Henderson Family

I need to vent

2009-05-07T10:07:00.000-07:00

Just an FYI:

I am not friends with those who repeatedly lie to me. I do not respect those who do not uphold marital vows. I despise those who abandon their families for selfish reasons. I pity those who do not feel remorse for the pain they cause others.

Becky is 26!

2009-02-24T17:47:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my sister's 26th Birthday. In honor of this event I am listing 26 things you may not know about her.

1. She is afraid of escalators.

2. She reads magazines from back to front.

3. Her legs are a full 2 inches longer than mine although I am 1/2inch taller overall.

4. She could not sleep without the T.V. on. I wonder if Andy had broken this habit yet.

5. Her fingers and toes are the same length. Okay not really but it is close.

6. She only runs if something is chasing her.

7. She could not say R's and L's when she was little. She introduced herself as " Wabecca Wanee" until she was 5.

8. She once watched "My Girl" a record 42 times in 1992.

9. She belives that I am psycic and understands my crazy.

10. Her eyes change color based on her mood and what she is wearing. *** If you ever see that they are green - run!

11. She does not read books - except for Twilight.

12. She makes sure that her food does not touch on her plate.

13. She hates milk.

14. She wore "special shoes" as a child.

15. She gives her pets middle names.

16. She was named ofter our Great Aunt Peg.

17. Long toenails on other people bother her.

18. She put spinach in her spagetti. Who does that??

19. She gets carsick almost daily.

20. She has always called our little brother HoneyBear.

21. She once had a fish named Big Papa. He commited suicide by jumping in a sock drawer.

22. She is still friends with her BFF from high school.

23. Her favorite cake is German Chocolate, better known in our family as Sherman Chocolate.

24. She makes cute babies.

25. She hates to clean..

26. She is a wonderful daughter sister wife mother and friend.

I love you Becky. Happy Birthday!

Cat

2008-10-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

Gary said that I am not allowed to dress up in a T-shirt from Target and a witches hat again. Well, at least not for Halloween, so I decided I would be a black cat with Kaidence and Kenedee. As I looked at costumes on the Internet, I realized that there are not many costumes for adults that do not have sexy or naughty in the title. What happened to good old fashioned, modest costumes? Halloween is for kids right? Looks like I will be wearing ears, whiskers and a tail with jeans and a T-shirt.

Ronin is 4!

2008-10-06T18:58:00.000-07:00

Ronin Lucas is 4 today. He is growing up so fast and becoming such a amazing little man. Evey day I am thankful that he is a part of our family. He brightens each of my days. I love you Ronin. Happy Birthday!

By the way I have included a picture of his birthday cake. Yeah that's right. I misspelled in frosting. Don't judge me. When you multi-task something is bound to slip through the cracks.

Gliterous

2008-10-03T10:53:00.000-07:00

The other night, I was reading to the kids before bed and Ronin was trying to wrestle with his sister as usual. I am not sure exactly what happened but Raven ended up howling in pain. The conversation that followed went something like this.

Raven: Dang it Ronin, you kicked my Penis.
Mom: Ronin, please say you are sorry and sit down.
Ronin: Sorry (he was not sincere)
Mom: Raven, please do not say that word. We do not talk about private parts and you do not have a penis. You are a girl.
Raven: Girls do have a penis inside their baginis. I saw mine. It is just little.

Let me just stop here and say that I followed the advice of parenting books with Raven and taught her all of the proper names for body parts. The books said that it would make serious talks down the road less uncomfortable and if it was no big deal to us, it would be no big deal to the children. There is just one problem, normal parenting styles do not apply to our family. Instead of making it easier, it has snowballed into an awful ordeal. Not only is she too comfortable talking about private parts, she made up her own nick name out of the words penis and vagina for her private parts. BAGINIS. It is horrible when she says it in public; people must think she is a hermapherdite and I did not do a good job of explaining the situation. I wish I would have gone with jayjay and weewee. You would think I would remember this when these conversations come up but I never do. Anyways back to the story.

Raven: I saw mine. It is just little.
Mom: Honey that is not a penis. Girls have a clitoris.
Raven: A Gliterous! Ha! That is a pretty name but it is not pretty at all.
I then rolled my eyes and went back to reading. When I told Gary later, he said that I was alone in answering all the calls I would be getting from Raven's classmate's parents. Sigh.

