Springtime

'Spring is here, Spring is here, it's the best time of the year!'







No, unfortunately I did not come up with that little diddy on my own. I believe it is from Little Bill, a show Kendall watches while I put E down for his nap everyday. But every time the arrival of spring is mentioned, that tune pops in my head. I know, I am a walking soundtrack.





My little man turns 2 tomorrow. As I listen to this I can hear him running back and forth, and back and forth above me on the second floor. He asked to watch The Wiggles. I think a new project has overcome his interests and he is quickly moving things from one room to another as fast as his little legs will take him. I love to watch and hear this kid run. His body is moving so fast, but goes almost nowhere. Since the weather has quickly shown promises of warmth, he is always running around outside. He is the epitome of spring fever. Once you release him out the door he breathes in the air and is instantly drawn into its refreshing nature.







My favorite season is actually Fall. I love when it comes around bringing cold, crisp air. However, this year I have been able to see and enjoy the changes that spring brings through Kendall and Ethan's little eyes, and it has been a reintroduction to spring for me as well. Here is the things we have been enjoying and soaking up.



We have our bird visitors every morning, who come and perch on our porch railing as we eat our cereal that Lily just cackles away at. The daffodils are poking through the soil. Kendall has planted seedlings with my mom that are taking up temporary residency on all open surfaces in my kitchen.



Today as we watered them, we saw the first of them popping through. Kendall was ecstatic, something she had worked on with her little hands was coming to life. She had to call Mom Mom immediately to report the news.



The worker guys are here clearing out the winter wind's havoc on the landscape, so Ethan is in his glory watching this take place. Lily tries to escape out the door through our legs leaving some little one on the floor on her exit, she is that big. She loves to roll around on the front steps in the spring soaking up the sunshine. They think that this is hilarious.



The ducks are at the park and follow us all around when we are there to feed them our stale bread.





And what might be so interesting behind this fence? There is a ball park at our local park and work has begun for the new season...take a peek.



My favorite part of the warm weather is that I am able to crack the windows on some days to let the fresh air in.



Another sign of spring? Mother Goose is back. Each year for the past 3 years a pair of geese have come to live at my grandparents farm on their pond to make a nest and raise their goslings until they feel they are stong enough to spread their wings. The nest is in the same spot each year, and they have arrived and departed at the same time each year. The geese are still a little skeptical around us, but they have no fear of Kendall and Ethan. I suppose because they are of the same height, posing no threat. They walk right up to them and take food from them, it is so cute to see the delight on their faces. Mom Mom Mom's farm is a great place any season, but once the spring comes, and you can be outside, it is even more fun, and the season has begun. So I suppose spring is a pretty cool season after all, and I have my kids to thank for the reintroduction.





I have blogged about the curious bond between Jack the dog, and Ethan, here are the two of them on a hike, each clearly estatic about the weather, the chance to prance around outside, and being with each other. Jack is even smiling. A note on the stick Ethan has. This stick was acquired on the hike, and for that day, this stick was taken everywhere, even to a nap with a little boy.









So however you do Spring go ahead. It's time to dig in some dirt, splash in puddles, learn to ride a bike, get grass stains, put down the car windows as you drive with the tunes turned up, if even if it is The Little Mermaid soundtrack, and above all else? Let that pale winter skin out and give it some sun....

Your Daily Style

I do not care what you say...wall paper is back. I was reading one of my other favorite blogs, and the blogger was talking about a recent trip to Anthropolgie, and as much as she loved the items in the store, it really wasn't her style. This spurred me to go to Anthropologie's website and cruise their home section, because let me tell you, this is my style. Oh how I love looking at all their things. There was this cute little pink bird that I would just love sitting on my half wall, I think he would like it there too.

My friend Trista and I go back and forth about wall paper. She does not like wall paper, while I try to force the idea of wall paper on her. It goes back and forth like this. Once again I will say, Trista, a black and white damask wall paper or some funky off beat one would look fabulous in your foyer.

I agree, wall paper was a style of our parents. I can remember all the rooms in our home being wall papered. But wall paper isn't your mother's wall paper any longer, and that is all I have to say about that. Andy is totally against wall paper also. Good thing I have a good track record with decorating, and what he says he hates, he ends up loving. I really think that a funky wall paper on one of the cathedral ceilings in my bedroom, with the other walls painted a color to contrast just right would look great. When we get the time, and if ever the expenses to do so, my bedroom is going to be Anthroplogie inspired, I love that vintage look. However, I vow to not shop at Anthroplogie to achieve this.

