Special Delivery...

My mom arrived from Las Vegas this morning...

Everyone knew she was coming.  All her sisters in town, her sister out of town, me, and random strangers I might tell on the street. Everyone, that is, except my Grandma.

I picked my mom up around 11... and we drove straight to Starbucks.  Crappy Delta Airlines coffee wasn't cutting it (trying to see who else I can get in trouble around here  ;-) )...

Then, I gave my Grandma a call.  The conversation went a little something like this:

"Hi Grandma!"
"Well, hi Nika!" (what my gma calls me)
"Are you going to be home?  I have something to drop off for you?"
"Yes... I will be here" (she is sounding concerned and confused...)
"Okay, I'm on my way... see you in bit..."

Hee hee... it's a conspiracy I tell ya!

We got to her house and I walked up to the door.  My mom stayed around the corner in the front of the house... I knocked... Grandma came to the door, hug, hug, happy to see me... and I turn around and say "I brought something for you...." and out pops my mom.

Hands down one of the coolest moments ever.  My Grandma could not have been more surprised... and just downright HAPPY!!!!!!!  She hugged my mom for like an hour.... shed a few tears..... and I was just so happy to be a part of that moment of pure joy......

It's not everyday you get a surprise delivery all the way from Las Vegas....

Bear With Me...

I'm trying out new blog layouts and don't like anything... I think I need professional help here. :-)

I think they just keep getting worse........  HA!

Comical Commute...

The snow started yesterday and we all just KNEW it was going to be a snow day for all the kids today. We were right!!!!!

Scott has classes in Grand Rapids on Tuesday and Thursday nights. In anticipation of the storm, he drove up there yesterday morning and worked from GR all day yesterday... and then, after class grabbed a hotel room and stayed there. Smart move on his part as it seems they got DUMPED on even worse toward the Lake.

He said 94 was closed in Kalamazoo... things were not looking so great for him this morning. He is working from the hotel until they kick him out... and hopefully, the roads will be a bit better by then!

I still got up, and pulled my ass into work. Ally was pretty excited this morning for a snow day. That has never happened before. Usually, she hates missing school.... but I think she was excited to go to Nana's and Papa's and play in the snow with Luke and Gracie!

Luke woke up as happy as can be. They both watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in my bed while I got ready. Talk about making it easy on the Momma this morning! Without Daddy to do all the hard work, I was worried I would never make it to work on time. ;-)

We packed up all the snow gear... and made the trek to "Papa's" as Luke calls it... "Nana's" as Ally calls it. They had a little argument over that this morning. Cute.

I hauled ass out of my UNPLOWED driveway. Thank god for all wheel drive! I have a "Cheers and Jeers" list for my commute in though....... it goes a little something like this:

CHEERS for the Concord Village Public Works Department for clearing ALL the roads in the Village!!!!!

JEERS for Pulaski Township's inability to clear their roads... it was treacherous trying to get back to my in-laws house!

CHEERS for Papa who got up at the ass-crack of dawn to shovel his driveway so I could make it up!

JEERS for the fact that my in-laws have to bundle THREE kids up and deal with them to run an important errand this morning. May the force be with them.

CHEERS for the little man driving the golf-cart down M-60 with a plow on the front. I needed that laugh this morning.

JEERS for the Dean Transportation bus fishtailing its way down I-94!!! SLOW DOWN dumb ass!!!!!

CHEERS for making it to work safe and sound!!!

JEERS that my boss wasn't even in this morning to appreciate my effort!

HAHA!!!! I'm here, in one piece and that's all that matters!!!!!!!!! Have a safe, snow day everyone!

Business In the Front...

We bit the bullet this morning, and cut Luke's hair. We had to do something!!! He screamed the entire time. I felt like I was killing him. It was really ridiculous.

Scott tried everything... he kept feeding him Rolos. Made little people out of his blocks and pretended to cut their hair. Did silly things. Silly voices. You name it... to no avail. Still, the boy hated every moment of his hair cut.

But, the deed is done. It ain't pretty if you look really close... so don't look really close. ;-) From a distance, it looks better. Everything but the one bald spot in the back where he jerked and I got him good with the clippers.

It's just hair..... it will grow back!!!!!!!

Long-Haired Freaky People Need Not Apply...

My son is destined for greatness. He might be a rock star. Maybe on the cover of those historical romance novels, you know the guy with the long, flowing hair. Either way... he is obviously going to have long hair because attempting to cut the boy's hair is like attempting to cut one of his limbs off while he's wide awake with no anesthesia!

I dropped Ally off at ballet yesterday, and thought I would run quickly and get Luke's hair cut. I knew it wasn't going to be fun or easy... but I thought we could just zip into Regis and be done with it.

I casually mentioned getting our hair cut. Luke started to whimper. I tried to explain that he needed his haircut (like reasoning with a terrorist I suppose)... and then, started the bribery. Offered candy... told him I would hold him... pretty much tried to set the stage for what was to come, but make him think it was going to be just fine. Mommy would be right there AND you get a bag of SKITTLES!!!!!!!!!

He was excited about the Skittles. Smiles... for a moment. Then, we walked through the door of the salon........ and he started to whimper. Then, he started to scream. Uh oh. This was so not going well at all and no one has even looked at him let alone TOUCHED him.

So, a nice, lovely woman takes us back and Luke really starts to lose it. He's shaking. He's crying that heartbroken/hurt cry. I sit with him and it just goes from bad to worse then, to even worse than that. He's thrashing about. He's completely lost it and freaking. The woman starts to look nervous. Really nervous. She does not look like she has the fortitude to handle this situation, and quite frankly... I'm not sure I can either.......

So, I stand up......... and tell her it's not going to work today............

We walk out........ Luke starts to breathe normally again. And then says to me "no haircut today mommy???" I say, "no haircut buddy"... and he is all smiles.... and I have to say to myself... the long hair is not so bad...... it's surely not worth the trauma that he obviously felt.

I will be investing in a Flobee........ scenes such as those are best played out in one's personal bathroom....... not a public venue!!!!!!!

Who Knew He Had Such a Big Mouth....

Usually I am the one with the big mouth in our family. I despise keeping things that are exciting to me from others. I like to share by nature. It's just who I am. If I'm excited about something, I want to shout it to the world. I love sharing because what I really enjoy is others' feedback. I love to talk to people about all sorts of issues... I just like to share!!!!!!!

