So.... Umm.... Yep...

For those of you who don't know, (even though I assume the three or four of you who read this already do know) I have recently gotten divorced. And moved.

Just to recap (and very briefly) we are friends, getting along, just made a decision that was best for the both of us to move forward as happier people. That about sums that up, right? If not, you just ask me personally and we can clear up the rest :)

So, blog world... I have a new house. And despite all the chaos it took me to get here, I love my new house. It's bigger than the other one, which was eensey weensey to say the least. The yard is also very large, half an acre for the monkeys to run wild on. And we are a very short walking distance from a rather large and scenic park, which conviently has an elementary school located just on the other side of it. Trees, trees, quiet, quiet, and even more quiet around here. I have heard owls hooting away in the evenings, as well as a bag pipe player who I think practices in the park. Whenever there is music/concerts in the park we are in perfect listening range. Location Location Location... it's good.

For the first time in my adult life I now have a dishwasher... shocking, but true. And I think I may end up taking back all the mean things I have said about them in the past move forward more open minded towards this new fangled technology. Also, I ended up having to buy a new computer... my ten year old trusty just wasn't cutting it anymore... I have purchased two pieces of furnature that were NOT assembled... And I successfully put one together ALL BY MYSELF! That's right... you read that correctly. A computer desk, which I am computing on RIGHT NOW! And it's so not falling apart! Next will be the television console.

There are tons of projects to do around here... tons. But I have lots and lots of time to get to them all... or figure out how to get someone to do some of them for me! the lawn... Oh the lawn! It's big. Large. Expansive. Crap. I'm gonna have to mow that I guess.... Another thing I will be working of figuring out how to get out of. Making deals, trading meals, something, anything... I don't do lawns. But... I may be retracting that statement soon as well.... hmmmm, I'll have to think on that one!

Kids. They are doing great. They love the new house. And they love it when it's time to go to his house for their weekly sleepovers. They go two nights a week, every week. They seem to have transitioned well, probably mostly due to the fact that I did nothing but worry and plan and over think and occomodate the change for months ahead of time. I slipped in little ideas here and there about the upcoming change, we went through transitional phases before we moved so they could get used to how things would be, we talked about things here and there. The first day we told them there was a for sure freak out moment, but it faded fast and things almost seem normal already. And this is only week two of being in the new house. It helps that he and I are in agreement about what we are doing, there is no fighting, we are still doing things together, we get along good in front of them as well as when they aren't looking. To them, nothing has really changed except that they have two homes. They actually see him more now than they did before... so... it's all good.

So.... Umm..... Yep... That's my story. That's my life.

The Big Three (and a cake)

And Logan turned the big THREE.
Here's a little early birthday present for Logan and Nola...



THANKS Evi!

And thank you Dollar Store for all the birthday supplies I needed!


A few yellow gift bags and a Sharpie and voila! Goodie bags for a construction themed party (and with only four kids to cater to this only took about 30 min)





And onto the cake... Construction is the theme... I bought tractors and chocolate cake mix, brownie mix and a few other candies to make a construction scene on a cake...

First there was the Circus Peanuts.. the most disgusting candy ever but as orange as a construction cone! I cut and molded them into cones... sticky, sticky, sticky!


And a pan of brownies to make into boulders... first I scooped out spoon fulls of baked brownie:


Rolled them into balls and dusted them in powdered sugar...


And we have brownie rocks! so so so so so yummmm! (in my opinion, the best part of the cake)


I baked a chocolate cake, iced it with green icing and made a road from black licorice. I put it on the bottom side of a sheet pan (cookie sheet) and iced that too.


Then I dug out a hole or two from the cake and let the chocolate cake pile up like dirt, surrounded then with hazard cones, stuck the construction vehicles on with icing and added boulders and additional cones.... TaDa! A construction cake!







Logan loved it!

Happy Birthday Little Baby Boo.

And then he opened his present from his sister, a Thor helmet and hammer...

Happy Birthday Thor! He is kinda big and blond like an Azgardian.

Pwe-Kool Rools!

First day of pre-school... oh the memories... seeing as it was almost a week ago and I'm finally putting up a post and pictures...

Well, here she is, the star of the day:


Sporting her new Barbie backpack, complete with pink, pink and more pink, including pink sequins and pink sparkles. Every preschooler needs a backpack larger than their torso to carry all those things back and forth (so far we've had one piece of colored construction paper and one six inch square drawing... so worth the money!)


And let's see how tall you are compared to your little brother who is so sad/jealous/angry/confused as to why he doesn't get to go to school too.


And Ladies & Gentlemen, a miracle - ME! In an actual photo, with my actual kids!


And here we are, Mama & Nola... growing up and going to school...


By the way, she loves school. Loves it loves it loves it.

Pre-Schooler To-Be

Yesterday was Nola's preschool playdate where we went up to the school to meet some other kids. Before we left she was so excited, and Logan was confused as to why he wasn't going to Kool as well... I explained to him that he had to be an older kid, to which he explained to me that he was really big already...which he is (he would have towered over most the kids there). I told him all the kids there would be four and he might not be old enough quite yet... then he says to me, "But I will Karate the bad kids...." Well, okay, good plan, still not going this year.

So we get there and Nola goes into Statue-Mode. She stands and breathes, that's it. The teaches kept trying to get her to participate and interact with the other kids, but she wasn't having it. Just stood near me and kept quiet. Eventually I got her to color a picture for Allyson, her cousin/idol. It worked. She sat at a table with three other little girls and colored. Then they called for the parents to come to another room. And she DIDN'T freak out! I was shocked and proud. I thought for sure she'd melt down into a puddle of tears and grabby hands.... but she just sat and colored. I watched her from the other room across the hall and she did good.

Twenty minutes later we came back in to get the kids and she jumped up from the rug (story time). I thought she might run to me but she quickly realized that other people were watching her and she just did a little jump into the air with a big smile and came over to hold my hand... So cute! We left the room, got our Popsicle, and drove to go pick up Logan. In the car and afterwards she told me that it was really cool. She told me that one kid got a spanking because he was a little boy and he hit another little girl. This was obviously made up. Also a little girl was crying when the grown ups left and a teacher gave her water and she spilled it and cried more and the teacher was really nice and made her feel better. And that she even said hi to a couple of kids, only girls, not boys... Then at bedtime last night she said she even said hi to a boy!

Logan got into the conversation at this point and reminded me that he wanted to go to 'pwe-kool' too! Nola proceeded to explain to him that he was still little and only she could go, he wasn't four and he wasn't even three! and that he just couldn't go! He got a little upset and whined about it until I came over to tuck him in. Then he looks up at me with his sweet angle baby face and says, "But Mama, I still know Karate...." I said, "I know you do Baby, now go to sleep..."

She wouldn't give me a real smile, even though I begged... but here she is, long legged big girl stuff!


Another "pouty-and-I-won't-smile-for-you" face.

A Day's Work

First of all I would like to dedicate this blog post to Lucy... who basically demanded I blog more.
And I would like to dedicate my day's accomplishment to Evi... who basically asked me why the holy hell I wasn't finished with those paintings yet. And also to the 100+ degree weather outside for forcing me to do something indoors with the kids, painting.


So after months of sitting in various places in my house I thought I may as well get back to these paintings that are supposed to be hanging in Cayce and Scott's house by now... or by last Christmas (oops).

Here is my before shot, taken in the afternoon...


And a few hours later, here is what I accomplished.... more windows, doorways, some shading and detail and a little more water color...


Now if I could find a few hours a day, these suckers might be done by THIS Christmas!

Ok Lucy, now comment on that! Ha!