Reeaallly Thirsty

What can I say? She was really, really thirsty. And then really wanted her picture taken so she could then see what she looked like whilst using two straws in two cups.

P.S. Pigtails - how cute is she?

It's one of those days...

...oh, you know the kind. Just sittin' around in your Spiderman suit, watchin' some TV. Yeah. One of those kind of days.

Oh. And in case you are wondering - I found the suit in a mad, crazy cleaning frenzy today. Apparently it was shoved in a bag full of random things I found at a garage sale two years ago. He didn't take it off until he had to eat dinner. The mouth slit wasn't big enough to fit his fork.

On the Eighth Day of blogging...

...my readers gave to me...well...nothing really. Comments don't really swamp my inbox you know. But nevertheless, here I sit. A faithful blogger on a mission to blog for thirty days. Honestly, I never thought I'd make it to day eight. I figured that by now I would have shrugged my shoulders and admitted ultimate defeat of my inability to commit to a goal. It's a short-term goal, but still. And heck, if I make it to day thirty, maybe I'll try extending it to sixty. The suspense is killing me already.

So I've realized that what used to be a way to keep family connected as to what my two children do with their days, has morphed into a place where I talk about...well...whatever I want. I'm honing my writing skills in hopes of one day becoming a distinguished author. Maybe 'distinguished' is a bit of a stretch. I'll just take the 'author' part for now. I figure I've tried the illustration area of art. Photography would have been fun, but honestly digital cameras and the power of Photoshop have taken all of the work/fun out of it. The digital wave has made it so all you have to do is point, click and upload. Photoshop and other programs out there have been mastered by children half my age so that they can create pretty nifty things. They've ultimately wiped out the photography industry. Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating a bit. I tend to do that. But seriously, taking a good photo isn't nearly as hard as it used to be with an old 35mm camera. Perhaps honing my writing skills via a blog isn't exactly the quickest way into a publishing deal. But I'm bored and my husband is unemployed. So I'll blog. I also hope to print out my blog into books so that as the years go by, when I'm old and gray, my children and grandchildren can read what it was like 'back in the day' when cars didn't fly and microchip cell phones weren't instantly implanted into your brain when you were born. Hmmm...perhaps I should write sci-fi...

Don't ask. Just Laugh.

Sometimes, kids do the strangest things. How many times have you heard that phrase? I know that I think these words at least once a week, if not more often. Right now, with the colder weather creeping its way into our days, we've spent more hours inside than out. This has provoked Alex and Abby to find random things to entertain themselves. As I wander through the house looking for odd jobs to keep myself busy, I will see them both playing interesting games or doing random things in which I will inevitably say to myself, "Huh. Kids do the strangest things sometimes." Right now, my little attention hog (Abby) is finding it very fulfilling to be videoed or photographed. She loves, loves, loves to watch home videos and pictures. And what better subject matter than herself? So lately she will do something funny or odd. I naturally laugh. She then asks me to take her picture so she can see it too. Here, you will see one of Abby's moments of 'um...okey dokey then.' So don't ask. Just laugh.

Defeating the Digital Demon

The curse of the TV is finally over. *knock on wood* Sitting on our beautiful new entertainment center (courtesy of Josh's folks) is a brand new TV (also courtesy of Josh's folks-awesome Christmas present don't ya think?). And to make things even better, it actually works. Yes. It's true. This TV isn't faded to gray. It doesn't need me to merrily beat it to death before the picture pops on. It doesn't have a massive white stripe down the middle of the screen. And all of the screen is fully intact - no cracks or damage noted. That had to be the hardest Christmas present that my father-in-law has ever bought for someone. Honestly, I feel bad about how much he had to do to get us this TV. Phone calls, returns, trips to our house and praying...lots of praying. So I'd like to take a moment to thank my in-laws. Thanks Paul and Cindy for the wonderful gift. It's already much appreciated. I fully plan on having a few movie marathons on it to break it in. Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean...wow...I have my work cut out for me. Good thing I have no life, eh? Though I must admit that I feel odd accepting such a big gift. I've always found it difficult to accept gifts though, no matter the size or price. I'm a giver, not a receiver. I find it more fulfilling to give gifts to people, especially nieces and nephews. Kids are a blast to buy for, wouldn't you agree? But as for the new television, I bet you can't guess what the first image was that graced it's shiny new screen. Did you guess The Wiggles?? How did you guess that? Huh...you must read my blog...cool.

Who needs 50 Zhu Zhu Pets?

Well, apparently the crazy lady with a shopping cart filled to the top with them. That's who. I got the joy-joy pleasure of seeing the insanity of Black Friday up close and personal this year. And I will tell you this: I shall never again experience the madness of this horrid day. Well, it's only a horrid day if you actually go the stores on Black Friday. Josh's family got to put up with us for Thanksgiving this year and as we sat there on the couch watching Avatar (which was better the second time around by the way), we decided to go into Wal-Mart to buy a couple of toys that were on sale for the kiddos' Christmas. We walked in the doors and headed to the toy and electronics section. As soon as the clock struck 12:01 a.m., the employees sliced the tape and plastic from the pallets of merchandise. Within mere moments, there were empty pallets and crazy people running amok with their carts brim-top full of toys and miscellaneous junk. It was actually quite nauseating. Some people, including crazy Zhu Zhu Pet lady, were filling their carts with so much of the same product that their only purpose could be to resale these hot items on Ebay so as to profit from the misfortune of others. It's sad, really. But I suppose that's the reason Black Friday is what it is. Oh well. We lasted a whopping 15 minutes before we high-tailed it outta there with our tails tucked firmly between our legs as we shook our heads in disgust for certain human behavior. I was glad to go back home. The crowds were a bit scary. There was one point where I was certain that if I got knocked over accidentally, that I'd become fodder for the mad zombie crowd that had taken over the better part of Wal-Mart. So in conclusion: When it comes to my options of Black Friday or bust, I'll gladly take the bust. I'm perfectly happy with holiday shopping procrastination.

Gobble Gobble!

As I am spending my Thanksgiving out of town this year, I don't really feel a deep desire to be sitting at my computer to tap out a long-winded story on my keyboard. So I will leave you with a generic greeting fit for anyone to read. I hope that you all have a spectacular Thanksgiving with friends and family this year. I'm blessed to have good family to spend the holiday with. I'd say enjoy the turkey, but if you're anything like me then the sole purpose for the great 'turkey day' is the dessert part. And as I spent the better part of my night yesterday concocting multiple sugary goodies, I know that I will be enjoying my dessert tonight...and tomorrow...and probably the day after tomorrow. So whether it's pumpkin, pecan or caramel apple, I hope you all enjoy your pie (and the extra padding on your...um...hips...from said pie.) I know I will.