Happy New Year!

Do you have any resolutions? I don't like to make them but I guess I will this year. I suppose I'll try and keep myself in better shape. So, I'll commit to losing about 6 lbs. Brian says that's pretty ambitious. Whatever.

Okay, here is the moment you've been waiting for. Christmas pics.

Here is one of the kids standing around the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree that they cut down. Riley dragged it back to the cabin.

Here is the little tree decorated and our presents underneath.

This picture is just cute.

And this is one of me getting my Tiffany necklace. I love those little blue boxes. Also, tickets to the Blue Man show were inside. Brian told me I was going to have a blue Christmas. Again...whatever. And that's me with glasses. I'm sure you're impressed.

And here's a Christmas pic of Brian, at his parent's house. For some reason the silly picture I took of him at the cabin pouting because no one took his picture isn't in this file. Hmm...interesting.

A Very White Christmas

We had such a great time at the cabin on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I didn't even mind not having water. Okay, I could have used indoor plumbing for bathroom purposes, but it wasn't that bad. I have so many pictures but I won't make you suffer through all of them. Yet. Because I'm at home and my Internet connection is so slow that I can't stand trying to post pictures. You can survive until I return to work. I know it will be difficult.

Anyway, the kids had such a great time. Even that baby, who cried and cried and cried last year when we took her sledding at the cabin wouldn't come inside. She played so hard. I couldn't believe it. She wanted to go outside and be outside the entire time.

The kids made out pretty good with their gifts. I'm actually surprised they received so much. Brian makes these spreadsheets and lists of everything they're getting and on paper it seems like we restrain ourselves from over doing it. But after every thing is opened and laid out, they got a lot of stuff. Of course, there are four of them. And we aren't crazy like some people. Brian isn't one to try and keep up with the neighbors. I totally am, but I'm not in charge of the spreadsheets, so we don't do too bad.

For my vacation I get to go through all of their old toys and decide what stays and what goes. That's always a fun day at our house. All the crying and fussing over toys they haven't seen in years. But I'm strong. I don't let them talk me into to keeping too much. Besides, they are gradually growing out of the toy phase so I might as well let them enjoy it while they still do.

I hope you all had a great Christmas with your families. We did. In the words of Jordan, "It was the best night of our lives."

Merry Christmas!

I don't know when I'll be able to blog again. This weekend is going to be crazy trying to get stuff together for Christmas Eve and Christmas at the cabin. And then of course we'll be at the cabin with out computer access. And I have the rest of the week off. Maybe I'll blog then. Who knows. Have a great Christmas and I'll leave you with this...

Brian called Jillian into watch a movie with him. He chose Ratatouille. Jillian isn't the biggest fan of Ratatouille. She always says no when asked if she wants to watch it, but Brian hasn't seen it yet and was sick of the other movies she does like to watch. She walks into the room. "I watch Pooh." He tells her, "no we're watching Ratatouille." She starts to cry. "I watch Pooh."

Keep in mind we don't even have a Pooh movie. He again tells her no and she starts to cry more. "Jillian, we are watching Ratatouille. If you don't like it you can leave." More crying.

I step in. "Geez Brian."

"Well, I'm sick of her always telling us what were going to do."

And he's right. That little baby thinks she runs the show. She eventually settled down on her dad's lap and watched almost all of the movie before we ate dinner. It was sweet.

To Answer Your Questions...

I don't really pay that much attention to dead presidents so this is a bit of a tricky question. I don't really pay attention to live presidents either. I guess I would just chose Kennedy because he was assassinated and his family is famous and blah, blah, blah.

I have never been on a blind date in my life. And I would never set anyone up on a blind date. I might however, act like one of those annoying match makers and have a dinner party or something to that effect in order to get two people to meet. But, I don't really know two single people who would be right for each other so I guess that is never going to happen.

Right now I'm wearing really boring clothing. Gap khaki pants, Gap dark brown shirt, Mudd shoes, Old Navy Socks and panties, Calvin Klein bra, Tiffany bracelet and necklace.

As for the cliff question. I obviously could not answer that and here's four reasons why I couldn't pick one kid to save:

1. I couldn't not pick Riley because he's funny and sweet. He can make me laugh now, when before he was just annoying. He actually has real jokes. He helps me with Jillian and he thinks I'm a good mom even though I'm a total space case most of the time.

2. I couldn't not pick Darby because she's the ideal child. She does well in school, has a lot of friends, is head strong and stands her ground. She takes care of herself and gets things done. She rarely tells me at the last minute she has homework due or I need to buy something for school. Other people tell me that she is a great kid to have around and I agree.

3. I couldn't not pick Jordan because he is the goof ball. We wouldn't have any one to tell us about the action sequences in movies. And no one else in the family has "moves" like Jordan has. He has moves for when he's a Power Ranger, different moves for when he's Batman and other moves when he's Spiderman. And you know those silly outfits they have for all of those characters? He wears them.

