I'm late, I'm late, I'm late....

I think next year I'm just going to admit the fact that I can't seem to get this Christmas card thing done in a reasonable amount of time. My plan is to order the cards that say "Happy New Year!" so that I won't be considered late. Today is December 18th and my Christmas cards are sitting behind the photo counter at Costco. I'd love to blame this whole situation on the fact that my whole family, aside from me, is sick and that I haven't left the house in days. But the truth is, I just submitted my order 3 days ago. I really wish that I didn't have this affliction of tardiness, but it's real and it's me, at least with things like this. So with any luck, today I will find a few minutes where Matt is awake, and not at work, where I can run to Costco alone so I can get started on sending out my tardy Christmas cards. Let's just focus on this....better late than never. And worse case scenario....Happy New Year!

Move the Elf, Move the Elf...just keep reminding yourself...Move the Elf.

Addie passed out in her bed with her arm hanging out the side. I know every kid does this, but I love it. I also love that Dora's foot is in Addie's face! These are the Christmas jammies that Alabaster Snowball (our Elf) delivered this year from Santa! Tucker's Pjs have Santa in rockets flying around the planets (Nick & Nora @ Target) and Addie has Santas all over her Pjs (Carter's). They both LOVE the Pjs and they are wondering why they can't wear them every night. These jammies are going to get lots of love...and trips to the laundry, probably every other night!
So this morning I really felt the heat of all the fun and exciting traditions I've got going. I came SO CLOSE to dropping the ball this morning.

Here's how it goes:

Tucker whispers in to my room, "Mommy, Mommy, Addie is awake. She wants you." Only half believing him, because I don't hear her, I roll out of bed and head towards her room. By the time I get there, Tucker has climbed in her crib. (yes, still in a crib. She has made NO attempt to climb out, I have made NO attempt to spend money on a new bed.) They are playing nice and looking so cute and Tucker asks Addie, "Addie! Where do you think Alabaster Snowball is hiding today?!?"

....Oh Crap. My mind is racing...."I thought about moving that elf. Did I do it? ummm....NO! CRAP. NO! Ok...stall.... you are good at this Tami. Stall."

I get Addie out of the crib, and I leave Tucker there. Although he is nearly FIVE years old (a whole separate and tear filled blog topic) he claims that he can only climb IN the crib, but can't get out. PERFECT. So I get Addie out, change her diaper (again...a whole separate blog...I've got a lot of blogging to do) and I leave Tucker in the crib. While I'm changing her, I ask Tucker to do a series of "favors" for me, like turn off Addie's music, help Addie get her dolls out of bed, anything to keep him from following me to the living room where, no doubt, Alabaster is still in the same spot.

I step out of Addie's room calmly, but my very next step takes me into a flat out sprint to the living room. I jump up on the chair, grab the little bastard elf out of the giant stocking decoration and look desperately around the room for a new hiding spot. No time. Small feet approaching. Crap. Think Fast. No hiding spot. Here I go....I shove poor, little, bastard elf, Alabaster up my shirt and calmly say, "Man, I guess he's not hiding in here today! Tucker can you please let the dog out?" As Tucker agrees and heads for the sliding glass door, I take off for the other room looking for a hiding spot. The fastest spot I could find was up on a shelf amongst our nativity scene. NICE. I'm calling Alabaster a bastard elf, and then I go and throw him up there with Lord Baby Jesus. Lord help me.

So as the kids come in the room to find Alabaster, I go back to the other room to find a quick treat to throw in the advent calendar...another lovely and fun tradition that has me running in circles every morning!!!

I love it all and I wouldn't change a thing, but that little Alabaster sure did give me my cardio for the day!

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

I'm biased, I can't even hide that fact. I birthed them, I love them, I'm raising them to be decent human beings (hopefully), but really who can deny that they are beautiful? Have you ever seen two kids, at the same time, be so happy to see Santa? I've never witnessed it with my own eyes. I can't even claim this victory to my name. This was really how they felt. I did no coaching, prep work or bribing for this perfect picture.