My hubby is the exact oppossite - USUALLY! ;-)

Last night, I had casually mentioned to Ally that we were going to go to Chicago at the end of March. It has been AGES since she and I have gone. I have gone without her... our friends have come to visit us... but she and I haven't been there in some time. So, we were talking about - who else - Lanie... and I mentioned we could possibly go to The American Girl Place and have lunch when we went to Chicago... and we talked on and on. Of course, now, I anticipate constant questions about how "far away" Chicago is.... how many days until we go? You get the idea.

So, this was last night. Casual conversation between her and I about Chicago.

Then, this morning CLEAR OUT OF THE BLUE, Scott says "Ally - Mommy and I are going to take you to Disney World in a few months!"

WTF???????? It's three months away!!!!!!! In kid time, that's like three YEARS!!!!! I couldn't BELIEVE he told her! And, in the middle of morning chaos no less!!! ;-)

That is such a ME thing to do!!!! I have been DYING to tell her. It has practically taken all the restraint I have to not tell her the past two nights. It was so out of character that I just looked at him, mouth wide open, and then, noticed the seven year old bouncing off the walls......

God help her teacher today..... ;-)

He must be excited. That makes me smile. She is crazy excited... started firing questions immediately. And, when we told her Luke was NOT coming... more wall bouncing. ;-) Ally really loves her time without her little brother sometimes... and I love to give it to her.

Needless to say, the next few months, will be like trying to tame a wild horse. Ally got her patience from me. She will be talking about this until the moment we walk through that park entrance...

Scott and his big mouth. ;-)

The Good Wife's Guide

Many of you have seen The Good Wife's Guide.. either in email or some other format... it's supposedly from the 50s... and it's pretty funny as a stand-alone.

I went over and looked at WordPress on a recommendation from a reader (as I am exploring my future blog options) and I stumbled upon this blog post...... HILARIOUS!!!!!!!! Laughed 'til I cried....

Blog Etiquette...

Although I have maintained this blog for sometime now, I still wonder what the rules of blog etiquette are? For instance, when someone asks a question via comments left on a post, do I answer them via a comment of my own? Do I just email them directly? Do a write a blog post about it? Or is the question just rhetorical and requires no answer?

Also... I have been considering starting a new blog. One, for my thoughts... maybe my own personal rants and raves... mommy sanity blog for ME... and another for kid updates, etc. Essentially, one would be the real me... read at your own risk... and the other just the kids, whether that be good, bad or indifferent. Hmmm????

I don't really "see" myself as two people. Mom in one moment... and individual "Nicole" in the next... but I recognize that people read blogs for different reasons... and also, I wonder about the fact that so much of this is a record of my kids... and do I really want all that other "stuff" dispersed in with their electronic memory book?

It's quite possible I am overthinking this...... ;-) God knows I have a tendency to do so. ;-)

So, on to answer the questions that got me on this line of thinking in the first place...

Karen - Ally was historically in gymnastics at Joan Boyers a block away from our house in Concord. It was CRAZY convenient and wonderful for her to go to class there. Since Joan retired... we have not had her in any gymnastics class, she has only taken "camps" at the YMCA. She has continually expressed an interest in gymnastics and I would love to get her in a class... I will look into where you take your daughter!!!!

Right now Ally is doing ballet at the Jackson School of the Arts... and loving it. She took an art class too, last semester, but I can't keep that commitment of two classes a night, which my current work schedule, Scott's work and school schedule, and maintaining MY sanity. Things will change as our family shifts and I go part-time... but that change will take some time. Adjustments for all of us!!!!!

Nicole - we are not planning on taking Luke to Orlando with us. Frankly, I never even considered taking him for a minute! (does that make me a horrid mom???) First of all, I am still haunted by the last time I took him on a plane. See previous blog post. Second, we will be staying at a really nice hotel. I think Ally can handle this. I can't see patrons of The Ritz enjoying a screaming toddler. But, really, that's just for mine and Scott's anxiety! :-) Third, the thought of Luke having a fit in Disney and us having to constantly adapt and change to his needs would be a bummer for Ally. I will be alone with Ally much of the time, as Scott will be at a conference, so there would be so many things we could NOT do (rides, shows, etc) cuz I couldn't take Luke. So, Ally would be living in toddler-land Disney.. when she is really old enough to enjoy different parts. And if I have to pay a fortune to get us in the park, I don't want Luke wasting my money..... :-))))))

That's a pretty black and white portrayal... I don't necessarily feel that strongly..... I think I just want Ally to have a great experience and I think the age difference between the two of them at this point, doesn't make it easy to take them. In another few years, when Luke is really old enough to enjoy it and do some more things... Ally will be lucky enough to be that Older Sibling as I was... and go again! There has to be some benefit to paving the way. HA!

Moreoever, my hubby would not even step on the plane with Luke..... to this day, he still can't bring himself to even READ the blog post about my time a plane with him. Just hearing about it makes him want to puke. :-)))))))))))

So..... with that..... anyone taken their kids to Disney? Any tips out there??? I picked up an Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World that I am looking forward to reading. I am not even sure how many days I want to spend at the actual parks themselves. The resort we will be staying at alone will have SO MUCH for Ally to do. A whole bunch of pools, lazy river, adult-led children's activities, guided nature/eco tours, etc. Seems like we will need some down time at the resort... And I think Ally could just swim all day!

Also... which parks are best? I think it's ridiculous to try to do the entire "World" in one trip. Ally will just fall over from exhaustion as will I. I tend to think the Magic Kindgom is the most important World to see. Animal Kingdom maybe too (but come on, it's really just a zoo!!!!). And the one that used to be MGM... seems like they have a lot of live shows, etc... and Ally LOVES live shows......

I guess my point is, I don't want to buy five days of passes, to only really use two. I also don't want to only buy two, to realize we can only do shorter days cuz of the exhaustion level and feel like I wish I had gotten more... cuz more up front is way cheaper than buying more at the gate. I am overthinking again. ;-)

Okay, must stop now. Sushi is calling..................

Feelin' Good....

