Get to work!

The last few weeks I've been doing some job hunting! All I can say is UGH! There isn't really much to choose from. OK, so maybe I'm being a little picky. Its not that I don't want to work because I do! I just want this job to work out for the best, and not to be another source of stress on all of us. Having young kids at home really limits my availability... meaning that I'm going to have to get an evening/night job. The last job I got didn't work out because they were totally unwilling to work with me when it came to my schedule. I guess that's what I get for taking a job with a young, single, male manager in charge. He had no patience, and no sympathy for a mom with young kids at home. If I said I couldn't work until the evenings, he'd schedule me for the early afternoons. I'm sure that my lack of being able to stand up for myself and for always letting people walk all over me didn't help my situation either. Getting a job is just plain stressful for me! I hope I can find one that will work out this time. I love having a job. It makes me feel like I'm doing something good to contribute to our family, and it helps me feel more independent. I love staying at home with my kids but lets face it... being a stay at home mom can really get lonely. Yes, I've got kids around me all the time, but I need more adult interaction! I'm looking forward to having some time out of my house!!

OK, well enough whining from me. It's about noon, which means feeding time at the zoo! ha ha! I better get to it.

CIAO!

It's C-c-c-cold!!

Man, this month is full of surprises. A couple weeks ago it was 80+ degrees, and now it's freezing and snowy! Saturday afternoon we had a big birthday bash for Emma and Elliot. There was so many presents being opened between the two of them that it was total chaos, but a lot of fun. We had lots of friends and family here too, so it was crowded! We're lucky to have such a big group of awesome people to celebrate with.

Sunday morning we woke to find we had gotten about a foot of snow over night! With all the mess and presents from the birthday party still in my living room, and so much snow on the ground it totally felt like Christmas morning!!! I kept saying "Merry Christmas" to the kids, just to confuse them. Haha.

They say it's supposed to get back up into the 70's sometime next week. I hope it does because I feel totally cheated! Fall is my all-time favorite time of year and we didn't even get one yet. If we go straight from summer to winter I will be super mad! That's not even fair. I need to have those perfect, beautiful, sunshiny, cool days to enjoy before I hibernate for the winter.

I need to drink more coffee and try to defrost my toes! I guess that's a good excuse to snuggle up under a blanket and read more of my book. Cold weather, although NOT my favorite, does have some perks.... sometimes.

Ciao!

My favorite month

October is my favorite month and it's FINALLY here! There is so much fun stuff going on this month. Elliot turns 3 on the 13th and Emma turns 5 on the 14th! We are going to have a big birthday bash for them. I'm thinking about having a Halloween themed birthday party for them this year. Maybe the girls can all dress up as princesses and the boys as pirates. (or something like that) I will have to talk to the kids and see what they think. I'm also thinking about having another big Halloween party again this year. Last year we had one and it was so much fun. Everyone came dressed up, we had scary decorations, lots of good food, a few games, and a costume contest. I want to do it again. AND... I was thinking it would be a lot of fun to take everyone out to the Haunted Hallow. We went there a few years ago and it was totally fun, and scary! (It's a big haunted forest that's all set up outside) Of course that would have to be an adult thing because my kids would be to creeped out. Maybe we can to to a pumpkin patch and hay ride with the kids instead. Lagoon is having their Frightmares going on this month too. I've always wanted to go and this year we have season passes! Yay! I'm excited. Plus, there's also costumes to think about. I better get started on those. I think Ethan wants to be a warewolf, Emma wants to be a vampire, and Elliot... well I think he wants to be Link (from Zelda) again but I'm trying to talk him into being something different. We'll see how that goes haha. Nick said he wants to be Legolas (from Lord of the Rings) so that should be funny! As for me... I have NO idea. I'll have to come up with something good. Maybe I'll do something funny like an 80's punk rocker, or maybe something scary like a witch... I'm not sure.

Anyway... I'm totally rambling now so I will quit. I've got tons of laundry I should be doing anyway.

Ciao!

I thought it was FALL?!

It was so dang HOT today! I think was around 80 degrees. Sheesh. So much for my nice, cool, fall weather. That didn't last long. I want it to be in the low 70's upper 60's!!! I took the kids to the park today and sweat my dang butt off! Poor Elliot's cheeks were bright red and he had sweat beads on his nose. I finally just took his shirt off and got his hair wet in the drinking fountain. Emma tried to take her shirt off but had to settle for putting her hair in a pony tail to keep cool instead. Ha ha. It was nice getting out of the house tho. Plus we made some new friends too so that's always fun.

I've been gone all day but my house is still trashed. Guess I better clean up a little before Nick comes home.

Ciao!

I'm blaming the rain.

