Tuesday, June 23, 2009

I couldn't love you more than this.

Five years ago you showed me a side to you that I had never expected. You stepped into your role as 'father' much like you had the role of 'husband' and 'best friend', with your entire heart and soul.

backpacking

This family we have formed could not be any closer. We could not love each other any stronger and for that, I thank you. You have taught us how to love together, how to teach each other, support one another and mostly, you have taught us unconditional.

footsteps

You wear many hats in this family; from protector:

helmetheads

(Safety First!)

To kisser of boo-boos:

kisserofbooboos

To swim coach:

swim coach

You enrich our lives in so many ways. We are more than blessed to have you.

Thank you for your patience with me and helping me to see the big picture.

hand

But mostly, thank you for just being you.

stevie

We love you.

Happy (Belated) Father's Day!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Oh where, oh where has our Amo gone?

Oh where oh where can she be?

With her hair cut short and her mind long gone...

 

Right, where was I?

We're on vacation! Sure, it's not really a vacation, but more of a 'my husband is attending the annual DorkFish conference so we're hanging out in a hotel that is way too nice for the likes of this family'. But I will tell you all about the fancy-pants hotel with it's $10 per day internet fee and $4.50 piece of toast, a little later.

Should have married wealthier...I know.

*****

The trip started pretty crappy, I have to admit. The "Full Size" rental car was smaller than our two-door Mazda but it took three hours and about twenty phone calls before they put us in a disposable SUV. (Also known as a Kia; which I'm pretty sure stands for 'you've just been Kicked In the Ass'. )

frog and jan 063

(Just imagine the 'smaller Full Size' option...)

(Yes, those ARE diapers. No, we are NOT finished potty training. Yes, the pool WILL BE WARMER now thanks to Deuce. Shut up.)

This car might actually have the smallest engine ever... My sons actually flapped their arms at every stop light to try and get us to go faster.

deuce flapping

(Deuce isn't a fan of the Kia either, but dammit, he's flapping.)

Bonus, isn't much of a sport when it comes to DorkFish's ideas. He chose to eat bugs.

frog and jan 044

(And give his daddy dirty looks when he insisted that if he kept hanging his head out the window, we'd get put in jail. Safety First, kids!)

*****

Dorkfish insisted that we 'stay cheap' on the first night since we'd be spending the entire next week in a HYATT. (Yes, friends, A HYATT!) He found a La Quinta online that had a corporate discount for his company and figured that it was just for one night while we were traveling, so how bad could it be?!

Let's just say that even Dorkfish was willing to leave after being there for less than 30 seconds. I convinced him that it would be fine since it was only one night...

I should have rethought that decision once I recognized the red flags. Let me list my top five reasons to leave a hotel immediately:

1. The "motel" which you thought was a "hotel" is situated conveniently in a Denny's parking lot.

2. Your door mat is glued to the concrete because even cheap doormats aren't safe in this neighborhood.

3. A car alarm goes off at 1 a.m. and continues to go off unnoticed until the battery runs out at 3:30 a.m.

4. You take your kids to the pool with the expectation that dammittohell SOMETHING has to be fun at this rat hole; only to find a middle-aged man wearing nothing but a g-string style banana hammock.

5. When you go back to the room to get a beer because there is no way you are spending the rest of your time at this motel sober, you find only styrofoam cups.

frog and jan 061

(This picture proves numbers one AND five.)

(I did not get a picture of number 4. You're welcome.)

*****

The following morning, we hit downtown Savannah and forced my sons to endure what was apparently sheer hell if you're five and three.

horseride 

(Yes, it's a carriage ride and apparently, horses are "BORING" and "STINKY" and "STUPID".)

*****

But now we are in our fancy-pants hotel, swimming in our overly-heated kiddie pool, sliding down our bikini-eating slide and raising hell about every minute of it because we are 5 and 3 and that's what you do when you're tired.

frog and jan 098

But I'll fill you in on more of that after our naps.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Six inches lighter...and that has nothing to do with my hair color.

My entire life, my mother always insisted that I would look awesome with my hair cut short. She had a platinum bob all through high school and I figured it was just one of those 'living vicariously through her daughter' things and I just wasn't down with that.

When it came to my mom, I was always a rebel, yo.

After her death, I had a surprising urge to give the short hair a try. It wasn't one of those cut-all-your-hair-off-in-grief impulses; it was more of a 'maybe she was right about something for once'.

I walked into the salon yesterday and said, "Cut it off. All of it."

And she did.

By the way, taking a picture of yourself in the bathroom mirror is much, much harder than one would think...

6.11.09 023 

(Yes, I ate a light bulb. Hush.)

6.11.09 010

(Again with the flash. Sigh.)

6.11.09 017

(The "WhatYouTalkin'BoutFool"  or Mr.T picture.)

6.11.09 029

(Yeah, screw it. That's about as good as it's getting...)