Bringin Bloggin Back

2008-10-02T13:50:00.000-07:00

So I have been a MIA blogger. I blame it on the fact that I got chocolate in my camera back in June- I do not like to blog with out photos- but let's just be honest, I've been lazy. It makes me sad because we have had some really funny things happen and now they are lost forever. Since journaling is even more difficult for me ,I know that I need to blog to preserve memories for my children.

So I did it... I bit the bullet and got a new camera. Her name is Eleanore. She is beautiful. I wanted to show you all a picture but then I realized that taking a picture of my camera would prove very difficult. I considered traveling back in time to the moment I bought her. It is defiantly a moment that should be documented, like the birth of a child, but that got me to wondering... If past Eleanore and present Eleanore were in the same room, would Eleanore cease to exist? I am not sure about all the rules of time travel but I do think I remember something about that in Back To The Future. I began researching the Space Time Continuum but realized that is much more difficult than just getting a picture of the camera off of the Sony website. So alas, this is not my Eleanore but a camera that is in every way identical.

So I know if I am going to return to the blogging world, I better "bring it" with my first post. My Brother-in-law is extremely criticizing and I feel that I must put my best out there to appease him. He threatens to with hold Kenedee if I do not do what he says. With that said I have come up with a little song to mark the occasion. It is to the tune of Justin Timberlake's Bringing Sexy Back. For those of you that are not familiar with the tune, please select the song in my playlist so you get the full gist.

Bringin Bloggin Back

I'm bringing bloggin back
Yeah
Myspace and Facebook are really whack
Yeah
My family's crazy, got to lead the pack
Yeah
Was MIA now I'll never slack
Yeah
Take em to the bridge
Naked kid
Piles of laundry and dishes sway
Evil dog that always misbehaves
And a first grader looking for some praise
Take em to the chorus
Evil dog
come read about it
boy on farm
come read about it
empty womb
come read about it
Jo Bros "Swoon"
come read about it
girl sings off tune
come read about it
My huge hips
come read about it
children's smiles
come read about it
poop and bile
come read about it
And get your Blog on
Get your blog on (Repeat)

After browsing some of the blogs I used to stalk, I see that many of you out there need to take a look at your own blogs and ask yourself "Am I giving the people what they want?" Honestly, people, I need to know that I am not the only one out there with a whacked out life.

I AM RECOMMITTING TO THE BLOGGING WORLD and if you have been a little lax with your blog, I challenge you to recommit too. Maybe Andy can make us T-shirts.

Sad but Ecstatic

2008-08-21T13:54:00.000-07:00

So, if you know me, you know that I am a little nuts. I am capable of feeling many emotions at once. For example, part of me is very sad because the release of the 6th Harry Potter Movie has been delayed until next summer. I really like Harry Potter and it is about time they got another movie out.

A much bigger part of me ( and no I am not talking about my caboose) is totally exstatic because the release of Twilight has been moved up. Thats right... I only have to wait until November 21st!

Are you a Mega Spender?

2008-04-15T17:03:00.000-07:00

I have always said that if a person has any sale skills what so ever, I will buy. I have bought a sets of videos that we will never watch( only 8 more payments of $40 to go), pants that I " hope" to fit in some day and countless hobby supplies (this would not be so bad if I did not have to buy storage furniture for the rarely used supplies.) Gary and I are really trying to get our family in a better financial position but I find it difficult to change my ways. I know that I do not need material things to be happy but shopping is like a high.

I was reading MSN and came across these descriptions of Mega Spenders. While some of these made me laugh, it made me realize what a problem I have.

Hello, I am Shannon and I am a Mega Spender. Are you?