As we were walking down the mall, headed towards the Santa village, Tucker caught a glimpse of the gargantuan structure and started jumping, hopping and yelling, "It's SANTA! It's SANTA!" He was, by no means, using an "inside voice" but I didn't even care. When your kids are jumping with a pure joy that you can vaguely remember having as a kid, you don't care what kind of scene your child is making. Everyone was looking, smiling and giggling at the sight of Tucker approaching Santa. Addie was excited too, but looked more like she was on a top secret mission where she just needed to approach the objective and complete the mission. She walked with a very quick and meaningful gate, which told me that she was ready to announce that she wanted everything Strawberry Shortcake, as soon as possible.

While waiting in line, Addie couldn't stop walking around in circles and Tucker...well honestly, in those 5 minutes of waiting, he made all the holiday madness worth it. Those moments in time will stick with me forever. It was one of those MommyMoments where you feel like you have conquered the pentacle of parenthood. You are the hero, you have delivered your child to Santa...and IT IS AWESOME. Tucker physically couldn't stand still. If his feet weren't walking, his hands were shaking, if his hands weren't shaking, then his arms were flapping. He was physically out of control! I can only imagine how crazy he felt in his own body! That must have been a rush like he's never experienced before.

When it was their turn to visit Santa, they both bolted towards him, jumped into his arms and gave him the biggest hug! So much for Stranger Danger. They sat on his lap and told him what they'd like for Christmas. Tucker wanted every remote control toy on the planet...robots, spiders, trucks and snakes. Addie wanted Strawberry Shortcake. After a brief from Santa on all the ways to behave (listen to your Mommy and Daddy, be nice to each other, and above all things, tell the truth. Not bad Santa. Want to come over every Monday and give "the talk"?), the kids jumped down from his lap. They both turned around and gave him another death grip hug and said, "Thank you!!".

I really hope that every trip to Santa gets better and better, but I do know that all good things come to an end. One day, they won't want to go see Santa. One day, they won't even believe in all this hokis pokis. But for now, we have a magical Christmas season that will live in my heart and memory forever.

Blogger Anger Management

I'm having some serious and real anger problems when it comes to my blog. I love this blog and I think about blogging quite a bit. I just can't bring myself to deal with the technology that is required to change my background, pictures and whatever else I think I need to do to keep up with all those out there with this cute, crafty blog. It makes me angry. There is Original template and then Designer template. My problem is that I think I want Original, but when I try to do that it doesn't seem like the same blog I used to understand. So then I go with the Designer and then it never comes out looking like I want it to. I'm just smart enough to get the basic job done, but not smart enough to make it do what I want. So the bottom line is this...I want to blog, blogging makes me angry. I'm going to try to get some therapy over the issue and get back to posting about my awesome life as a Mommy. I really need to be blogging because with Christmas approaching I have heard some pretty awesome things in the last few weeks.

Time Machine Blog

Isn't it stunning how much children change in one year?

I feel like as crazy as my life is, and as hectic as it feels with two young children I just want to freeze time. They are precious. They are cute and funny without even trying. They still think I'm cool. They want to cuddle, hug and kiss me and they WANT to be with me. Sometimes this feels like a curse to have children hanging on you 24/7, but I'm already starting to think about the days, that will be here sooner than I'd like to admit, where they don't want to spend time with me. I find myself being a softy for things that I would have normally put the smack down on. The main example I can think of is Tucker sneaking into my bed at night. I really do want my bed to be MY bed, but if I stop for just a second and think about how that shows how much he wants to be with me, I often break down and make a little room for him. I know he won't always want to spend time with me, cuddle me or even tell me about his life, and I feel like I need to gobble him up as much as I can now. I love four, and really as much as she can push me to the edge, Addie is a perfect 2 1/2 year old. She is funny, witty, and a loving little girl. She has started telling me that she loves me. I love the look on her face when she says our "I love yous" to each other. I say, "I dub you, Honey" and she says, "I dub YOU, Honey". I really need to get video of that. I hope that's something we can say to each other forever, but I think it will always be more special to me...well until Addie has her own daughter to know this intense love, then she really will understand. Why am I crying??? This happens quite a bit when I'm blogging. Maybe that just means that I don't take enough time during the crazy day to realize how precious and intense motherhood really is to me. Tomorrow I will try to focus on the little things, appreciate the attention (even the negative attention) and know that one day, I'm truly going to miss these days.