4. And baby Jillian. I couldn't not save baby Jillian because she is my little baby. And she now refers to herself as "baby". She tells me "the baby cries" or "the baby falls". She likes to play and to cuddle and to read. She loves the Polar Express. Her dad was teasing her with the vacuum and sucking up her feet and hands and she turned around and told him "my butt, my butt". You know when she starts talking about her butt that she's a permanent fixture in the family.

So there is my non-answer for you. You might like Brian's better. He said he wouldn't pick any of them because that would be the most fair choice. What a boy.

The Monday Blahs

Ugh, this has been a total Monday so far. I took Friday off and now I come back to so many stupid problems. Not that I would stop taking days off because of it, but still...Does everything have to go wrong. It's stupid.

Anyway, not much happening. Busy at work, busy getting ready for Christmas. If someone wants to tag me with one of those questionnaire type things I would be so happy to post something like that.

Have a great week.

Joint Custody and Snuggles

Well, I won't be able to keep the cute little Pug, Corky, permanently. My sister and I have devised a plan to share him. She has someone who can care for him during the week days while everyone is at work and I'm going to have him on the weekends. For now. That makes me happy.

Last night, while I lay in bed, waiting to fall asleep, I was thinking how when Brian and I, and most likely any couple, first were together we would sleep completely entwined. To the point of uncomfortable. And now we sleep apart but are legs and feet are still wrapped around each other. We still cuddle every once in awhile, but once it's time to fall asleep we turn over and instantly our feet take over the snuggles. I like it.

The turning over when it's time to sleep reminds me a few months ago we decided to switch sides of the bed to see if we could sleep. We slept, but it wasn't the best sleep. I've decided it's okay to sleep back to back because when we switched sides we slept facing each other. That means we were breathing on each other all night long. I didn't like that. We decided to keep our own sides from now on. Until, of course, we decide it's a good idea to try and switch again.

Now that you know all of our sleeping habits I will go back to work. Have a great week.

Sorry To Post a Shocker (Below)

I thought I should just post it before I couldn't do it anymore. Last night my sister brought my brother's dog Corky over for a visit. He loved this dog. He went every where with my brother. He is the cutest little Pug dog I have ever seen. My sister is keeping him for now, but it isn't permanent. I wish my house could be permanent, but Corky is used to being with someone always. With Brian and I leaving before 7 every morning and not returning until after 6 it wouldn't be the ideal home for such a great dog. I'm confident we will find him a good and happy home with someone close to our family, not the ex-wife. (Did that sound bitter, sorry.)

Here is a little background on my brother. He was 39 years old on November 22nd. He had an ulcer and neglected to get it checked out and it got to the point that his body could no longer handle it. It was just one of those awful, unexpected events that no one could have predicted. Regardless of the guilt my parents feel, nothing could have been done differently except my brother going in to see the doctor. And honestly, I don't think it's as easy as that. It's my understanding that he had a doctor's appointment scheduled the week he passed away.

My brother and I weren't "close". I loved my brother and always thought he was a great, loving person, but we didn't talk or see each other often. It's not sinking in yet. I wouldn't have talked to my brother tomorrow or probably the next day, the loss hasn't had a sudden impact. It's going to take me a long time to wrap my brain around this. Christmas will be strange. Even with the funeral it doesn't seem real. I know something isn't right, but I still think about events coming up and wonder, "is my brother going to be there", and then it hits me that he won't. Like I keep forgetting but I don't. Sometimes I feel sad. Last night, I was so happy to see that dog. I really want that dog. Maybe I should quit my job and be a stay at home dog owner. :)

A Family Reunion, Sort Of

Yesterday I met cousins I knew I had, but never met before. I saw cousins I hadn't seen in over 15 years. I talked with my Uncle Gary and just found out he and my Aunt Lisa have been divorced for years and he has a new fiance, Morgan. Both Morgan and Lisa were there. Both my brother's ex-wives came. His friends from high school were present and of course his immediate family, which not only includes his mom and dad and sisters, but also a step mom, stepsisters and their husbands. I never imagined we would be gathering under these circumstances. It's all surreal. Even now that this part is over.

It seems when someone you've known your entire life dies, that you would instantly know about it without anyone having to tell you. Regardless of how much time you spent with them recently, it seems there should be something to indicate that person is no longer with you anymore. Not necessarily a big sign, but something. Maybe you're brushing your teeth when all of a sudden you start to think "something isn't right. Something is missing." But that doesn't happen. You just brush your teeth. And then you go to work and go to the dentist and you pick up your kids and make dinner and go to bed and never have an inkling that anything is wrong. Not a clue. Not a feeling.

And then when your mom calls late in the evening to tell you that her son, your brother, has died, it hits you like a ton a bricks. It's a complete and total shock. And it totally sucks.

I wasn't sure I wanted to write anything about it, but it has consumed my life the last few days. Yesterday was the funeral. And now I'm at work. And I decided if I can write about the happy, sappy stuff I can write about the other stuff too. Because I write about everything. And this is something that has happened and it's horrible. I hope my parents are going to be okay.