You have a yard sale every 3 months just to make room for more stuff.
You cannot fit anything else in your garage…and you don’t even have your car in there.
You have a separate filing system for each of your vehicles, including the boats and the RV’s.
You genuinely have no idea how much money you have, or where you have it, or where it goes.
You trade in your new car for a newer car every 12 months, or less if the mood strikes you.
You think a Vacation of the Month club sounds like something you’d be willing to join.
You think “Budget” is the name of a rental car company.
You engage in an expensive hobby without seeking ways to reduce its costs ($200 golf weekends, spending $2,000 for a hunting club, etc)
You claim to have “nothing to wear,” yet your closet is full to overflowing.
You camp out at a store to be the first to get the latest tech gadget.
You go to those “free vacation” time share weekends and fall for the spiel.
You’ve memorized the menu from more than one restaurant.
You’ve already spent your economic stimulus check, even though you haven’t received it.
You get jealous when the neighbors get a delivery from the furniture store.
You have HSN and QVC on speed dial.
You plan your vacations based on the shopping that’s available.
You know your credit card customer service reps by name and extension.
Your motto is, I came, I saw, I wanted, I bought.
You evaluate every purchase in light of its monthly payment, or what your limit is on Visa, or which credit card you’re NOT late on.
You don’t care that you have no money for savings, vacations, or entertainment, you spend it anyway.
You think wants are needs. Actually, you have no wants. They’re ALL needs. You may be broke but it’s not your fault.
You have a personal parking space reserved at the mall.
You don’t care whether you rent, buy, or lease, just give it to me.

Obsession and Sabotage

2008-02-21T13:13:00.000-08:00

When Christine introduced me to the Twilight series last fall, I do not think she knew it would change my life. No really, my life will never be the same. I am not afraid to admit that I am obsessed. I read all 3 books in 3 days-a big shout out goes to Gary for picking up the household slack- and I have re-read them countless times since. I love the characters and the way you "become Bella" as you read. I never had a love that was that intense when I was in high school and I can only imagine how this story changes the way that young girls look at love.

I was so excited when I finished the series, I decided that I should give each of my nieces one of the books for Christmas - you know so they could all trade and get the full experience- but Gary said I did not want to be 'that Aunt'. I gave them all cash instead and little did I know the books were all on their Christmas lists but because their mothers had not read them, they did not get them.

I secretly think Gary is sabotaging my efforts to become the cool ,fun aunt because he realized he is 'that uncle'. That's right I am going to call him out on this. Gary, the younger generations do not know who The Smashing Pumpkins are. They think U2 may be the band that Liv Tyler's dad sings in and they do not understand how Nirvana changed the world of music as we know it. They do not know life without rap and they never had to flip a cassette tape. Remember when your dad used to make you listen to the oldies station? That is what it is like for them when you make them listen to your 90's play list. Please stop trying to educate them.

Uh-hm - Just to set the record straight, one of our nieces borrowed one of MY CD's!

Sorry about that tangent. Sometimes I think of something else and get distracted from my point. Anyone who has spent the day shopping with me knows how easily distracted I am.

The whole reason behind this blog was to share a photo that was released of the actors that are shooting Twilight right now. I was not happy with the choice of Robert Pattinson as Edward. Cedric Diggory is no Edward but these photos have swayed me. I am so excited for the movie to come out and even more excited for the release of Breaking Dawn. Do you know what you will be doing August 2nd? I do!

So there you have it Andy. Let the teasing begin.

Ewww; It's All Icky and Stuff

2008-01-31T15:13:00.000-08:00

Apparently the children in our neighborhood have developed the funk. There is some sort of rash they are all contracting. School was released early and the Pinal County Depart of Health has been called in.

We will not be using the public parks until this is all cleared up. Not that I was actually going to take the kids to the park but now I have a really good excuse.

***disclaimer*** All information I have on this is hearsay. I am not a reporter. I do not verify facts before reporting the news.

Raven's 2nd Post

2008-01-17T18:37:00.000-08:00

To day the henderson family sawld a cat i almost climbed the fence

Our favorite author...right now

2008-01-17T18:02:00.000-08:00

The Henderson household is big fan of Shel Silverstein. We read Where the Sidewalk Ends, The Light in the Attic and The Giving Tree often. I have been working on the letter "A" and the color "Red" with Ronin and the boys I watch so it was a natural for The Giving Tree to be one of the stories we read this week. (Seriously, can you come up with something that starts with "A" AND is "Red'? I came up with ants and apples and then I drew a blank.)

Raven was sitting at the table coloring today and she looked at the back of the book which has this picture on it. She then says "Ugh, this guy he looks like he should be in jail. Just look at his face. I bet he is a robert. (She calls robbers roberts.) I giggled and thought that we should all be glad Raven is not a profiler. If a world renowned children's author should be in jail, what chance do the rest of have?

She just walked up and asked what I was blogging about. I told her and her only comment was" I hope the police do not blog. He will have to go to jail then."