Sometimes, I think, as much as I LOVE Anthroplogie and all its cute and random items, it really takes the fun out of things. Because lets face it, the store is an over priced flea market. It takes items that we love, if we love that style, and goes crazy with them, and then they end up overpriced. Sure it makes it easy to obtain these items, if you have that kind of cash, but I love a great flea market or antique store with quality vintage finds.

So if you get a moment, and you are into that kind of style, go ahead over to Anthropologie today and drool for a little bit. Oh and the new hardware collection, totally into it. I would just love, to put some of those knobs on my cabinets in my kitchen, they really deserve it. I think "love" was the key word in my blog today.

And isn't this just the cutest little thing you have ever seen, well seen today, so far? I might take up tea drinking on a more regular basis if I had this sweet sugar dish sitting on my counter.

Gabbatron

Do you ever get off the phone with someone and your ear is hot? That is the direct result of being on the phone with a gabbatron. Personally, I am not typically a phone talker, lets just get it done and over with, make the plans, share the info, move on, I have got a fight to break up, a diaper to change, a mouth to feed, or a book to read to some little nugget in my house...because guess what, they are my center. However, I have been known,when in person, to just talk and talk and talk and talk. I have a lot to talk about I guess, and even if we didn't have anything to talk about, I bet you I could find something.


My only hitch with this entire talking thing is that I have to be comfortable enough with you to let this incessant talking be bestowed upon you. If you think I am a quiet person, than truth be known, I do not feel comfortable around you...this could be as a result of my own personal insecurities, or perhaps, maybe you aren't so nice or intimidating, or some variety like that. My husband has shared with me on many occasions that I come across sometimes as a snob. How dare he?!?!?! This is my brief explanation. He knows me on a super personal level, a level at which I feel comfortable to ramble, be silly, sing crazy made up songs, be loud, because I am loud, be sarcastic, and basically tell it and ask it like it is. If you think the following things of me, then I can tell you that you are just so lucky, you today have won a prize you are one of my dearest friends.

Andy sometimes asks if I ever get tired of talking. I think that might be his way of saying nicely, shut up. But I have important things to say. Who else is going to help my friends through whacked out reactions to birth control, infertility, pregnancy, post partum insanities, when and when not to wash the bink that fell on the floor, that no, you don't need to sterilize the bottles, that spanking is not abuse when used properly, that it's ok to run upstairs and scream into your pillow when they won't stop whining. Who else is going to solve the relationship problems of the celebrities? How will Simon know who picked the wrong song? How will they know how to decorate for a party. You give me a topic, I can just go.

Now there are 2 people that I talk to on a regular if not daily basis that could out talk me like it is nobody's business. If there were in a contest I would lose to these two people.

My friend Chrisy and my Grandmother.

Chrisy is my favorite one to listen to talk out of the two because not only can she talk a lot, she talks real fast. She also has this special talent that I have to be able to switch to a totally different subject right in the middle of another, discuss that, and go back to the original where she left off. Not many can do that, you should try it.

Now my grandmother, she can talk and have an opinion about anyone and anything, go ahead, next time you see her, ask her anything, she can talk about it. You have again found the source of my inherited traits.

My immediate family seems to think that I talk to them like I am interviewing for a top story in the newspaper. I think that might be because I am the only who has inherited this need to talk all the time, fill quiet spaces, from my grandmother. So therefore, if they are not going to offer up a topic for me and then divulge in it further, I will question until I find one, and then question about it. And believe me, I will ask and say anything, they are my family for crying out loud, no secrets! How the heck am I supposed to find things out otherwise...they make me do it!

Now the blog is the silent form of me talking, many who know me say that I write like I talk, isn't that what everyone does? I have no idea what that means. Can you help me? Maybe they are saying that I just go on and on with this incessant babble that has no point. But when I read my blogs over, because I like to relive moments, I think they have a point. Does this one?

Of course. It is the passing of the gene. For awhile I thought Ethan was going to have some issues with speech. He had no interest in talking, and I know that in this house, that is not normal. People said, well he is a boy and he is the second, she is talking for him, and that is what I found out to be true. Boys only like to talk about things that they find VERY interesting. Like sports, trucks, and so on. They only want to talk about it with other people who find the topic interesting. It sounds selfish, and please, tell Andy it is. But in Ethan's defense, it is the way his mind works. Now he has found some topics. He likes to talk about animals, and he likes to talk about modes of transportation. But what he really likes to talk about is The Wiggles. Ethan has never been interested in any show on television or anything of the sort. Which is totally fine. But lets say when I am in like the shower, I would like him to not be in and out of the bathroom, in and out of the shower, and just sitting somewhere still, where I know he is where I left him. So one day The Wiggles were on when I was doing this, and it was instant obsession. Andy and I think they are so bizarre, but guess what, I can take a shower and not worry that he is into the markers and coloring all over my house!