I booked our hotel for Scottsdale.... after reserving and cancelling MULTIPLE hotels.... and spending more time on Trip Advisor than I care to share... I finally made a decision, booked it, and PAID for it all in advance to save hundreds! I am just so happy to have the decision behind me.

We decided to go with a more budget hotel in Old Town than a more lavish resort. Scott and I are thinking this trip is going to be more about getting out and about and seeing and doing lots, rather than lounging around our room or the pool..... so we are really happy with our decision!!!! The amount we saved by going this route, will pay for our food and drink the entire week... so that leaves extra $$$ to do lots of other things... such as shopping. ;-)

Also... Scott recently found out he has the opportunity to attend a conference in Orlando in May, so we are going to make a family trip around that opportunity and take Ally to Disney World! Something we have been talking about doing and trying to fit into our lives for some time. I have been trying to figure out the "perfect age and time" to take her for a while... and this came up and it just seems like fate! We are supposed to take her this year! May to be exact!

So.... for Mother's Day, I will be in Disney World with my hubby and the happiest seven year old on the planet! I cannot wait to take her!

Growing up, my Grandma Rita took each of her grandchildren when we turned five. COOLEST THING EVER!!!!!! I also got to go when my brother turned five. Benefit of being the older sibling. :-)))))))) So, since Ally turned five, I've had Disney on my mind....

Scott's conference is at the Ritz Carlton in Orlando.... so we will likely stay there. Who can pass up an opportunity to stay at the Ritz? Come on. For free no less. His airfaire will be paid for... I found Ally's and mine for about $200. Not bad. Then, I went to the Disney site and got the shock of a lifetime......... tickets to Disney are FREAKIN' EXPENSIVE!!!!! Holy crap! That's JUST my admission to the park???? I probably have to drop another small fortune to do a bunch of things........... that's craziness. Just crazy.

So, with that, we realize this is as cheap as we will ever be able to do Disney... so we have to jump on it. No lodging costs. Limited airfare and food costs (cuz Scott's meals are covered).... just have to pay the insane admission prices.....

But, I know when I see Ally's face all lit up when we see Cinderella's Castle..... it will be more than worth the price of admission!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ally's 7th Birthday...

Monday, January 25th my baby girl turned SEVEN!! Crazy. It's true. Seven! I am so proud of the girl she is becoming... I truly am!

She was having a "big" party the following weekend with lots of friends.. but I couldn't let the day go by without some fuss... so we had Nana, Papa, Aunt Jane, Uncle Adam and Gracie over for dinner. Allys' dinner of choice: Bacon Sandwiches with tater tots and fruit salad. This girl has a taste for the eclectic!

We picked up a giant "cookie cake" in Ann Arbor that weekend... and that was her dessert of choice....

We gave her our gift, Lanie, the American Girl of the year for 2010. Lanie is a blonde, which curly hair and green eyes and she LOVES the outdoors. Ally was absolutely thrilled to get her. We also gave her some American Girl books and tickets to see 101 Dalmations at the Wharton Center the following weekend. Ally absolutely loves musicals!

She got lots of goodies from family and friends that she opened that day... I think it was great day all around for the Ally-Roo!!!!

At the end of the night, she had a chance to Skype with her Uncle Mark and cousins, Natalie and Evan.... she LOVES that. You gotta love technology!!!!!!!!!

Ally's American Girl Party...

This past Saturday, Ally had her first ever "big girl" birthday party! She invited all the girls from her class, and her "cousin" Alexis who is in Kindergarten. Seven little girls, ranging in age from 5 to 7.... overtook my house on Saturday afternoon.

Ally chose a theme for her party - American Girl of course! She asked all the girls to bring an American Girl doll if they had one, or another doll of their choosing. Almost all the girls had an American Girl doll... some having more than one, so there were dolls for everyone. Ally, herself, has four, two of which we "inherited" from generous family and friends.

We decorated the house with pink and purple streamers and pastel balloons. Her cake of choice, as always, yellow with chocolate frosting and the ice cream, mint chocolate chip. I decided it would be fun to let the girls each make their own personal pizza. I provided them with little crusts and bowls of sauce, cheese and toppings for them to make themselves. It was a huge hit! Everyone loved it!!!!

While we baked the pizzas.. the girls ran wild in the basement. Thank god for that basement and play room! Luke just stood in amazement at the top of the stairs... when he got brave, he called out to Ally. I was so proud of her. She could have easily ignored him and played with her friends... but she came upstairs and got him, took him down and involved him in their play. She can be such a good big sister sometimes.

The girls came up when the pizzas were ready and I got my first taste of the level of noise seven little girls can produce. Everyone just yells. They weren't yelling at me in a rude way... it was just that the answers to my questions of "what do you want to drink" and such, were all answered at once, with all the girls trying to yell over one another! It was insanity!

They ate their pizzas... and back downstairs they went to finish their "game." Never did find out what they were playing exactly.... I just heard a lot of screaching..... :-)

Scott and I stayed on top of the whirlwind MESS and cleaned the kitchen quick while they were gone.... then, we called them up and we played American Girl Bingo. It was a big hit and they all loved it. Then, Ally wanted to play a game she thought up... "Pass the American Girl doll." She created it much in the likeness of musical chairs... the girls passed dolls to one another, there being one less doll than girls... and I played music. When the music stopped, the girl without a doll was out... you get the picture. They squealed some more and played over and over...

Back to the basement... and back up again for GIFTS! The gift opening was hilarious. All the girls were on top of one another, so excited to see what she got. They all read each card... they all just had to be in the midst of the action. The pictures I was able to get don't really do the moment justice. :-)

We had cake and ice cream... and back downstairs they went....

Holy crap... three hours passed already... and parents started to arrive to pick their girls up... a very successful, fast paced, exhausting party!!! A rousing success. Ally was very pleased with everything... and I was more than impressed with how well behaved every one of those girls were. Definitely an event I will look forward to again next year!!

Even if my ears are STILL ringing..... ;-)

Here are some fun shots from the day...

The Buzz...

What's the buzz... tell me what's happenin!! :-)

So... I have news. Big news. News with a capital "N!" Nope... not preggers...

I have decided that I am going to go down to part-time! Yep... you heard me right... part-time! I will start working just 20 hours a week soon, and I gotta say, since Scott and I made the decision, I have felt nothing but GOOD about it.