Shannon's Brain - closed from 5pm-6:30am

2008-01-17T17:26:00.000-08:00

Every evening Gary calls me to tell me he is on his way home. It is nice because I get to hear a summary of his day and relief in his voice because he gets to come home to us. It also lets me know when I should start dinner and let's face it, a little warning so I can make sure the messes of the day are cleaned up. This evening's call was a little scary and then very funny. I do not remember it word for word but here is the gist.

Ring...Ring...Ring

Shannon: Hello?

Gary: Hey, I'll see you tomorrow.

Now as soon I heard this I thought to myself "What? He is not coming home? And no explanation? He CANNOT leave me here alone with the kids. What can he possibly have to do?" I gathered my panicked thoughts enough to question what I heard.

Shannon: What?

Gary: What?

Shannon: Did you just tell me you will see me tomorrow?

Gary: Um, no. I was saying goodbye to Mark.

Shannon: Oh I thought were saying that you were not coming home tonight. I was getting ready to freak out.

Gary: (laughing) Yeah that would not be so good would it?

I read through this and the retelling is not that funny. I just thought it was interesting that I was really more concerned that he would not be here to help me wrestle the kids into bed than I was that he had somewhere else he would rather be. Sometimes by the end of the day I am so tired that the last tasks of the evening (baths, pjs, teeth, bedtime story, bedtime song etc.) seems too much. My brain could not even fully process the thought that my husband might not want to come home to me. I cannot process life changing news between the hours of 5pm and 6:30am. I am sorry my brain has left the building.

Happy Birthday to ME!

2008-01-14T16:08:00.000-08:00

So it is official. I am no longer in my mid-twenties. I am in my late twenties and I have to say that I have never had a better birthday. Not only did I have a wonderful time celebrating with family and friends, but I finally feel like I am starting to understand myself and maybe even like myself more. I feel more comfortable with who I am today than any other time in my life. But enough about that.

Friday, after we picked Raven up from school, we picked up the Alvarado Family and met Nana and Uncle Jesse for a little retail therapy. It was one of those great shopping trips where everything you really want is on sale. Seriously, I found 4 pairs of shoes for under $35. You can't beat it with a stick. We also got Becky some really cute maternity clothes. We then met Gary and my Dad for dinner at Red Lobster. Even after waiting for over an hour they could not seat us all at the same table so my parents sat with the kids. I was bummed that I did not get to spend time with my parents but then again I got to sit at a table of grown-ups so I can't complain. After dinner my family gave me this awesome jewelry box that matches my bedroom furniture. It is huge. I cannot wait to fill it up!

Saturday was a day out with the girls. My mom, Becky, Michelle S., Susan, Michelle M., Aunt Sanza and Lindsay all got to come out for the day. We met for lunch at Island Burgers -yummy- and had so much fun chatting we were almost late for the movie. AHHH the movie. P.S. I love you. Let me just say that this is one of the best chick flicks of all time. I cried the entire time. Really not 5 minutes in to it and I was bawling. The plot was great but the best part was the settings and the men.
Settings -New York and Ireland. Two places on my list to visit before I die. Beautiful.
Men - Harry Connick Jr.- He sings he acts and he is beautiful
Gerard Butler- Was the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera but I had NO idea if you know what I mean
Jeffery Dean- Denny from Grey's Anatomy and the dad from Supernatural (why did he get killed off in both shows?)
So all I am going to say is Irish accents, an exposed backside and tattoos.

After Frozen custard I met Gary and we went out for sushi and to see National Treasure. The movie and food was good but the night out with my husband was great!!! I felt like I was playing hooky from my life all day!

Be on the lookout girls. I am going to make sure that we have girls’ only days more often!

Raven's Post

2008-01-09T15:47:00.000-08:00

to day i went to my friend maddison s house. to day she hide me from a boy. they have the same scooters as us. we played cops ans roberts. she has washable crayons. her room does not have enough toys but they have toys in there play room and i haved fun.

Happy New Year

2008-01-09T15:05:00.000-08:00

I know, I suck at blogging. Christine kind of scolded me this morning so I got busy! I know everything is kind of old but this is the stuff I meant to post but never got around to.

So as everyone knows, we found out on New Year's Eve that Baby Alvarado will be making an appearance soon. I was totally jazzed but also bummed since Andy kinda went into shock and they could not go out with us. -It's okay Andy, crying and vomiting are natural reactions to finding out that you are going to be a father.- Gary and I went out with his sister Josie, and her husband Jason. I love hanging out with them. They are so easy going and up for almost anything.