Now Kendall, she likes to talk and talk and talk about anything and everything. Oh the apple of my eye.

...and then I smashed up the van.

Oh it was a glorious Saturday. We got up, we watched The Wiggles for the 600th time, commemorated that with some Eggo Waffles, cleaned up the house, walked to Dominick's for some slices, A. Meg was coming over to take the kids shopping and to dinner, I was going to go to work 4-11, Andy was going to enjoy some down time, and then SMASH!!!Into the guy in the Expedition in front of me. All good things come to an end.

Apparently, losing my cell phone was not enough for me to realize, hey slow down a bit, pay attention to what you are doing, no, I have to do $10,000 worth of damage to my sweet, innocent van. Now, I am really slow, because every part of my body is aching and it hurts to make sudden movements.

So summing it up. I was 2 minutes away from work, I was sitting at a light, annoyed that we were going to be short staffed, thinking about what task to start first, about the laundry I would have to switch when I got home that night, you know the drill, I don't need to remind you that 5,000 things run through my head in a 5 minute time frame. That's impossible you say, try me. The guy in front of me went to go, light green, I stepped on the gas, apparently the guy in front of him didn't get the memo that green means go, he stopped, I didn't, air bag coming towards my face.

I am an instant mess, oh also, in case you didn't know, I am like overly emotional. No really, I carry 10x the amount of emotion a normal woman might carry. My poor husband you say. My poor brain! My Mom Mom describes me as passionate, my husband might categorize it as annoying...occasionally.

Four men, jump out of this beast I hit, asking if I have kids in the car, I say, no and they are trying to carry me out of my van. Apparently, they are not familiar with the reaction of a woman who was in a car accident. It is the end of the world, as we know it.

The driver and his friends were more than gracious. They told the police officer exactly what happened, no cross words, 'it was an honest accident.' The one man looks at the driver and says, 'Lucky for you man, you had that hitch on the back, saved you from more damage.' We all slowly turn to look at my sad Kia,who now has a jacked up hood buckling right in the center. Yeah not so lucky for me. Yes, this lovely man, had a tow hitch on the back with a giant Harley Davidson emblem on the end. It was as if my van wasn't unlucky enough to hit the back of a giant SUV, it also git sucker punched by a giant piece of steel, right down the middle. His damage was minimal. He had it; cracked tail light, dents and scratches in his bumper and a slight dent right on the left rear corner, but clearly pale in comparison.

Then my knight shows up, and immediately hugs me before surveying the damage. He was quite valiant I must say, and took care of everything, taking me to sit in the passenger seat of the car he came in. Not one cross word, not one bit of blame, despite there being plenty to dish out. I love him dearly, most especially in times when my emotions are called for and he knows it, he is my comfort.

His friend Josh happens to own an collision shop, just the place my car needed to go, imagine that. Everything from the tow to the rental suv parked outside has been taken care of by him, and for that I am so thankful. Kendall said as we were driving home in it this morning, 'I like this car Mommy, don't crash it, ok?'

Things could have been so much worse...friends are pretty great.

So I have never been in a car accident outside of a fender bender, not even the passenger in one. So I was/am pretty shaken. The ride home tonight from my parents took 50 minutes instead of 30, due to me suffering from a severe case of nerves the entire way, not allowing myself to take any focus off the task at hand. I didn't even listen to tunes. I still can shut my eyes and see the crash, and feel it. Scary. I cannot imagine being in a crash more severe. I am terribly sore, and as the day went on today, it got worse. Of course, I pushed it, took Motrin, felt fine. I played at the park, lifted the defensive lineman of toddler football, Ethan, no less than 50 times, now I lie her with just my fingers being able to type, nothing else can move without it feeling like I worked out for the last 24 hours, and then was thrown in a boxing ring for some fun.

Josh says the van did exactly what it was to do. When I hit the brakes it did a nose dive to protect itself from extensive internal and much more costly injuries, it took a lot of the force of the crash and crushed on impact so that I wouldn't. It set off an air bag for me to hit instead of a steering wheel, even if I did actually put my arm up to block the impact of it, and am now bruised, better a forearm than a face. Much thanks to my dear Kia.I knew I loved you for reasons more than being able to get in the middle of a book throwing fight on a road trip thanks to your space.

