I need a time out

It is amazing to me that there is no such thing as a day off.  Not evening an evening off.  Not even on Mother's Day weekend.

What a crock.

I'm not going to expand, but I'm NOT happy this morning.

Rawr

I am married to a fine specimen of the human race.  That's all I have to say.

~meow~

My little girl

I talk about the boys quite a bit, but haven't really shared much about my little girl.  

Nah, she's not a daughter in the traditional sense, but she's my furbaby.

After I had Logan, Stuart and I decided we wanted a dog.  Not a puppy - a dog.  We looked at a few different websites, and on Petfinder, we found about 4 dogs we were interested in.  We did a little more research on whether the dog would be a good fit with our family.  A couple of the dogs were given new homes before we could get to them.  We had given up hope, decided to just wait.  We thought that maybe it wasn't the right time.  

I'm gonna let you in on a little secret:  If I'm told something isn't going to happen, but I really want it to happen, I keep looking.  I accept that the timing, finances, and/or practicality isn't right, but what does it hurt to look?

Then I found the most BEAUTIFUL dog.  She was a boxer mix - the breed Stuart and I both loved.  She was brindle, and favored Stuart's dog that he had growing up.  She was good with kids, and had good reviews.  I was SO afraid we wouldn't get to her in time.  She was over 3 hours away.

In e-mailing back and forth, I got to know a little more about Dutchess.  She had been surrendered with another, smaller dog.  The smaller dog was adopted quickly, but she'd been there a while now.  She had a great personality and was really patient.  They were able to take her in the kitten room with them at the shelter and she just sat quietly.  She was fixed, and would be microchipped before she was able to leave the shelter.  

The kicker - if she wasn't adopted by the end of the week, they were going to have to put her down.  She was half price to try to entice someone to take her.  I e-mailed every possible question and BEGGED them please to just hold her until Stuart's day off.  

We got there and took the kids inside.  She walked right up to Logan, who was almost 5 mos and sniffed him and gave him one little kiss.  She played with me and Chase.  She sat.  She was well behaved.  

She was ours.

We have been SO blessed to have this animal in our lives.  I wonder about her background - her past.  I know she has stories in there that I wouldn't believe.  I'll have to write about that another day, though.

She was housebroken.  She was PERFECT with the kids.  Never aggressive with her food or toys.  She still is great with them.  She has a little growl especially for Chase if he's climbing on her or annoying her.  It clearly says, "Please, leave me alone."  She's much nicer about it than I would be.  LOL!  He loves her dearly, and calls her always "Dutchie", never "Dutchess".

Oh, and Stuart says she's MY dog.  Let me show you something:

 This is a picture of "my" dog when Stuart has been gone for a few days.  She's at the loveseat by the front door pouting for him to come home.  The other day she was on the back of the loveseat while I was online with her head on my shoulder pouting because she missed him so much.  Mmmm hmmmm.  My dog.

Today we had such fun.  Stuart was home for a whopping day, so it was tough on all 3 of the "kids" when he left.  We decided to play hide and seek.  Every time it was my turn to hide, though, Dutchess would cheat!  If I hid in the closet, she'd crouch right at the closet door and bark to alert Chase.  If I was behind the door, she was at the door, tipping him off.  It was quite unfair.  

I decided to let her play hide and seek, if that was what she wanted.  I took her orange toy (it's a rubber dog toy that looks like a jack) and hid it.  I'd have her sit and stay in the living room, and then I'd hide it in one of the bedrooms in the back.  She was SO happy to play hide and seek with her toy.  We played two different times today.  She was smiling and so pleased with herself.  There was only one time she couldn't find it.  She was hysterical to watch!  She even thought I'd hidden it on the bookshelf in the boys' room, so she stood up on Logan's bed on her hind legs trying to sniff up there.  It was adorable.

I can't wait until Daddy gets home so that he can see my pretty Dutchie's new game.  :)

This just in...

I'd mentioned on CC's a while back (can't remember whether I mentioned it here) that the hubs and I were considering a cruise this summer.  Well, with the possibility of him going to EMT school, him being in drydock, Chase starting school early, and the 100%+ cost increase during the summertime months, we've decided to hold off on the cruise.  