We went to dinner at Cooper's Town and then to a pub to hang out. Now I will admit that I may be a little to "Fountain Hills/Scottsdaleish" (Andy teases Becky and I about our sheltered upbringing and what we consider slummin' it constantly) but seriously, this place smelled like an outhouse. On the up side, we were the best looking group in the place- I am not being conceded, one of the guys there looked like the love child of Elvis and Sloth from the Goonies. They also had 1664. 1664 is the best beer in the world. It is hard to find here but it is all I drank in London.

* note to self - take a vacation, you need something else to talk about.*

Our friend Selina showed up and we got to meet her guy, Doug. He was super nice and she seems really happy. He has one of those familiar faces, like you know him from somewhere.

KIKI LEE I LOVE YOU!

2008-01-09T14:58:00.000-08:00

So the other day Kaidence was over at our house and we noticed she was missing part of her eyebrow. When asked about it, her mother confessed that she may have left her razor with in reach. I was SHOCKED - Becky shaved her legs? Guess that explaines the bun in her oven.

Tooth Fairy

2008-01-09T14:47:00.001-08:00

On December 27th Raven lost a tooth. Her first. It was a big deal. I knew the days was coming but I could not get up the nerve to do it myself. Raven can be pretty dramatic and I did not want to have to live with her if I caused her physical pain. Lucky for us Nana came to the rescue!

Ode to Hint of Lime Tostitos

2008-01-09T13:54:00.000-08:00

Oh, Hint of Lime Tostitos
Every time I see you, I stop dead in my tracks
For the evil voice in my head yells ‘you must not eat those’

But oh, how I love your light crispiness
Your salty, tangy goodness
My need is quickly turning into obsesivness

The slight tingle you leave on my lips
The crunch in my ear and explosion if taste
I am embarrassed to say I even lick my finger tips

My addiction is becoming so severe
I used to be able to hide it but I can no more
The 2 bags a week have settled on my rear

That Kid X 2 and their crazy mom

2007-12-13T16:42:00.000-08:00

Let me just start off by saying that I was never going to be that mom.... You know that mom that gives lame generic answers and drops off her kid at school before she showered. The mom that always seems a little frazzled no matter the time of day.

Alas, I am that mom. I have come to accept it, maybe even embrace it. I tell my children "because I said so". I tell them " We'll see" just to avoid a public fight even though I know for a fact the answer will be no. I check to see if the windows are open before I yell (what would the neighbors think). I bribe them in the grocery store and I use the " when your father gets home” threat. That being said, maybe I should have expected to have "that kid" but I didn't. I surely did not expect to have THAT KID X 2!

RONIN - THE NAKED KID
Let me just say that I do get Ronin dressed daily. Multiple times every day but that kid is always in his underwear. I swear, every time I turn around, that kid has stripped. He does not care that it is cold. He does not care that the neighbors can see. In fact being outside seems to intensify his need for nudeness. You know I probably would not care so much if no one could see but we live on the green belt. All of our neighbors walk behind our house to get to the mail box and guess what they can see as the walk by. Our back yard and our living room and kitchen. Basically the three places that Ronin is the most. Good neighbors of PCS in the QC... I am sorry. Please advert your eyes.

RAVEN - THE CLASS CLOWN
I know that Raven is a funny kid. She cracks me up on a daily basis. She is also very witty and dramatic. Sometimes I think she is a 16 year old in a 6 year olds body. Even though this is funny at home, it is a little embarrassing at school.

ie. There is a 3rd grade teacher that comes into Raven's class just to see if she has said anything funny. One time while he was there, Mrs. B asked Raven's table to line up. Raven was sharpening her pencil and says "Well this is awkward. Do I sit down or do I line up?" Seriously what kindergartner thinks like that? Raven also has trouble keeping her lip zipped. I could tell she had been crying when I picked her up from school Tuesday so I asked her what happened. She burst in to tears and told me that she had to flip her card. The note from her teach simply stated "Very talkative today". (I have no idea where she gets that from ;0)) Raven of course cried all day about it. I CAN NOT WAIT FOR PUBERTY!!!

I guess the silver lining in all of this is that I do not have THE STINKY KID.