There are many, many factors influencing my decision. First of all, things have changed at work. Things have changed a lot. And those changes have taken away some of the best part of my job. Those changes have made me, for the first time in my ten year career at Consumers... really DREADED going to work in the morning... and looking forward to my weekends. I have never, EVER felt that way.

I have always loved what I did. Believed in my work. Felt passionate about it. I was motivated by an amazing manager... and things were really great. I had a great deal of flexibility. I had autonomy and was treated like a professional. I felt good about what I did and it was worth it every day to struggle (sometimes) at home.

It's just not worth it anymore......

I get home at 6 or 6:30 most days... and scramble to make dinner. Do homework. Spend quality time with the kids. And that "for what" is changing.... and it's just not the same.

In addition, things are only getting crazier at home... as Ally grows and goes up grades... her demands are greater... more homework... desire to do after school activities... all those things increase as the kids get bigger! I want her to have the opportunities to do those things! I want her to take ballet and art and gymnastics and whatever she wants without it being a strain on us... or at least minimizing that strain!

So... my plan is to work four days a week, five hours a day. Monday through Thursday... 8 or 9 to 2:00 pm. I will get back home in time to pick up Ally every day... and she can just come home after school (or go to whatever activity we might have going on!) and we can do homework... start dinner (HOLY CRAP what a concept!)... and be home three hours earlier than I would have been.......

Appointments can be made easier cuz I won't have to "work" around them..... I can make them late afternoon. Or... on my entire day off... FRIDAY!!!!!! :-)

Fridays I will keep Luke home with me... and we will do things... we need some play dates girls! Calling all mom's free on Friday's who's kids would like to play with a 2 year old!!!!!! We have a great play room...... :-) Kids play and I need girl time....

I totally know I am looking at this through rose colored glasses right now... but I am excited. No... more importantly, I feel complete PEACE with this decision. It just FEELS right..... and I know in my heart it's what I am supposed to do right now.

I am thankful to my amazing, hard-working, smart as hell husband... who makes this possible for me to do for us... for our kids... for our family. I am thankful for his job, which gives me the freedom to do this. I don't "have" to work for the money.... we can make this happen. Sure, there are going to be "cutbacks".... I may have to curb some shopping habits (GULP!!)... but I think, in the long run... all the benefits more than outweigh those costs.

I am just SO EXCITED about this.... it's like embarking on a new frontier. This change is going to be good....... I just know it. Feel it.

I don't know exactly WHEN this is going to happen... there are details to work out here at the office... and Scott and I would like to take our vacation in March without monetary restrictions or concerns... we NEED that trip! :-) It's our lifeline in this craziness we live in right now. Our light at the end of the tunnel......

So... maybe mid-March... or the first of April at the latest. I have to officially "start" on the 1st or 15th of the month for pay-period purposes.

That's good stuff... just in time for Spring! Summer afternoons at the pool here I come!!!!!!

:-)

My Best Girl...

Happy birthday to my sweet baby girl!!!!! SEVEN years old.... every year has been amazing in it's own way. I don't look back and think sadly "where did the time go?" I look back in amazement of where you have been, who you are, and the girl you are becoming. Each year you get more fun... and I enjoy you at every age. Every age. I loved you like I could love nothing else when you were born. You taught me how to love and the kind of love that was truly frightening. I was so scared for you. Scared you would stop breathing... get sick... and leave my life. You taught me how to love without giving me anything at all... simply by just existing...

As you have grown, that quiet baby has turned into a crazy, boisterous little girl!!! I love your energy. I love how you live everyday in a song. You are always singing and dancing. You love to dress up and sing to us. Dance for us. You are truly a show off. You are so strong willed... just yesterday you screamed in your room for almost an hour because we asked you to pick it up. Your life is ruled by fun... and cleaning is certainly not fun. You get this from your Momma. I am sorry for that.... you will find your way around it, in time... but for now, I gotta keep trying to teach you some lessons... lessons that I am sometimes learning along with you.

But, after you screamed and worked through it all... you apologized and you did what we asked. You wouldn't have been able to work through those emotions just a year or two ago. Your Dad and I decided after you were asleep last night that we must be doing something right. :-) Of course, we will take the credit here. We are your parents after all. We also will take the blame when it is deserved....

You love your American Girls right now and that is what you are getting from us for your birthday.. I cannot wait to see your face light up when you open Laney later today. I will do just about anything to light up your face. I spoil you and I know it... and I accept this... and probably won't stop. My mom was the same with me... and for all my challenges, I think I turned out just fine. So will you...

From baby... to gorgeous little girl... Ally at or around her birthday through the years...










(That's juice in her glass on New Year's Eve - for the social services worker reading this. :-) )

Happy Birthday Allison Jane! It's going to be another amazing year!

Birthday Eve...

Today began the week-long celebration of Ally's birthday!!! We started with a big breakfast this morning. Ally requested platzki's... which are a polish delicacy. YUM! Think crepe... we roll them up and put your favorite jelly inside. Ally and I like strawberry. Scott prefers grape. Luke has not quite made up his mind... but he LOVES them too! She also asked for turkey sausage to go with. My kids LOVE the breakfast meats.... ;-)

We enjoyed our breakfast... and we allowed Ally to open the birthday gift that has already arrived for her... from Grandma Kathy in Las Vegas! She was sooooo excited.... she got a new leotard, a deck of cards with her picture on every card, and a gift card to Borders! Also... inside the card, my mom taped seven shiny brand new pennies... and I gotta tell ya mom... this may have been her favorite part! You could have spent seven cents and called it good! ;-) She was totally enamored by those pennies!!!!!!! She says she's "never going to spend them!"

Of course, she had to put her new leotard on right away........

I told her I would take her to the mall today so she could pick out her books. Since Ally and I have such similar personalities, I know she would just have not patience for waiting to get her birthday books.... so off to the mall we went... and she was GIDDY. She poured over the chapter books. Picking one, then putting it back. Really putting thought into her selections.

She ended up with three Junie B Jones books and some book about a puppy. :-) She then, just wanted to go find someplace to sit and read! I had to get to Gymboree to spend my Gymbucks... so she sat in their little chairs and read while I shopped.