I Am Warrior, Hear Me Roar!

My good friend Olivia asked me if I wanted to do the Warrior Dash and who would pass up the chance to hang with your friends, drink beer and get muddy? Not this girl.It seemed appropriate to run for CPT John Hallett for so many reasons. First of all, I've never been able to participate in Lisa's Run To Remember running group and this was my way to Run To Remember John. Also, the run was on September 11th and what a way to honor a soldier than to remember him on a day that forever changed the path of his life. And finally, I needed all the good Army Ranger vibes I could get! Thanks John, you didn't let me down! I felt strong, capable and I had a blast.
Clearly this is after the race! We were plastered in mud. I'm still working on getting some of the dirt out from under my nails. I know it sounds gross, but I've washed my hands, showered and soaked in a hot tub twice...and yet I can't get clean! So funny!

This was a GREAT GREAT day and I'd do it again in a second. As much fun as the run was, my favorite part of the day was when all my friends after the race were cleaning the mud and hay off John's picture so that people could see why I was there. There were a few people who said they liked my picture, but never really commented. However there was one guy, late in the day, who came up and said, "Excuse me, who is CPT Hallett? Can you tell me about him?" I wanted to cry, I wanted to jump up and down with excitement, I wanted to hug this guy! I think people were afraid to ask. But this guy, he made my day. I got to talk about John, Lisa, Jackson, Bryce and Heidi. I got to talk about the brotherhood that the Army is, both brothers in arms and us Army wives. I wish I knew his name, I wish he knew what that meant to me.

Warrior Dash was a blast! Thank you Olivia for convincing me that I wanted to do it and that it wouldn't be THAT bad!

Lake Shasta: Additional Photos

Addie had a long day on the boat and needed to wash it down with a Mike's Hard Lemonade in a Brew Thru cozy. Nice. This picture should have been first, but this was the incredible view of Mt. Shasta on the way to the lake.

In N Out--Retro Blog

In N Out: These are half of the burgers we ordered when we went into Redding from Lake Shasta.
In N Out: Double Double Animal Style With A Chocolate Shake. Nuf said.

The Vacation Crashers!

The Vacation Crashers strike again! First we crashed Lincoln City and now we conquer an out of state vacation at Shasta Lake, California!

Our family is lucky enough to know Gene, Patty, Stephanie and Emma. Anyone who knows them, loves them. They have the most fun, the best smiles, huge and genuine hearts and more love than most families I know. Tucker, Addie and I were lucky enough to spend 5 days, 4 nights with this exceptional family on a beautiful lake, with a fast boat and a cooler of beer. The only thing missing was Matt, but after I got home tonight I told him we need to start planning for next year so he doesn't miss it.

It was Tucker and Addie's first time in the state of California. Addie's first time on a boat. Tucker and Addie's first swim in a lake (sad but true). And my first time driving alone in the car with the kids for 8.5 hours! They did a great job riding that long! I'm sort of on a Mommy-high where I feel like I can do anything and take them anywhere. I love it.

I have way too many pictures to share and I only have the pictures that were taken with my camera! This might have to be a mini-series of blogs to get all the fun in.

Thank you Gene, Patty, Stephanie and Emma for making this one unforgettable vacation. You are very dear friends of ours and we appreciate your incredible hospitality. Your friendship is a blessing in all our lives and we love you all so much. We look forward to our picture sharing date! I'M ON A BOAT!!!! :)

August 25, 2009

Today my heart is heavy. Today a few will gather to honor a soldier. Today marks the first anniversary of the loss of a solider, a husband, a father, a son, a brother, a friend. Captain John L. Hallett, III was an outstanding, hardworking and loving man.

He could swim like a fish. He loved to cook (and thankfully was equally as good at putting out fires). That Vidalia Onion will get you every time, John! He had a smile that could light up a room. He LOVED his wife. There was a passion there that is unmatched in most relationships.

