actually, she was really good for the rest of the day. As long as she had her bottle on time. We'll see how well it goes. Ugh! I hate these little milestones.

File Fairy

At work I’m not “in charge” of any of the filing cabinets. Because if I were, maintenance would not take place. They would not be emptied or updated or sorted in any way. They would sit there. In fact, I was in charge of a filing cabinet and when we moved I lost it. Literally. I have no idea where it is.

Other people in the department are stuck with the task of file upkeep. It’s not a pretty task and it isn’t an easy task, but it does need to be done. At least occasionally. So when I went to file some papers and found that for the past three months my files hadn’t been updated, I was a little distraught. Whatever am I to do? I go over to the girl (and yes, I can call her a girl because she is younger than me and she is my friend) who usually updates my files. “Those files for my journal entries haven’t been updated. There aren’t any new files for the last couple of months.”

“So make some new ones,” she says matter of factly.

“Well, here’s the thing. Usually I go home at night and a little file fairy comes in and makes all of the files. Then, when I return I have new files to put my papers in. I like it that way.”

“Well, your file fairy is a little busy lately. Make some new files.”

Point taken, but still, the files aren’t made. And I honestly doubt they will be made any time soon. Because I’m lazy and I don’t even know where the blank files are kept. I really need my file fairy to return.

Okay, Okay

Sorry to not give complete details of the ending. I don't really know exactly what happened, but I'm guessing they went out 4 wheeling as they have been known to do and were held up for one reason or another. He stopped by our house because his phone died so he didn't know where the kids were. Brian told him I took them to his parent's house and I was out shopping. So, I assume everything was cleaned up and unclogged. I would hope.

Welcome Home

Sunday I drove Riley and Darby to their dad's house at 3:00 pm, as I do every single Sunday after my week with them is done. We drive up, they jump out and give me my good-bye kisses. I wait in the car to make sure they make it in alright. (I don't go up to the door anymore because I hate the new wife and while it might irritate her to have me at the door, I don't care enough to do it.) So, I'm waiting in the car. They ring the doorbell because the door is locked. It appears as if there isn't anyone home. Riley finds the spare key.

He unlocks the door and I'm waiting in the car, debating whether to leave them or take them. I figure their dad knows they're coming back. Maybe he ran to the store or something. He should be home soon. But I see Riley struggling to get the key out of the door and realized I couldn't leave them. Riley can't even take the key out of the door.

I walk up to the house. And Darby seems distraught. She's upset they left the dog in the house. Actually, she's a puppy. An unpotty trained puppy. Who, it appears, has left little presents all over the front room of the house. It as horrible. Darby is rushing, trying to get the dog outside, saying over and over again, "why would they leave her in the house".

She then informs Riley they need to get this poop cleaned up. She grabs a bunch of paper towels, picks up a handful and leaves the room. I try calling their dad. No answer. I call Brian. I begin to leave a message, "Jeff isn't here and I can't get a hold of him. I think I might take the kids shopping with me. I left him a message, but in case he stops by...(background: tell him the dog crapped all over the carpet) Oh and the dog crapped all over the pla..." Brian picks up, just about the time Darby is picking up another pile and once again leaves the room. I actually don't know where she's taking the poop and I didn't care at the time. I was distracted.

I talk to Brian and decide to take the kids up to their grandma's house because there is no way I am leaving them with all this poop. And it was every where. It also looked like the dog must have walked through a pile because there was a poopy paw print trail.

And then, to top it off, Darby rushes out, "Riley! You have to help me. The toilet is clogged!" I guess we know where she took the piles. So not only is the front room covered in puppy dog feces, but the toilet is clogged.

I told her to leave it, get your shoes back on. We are leaving. And then I chuckled.

Memories of a Child

This week has been semi-uneventful. Okay, completely uneventful. It was just another, ordinary, run of the mill week. Which is sometimes good, but sometimes, you just want things to happen. Even the kids are feeling it, though I think these weeks make Jordan particularly happy, but I picked up Riley on Wednesday and he sighed, "another day down". That sucks! I don't want him to feel that way at my house. Let him feel that way at his dad's house. Oh well, soon things will pick up.