Instead, we'll be going to New Orleans for 4 days!  WOOO HOOOO!  Last time we went, I was pregnant with Chase.  There was no drinking, and a LOT of waddling.  Since I'm starting WW this week, it'll give me time to be at LEAST 15 lbs down, if not more.  I'm not a big drinker, but it'll be nice to have the option of an adult beverage.  

We're looking at taking the Jazz Dinner Cruise and really having a good time.  Oh, and a king sized bed with no kids or dog.  :)

Also, my sweet man told me that for our 10th anniversary (in 2 years) he wants to go to an all-inclusive resort for a week or so.  He's thinking Turks and Caicos or the like.  Isn't he the best?

It's nice to have things to look forward to.  

Life isn't a dress rehearsal

You know those cliche' things that you hear repeatedly?  Do you ever really think about them?

I was chatting with my friend Sonya a few days ago, and we were talking about changes in my attitude and perspective.  We were talking about all kinds of things, frankly.  I told her how important it was to me to have a beautiful bedroom.  I have satin sheets on my bed, scarves hung from the ceiling as a canopy, curtains on the windows, and pretty things in there.  I've never had a room that was beautiful like this, and my parents certainly never had a bedroom that was an oasis - a retreat.

She then said, "You know, Amber, life isn't a dress rehearsal.  You've got to make the most of it while you can."

I'll tell you I've heard that saying so many times before, but it really started to sink in the other day.  I do need to make the most of each day.  

Today I got some news that made me appreciate that advice even more.  You know, we never know how many days we're going to be here.  We don't know how many more kisses we have to give, hugs left to offer, tears to shed.  We aren't guaranteed that we'll wake up tomorrow.  There's no promise that we'll see the kids grow up and have kids of their own.  

I'm not trying to be all doomsday and negative.  Quite the contrary.  Because we aren't guaranteed anything in this life, we need to take advantage of every moment.  Kiss like you'll never see him again.  Hold your children like it's the last time.  Tell your friends you love them and the impact they've had on your life.  Stop your bad habit that you've been wanting to change.  Find a friend you lost contact with.  Say I'm sorry.  Forgive someone.  

The truth is, this is the life we're getting.  It's up to us to make the most of it.  There's no understudy, and there's no do-over.  This is it.  

Go break a leg.  ;)

Goofy kiddo

These boys are too much sometimes.  They really are.  Usually it's a good Chase story to share, but this evening is Logan's turn.  Since he ditched the binky, he's quite the little conversationalist.  He thinks so, anyway.  It's always interesting to try to figure out what exactly he's trying to say when he tries to say big words.

After dinner, the boys wanted a couple of Ritz crackers for a snack.  Logan's been really bad about just crushing a snack and letting the dog clean it up.  I heard the crackers crunching, but not hitting the floor.  He comes running up to me and says, "Heeuh!  abozzabee!"

Now.  I know that the first word is "here".  The next concoction of sounds was really stumping me, though.  He said it again, and this time crammed a piece of broken cracker in my mouth.  Then it dawned on me.

Garbanzo beans.

Not familiar with the picture?  It's from a show called Zoboomafoo.  The lemur eats - you guessed it - garbanzo beans.  What a thing for a 2 year old to be trying to say...

Du Nuh Nuh Nuh Na Nuh...

"They say it's your birthday!!!!"

Yup.  It is.  What a year this one's been!  Better than that, what a DAY!

I woke up this morning and the kids were rip roarin' to go.  Chase said, "Mommy, is it your birthday?  Where is your cake and all your boxes?"  Made me feel really good in a way, because he knows that birthdays are a special day around here.  Made me a little sad because Stuart's not here and there's no way I was going to bake myself a cake and whatnot.

I made the boys some breakfast and tried to decide what I wanted for myself.  I was needing a little comfort food, so I had some Quaker Old Fashioned Oats.  I know, oatmeal may not seem like comfort food, but my Nanny used to make it for me every morning when I'd stay at her house.  In fact, she insisted on making me a bowl when we stayed there last month.  :)  To make it even more special, I picked myself some strawberries off my plant out back.  It was a nice breakfast.