Just another random comment before I go. I was reading Deanna's blog a few minutes ago. You know the one about watching what we say in front of our kids and the one about listening carefully before answering. This is a picture of what my children talked me into without my knowledge right before dinner. Yeah that is the gingerbread house we made 3 days ago. Notice that Ronin has no pants. DIRTY WORD!

99 things I am grateful for

2007-11-19T08:14:00.000-08:00

So I sat down to make a list of the things I am grateful for in my life. Some of the things are silly but it also helped me realize some of the things I take for granted. I really am blessed. Thank you to you all for making my life so much richer.

1. Gary
2. Raven
3. Ronin
4. My mom
5. My dad
6. Jesse
7. Becky
8. Andy
9. Kaidence
10. Bonnie
11. Gary
12. Josie
13. Jason
14. Josette
15. Mauro
16. Dianne
17. Kris
18. Kaitlin
19. Karli
20. Nathan
21. Mariah
22. Michael
23. Sienna
24. Grandma Perkins
25. Mimi
26. Stan
27. Grandma Lopez
28. Aunt Sanza
29. Uncle Narvin
30. Eric
31. Christine
32. Guhner
33. Addison
34. Deanna
35. Donny
36. Merik
37. Emma
38. Michelle
39. Bryan
40. Nash
41. Jared
42. Marcus
43. Lindsey
44. Jamie
45. Ally
46. Cody
47. Jonas
48. Our home
49. Our Health
50. Unconditional love
51. I got to know all of my grandparents
52. Friendship
53. Our past
54. The possibilities of our future
55. Books
56. Good food
57. E-telecare
58. Health insurance
59. The internet
60. Lexapro
61. Diet Coke
62. Crystal lite
63. Forgiveness
64. Play dates
65. Mrs. Broussard
66. Lucy
67. The Military
68. Our country
69. Detangling Spray
70. My DVR
71. IUDs
72. Hair color
73. Air conditioning
74. My supersized washer
75. Target
76. The microwave
77. Debit cards – I hate cash
78. Digital camera
79. Bubble baths
80. Music
81. Pedicures
82. Crockpot
83. Dishwasher
84. Electricity
85. Cars
86. Sleeping in
87. Giggles down the hall
88. Blogs
89. Email
90. Cell phones
91. Ikea
92. Sunglasses
93. Solar screens
94. Tylenol PM
95. Waxing
96. Bed time
97. Hugs
98. Kisses
99. Bedtime songs

Tag I'm it

2007-11-15T08:27:00.000-08:00

I have been tagged.

Four Places I have worked:
1:Jimmy's Filling Station ( a restaurant not a gas station)
2: Mountain Park Country Day School ( try answering the phone with that every day)
3: Comfort Inn
4: Phase 2/ Etelecare

Four Paces I have lived
1: Show Low, AZ
2: Fountain Hills, AZ
3: Gilbert, AZ
4: The QC... Andy and I try to make Queen Creek sound cooler than it really is

Four Favorite TV shows:
1: The Gilmore Girls
2: Friends
3: Grey's Anatomy
4: How I met your Mother

Four Movies I want to see:
1: I am Legend (mmmm...Will Smith)
2: Enchanted
3: Martian Child ( I love the Cusacks)
4: Charlie Wilson's War

Four Favorite foods
1: Orange Chicken from Panda Express
2: Diet coke or a diet Pepsi Max depending on the day
3: My mom’s bowtie pasta with pesto, asparagus and chicken
4: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Four Weird things about me:
1: I put 3 strokes of deodorant under each arm a day…. No more, no less
2: I am almost completely gray- thanks Grandma P and Mom
3: When I read a good book, I become obsessed. The house is a wreck and we order pizza or eat leftovers.
4: I like to have my toes popped- Gary tries but my Dad is the best at it.

Four Places I would rather be
1: London – I love everything about that city – even the cold
2: At the park with my kids
3: At the movies with a friend.
4: On a date with my husband – we don’t do that enough

Four People I am tagging
1: Gary Henderson
2: Andy Alvarado
3: Clella Sinclair – come on mom join the blogging frenzie
4: Josie Rapper

Mr. and Mrs. Alvarado

2007-11-13T07:29:00.000-08:00

So I have waited for Becky and Andy to post pictures from their wedding but apparently they have moved on;o) Here are a few pictures we got from the photographer early. Obviously they lucked out when they found this guy on Craig’s list and they got a SMOKING DEAL since he just moved here and is trying to build his portfolio. He is amazing. I cannot wait to see the rest!