Got some GREAT deals... and you know it's like half off when you use those Gymbucks.... okay, not really... but it FEELS like it. I also stocked up on things the kids NEED... like bathing suits, pajamas and an Easter dress for Ally.

Ally continued to read when she and I went to get a snack and a drink..... still reading as I bought shoes..... still reading in the car on the way home...... and then, halfway home, she announces that she has finished a book already!!!! :-) Good lord.......

I love that she is such an avid reader! I'm so proud of her......

We came home to see Daddy and Luke..... Luke got a hold of a pen, and apparently some stickers.......

Hard to see in the picture, but that is ink pen all over his cheeks.... and a flower on his forehead. That's my boy!!!!!

So far, I think Ally has had a good birthday eve. Off to make cupcakes for school now....

Coming Out of His Shell

I am sitting at Briarwood Mall in the play-place area. I am watching my son run around like a mad man!!!!! Just two weeks ago when we were here... He wouldn't leave my side. Now... Ally can barely keep up with him. He is hilarious. Has no fear all of the sudden (or at least in this moment). It's wild and awesome to watch.

Ally is acting like a mother hen. Telling me when someone else tries to touch him. Or when she thinks he might hurt himself. He's oblivious. Pushing his way into the toy he wants to play on. He doesn't care who pushes him down or off. He just gets right back up...

We had lunch at California Pizza Kitchen and they were both as good as can be. Luke was talking to everyone around us who would listen. Where has this outgoing little man come from?!?!

So. Freakin. Cute!!!!

His pants won't stay up. He keeps tripping over them. He is not dismayed. He marches on....

I get a "drive by" hug every once in a while. Nice he remembers i'm here. ;)

He's tackling his sister now. She's hysterical.

So far, it's been a great day......


-- Post From My iPhone

Silly Sibs...

Conversation between Ally and Luke this morning:

Ally: "Am I your best girl?"

Luke: "No"

Ally: "Is mommy your best girl?"

Luke: "No"

Ally: "Is Gracie your best girl?"

Luke: "YES!"

Ally looks at me sadly. Luke looks back and forth and then turns to Ally and says...

"Ally AND Gracie my best girl!"

All smiles from Ally.... so, liking that reaction, he then leans into Ally and says all sheepishly, "Ally my best girl...."

Ally beams... hands over Duncan. They are watching Maisy together and the conversation has moved on to other things... but they are so sweet....

Yesterday, while it was nice to have a down day... a day alone to rest and heal... I got pretty bored and lonely in the middle of the day. My mom called after she read of my boredom and we talked for a good, long time. Then, my brother called, and we talked for about an hour. We had a great talk. I don't get to talk to my brother often. We don't talk often enough maybe... but when we do, the conversations are usually great. They fill me up... make me feel better... they really made my whole day, those conversations with my family members on opposite sides of the country....

I hope no matter where they are, Luke and Ally remember that they have one another to talk to ... about anything and everything... cuz there is really no bond like a sibling bond. They will grow up under the same circumstances, and while they were each born with their own personalities... Scott and I and all that are around them, are shaping them too... and that, they will share forever.

Now, Ally has gotten some toys out and is playing with him, with all the patience in the world. Sometimes, all we need to be told is that we are "someone's girl..." and we will give them the world....

BORED!

Being forced to stay home and rest just ain't what it's cracked up to be. I'M BORED! I woke up at 7 still... had my coffee... laid in bed and watched The Today Show for a while. I got online immediately and checked my work email, my personal email, my Facebook, blog, etc... I texted back and forth with a friend in Chicago. Then, it turned 8... :-))))))

I made myself some breakfast and got back in bed. Moving very little. Not lifting anything over 20 lbs. But man... I don't think I can do it much longer. I think I'm at least going to do some laundry in a bit. And.... I'm here... typing and sharing with all of you... ;-)

Daytime TV truly sucks.

I am obsessing over where to stay in Scottsdale and have even made a matrix with all the costs for Scott to look at when he gets home. A matrix. LOSER! ;-) I called all the hotels/resorts personally and 90% of the time, got a better rate by calling. Also got pressured to book. Good thing I'm tough though. So.... now I think I am even more confused than ever. Are you all sick of me going on and on about this already? I am a little OCD when it comes to things.... I'm sure this comes as no shock to those that know me. I want to do something, I want to do it now. I want to move. Make it happen. Decide! There is no patience here...

So.... I will try a little patience and let Scott look at all the options... websites... look at pictures and give his opinion. Also found a great rental car rate (thanks Sarah) on hotwire.com! Half the price of other sites I was looking at... awesome.

Yay... Kristen just called. She might come entertain me. Woo. Hoo. ;-)

I'm too much of a people person to be alone all day. Good lord. Soon I will start talking to myself. Let's face it... writing on this blog pretty much is talking to myself! Ha!

Okay...... going to amuse myself in other ways..... later....

Looking Ahead....

All your comments have me so excited about our trip!!!!! I am so looking forward to going to Arizona... have never been... and all these positive comments give me that peace of mind... we chose a good spot!!!!!

Stephanie... we have heard from SO MANY people to hike this mountain there. Of course, I can't think of any of the details off-hand... but we're going to do it. Totally out of my comfort zone. I will use this an an excuse to purchase an entire "mountain climbing" outfit. :-) Those of you that really know me are laughing your ass off right now... cuz this is so totally me. I already told Scott it was necessary. He said "of course it is." Awe. What a supportive hubby...

So, we still don't know where we're gonna stay... so if any of you have any advice there, let me know! We're looking at some places in "old town" and one condo out near the Kierland area. And... we are thinking we need a car??? Thoughts?

Exciting...... I love having these things to look forward to. Gets me through the drudgery of this crap weather we have here. This GREY, cold crap! Sometimes I really despise Michigan.

At least we have lots of shows and nights out planned the next couple months too! We are going out with a bunch of people from work to Daryl's next weekend... and I got Ally tickets to see 101 Dalmations up at Wharton for next Sunday (SHHHH... she doesn't know yet - part of her birthday gift). They were buy one get one free last week! Could not resist that! Then, we have tickets to see Young Frankenstein (adult night out) and then, Lewis Black, both at Wharton the following weekend. Lots of trips back to our Alma Mater!

Good times ahead...............

Focus on the Fun...

