Awesome Things That Happened This Week...

I know it's Thursday which doesn't seem to be a sensical day to post about awesome things that happened thus far this week (and yes I just made up the word "sensical"), but it's been a pretty good few days bunched together and I just wanted to write about it. You know, for those days that will come where it feels like good stuff hasn't happened in a while. So...here goes.

1.) I got a new job! I'm still working at the YMCA doing my toddler/youth programs, but I also was hired on to work at the front desk! It will be more hours (which is nice for the paycheck, but a tinge sad for the mommy-children time), but the kids are in SUPER good hands at the (included) daycare and it's only for 3 or 4 hours a day. And I join them for snack time so I feel pretty good about it.
1.) a.) Kaylee goes to the YMCA daycare now WITH A SMILE ON HER FACE! She HATED it for the longest time....even when I would go to work out for 45 minutes, she would scream the whole time. But something mysterious happened and now she just goes and is happy to be there. That's an awesome thing in my book.
1.) b.) I've only worked four shifts at the front desk now, but I feel like I am catching on to things pretty quickly. It's a little stressful having to know the answer to EVERYTHING (or at least knowing the extension of the correct person who would know an answer you don't...), but yesterday I felt like I answered 60% of the things asked of me without having to check with someone else. It was a good day.
1.) c.) I'm meeting new co-workers. One of whom is Asha. I have a feeling we will be good friends for quite some time. This girl is hilarious and possibly deserves her own post.

2.) I got new shoes! (This could probably be another sub-category of number 1 since they are work shoes, but, you know. NEW SHOES!) I ordered them on Amazon. They are Crocs, but thy are dressy Crocs. They are adorable and fit like a dream. And they even have bling. Don't have time to get a picture up, but they are "Olivia"s and I love them.

3.) We got our federal return!!! Awesome!!!
3.) a.) Zac and I think we may have enough of a return to spend frivolously on a vacation for the two of us!

4.) I'm planning Savannah's wedding and it's coming together SUPERBLY if I do say so myself. And by "planning," I'm serious. I'm pretty sure the only thing Savannah is going to have to do is show up. Oh, and she had to get her dress. Which is GORGEOUS!!! AWESOME!!!!

5.) You may recall my affinity for the Dark Divine series. The third and final book comes out next month. I was able to get ARCs of the first two books (before they were printed and released to the public) through contests and other such luck and figured I would just have to wait for The Savage Grace. FALSE. By some strange miracle, a package was delivered to my in-laws' house on Tuesday from Random House. Containing an ARC of The Savage Grace. I about DIED. Now if only I could find the time to read it....

6.) I lost 3 lbs. Super awesome.

7.) My kids are being used for a press release for the Rochester Ronald McDonald House on Friday. Not necessarily awesome for me, but they get a few seconds of fame. So I'm filing that one under "awesome."

I guess that's enough awesomeness for now. I don't want to make y'all jealous :-)

Excuse Me While I Go All Political...

I try to keep most of my politically-minded opinions out of my blog. I don't like starting fights that I can't debate face-to-face, so I usually go my merry way and post snide comments on Facebook. But I feel like I just need to give a shout-out to the GOP nominees for a second. First, some of Ron Paul's platforms aren't so bad. Like the one about wiping everyone's debt away. But, let's face it. In the long run, his policy ideas are going to keep him out of the White House. Santorum...well, honestly, I don't know a thing about him. I don't think many people did until the Iowa caucus. I've heard good things, but honestly haven't done any research on him. Gingrich? Kind of a scumbag. And then we have Mitt Romney. (Do you hear that heavenly choir of angels every time you say his name like I do?)

I'm voting Romney all the way. True story: I registered Democratic in high school, mostly because I enjoyed watching "The West Wing." I changed my party affiliation this past summer so I would be eligible to vote for Romney in the primary. And the general, God willing. Now I'm not going to get into every single reason why I am so pro-Romney (and no, it's not simply because we belong to the same church), but I wanted to share this post that a friend-of-a-friend had on Facebook. Enjoy:


"Regardless of who your current favorite candidate is, this is interesting.