On the 19th is Riley's 10th birthday. I can't believe he's ten. When people ask how old he is I have to pause and think because my first thought is he's eight. Nope. 10. Maybe that's just a sign that I'm getting old.

And maybe getting old makes me reminiscent because for some reason the other day I was thinking back to when I was younger. Much, much younger. In the summers I would go with my friend to visit her grandma. Her grandma lived on the other side of the city, so it was a big deal to go over there. She lived in this beautiful Victorian style house on the North end, near Harrison Blvd. and I think it was near the Governor's mansion, as well. I remember walking to Camel's Back park one afternoon and I thought the mansion was pointed out to us and there were possibly people outside, milling about, looking important. But, that could be a made up memory.

I do know we walked around the neighborhoods often and I distinctly remember walking past and being amazed by the huge house with the lion statues. And I thought that one day I was going to live in that house. It's for sale, by the way. About $1 million. A little out of my price range, but I don't love the lion statues as much, so it's all good.

I think it's funny that these memories are like a replica of a Chrysler Pacifica commercial, or something. I flashback to these beautiful scenes of tree lined streets and huge houses and strolls to the park. It's like a perfect little montage of my summers as a child. And I'm sure it wasn't exactly perfect. I mean, we were dropped off in this huge, ugly green station wagon. It was not fancy in the least, not even back then. And most of the time we grew bored after a couple of hours. Which would explain why we walked the neighborhoods and daydreamed of living in the big houses. And sometimes her grandma was grouchy, which tends to happen when your a grandma and you have several kids visiting. And I wasn't even her grandchild.

Oh yes, and one time I almost broke my nose at Camel's Back park when I walked right smack into a bar that I apparently didn't see. It was horrible. There was blood every where. And when you run down the hill at the same park, you get going so fast that most of the time you end up rolling down the hill and by the time you reach the bottom you are battered and bruised. And yet, I still remember the trips fondly.

Will our kids have fond memories of growing up? Or will they just remember they had to wake up early, go to school, come home and do homework and go to bed and then do the same thing all over again? I just wonder what they'll think back and remember. I hope it's things like the trips to the mountain and the walks and bike rides to the park. I hope they have some kind of nice memories that feel like they were stolen from a mini van commercial. Something!

Okay, remember my last post and how I thought she was so absolutely adorable even though she woke me up in the middle of the night. Well, it happened again last night. On a work night. And I am dragging! And I need this picture to remind me that she really is quite adorable. But I'm so tired!

All Alone Saturday

Except for the baby and, while she most definitely counts, she's asleep. So I am essentially alone, playing games on the computer while I should be showering. Because the baby is asleep still, miraculously, and I should be taking the opportunity to shower. Instead I am on the computer writing this. She could wake up any minute and I'm wasting my precious alone minutes doing this. Now I'll have to wait for her nap. Which who knows when she'll take that. Especially since it's already 8 am and she still isn't awake. This is normally about the time she takes her first nap.

However, she so graciously woke up at 1:30 am and wanted part of a bottle. I don't know why. Maybe she's having a growth spurt, but as long as it's a weekend I don't mind the interrupted sleep. Because she has slept in, which means I was able to sleep in and read the paper and have my coffee and mess around on the Internet. Undisturbed by any sort of whining or grabbing of the keyboard and mouse or the sound of something crashing to the floor.

She's not that bad. Really. She's so stinking cute. She is learning the parts of her body right now and she has feet down, because her feet stink and she finds that funny. Plus, she's a big fan of new shoes and likes to show us her shoes. Yes, already. So we ask her, "where's Jillian's nose"and she sticks her finger completely up her nose. It's so gross and cute at the same time. We taught her eye yesterday and I thought she was going to pop her eye right out of her head. She kept pushing her finger into her eye so hard it started to water. I don't know why she's such a goof ball. But I adore her.

Well, maybe I'll go take a quick shower before my little monster wakes up. Hope you have a great weekend!

Happy Valley

Well, we're going into day three after the big game, and it was a big game. It is still all the talk around here. Not that I expected it would quit after a few days, I just thought it might die down a bit. It hasn't.