John loved to organize! We met John and Lisa at Fort Benning, GA in 2005 and from the time we met John he was "organizing my music". I never knew exactly what that meant, but it was serious business! When we all moved to Fort Polk, LA in 2006, John was still "organizing my music". I'm certain John never finished organizing his music because honestly, I don't think that would have been finished even if John had lived to be 90 years old. John loved the label maker. If you go into the Hallett home today, you can find all the places John labeled things, in the kitchen especially. If John was here, he would spend a whole weekend reorganizing the kitchen because last time I was there, not everything was in its place! He also had a hidden talent of rapping Too Short songs. I didn't even know John knew language like that, but he was so serious about it. We were all shocked at first and then laughing so hard we had tears rolling down our faces. The Halletts loved throwing dinner parties and welcoming their friends into their home. We shared many tasty dinners with the Halletts, and I wish we could have those days back.

John has left behind a beautiful and strong wife, Lisa and their three children, Jackson 4, Bryce 2, and precious Heidi 1. John never held Heidi in his arms, but I can only imagine the way he would look at her pictures. I saw him with Jackson as an infant and went to the hospital when Bryce was born, and he loved holding those babies! I'm certain his heart ached every time he looked at Heidi's picture wishing he was there to enjoy his only daughter. Heidi is a very special girl, and she will know her Daddy's love even though he is no longer standing by her side.

John, your service was honorable, your mission was intended to bring medicine to a village that was sick and you never made it there. The insurgents took you, the other soldiers and that medicine away from sick people. They have taken so much, from so many. You gave your life for the people of that village, and the Americans who are so thankful. I am grateful to have known you, John. Thank you for the blessing of your family, they enrich my life greatly. I will continue to stand by Lisa and be there for her and your three children. I won't let her down, John. You can count on me.

One More Goodbye to the Army

On July 21, 2001 I became an Army wife. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but the Officer...well he was worth whatever it meant to be an Army wife.

It was a challenging, exciting, unpredictable, lonely, confidence building and unforgettable experience. The Army taught both of us what we were made of, how tough you can be, how far you can push yourself and how far you will go to be with the people you love. I am the woman that I am, the wife that I am and the mother that I am, because of the Army. I am tougher than I ever thought. I'm more self-sufficient than I ever thought and it makes me proud. Much of my identity, if not all of it, was being an Army wife.

We separated from the Army on October 8, 2008, a date I will never forget. On that day we became civilians. I had no idea what a departure that would be from who I had become. I felt, and still feel sometimes, that people don't understand me because civilian people can't understand where I've been. No civilian woman has put her husband on a blue school bus, kissed him through the open window and wonder if she would ever kiss his lips again. How does any woman find the strength to let that man go? We should all be hanging on their legs like two year olds, begging them not to leave. The memory makes me cry, right now, because that is such an impossible and powerful moment in my life.

Deployment, probably more than anything, changed me. We didn't have children at the time, so my mentality was different. I would always think, "I guess if he doesn't come home, at least he's not leaving children behind that won't know their Dad. I could make it through, I would just keep living, somehow." I had to mentally drive on, and make my day count and pretend like I didn't have my hand gripped around my phone every minute of the day, waiting for a phone call to say he'd lived through another 24 hours in theater.

Throughout the past 2 years, I have slowly been letting go of being an Army wife. Trying to decide who I am and how I need to adjust from Army wife to normal civilian person has been a struggle. I have missed the Army and the incredible friendships I developed. On the other hand, I can't imagine dealing with another deployment. As I continue to struggle with the transition, my last physical connection of being an Army wive was taken away today. My windshield is cracked and getting replaced this afternoon. My Fort Polk, LA window stickers had to be taken off the windshield. The tags have been expired for nearly a year, but there was something in me that wouldn't take them off. As I was peeling them off the windshield, I thought about how ironic it is that I waited as long as possible to put those stickers on my car because I didn't want to deface my beautiful, new car with ARMY stickers!! Little did I know how much my life would revolve around those stickers and the community that they represent. I have always thought that once an Army wife, always an Army wife. My husband might not be an active Army Officer anymore, but I am still proud as ever of my soldier. I am equally as proud of his wife, and what the kind of person that the Army has helped me become. This is my official departure from the Army, what a weird feeling.

I'm STUCK! ...yes, again.

Let me just preface this by saying I did NOT do this to him, I did NOT witness him doing this to himself...all I know is that it happened and it is real.