"Sometimes, this facet of Romney’s personality isn’t so subtle. In July 1996, the 14-year-old daughter of Robert Gay, a partner at Bain Capital, had disappeared. She had attended a rave party in New York City and gotten high on ecstasy. Three days later, her distraught father had no idea where she was. Romney took immediate action. He closed down the entire firm and asked all 30 partners and employees to fly to New York to help find Gay’s daughter. Romney set up a command center at the LaGuardia Marriott and hired a private detective firm to assist with the search. He established a toll-free number for tips, coordinating the effort with the NYPD, and went through his Rolodex and called everyone Bain did business with in New York, and asked them to help find his friend’s missing daughter. Romney’s accountants at Price Waterhouse Cooper put up posters on street poles, while cashiers at a pharmacy owned by Bain put fliers in the bag of every shopper. Romney and the other Bain employees scoured every part of New York and talked with everyone they could – prostitutes, drug addicts – anyone.

"That day, their hunt made the evening news, which featured photos of the girl and the Bain employees searching for her. As a result, a teenage boy phoned in, asked if there was a reward, and then hung up abruptly. The NYPD traced the call to a home in New Jersey, where they found the girl in the basement, shivering and experiencing withdrawal symptoms from a massive ecstasy dose. Doctors later said the girl might not have survived another day. Romney’s former partner credits Mitt Romney with saving his daughter’s life, saying, 'It was the most amazing thing, and I’ll never forget this to the day I die.'

"So, here’s my epiphany: Mitt Romney simply can’t help himself. He sees a problem, and his mind immediately sets to work solving it, sometimes consciously, and sometimes not-so-consciously. He doesn’t do it for self-aggrandizement, or for personal gain. He does it because that’s just how he’s wired.

"Many people are unaware of the fact that when Romney was asked by his old employer, Bill Bain, to come back to Bain & Company as CEO to rescue the firm from bankruptcy, Romney left Bain Capital to work at Bain & Company for an annual salary of one dollar. When Romney went to the rescue of the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics, he accepted no salary for three years, and wouldn’t use an expense account. He also accepted no salary as Governor of Massachusetts.

Character counts!! (and yes...that's worth reading again!)"


Granted, this is ONE story that happened in the mid-90's. I'm not trying to win him votes based on a single act of heroism. I'm just trying to point out the type of man he is in general. I'm sure if I had the time and could ask every individual or organization he has helped over the years, there would be ENDLESS touching and powerful stories. I'm simply taking one instance to point out the type of man Mitt Romney is. He doesn't viciously slander his opponents. He is selfless. He is an honest, God-fearing man. And he is a man who loves his country and views every person in it as his brother or sister.

So say what you want about the obscene amount of money he makes. (And doesn't pay a majority of taxes on.) Think what you will about his religious affiliation. Whatever your opinion may be on his politics, you have to give the man credit for his outstanding and Christ-like character. That is the kind of man I want leading my country. He is a great man and can make us a great country again.

(Verified on Snoopes.com ; . Here's the link: Romney Search
On Romney's character....
By: Kristi Smith Johnson)

Oh, and if you have ten minutes and want to see even more reasons why I am pro-Romney, check out this video. This was produced in 2007 when he made his first presidential bid. I think we need him even more now.

I Don't Know About This, Guys...

I've had something on my mind for a while lately that I'm hesitant to post to Facebook, simply because of the misunderstandings that can occur and the gazillion unnecessary "OMG Congrats!" and "likes" it would receive. So I turn to the trusty (and sometimes neglected) blog for my insane ramblings. So here goes.

We have been talking about when it would be most convenient to have another baby. (Gasp! Shock! Awe! Wonder!) Turns out we have been blessed as a pretty fertile couple and the moment we even say the word "pregnant," we are. Which is super cool in my book.

So yeah. It has been coming up in recent conversation. About two months ago, I said we were THINKING about talking about having another baby. And I think we have stepped forward and are now TALKING about an addition. But no rush. A lot of things need to happen first. Like health insurance. And extending our lease vs buying vs finding another house come September (even though I may have to be dragged out of here kicking and screaming because I NEVER want to leave). And having a fully potty-trained Kaylee. So yeah. Things need to happen first before anything serious takes place. But that's not what has me all shaken up.

What has me all shaken up is one word: Multiples.

Could you even IMAGINE twins? I didn't really ever think about it much. That is until every other person I know is popping them out. Seriously. It's like an epidemic. A cute, sweet, wonderful epidemic. But still. And I'm not exaggerating. First names of everyone I know who has had or will be having twins recently: Jennie, Beth, Sarah, Robin, Beth, and Amber. And those are just the ones that I know of.

That's twelve babies. Between 6 girls. That's a soccer team and mascot birthed by a basketball team and mascot. And that's just BONKERS.

Now to all of those new and to-be moms of twinners, you are AMAZING women! But quite frankly, you scare me! And so do your babies!