If you want to see more of his work go to www.motionandpicture.com

The Great Mud War of 2007

2007-11-02T18:10:00.000-07:00

So, one of our favorite things to do is hanging out with the McCleve Family after school. The kids play really well together ( for the most part ) and it gives me a chance to catch up with Christine and let’s face it- sometimes you need to talk to another grown up for more than 5 minutes on the phone. The kids all love to be outside and since the blistering sun is not a concern right now that is where they are most of the time. I love that there is really not too much trouble the kids can get into in the backyard since it a secured area with only "mom-approved toys". I am sure you know what I am talking about. I have an on-going list of things that are not allowed in the backyard. So far I have had to outlaw dolls, action figures, DVDs, and spoons. Yes, I said spoons. My children think that our eating utensils are better suited for digging in the dirt than for eating. There is no way we can have everyone over for Thanksgiving unless we eat with our hands!

Anyways, Christine and I sent the kids in the backyard to play. They were digging in the dirt, running around and having a great time. We heard the water turn on. Now let me just say here, that as a mother you are required to holler “stay out of the water,” I am pretty sure it is some unwritten law that mothers pass down to their daughters, but face it, we don’t really expect them to listen to it. Every child needs to squish mud between their toes and make mud pies. Christine and I did do the required holler and went out 10 minutes later to make sure everything was under control but all control had been lost ( along with all of Ronin’s clothes- more on that another day). The events of October 30th will always be known as the Great Mud War of 2007.

There was mud everywhere - on the patio, the walls and all over the kids. We watched through the window and as soon as we went outside Raven looked up with a guilty look on her face and asked, “Can we play in the mud?” A little too late for that, Missy.

Later that night Addison told me “ We had so much fun today but my mom said we can never do it again.” I had to laugh about it. It is one of those things that you rarely give them permission to do but you are glad when it is done. Childhood really can be so much fun!

Raven's Best Day Ever

2007-10-26T20:46:00.000-07:00

So I know that I am way behind on my blog. It is my goal to get better. I also know that I should blog about my sister's wedding but I have no pictures... A camera was given to Gary but there was some sort of malfunction and only a few pictures were taken.

Raven turned 6 and in case you did not know, she thinks she is sort of a big deal. Becky and Andy got married on her actual birthday so I decided to do something special for her the day before. I took her to get her first manicure and pedicure - a simple indulgence that would make her feel pretty for the wedding. We went to the new place by our house and I was pleasantly surprised to find that children can get a manicure and pedicure for only $24. It was a real bonding moment for me and Raven. There was no whining... no begging... no temper tantrums - just a smile on her face as she was soaking her feet. As a matter of fact I actually got a “This is the best day of my life mom". It was so worth the $24. It was not however worth the $48 I was charged as we are leaving. That's right $48 for the nail care of a 6 year old. I forgot that those nails salons are tricky places. They speak so fast you do not know what you are agreeing to until they are almost done. They can "fife dahlah" you in to bankruptcy. My naive little girl agreed to not 1, not 4, but 6 flowers painted on her fingers and toes. Yes, they were cute and each one had "bling" in the center but seriously, $4 a flower? I about had a heart attack but decided to just pay and get out of dodge before I was charged "fife dahlah" for disputing the charges. When we got home, Raven went outside to play and came in with only 2 flowers intact.... I want my bling back.

Ronin is " FREE "

2007-10-08T08:32:00.000-07:00

Ronin turned 3 on Saturday,( or as he says "free") and it hit me a little harder than I expected. The Henderson Home now only houses "big kids." I no longer have a baby that needs me to care for them every second of every day. It almost makes me want to start talking Gary into a 3rd...almost.

We had a very laid back weekend. The kids were sick all week and since they were contagious, we had to cancel their party on Friday night. They did not even put up a fight which tells me we made the right decision. They would not have felt well enough to enjoy it.

Guhner and Addison surprised the kids with Birthday/Get Well Baskets. The kids loved them! It was so nice to not only get a birthday gift when they were feeling a little down but also all kinds of sicky treats. A huge THANKS to Christine! The kids felt so loved.