So we are planning this most excellent trip to Lake Shasta, CA with some fantastic friends. In preparation for the fun boating times, we bought Tucker a lifejacket. He is not a swimmer, not comfortable in the water and we will probably have some serious challenges ahead in the lake. So when we bought this lifejacket, I did not pack it away in the garage on purpose. I wanted to leave it out where he could look at it, ask questions about it and try it on if he wanted to. So every day, since buying the lifejacket, he has asked me to put it on him. I'm thinking, "This is exactly what I was hoping for! Positive interest in the lifejacket! Maybe, just maybe, he won't be as hysterical on the boat as I think he will be". So on about the 5th day of having the lifejacket in the house, I hear Tucker calling me from the other room saying that he is "stuck". He doesn't sound freaked out, he's not crying...in fact, oddly enough, he sounds quite calm. I walk into the living room and find this. He has somehow straightjacketed himself into the lifejacket, but only one arm! I don't even know how you do this. I was laughing so hard. He doesn't even expect me to rush to get him anymore, he just waits for the flash of the camera.

Lincoln City, Oregon

We took a great trip to Lincoln City, Oregon to meet up with some friends of mine from the college days! It was great to see everyone again and really amazing how 10 years can go by without seeing someone but the friendship picks up right where it left off. I'm thinking about crashing your annual beach trip from now on...the kids and I had a blast!!!

The boys! Tucker is flying a kite and everyone is trying to get their hands on it next!

Hillary and her beautiful daughter, Brindley.

Addie and Cameron! I love what a ham he is!

Addie and Tucker giving me their best posed smiles

Wedding Photos...Finally!

Well it's almost exactly a month late, but I finally got the scanner up and running! Here are a few wedding photos! The first one is not long after we saw each other for the first time on our wedding day, the next photo is of my Dad walking me down the aisle and the last one is Matt and I signing our wedding license. And the first picture is supposed to be tilted, it's not a scanner/operator problem!

The Story of Tami and the Suicidal Salsa

I went to Costco for THIS salsa. I get home, park in the driveway and open up the back. SPLAT. WTF. Salsa, my favorite salsa, on my feet, in my hair, on my shirt, on my legs, on my driveway.. not in my mouth. So I do what any Mom would do, I grab the frisbee out of the back of my car and I start scooping salsa, sticks, rocks and whatever other remnants are on my driveway into my Ultimate Frisbee. Then I have to use the hose to wash myself, my clothes and my driveway clean of salsa. Is this really my life? I use a frisbee to clean salsa off the driveway? Oh yeah, and I ruined my favorite race shirt with splattered salsa. Sad times. I want my six bucks back!

Anniversary Number NINE?!?

A day that will always be fresh in my mind, no matter how many years pass, is the day that I married Matt. I could recall nearly every detail of the day I married my best friend. I love that because I have a terrible memory. I can't remember what I did last week, so to remember NINE years ago is pretty darn good!

Our marriage is a long story, although some how nine years has passed by more quickly than I ever thought possible. The things we have done, the fears we have conquered, the obstacles we have over come, the places we have lived, have made us incredible together. I am thankful for our marriage. I am thankful for the struggles. I am thankful for the temporary separations. I am even more thankful for the reunions. I am thankful for a man who really loves me, and loves me the way I need to be loved. I am thankful for a man who knows me. I am thankful for a man who forgives me. I am thankful for the disagreements because it makes me understand him better. I am thankful for a man who fights for me, our country and our community. I am thankful.

I am NOT thankful that our scanner is not hooked up because I really want to share some wedding photos. Yes, if you were married nine years ago your photos are NOT digital...weird huh? Almost like being married in the dark ages. Feels like our wedding photos might as well have been etched into stone like Mr. and Mrs. Flinstone. I will work on that.

I not only want remember how thankful I am for Matt and our marriage, but I also want to thank those of you reading this who have helped defend our marriage. We have faced things that should have broken our marriage apart, between personal struggles, deployment, and lengthy separations, there were opportunities for failure. There are so many people to thank for defending, protecting and supporting our marriage, you have helped us grow and continue on this awesome journey together.

I recently found one of our wedding invitations and I read it and I'm so impressed by the wording because it was all so perfect. I remember feeling so much pressure to "get it right" and say exactly the right thing and I look back now and can positively say, "I got it right!"