About 2 bites into my oatmeal, the phone rang.  It was about 8:25, I guess.  It was my dad calling to wish me a happy birthday.  I talked for a couple of minutes, and heard the phone beep.  It was my new friend, Leah, calling with an exuberant "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!"  It was great.  :)  I called her back after finishing with Dad.

I did some chores around here and took a shower - a treat any day, but especially on my birthday!  It's funny.  When you're a SAHM of preschoolers, a shower is such an extravagance.  I fed the boys lunch and we got dressed to go to town.  Of course, I'd had some computer time during the morning, and had mentioned that I'd be picking up trash bags.  My Coastie Chicks are always good for a laugh and an inside joke or two.  ;)

We left to go to town.  I intended to go to Target and head home.  In the parking lot at Target, Chase asked if we could go to Kohl's.  SURE!!!  I was just going to window shop, because I don't have extra money to be going on a shopping spree.  He wanted to help and push Logan in the stroller.  He was pushing a little faster than I'd like, and not steering very well.  I was trying to quickly scan the racks and keep him from knocking down all the displays in the aisle, when I realized that my phone was ringing.  

It was my Nanny and two sisters.  They were eating lunch together and had me on speakerphone.  Mind you, I'm still in Kohl's.  Chase at this point was out of control with the stroller and was ADAMANT that he had to push.  Uh, wrong-o, buddy.  We left.  *snort*  I was still trying to fight the speakerphone to understand portions of the conversation with my sisters and grandmother.

Once off the phone with them, I headed into WalMart to retrieve the aforementioned garbage bags.  I also picked up a wide brimmed hat for when I mow the yard.  It was a whopping $3 on clearance.  I've noticed that since there is sunshine here, my freckles are getting pretty bad the longer I'm outside.  Go figure, right?  I am using sunscreen on my face, but a hat won't hurt.  Okay, don't tell anybody, but I picked up a couple of things from the bakery.  I got each of us a little triangle pastry for after dinner.  It IS my birthday, after all.

I got home, and Logan had fallen asleep in the car.  I brought Chase in, carried in the bags from the store, and brought Logan in.  Chase reminded me to check the mail, and I'm SO glad I did!  My mailbox was nearly full!  I had cards from Alaska, California, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Virginia, Ohio, Maine, and Texas.  You know I'm working on my self-worth, and these cards were certainly humbling.  Wow.  To know that so many people think of me so fondly was really, really nice.  It made my whole day.  Oh, and you have to see my mantle!!!!  

I got an e-mail with some pretty good news not long after checking the mail, and thought maybe I was going to have a pretty fantastic birthday, after all.  A great friend called - for the second day in a row, at that - with a family serenade for me.  It was great!  It was nice to have such a special and personal acknowledgement of my day.  Of course, there was a beep...a call on the other line...Computer and Printer emergency in CA.  Okay, I'll call right back... Back to chatting, relaying my beautiful surprise in the mail.

Drip.  Drip.  Drip.

Oh, no.  That can't be.  It's not...

the washing machine.

Yeah, you should probably let me go...

Sop up the water on the floor with a towel as I finish cooking myself some dinner and call to try to solve the computer mystery.  Luckily it wasn't a problem at all, just a minor communication glitch between the chair and keyboard.  Phone beeps again.  I swear, everyone has to talk to me at the same time today!

I called my Mom back a little while later and was telling her about my day.  About the great socks I got from Alaska, about the washing machine, etc.  Of course, since I'm on the phone, the kids need to talk to me RIGHT NOW.  That's how it works, you know.  This time it was completely worth it.  The boys had finished their dinners and were having their dessert.

Mom?  Happy Birthday!  Here's your cake!  Blow out your candle, okay?

mom!! Ha Budday!!!

My little (big) boy had taken his bendy straw out of his glass of water and stuck it plum in the middle of his pastry.  I guess all day it had really been bothering him that I didn't have a cake.  Logan chimed right in with birthday wishes.  He held out a bite of his pastry, offering it to me nanoseconds before shoving it in his mouth.  Not Chase.  His straw was my candle, and his pastry was my cake.  I insisted that he eat it, but that was probably the most special little cake ever.