But seriously, tell me you don't see the resemblance:

mom graduation

Okay, mom, I concede that once you may have been right.

But just this once.

Honestly, I really wish she could be here to see it...

Shut up, I have allergies.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Bonus's Music Review - Part One

Every since Bonus could speak, he's been very particular on what music he liked. Fortunately for me, it was never 'kiddie music'. He always despised singing about giants or trains. ThanktheLord.

We went through a Led Zeppelin trip where we had to hear Black Dog on repeat every single time we were in the car. Not to mention his famous comment at the wise old age of 3, "Momma, if it's too woud, you're too ode."

(And as soon as he heard me open that video he came out of the cheap seats yelling, "BLACK DOG! DATS BLACK DOG! TURN IT UUUUPPPP!")

(Also, I just have to say that Robert Plant made low-rise look so much better than the chicks that wear them now.)

(And...did he have to shave that, or what?! Holy hell.)

Then came the Widespread Panic period where it was "NUMBER NINE, MOMMA! PUT ON NUMBER NINE RIGHT NOW!"

I am now in the process of hiding the Cherry Poppin Daddies CD so I don't have to hear Zoot Suit Riot one more time because I WILL loose my damn mind if I have to hear it AGAIN.

(But I put it here in case you can.)

So last week when I received a package from the One2One Network ladies, I was pretty ecstatic. Obviously, we will listen to anything and probably already own the CD have a pretty eclectic taste in music.

Besides being an awesome CD from a new artist, it is actually something Bonus agrees to hearing.

In fact, he let me take out his Leftover Salmon CD to review Diane Birch! (This is a major accomplishment....)

The CD they sent was Diane Birch's new album Bible Belt. I have listened to it while I cooked dinner, cleaned the house and even drove to the airport to pick up a friend. I have to admit, it's got a good beat to it, a nice mix of tempos and her voice is amazing. It is kind of a cross between Norah Jones and an early Linda Ronstadt sprinkled with a little Joss Stone. Overall, a nice mix.

The songs have a calming affect and would probably be best listened to with a glass of cabernet and a good book. Although, I didn't mind the 5 o'clock traffic nearly as much while listening to the CD.

Just for kicks, I let Bonus review the CD with me. He did a play-by-play account for each track.

1. Fire Escape: "Kind of a girl song."

2. Valentino: "I wike it. Now can I listen to Robert Plant and Allison Krause again?"

3. Fools: "I wike number two better."

4. Nothing But A Miracle: "I wanted to hear number two."

5. Rewind: "I still want to hear number two."

6. Rise Up: "If you don't turn on either number two or Robert Plant, I'm outta here."

7. Photograph: "Bonus, what do you think of this one? Bonus? Bonus?!"

I guess if you take the opinion of someone who prefers swing, you might not like it.

But I thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

*No, this is not a review blog and I did not receive any compensation for this review. However, if anyone would like to send me money to look over their stuff, like maybe some brownies, coffee or a new vacuum, we'll talk. ;)

Friday, May 29, 2009

Step-and-fetch-it.

Bonus, being the independent 5 year old he is, decided that last weekend, he would ride back to Tennessee with Granddaddy and spend the week there.

I hid my excitement warned him that he would miss us and have to stay all week until Dork Fish finished working so we could come and pick him up.

He hid his excitement insisted that he would miss me, but would be just fine.

He hasn't called once.

He hung up on me because he was, "Watching a English comedy" with my grandmother.

His brother has only asked about him twice and didn't seem too upset about the whole thing.

As I type this, no one is hanging on my shoulder, asking what each word is on the screen and insisting that I STOP TYPING RIGHT NOW AND GET HIM SOME MILK/FIX HIM ANOTHER WAFFLE/CHANGE HIS BROTHER'S DIAPER BECAUSE HE SMELLS LIKE THE DOG'S BUTT.

I guess you could say that it's been a bit peaceful.

But right now, Dora the Explorer is in stereo on both TV's while Deuce runs from room-to-room...

 

I think I'd rather be Bonus's bitch.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

And to think, I gave him two kids.

I had a dream last night that Dork Fish and I were divorced but still LIVING like we were married *ahem*. The problem was that he decided he was going to marry some cute chick and apparently, this meant we could no longer LIVE LIKE WE WERE MARRIED *ahem*.

So I woke up and punched him.

He then woke up to admit that he had a dream that some ugly girl was climbing all over him and I came in as he was trying to get her off him.

What a jerk.

I'm going to be mad at him all day now. If you see him, punch him for me too.

Asshat.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Finally, the BIG! NEWS! -but it's more like a 'Old Yeller' or 'Marley & Me' kind of ending.

To give you the back story, last October, Deuce woke up one morning and couldn't walk. He cried that his knee hurt and wouldn't put any weight on it. I took him to the doctor and they said he had inflammation in his hip which was probably caused by a virus. But not to worry, although rare, this does happen and there isn't any lasting damage.