Last evening, I got to come home and put my babies to bed, I got to snuggle with my knight, and today I got to feel the thankfulness of things being taken care of by others wiser than I.

Not so definite on all the reasons God placed me in this car accident, but I am leaning towards slowing me down a bit and reminding me that I cannot control every single thing! Oh, did I forget to mention that I also am a bit of a control freak, minor, but I am. I am thankful to him for protecting me and my family and am willing now to release a little more control back to him, baby steps...one of the many lessons I will learn from this, down.

* On a side note, I would just like to make a small suggestion to those that created the name 'air bag' to describe what comes flying out of your steering wheel when you are hit. The word air generally leads someone to think; light, perhaps even fluffy, per se. Then team it up with bag, and the driver might think, trash bag like material, again, light, fluffy. A bag made of air, how bad can it be? So you might want to change that name to: Chemically sprinkled, Turbo Air Filled-Hard Plastic Device. I suppose that might be to long, but we can abbreviate.

I am not trying to make light of the situation, but to those who have not yet had the Air Bag Experience, I feel it is my duty to let you know, it is not as comfortable as those dummies in the crash test commercials make it seem. Sure it is better then the other option, a steering wheel. But what comes at you is made of material that reminded me to the plastic you might find on an air mattress. Then you would fill that plastic up with air to almost to the point of explosion in less than a second, and what you are hitting is something that could surely leave you with abrasions. And then as if it is saying,'Poof,' out comes this cloud of something powdery, but tastes like Comet cleaner, comes spraying out. I couldn't breathe for a few seconds after this occurred.

I don't know, just an idea.

Idol Recap

First and absolutely foremost. Paula's face. What in the world was that about? Talk about face lift, that thing was pulled so tight I was amazed she could open her mouth to speak. And I think she went into Ivana Trump's wardrobe and stole one of her dresses, she was a bit overdressed for the occasion, to say the least. I am just waiting for the overdose to happen live on air. There is no way she is not on something her voice shakes, she shakes, she is very erratic. I just feel so bad for Paula, I mean remember the good old days of 'Opposites Attract,' and Emilio? I think I would be so embarrassed if she was crying and gushing over my performance of a Michael Jackson song, I mean really, it was week one.

They had to pick and sing a Michael Jackson, how not hard is this task? I am a huge fan of Michael's music, probably the best pop artist of all time, its just a shame about the plastic surgery and the silly get ups, isn't that just so strange? Anyway back to American Idol.

So what did I think if the performers? Well the showboat,(Adam Lambert), did have the best performance, when I watch him sing and do whatever it is he does, again, I just feel awkward.

However, my favorite performance of the night was Matt. I just like his style and his voice.

And Phew, Anoop, just squeezed on by, I again, like him, I think the others take this all too seriously, I guess maybe they should, but his laid back approach, I really like. Had Jorge gotten through, I would not have been a happy Idol watcher.

And we said goodbye to Jasmine, Kendall felt a little sympathy for her and said,'That's not nice they sent her home not to sing anymore, Mommy.' Yeah well life's rough. The two people I wanted off were sent home, what more can a girl want?

And Megan, poor Megan, definite wrong song choice, but what was she supposed to sing, it was Michael Jackson for Pete's sake. I agree with her choice to go more with the Jackson 5, I just don't know what I would have done with her. But if she would please, please stop dancing I would be so happy. I have to close my eyes or look away and just listen to her, I can't watch her dance, it is just humiliating for me to watch this pretty girl move like that. Someone needs to tell her, stand still.

Does anyone else get nervous when watching the group perform for Scott? I am so afraid that he is going to fall off the stage or knock into someone, I can only focus on him when they are all together to make sure he is ok. It's distracting me from their lip syncing. Which brings me to a bigger question...Why are they lip syncing their group performance, they are not even close to matching it up, it is just terrible, its like watching Britney Spears in concert. I always wonder why people would want to go and see her perform, she lip syncs the entire concert and you paid like $100 for that.

So my forgettable performances of the night: Lil Rounds,Scott, Michael Sarver, Alexis Grace, (can she please put on some clothes), Jasmine, and poor Anoop.

The memorable performances of the night: I suppose the showboat, Allison, (even though she had a terrible outfit), Danny,C(K)hris, and my sweet underdog, Matt.

The embarrassing performances of the night: Megan & Jorge.

So that's my recap from this week.