My boss and co-worker went to Arizona to watch the game (not together) and they both came back to work this morning and boy do they have a lot to talk about. Every where you go there's talk of the Broncos and our local news certainly isn't tired of it. Not that anyone should be because it's very exciting for our little city to have something so big happen.

Plus, the game was actually a really good game, as far as I was concerned. The only thing I know about football is there's running, catching, throwing and touchdowns. Anything in between I'm completely clueless. This game was the easiest football game to watch. Like Brian said, we'll never have to watch another football game again, because it was that good. I guess I am a little excited, even though I haven't been a faithful fan by any means. I keep up with the scores and who they happen to be playing on any given game, but that's mainly to be able to have a conversation with the season pass holders here at my office. And there are a lot of those.

We do have a Sooner fan amongst us, however. Before the game he had Sooner signs up and every time he passed my cube he would sing their fight song. You don't know how fun it was to see him on Tuesday! Ha, ha for him!

Besides the game, it is also a couple of days into my resolution to stay fit and alcohol free and I am doing an amazing job thus far. Okay, I realize we're only a couple of days into it, but hey I have worked out both days and have not had any beer. My body aches from working out so hard and I really haven't craved a beer. Not really. Besides that, I have been so productive at nights. Brian and I have done a major cleaning job on the upstairs. Now we just have to get the Christmas stuff into the gargage. Maybe I will do that tonight, who knows.

Plus, I just returned from the doctor and I have lost 17 pounds since my last visit. I was so happy. I mean, sure my last visit was eight weeks after having a baby, but still. That seems like a lot. It also sort of unmotivates me. I start thinking, hey, I'm 17 pounds skinnier than last year. I don't need to work out. :)

Happy New Year!

And go Broncos! Okay, not a sports fan. At all! But I do keep up with the Bronco news. And I do hope they win. They are the underdog and I do love an underdog.

My New Year's Resolution: Stay in shape, lay off the beer and... that's all. I feel like a bloated hippopatamus with all the holiday parties, and Santa candy, and drinks, and ham, and potatoes, and everything else that is completely fattening. I have not even tried to control myself. Nope. I just let go and pretty much said screw it for the past two months. Anything goes. And my work out schedule has been completely shot. This is the beginning of not drinking beer during the week, not snacking, eating sensible meals and working out 4-5 days a week for 30-45 minutes a day. Hope I don't break my resolution.

Also, I haven't posted any Christmas pictures yet, but we did have a nice Christmas. I was not disappointed. Brian asked me a couple of months ago to make me a Christmas list. I wrote him: "a bracelet from Tiffany's and a big pack of Sharpies". "Uh, try again," was basically his response, which I thought meant no on the Tiffany bracelet. So, I kept those two items on my list and added a gift card to Old Navy, the Holiday Barbie, possibly another collector Barbie, did I mention I really want the bracelet from Tiffany's, new pots and pans, and a knife set.

Well, one by one he put my gifts under the tree. Three big presents. I thought I knew what two of the gifts were, the knife set and the pots and pans, but with Brian you can't ever be sure. I had no idea what the other gift was. I asked if he had my stocking gifts. He responded he didn't realize we were doing stocking gifts for each other. Whatever! I gave him a list of things he could go get me real quick before Christmas.

So, the first gift I open is the one I'm not sure about. This one was from the kids. It had several gifts inside a large box. I love those kind! I opened up a Holiday Barbie, a Holiday Barbie ornament, chocolates, and a big pack of Sharpies. That was Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning we woke up and I ran Brian's stocking gifts downstairs. I went back up and told him Santa only brought him gifts. I didn't get any. Because it didn't look like I had any in my stocking. He told me to quit being a baby and Santa did to put gifts in my stocking.

I was so excited. Two small gifts in my stocking. One was a gift card to Old Navy and the other? You guessed it. The bracelet from Tiffany's. I love it! I will post pictures of it soon. My other two gifts were exactly what I thought they were and they are very nice to cook with. Maybe, just maybe, I'll cook more often. Probably not but, whatever. I had a wonderful Christmas and I hope you did too. And I hope everyone keeps their New Year's Resolution. If you are the type to make one.