Oh so many changes... some good and some bad... more about that sometime later... for now, I am going to focus on the FUN!!!!!!

Scott and I booked our flights to Phoenix last night. This, after weeks of discussion on where we should go for a winter get away. First, we were going to go to Mexico. We know we love Mexico. We know we would have a great time... but we are trying to step out of our comfort zone... and we decided we wanted to do something different!

There are a zillion places we want to visit before we die... so we picked one and we are headed there! We are going to go to Scottsdale, Arizona... outside of Phoenix. It is supposed to be a really nice, resorty area. It has GREAT shopping, art galleries, restaurants, museums, spas.... the list goes on and on.... but most importantly, it will be WARM! So... we will leave on Saturday, March 6... and stay for seven glorious nights...

At first we were going to stay in a condo in the Kierland area... and we still might, but I'm not quite ready to "book it." I am exploring some other hotels right in "old town" Scottsdale... putting the options together and Scott and I are going to look in detail at everything this week and decide. We need to be able to walk around.... and cab or public transport it once in a while as a rental car is highway robbery it's so expensive. I would much rather spend $500 on food, clothes, wine, ANYTHING but a rental car!

It's going to be great timing for us.... Scott will have just finished this class that he is taking two nights a week in Grand Rapids. And, he will be coming out of his busiest time of the year. It's his reward... his light at the end of the tunnel.... and mine too as things are insane for me right now too. Not all in a bad way though!! Just kind crazy.......

So, we booked our flights....... last week the flights were $280 each... and this week, of course, we paid $100 more EACH. Ugh. I hate how you just never do know the perfect time to jump on something...... oh well. We got them now before they continue to go up!

Luke had his two year physical yesterday!!!! Our little man weighs just over 29 pounds and is 35 inches long. He is doing just fine..... we have to have a bunch of blood work done cuz he has to be tested for lead exposure? I do not recall doing this with Ally at all??? Yay! Nothing like taking the boy to get his blood drawn. Ugh. Seems like a great daddy/son bonding experience to me!

The doc asked if he was starting to string two words together. I must laugh at this cuz the boy speaks in full paragrahs!!! Two words? Full sentences. Full phrases. The boy can TALK!!!!! One of my favorite things that he does these days is he always says "okay...." You can usually talk him out of a meltdown when he starts to get his mind on wanting to do or have something he's not supposed to... by quickly offering up another fun option in a very upbeat tone and then saying "okay?" to him... he will usually think for a moment, then say... "okay..." back......

He also has this nervous laugh and will say "okay" nervously.... as in when the doctor is done and she tells him so... he starts to giggle and says "okay, all done??" in a very tentative nervous tone...... it's hard to explain and so adorable to me for some reason.

He's been fighting a cold for some time, but seems to be coming out of it. He didn't cough last night at all and woke up cheerful.

Ally, on the other hand, was complaining of back pain last night??? Which I just think is odd for a seven year old? So, I'm going to have to keep an eye on that....

We have invited 10 little girls to our house for her birthday party in a couple weeks. She's going to have an American Girl themed party. She has asked all her friends to bring an American Girl doll if they have one... or another doll if not. She has some games in mind she wants to play and she wants the girls to make their own special pizzas. Should be fun....... and I have a couple weeks to work through the details....... ;-)

I have to have a little surgical procedure this week..... not a big deal at all... but I get to stay home Friday and rest after...... and take it easy for the weekend. Sometimes, it's pretty hard to keep me still.. so we shall see how that goes. ;-) Thank god for my iPhone... laptop... and the TV/DVD player in my bedroom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Tuesday friends............. hope your week is treating you right so far........

They Say It's Your Birthday...

Today my hubby turns 34... he's finally caught up to me. Nice that I hit all those milestones first... I turned 30 first... I will turn 40 first... 50 and so on. He likes to give me shit for that. But.. he's married to an older, wiser, more experience woman. Let's not forget that. :-)))))

I wish you the happiest of birthdays Scott... it's been a wild ride so far.... and I've known you most of my life.... I love you and look forward to the years we have to come....

We are going out to the West End Grill in Ann Arbor tonight. We cannot wait for a nice, adult meal together.. with some great food, wine and conversation....

Ally

I did not have the best day. Nothing horrid happened. Just work stuff. Stupid stuff. Stuff that doesn't matter in the scheme of things.... But, the day got me down. Events got me down. Big time.

Ally ad ballet on Thursdays. It's a lot to do on top of work and trying to occupy Luke for the hour, who also has a nasty cold. So... It was just one of those days...

Grabbed Wendy's for dinner - which I hate doing - and headed home. A freakin' flock of deer run in front of me. Slam in breaks. My drink, fries and nuggets everywhere. Car seats hold strong. I slam breaks and we don't hit a one. Whew....

Luke does not go down well. I finally finish the struggle with him to find Ally, in bed, in her jammies, waiting. I thank her profusely for being such a big girl. I read to her... And then she says "Mommy I'm sorry about last night. I don't wish I wasn't a part of our family. We have such a good family. Everyone is so nice".

Perfect end to my day. Horridness of last night's meltdown, erased. Work hell... Not so bad.

Thank you Ally for makin your Mommy's day so very much better......


-- Post From My iPhone

Mixed Emotions....

I am going on little to no sleep... for no good reason. Scott came home around 10 pm last night, sick, sick, sick. Some sort of stomach bug.... with body aches and the chills. This is AFTER he has worked from morning to night for the past entire week and weekend. It's the busiest time of the year for him... right now, being the worst. Things are pretty crazy the next two months as they are closing the books on the year's end. Oh the world of finance, accounting and taxes! A world I don't understand..... but have an appreciation for.

So, Scott is sick. I assume he is still home, on the couch. I am certain he is stressing. He cannot be sick right now. He has to go to work. The stress of that thought is going to do him no good....