Two months later, it happened again. This time, I freaked the hell out. We went to the Children's Hospital, did blood work, took x-rays, the works. It all came back fine and after a dose of Motrin, the kid was up running and playing.

Here's the part of the story that you need to know; in the waiting room, my husband and I were watching a mom trying her best to coral three boys while nursing a little girl. She was fighting not only the combined will power of three young boys, but also the only terrycloth-lined piece of privacy she had left.

My mind was torn between pitying her and envying her because while she was having a tough time keeping it all together, she was managing to do it and seemed to be unphased by the whole ordeal.

Dork-fish's mind was also taking it all in, but in a different manner. "So, if we have met our deductible, I really need to go get snipped before the end of the year," he says just as casually as if he was suggesting grabbing a cup of coffee.

Surprising not only him, but myself as well, I blurt out, "I'MNOTSUREI'MDONEYET!"

To this day, I don't know which of us was more shocked. It was as if someone else had said it. However, the look on his face confirmed that it had indeed come out of my mouth. (Like so many other pearls of wisdom that I never see coming.)

"Wha?! Are you serious?!" my loving husband retorts, barely able to blink and with all the disbelief of a toddler learning that mommy just used the last drop of milk for her coffee. (Heh.)

"Um, yeah, I think I just said that..." I barely squeaked out.

For the next few months, we discussed it over and over but never quite 'sealed the deal', if you get my drift. Finally, last month we decided that if we were going to do this, we needed to get on it. After all, one of us isn't getting any younger. *cough - I married an old(er) dude - cough*

We have always been SCARY fertile. Bonus was on of those little 'blessings' that come from your husband deciding he learned all about the female reproductive system in paramedic school and therefore simply had to mark a calendar and we'd be FIIIIINE.

I was pregnant three days later.

Deuce, on the other hand, was a 'we're going to Costa Rica to make a baby on our anniversary' kind of deals; and it worked.

Needless to say, when I came up late and my (never have hurt in my entire life unless I'm pregnant) boobs started aching, I knew.

Here's the other part of my blessed system. I don't have a lot of HcG hormone in my system. The good part of that is that I don't ever get nauseous, but the other side of that coin is that HcG is the hormone that all pregnancy tests use to work. Mine don't work. I was 8 weeks pregnant with Bonus before I got a positive test and even THEN the doctor didn't believe I was that far along until he did an ultrasound.

So this time around, I was late and had three negative pee tests before I finally went to the doctor.

"Okay, you're telling me that you're pregnant EVEN THOUGH all your tests and the one we just did in the office was negative?" the doctor asks accusingly.

"Um, yes. Yes, I am. I'm here because I told you that back in Tennessee, this happened and you told me to come in as soon as I thought I was pregnant. So here I am." I retort, a bit sarcastically. "And now you're making me feel like a dumbass."

"The only way you would be a dumbass is if you...well, never mind. You're not a dumbass." the doctor quips back confirming my assumption that he too was skilled in the fine art of smartassness. It's an acquired skill that must be honed by years of quick-whitted come-backs.

I haz it.

And apparently, so does he.

We did a blood test. (Incidentally, this was the same time I did the, "BIG! NEWS!" post that I have been getting so many "you're a damn tease" emails over.) But you see, until that test came back positive and I could prove him and that bitch, Google, wrong, I was not posting about it.

The test? It was negative.

Yeah, I was shocked too. I still had every single symptom of pregnancy and was now 9 DAYS LATE. (I am never, ever late.)

So we waited.

And I tortured all of you again.

And waited some more.

Finally, out of nowhere, Aunt Flow* stopped by; which not only shocked the hell out of me, but also my husband who had no idea that I knew that he secretly never believed I was pregnant and thus was on my Super Terrific Hate List which is generally only reserved for those who do really horrible things, like eat the last of my Mother's Day cookies with out bothering to think that maybe I had only had one of the damn things in the first place because he put them on the shelf where the boys could reach them kick kittens.

I have since forgiven him for his disbelief, but the cookie incident is going to take some serious groveling (and two more bags, in case your actually  reading this, Dorkfish.)

To FINALLY tie up what is quite possibly the longest post EVAH, I have now decided to not have another child after all.

I know, I know, you read the entire damn thing expecting some miraculous ending and all you got was a glimpse into my mind for the past two weeks.

(Please do not disturb the cob webs while you're there.)

I guess that as it turns out, I know that we are complete. If another one (okay, boy, another boy...who are we kidding here) came along, we'd be fine with that too. But for the mean time, I think I'm going to enjoy what it's like to be the mother of two incredible boys.

Maybe, just maybe, we'll be out of diapers before Deuce starts kindergarten...maybe.

 

*If you are trying to come up with a much more whitty term for 'that special time' please don't go to the Urban Dictionary. Just trust me on that one...