So to summarize: I've had babies on the brain lately. Or, I guess in the back of my mind. And when every third person I know Is having twins, it scares me a bit. And I hope that if I put this fear out into the universe, I will be pleasantly surprised to find out I will be having only one baby in the next one to two years.

Thanks for reading the rantings of a crazy person. Please enjoy these complimentary and totally random pictures from my iPhone.

Snow!!!

Winter finally decided to join us here in Upstate New York. Sad for me, but all sorts of exciting for the little'uns.

I have a video, but I don't think I can upload it from my phone. So you get pictures instead. The kids wanted to go outside, so once they suited up, they ran right out. Well, the waddled best they could in their new snow suits they got for Christmas.

So Logan almost immediately plopped down and started making a snow angel and Kaylee just laughed and squealed. Then "snow ball" making ensued, followed by a good ten minutes of exploring.

The whole trek outside probably took 18 minutes (about the time it took to get them bundled up in the first place) which is about what I expected. By the time they came in, their hot coco was the perfect temperature and they got to tell me all about playing in the snow.

And I had to pretend I wasn't watching them from the back door the entire time, grinning from ear to ear :)

It's Beginning To Feel A Lot Like Christmas...

If you've been a faithful reader of this blog for a while now, you've probably picked up on the fact that I really don't like Christmas. And by "don't like," I mean "despise." Having small children who get excited about it is making my disdain for this stupid holiday not quite so vicious, but I'd still rather the holiday progression go from Thanksgiving to my birthday and not deal with this whole Christmas business at all.

But that being said, I'm never one to turn down a holiday get-together with good friends, food, and a craft. So tonight the kids and I headed to Sonya and Craig's for pizza and gingerbread house/cookie making. Logan and Kaylee had a great time with their buddy Onora...when they weren't falling off of chairs or being attacked by Sonya's new kitten :)

Nikki and Todd were there with some of their brood, too, so the older kids spent about two hours on their gingerbread houses. They looked great and gave me some inspiration for the construction that will be taking place next Friday when Savannah is home :D

The highlight of the night was probably when the kids all started opening their gingerbread kits. I was in the kitchen cleaning up from dinner and Craig came in with the bags of frosting mix. He got out the mixer and started making the frosting and said, "what do you want to bet that Sonya will walk in here in about a minute saying, 'I didn't know we had to MAKE the frosting!'" Sure enough, about ten seconds after he said that, the girl comes in the kitchen and says, "Craig, the kids are saying we are supposed to make the frosting! I thought it was just in there all made!" Craig and I just looked at each other and cracked up. Those two are so good for each other.

Thanks for forcing me into the holiday spirit friends.

And here are some pictures...

First Haircut...

The other day, I realized Logan's hair was getting SUPER shaggy and that it was time for a cut. Now, occasionally I will take him somewhere and have it done, but most of the time, I just bust out the clippers and give him a 3 on the sides and a 4 on top. So that's what I did. However, every time I end up doing Logan's hair at home, Kaylee starts digging around for scissors and says, "cut my hair, too!"

Of course I'm usually all, "but you're my baby and I don't want to cut your long, beautiful hair!" but this time I said fine.

It was just a trim...maybe like 2 inches by the time I was done. But it turned out nice and even (trust me it is. She kept cocking her head when she smiled so it looks longer on one side in the picture.) and Miss K was so thrilled that when Daddy came home, she ran up to him and said, "look a my hair! I so boofal!"

Finally An iPhone Blogger App!!!

My prayers have been answered. Back when I got the ole' trusty iPhone, I was bothered that there wasn't an official app for blogger. My SiL figured out a way to do it via mobil blogging, but you couldn't do it with multiple pictures or even a title. But now...look at me go!!! (However, I can't turn my phone sideways for the extended keyboard which is a bit annoying.)

So anyways, we got out tree up. Our REAL tree! The first time in our marriage that we have had a real tree. It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas in here, that's for sure.

So the night we got the tree was also Bloomfield's annual tree lighting ceremony. It's a big thing with hay rides and hot chocolate and Santa. Let's see how the picture uploading goes...

Recognize Santa? Yeah, Logan did too. So when we had him standing in line, we were encouraging him to tell "Santa" all the things he wanted. Then Logan looks up and exclaimed, "that's not Santa, that's my Grandpa!"

All in all, it was a fun night. Assuming Logan didn't mess up too many kids and their belief in Santa. Oh and if you ignore the fight we had about where to park for the tree lighting. Or if you overlook the incident with the tree flying off the roof of the van.

"It's the most wonderful time of the year..."