PLUS... he is taking a class for the next seven weeks that meets TWO nights a week in Grand Rapids. Whew. It's going to be absolutely insane for us until the end of February. I have been alone with the kids each night last week and ALL weekend long. I will say though (hence the title of this post)... the kids have really been great all-in-all. At least this past weekend, when they had to spend every moment with Mommy.... not always easy to do, especially for Ally who much prefers her Daddy - most of the time. ;-)

The weekend was great. Saturday, I took down the tree and all the Christmas decorations, by myself, with the two kids. It was comical because we hadn't watered our tree in a couple weeks... so it was as brittle and dry as can be. The branches just broke off as we took the ornaments off it. I was able to carry it out myself.... it was so light! It just made the BIGGEST mess in the world. The kids made a game out of picking up branches and needles... for a while anyway. Then, that got boring. Once I got the tree out and the decorations down... I went into full on "organzing and cleaning mode." I had to get our living space all organized... and I worked my ass off to have it all done by the time Scott got home that night.

I was focused... and I was the "mom of the year" and planted the kids in front of lots of DVDs and Ally spent far too much time on her DS.... but a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do to accomplish something! The great room looks great. It is TOY free. I told Ally NO MORE toys stored in that room. There are two baskets with a few toys under the sofa table, in the foyer.... and those toys can be brought out... but then, put back under there. When I am sitting on my couch, in our "living space" I want to see a toy free landscape!

I really don't think this is too much to ask seeing that the kids have the nicest playroom in the basement! Toys can stay down there for the most part. Come up from time to time... but go back down. I need my living area as clutter free as possible. It makes SUCH a difference.

The house just feels so much better now. I love that feeling of putting Christmas away and having everything so neat and clean! A new start to the new year! I really, really want to get rid of more stuff. We did a HUGE drop off to Goodwill in December. Lots of toys and clothes... but in the process of my most recent organizing frenzy... I realized we have a lot of other stuff we don't need in the house!!!! We have an old 19 inch tube TV. Still works, we just don't use it. Needs to go. We have a stereo reciever, for back in the days of stereo components... we just have speakers for our iPods and iPhones now all over the house. We have the speakers for that stereo set. An entire set of dishes that I have been holding onto for god knows what. And lots of Christmas decor I do not put out anymore. I need another big trip to Goodwill. Have considered a garage sale, but they are so much work for so little actual money!

So... after a good day around the house Saturday... I felt I needed to get the kids out of the house on Sunday. I thought we could hit the mall and run a few errands and then, the grocery store. We got to Westwood and it was just so disappointing. The kids wanted to play and they attempted playing on the hippo and these ride on toys they have there. It was sad and pathetic... so I said "let's go" and off to Ann Arbor we went. I was either going to got to the Treehouse in Chelsea or Briarwood and made the decision to go to Briarwood so I could do some shopping for Scott (bday this weekend) and they have a play area there, a merry-go-round and great food options.

We had lunch at California Pizza Kitchen and the kids were so good! Ally thanked me over and over for taking her to Ann Arbor. :-) It was adorable. We got some food, some cookies, some shopping done and played for a good long time in the play area. Then, we hit Whole Foods on our way home and it was a day of great accomplishment!

A weekend of great accomplishment. My house is clean and organized. My fridge full of good food. It's a good thing those couple things are in good order cuz NOTHING else is!!!!! ;-)

It's just hard with Scott so busy and gone every night. It's hard because I have a new boss too that is not going to be as flexible with my time as my previous boss was. I can't get in late. I can't leave early. I am going to have to work around this somehow and not having Scott's help at all does not help. I have always been so lucky and blessed to have flexibility in my job. If that goes away, I don't know how we will cope.

Scott is just going to get busier and busier... as the years go by and he gets more and more responsibility... gotta continue to balance it all... and some days it certainly feels like it's all gonna topple over! :-))))))

But... all that said.... we're hangin' in and doing just fine!

We were hot and heavy thinking of the possibility of a move and a new house... and now, we have let that go. For now. We will see how things pan out. There are no houses out there we like and it makes it doubly hard when you come home to your current house and you LIKE IT! :-) We'll see where that goes in time...

Now, we are trying to plan a WARM getaway in March. When Scott can actually come out from under work and class and breathe. Might be nice for him and I to get away and remind one another what the other looks like. ;-) "Hi - I'm Nicole. Wife. Mother of your children. Remember me?" HA!

So... maybe Mexico.. but then we thought we wanted to try someplace new. Maybe Arizona. Maybe the Dominican. I don't know. Anywhere but Michigan!

The kids are doing great. Luke came out of about three weeks of the shits... and has gone back to his much happier self. Thank god, cuz I was gonna lose it there for a while! Scott and I went to Windsor the last weekend of our "break" and saw David Gray in concert and had a weekend for ourselves. Great way to end our Christmas break... especially now that we're in the midst of such insanity.

Ally is happy to be back to school and anxiously awaiting her birthday which is in a couple weeks. She will be SEVEN! Holy crap!!! SEVEN! She is going to have her first "friends" birthday party the Saturday before her birthday. We are inviting all the girls in her class, plus a couple others. This should be interesting! We will still do a family dinner for her on her actual birthday day!

Lots going on. And we're all doing just fine!

Working From Home...

I am working from home today.... and Luke is cooperating amazingly well! It's really amazing what a Maisy DVD can do! :-) He is also playing so fabulously independently and generally being great. Cannot ask for much more! He has, however, done the following already by 11:00 am:

• Written all over his face with a pen.
• Taken all his clothes off and announced "I NAKIE!"
• Gotten every toy in the baskets out and covered the living room.
• Drank three bottles of milk cuz Mommy is doing anything necessary to keep the peace to be able to work.
• Spilled red pop (left by someone in the living room from last night) all over.
• Brushed his teeth three times... with three different toothbrushes... only one of them being his.
• Locked himself in the bathroom with the light off, freaking himself out!

I wonder what else the day has in store for us...... :-)

Still Going...

I am like the damn energizer bunny... or my mind is rather. It is still racing. What's great is when Scott gets going along side of me... and he's totally there too. He's been sending me links to houses... he drove through a couple new developments on the way home yesterday. We are both in full thinking mode. Gathering data. Analayzing data. We're full on dorks like that. ;-)

I am still spinning in a merry-go-round of confusion though..... wondering where the best place to be is. What we want in a house is easy. We completely align on what we want. We love our current house. We have made it our own... as much as we can without completely busting the bank. I always believe there is a line in which you shouldn't cross when it comes to investing in a house you don't always plan to live in. There is a balancing act... of making it "yours" and what you are comfortable living in... and pouring money into it you will NEVER get out. I think we have both always kept this in mind when it comes to our current house. We wanted to completely redo the kitchen..... but instead we redid the floors.... painted... freshened it up in ways we could do more affordably... then spending 30 grand on new cupboard and granite. We would never get that money back.