Today I'm blaming the rain. Blaming it for my blah mood, my incredible laziness, my inability to want to get off the computer today, the reason my kitchen sink is full of dirty dishes and the laundry is still piled up to the ceiling and I just don't care, and also for the fact that I just want to crawl into a hot cup of coffee and hide. It feels nice to put all the blame on something else. Even if it's just for the day. Afterall, it really doesn't rain here very often. I've got to take advantage of it when i can.

28 and counting...

Today I am 28 years old. Seriously!? I still can't believe I'm 28! I mean, wasn't I 18, like, just the other day?? Wow. That's all I can say. Wow.

My parents took me (and Meghan) out for lunch. I was in the mood for some Mexican food so we went to a place called Garcia's. It was really tasty, and I'm STILL full. I didn't even have to wear the huge "Birthday Sombrero" either! Our waiter said that they were understaffed, so there wasn't enough people to sing to me. Talk about my lucky day. I still got my free fried ice cream dessert, and got to eat it without being embarrassed first. It's the small things in life that make me smile. Hahaha.

Other than that, it's been a pretty laid back day. I've got to be to work VERY early in the morning and I'm hoping to be able to get to bed at a decent time. I have a looooong day ahead of me tomorrow. I wouldn't be surprised if I work 12 or 13 hours tomorrow. KILL ME NOW!

Ciao!

New adventures

Meghan and I have been buying all sorts of fun tools over the last few weeks. We bought a scroll saw, hand sander, a dremmel tool, and all sorts of other odds and ends. We are hoping to start making some crafty things, or maybe to just make our old things look neat. Meghan heard about a little craft fair thingy that is going on in November where you rent a table and sell your stuff. Well we are thinking about doing it. I say thinking because thus far we haven't made anything that's sellable. lol. I'm sure this should be interesting. I'm looking forward to it. We turned my back room into our very own little workshop. We even crafted a work table out of an old door and some 2x4's I had laying around. It's fun, and we hide back there as much as possible! Hopefully soon we'll have some cool homemade things to show off. I'm excited.

September's here!

Sheesh. Where has the time gone? Lately I feel like my days are all blurring into one! I still can't believe that it is already September, school has started again, and it's finally starting to feel like fall outside. Ethan is in 4th grade this year. Yes, you heard right... 4th grade!!! If that doesn't make me feel old, nothing will. I still remember when we brought him home from the hospital like it was just yesterday. He was just this sweet, sleepy, 4 pound little person, and I was scared as heck! He's definitely growing up too fast. Makes me sad, but it's really neat to see how he's changed over the past year. I mean... just look for yourself.

Ethan in 2007

Ethan in 2008

Crazy, isn't it? One short year but so much change. I wish I had a magic stop watch sometimes so I could freeze time. Just for a little while. I know I'm going to miss these years someday.

Other news.. Emma started going to preschool. She misses kindergarten by only a month or so! The school system here in Utah is so different than it is in Illinois. I was really upset that they wouldn't just let her go to kindergarten anyway. She is definitely ready so that would be a problem. She can write all of her letters, and even spell some smaller words all by herself. Lately she has started to sound out the letters too! She's so smart. She will be reading here in no time. Makes me mad that she can't be in school.

Well my kids keep saying that they are hungry, so I better get in the kitchen and figure something out for dinner. Nick should be on his way home from work too. I'll write again soon.

Mars vs. Venus

Why is it that when it comes to a girls feelings and a boys feelings we are on totally different pages most of the time!? Girls and boys have such a different view when it comes to feelings! Even if the feelings involved are the SAME freaking thing!!! There is always this twisted, complicated, hazy maze we have to go through to reach the same conclusion. Does that even make sense? UGH! Sometimes I just get so frustrated. Its like just because I'm a girl, and my feelings are mainly run by my emotions, sometimes I'm looked at as being "crazy" or "unstable" because I cry when my feelings get hurt, or if I'm frustrated, or sometimes for no apparent reason at all. Now, I'm not trying to bash on boys. I'm just simply trying to say that it's frustrating!!! Trust me, if I could make myself not cry I would do it in a second. Crying makes me feel weak and I hate that about myself!

I realize this probably doesn't make any sense. But then again... I am just a girl, right? An over-emotional girl who doesn't make any sense and cries too much. What more would you expect?

I'm just venting.

Pictures of my Kidlets

My little sister took some new pictures of my kids over the weekend. They turned out amazing and I absolutely LOVE them! It's so sad how fast they grow up. It seems like they look completely different than the last time we had their pictures taken. I wish they could stay little forever!!!

Me with my sweet babies.

Elliot looking sweet

Handsome Ethan

Emma looks so grown!

All of my kiddos... even the hairy one Lucy

Ethan lounging in the grass

Elliot's cute grin

Sweet kisses

Emma, Elliot, and Ethan