We put in all new flooring a few years back... best decision ever. And, if we don't recoup all that money - which we won't - it was worth it to us to have the new flooring over the time that we did. We repainted every room. Replaced all the window coverings. New light fixtures. And, the biggest investment, was our complete finishing of the basement and putting in a little kitchen. Our basement rocks. It's that space that sold us the house in the first place. The potential for that space.... and I hope others will see that space and appreciate it in the long run too. Maybe. Someday. :-)

So........ I digress. What was I talking about? Oh. Yeah. Scott and I agree on what we want in a new house... and I guess the first thing is just that. It has to be a new(er) house. We are not fixer upper people. Cosmetics.... okay. We can handle that. We don't want an old home. A money pit. :-) I showed him one house that was pretty darn cool... and he said we would totally be Tom Hanks and that Shelly chick if we got that house. "Let's try Brad........"

So, no old homes. We are open to building new. We are open to buying an newer "used" home.

I need closet space. Lots of it. Walk ins all over that damn house! :-) I want to be able to live in my closet if need be!!!!!!

We want a nice master bath...... nice tub..... two sinks........

We want a complete open floor plan in the general living space.... eat in kitchen area and a separate formal dining. I do not want or need formal living...

We want a nice backyard...... a decent patio or deck because getting a hot tub is a MUST!!!!!!

That's it....... those are our dreams for a new house. We would really like it to be in a kid-friendly neighborhood..... with some young people around!!!! That would be a bonus.

Too much to ask for? Who the hell knows...... we shall search and find out.......

I will say... there is not a lot to chose from right now. Here's to hoping the spring brings more choices!!!!!

So, the house, we got down. But... do we choose to live in Western schools? Do we choose school district first..... I went through private schools in Jackson. That is also a viable option in our opinion. Maybe even preferred. Who knows.

I am just blabbing..... ;-) We are giving ourselves just under a year here.... if we can move and and be in a new home (or on our way if building) by the time Ally starts school next year... that would be ideal. But, we can always drive her somewhere if need-be for a bit too.

All the possibilities are exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Things will fall into place as they should over time. They always do...........

My Mind is Racing in This New Year...

My mind will not stop racing so far in this new year. There is just so much going on. So much to think about and consider lately, that I feel I might burst.

On one hand, I could let it overwhelm me... too many choices... too many decisions... but I feel almost giddy with the opportunities that are in front of me. Not really opportunities that have found me... but rather, maybe things that we are considering. Thinking about. You know what I mean.....

The past two weeks, over the various holidays, Scott and I stayed home with the kids. We saw lots of family and friends. We did lots with the kids and even had some time without them. It was a GREAT two week break from the everyday stresses of work. Not such a great break from the everyday stresses of home.

Luke was grumpy. It seems as if we entered and exited a good phase for him. We are back to the whines... the grumps. It kinda sucks. This week, my in-laws are out of town and we have a babysitter coming each day. I just hope after this many days in a row with out kids, she will want to come back! Ugh........

At any rate...... Scott and I having time together, allows us to talk and try to think about our future. Plan for what may come..... and we have been doing a lot of thinking lately. Add to that, some off the wall comments Ally has made... and our minds are just in full planning mode.

We have always figured we would move someday... we really love our house... and it works for now... but if we could just pick it up and move it to a more convenient location... that would be really great! :-) But... there is no great way to do that..... so we have been wondering about moving... and what that might mean... where that might be.

There are so many reasons we want to move. We would like some neighbors. Kids in the neighborhood We just like being closer to more "action." Concord is great... yes... but I am just not a country girl... and there's not a damn thing to do. :-) Sometimes this is nice. Sometimes this is a giant pain in the ass. For me... it's more of a giant pain in the ass. We both work in Jackson. Everything we need to do seems to be in Jackson. Ally's extra curriculars. Grocery shopping. Eating out.

We always thought we would make a move at some point... first it was going to be before Ally started school. We were going to try to get into the school district we wanted to ultimately be in, which we have always considered to be Western. Then, we didn't move... and Ally started at Concord... and it's absolutely great. She loves it... cannot complain... but I just can't help but want to make that move still. And, it's going to get harder and harder...... as she gets older. There are days when I think it's too hard already.

Then, out of the freakin' blue last week... Ally says to Scott "Daddy, I think I'd like to go to a different school next year... cuz going to Concord every year would just be boring......"

WHAT??? WHERE THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM????

We feel like it's out "get out of jail free card!" Like if we are going to make a move, we should take advantage of this moment... capitalize on it. Exploit it! :-) Remind Ally she said it.......

So, now we are busy thinking what should we do? Should we try to sell our house in this economy? Should we look around in Jackson? Other areas? Should we build? Buy old? Buy new?

And, then, there's my job.... I have a new boss, effective today... and that brings many changes.... I hope they are all good... but time will tell. I am trying to remain positive and optimistic, but I feel very disjointed and "off." Of course, times like that make us feel like maybe it's time to make a BIG move...... like to California. Hey, the weather is better. ;-)

There are so many considerations.... we are trying to think of what we want. What we NEED for our family. For us as individuals. As a couple. All those things... and do what we really NEED for us... not totally playing it safe, and considering money... what we know.... sometimes you gotta do what's best for you as a family and your sanity.... in order to get where you really need and want to be......

Someone wise and wonderful once shared the following:

"In order to get what you need... you need to to something you've never done..."

I'm an optimist. I always believe change is good... and I like this phase in the thought process. I always think things will be better after taking action. Even if in the short term, that action is a bit negative... I believe it's the right thing to do in the end. Even if it causes Ally a bit of pain to start fresh in a new school, it might be the best thing for her.

I don't know yet....... don't know where we're heading with our thoughts on this..... but it's certainly something to think about... and my mind is surely racing with all the thoughts!!!!!!!

I will keep you posted..... in the meantime.... if you know of a GREAT kick ass neighborhood in Jackson... let me know. What we want more than anything are some neighbors! Some kids for our kids to play with!!!!