God has led two lives

to take one path

(formal stuff)

....

invite you to witness their vows

as they begin their joyful journey

God really did lead us together, I know this for sure...and it really, really has been a joyful journey. I am so proud and thankful that we have made it to this day in July, one more year.

Addie's Joke

Eight days before Addie's second birthday, she tells her first joke.

"Knock, knock"

-who's there?

"Turtle"

-turtle who?

"Turtle Tim"

It doesn't make any sense at all. I'm not sure which cartoon episode I missed that featured Turtle Tim, but it doesn't really matter. I laughed like I was being tickled because it was more funny that she told a joke than the actual joke. I can't believe the rate she is developing and growing. Every day she does something that proves she will do anything to keep up with Tucker.

Blogger MIA

Ok, so I've been MIA. That's not a newsflash. But in my blogger absence, we have painted, moved, unpacked (kinda), got a sinus infection after catching whatever the kids had and now I'm on the mend. That's a pretty good summary of my last month!

So we closed on the house and immediately started painting. I need to hang some pictures on the wall to get the finishing touches done and then I'll do some before and after photos. I still have lots of painting to do. My current project is finishing the kitchen and also finishing the bathroom. Both are started, and unfinished due to previously mentioned sinus infection.

It's been an incredibly rainy spring and it's kind of a drag. It's been so cold and rainy that the trees in front of our house think it's Fall. The trees are losing their leaves and we have a wet leaf heap in front of our driveway. NICE. Nothing like composting in the street.

Tucker finished his first year of preschool at the end of May and he will go back in the Fall for his final year of preschool. Due to Tucker's December birthday, he will be nearly 6 when he starts Kindergarten. I have one more year to go before I have to face that reality. Preschool was tough, Kindergarten might be nearly impossible.

Addie's second birthday is right around the corner and she is growing up so fast. I don't think there is anything that she can't communicate with words. We can't understand every word she says, but most things are very clear. In fact, today we went to a bagel shop and Addie ordered her own toast and the lady knew exactly what she wanted. WEIRD. What's even more strange is that my belief that I'm done having kids is a real and honest truth. My womb does not ache with the desire to procreate like it did when Tucker was her age. Now, unfortunately, we have not done anything "permanent" about that situation, so hopefully we will stay in the clear. Only a miracle by the hand of God would make me have another baby. I would accept, but whoa momma, I would be stretched thin. But hey, my Mom did it and she hasn't run away yet...and you think she would have by now! I think if I were her, I would have gone running and screaming into the night!

Matt is doing well at his job and enjoying it very much. Since we have moved, he has come home for dinner almost every night. He wasn't able to do that before because we lived too far away. I like it because most nights he comes home after the kids go to bed so we are able to just be alone, although it's only for about 20-30 minutes. He will be changing shifts again in July and we aren't sure when he will be working, so we are preparing for another schedule change. We are just thankful and feeling blessed that he has work and that we are able to get a new start in the new house.

Before I sign off to face the mountain of boxes that still prevent me from just sitting down and relaxing with a freshly brewed homemade latte, I have an incredibly funny story that happened at Tucker's preschool.

**Say this story out loud to yourself because I'm not sure if you will hear the accent the same in your head.

One morning while driving Tucker to school, it started to hail. Now when it hails, Tucker says "It's raining hail". That's just the words that he uses to say it's hailing. So when we get to his classroom he walks up to his teacher and says, "Mrs. Broome! It's raining hail outside!" Mrs. Broome looks at me, looks back and Tucker and looks at me again. Suddenly, it dawns on me. I slowly say to Mrs. Broome, and all the other onlooking parents, "Mrs. Broome, it's raining hail, not raining LIKE hail." The smile on Mrs. Broome's face was priceless. She said, "Well, I know ya'll lived in the South and I just didn't know if Tucker heard something on the way to school today!" It was a good laugh for Mrs. Broome, all the parents and especially me. I don't ever want to forget that story.

I hope to check in soon with some FINISHED painting projects and some spectacular "after" pictures.

Ode To Mommy- By Tucker

On the back of this beautiful picture is a fill-in-the-blank letter that the teachers helped Tucker write. This is one of those things that brings tears to your eyes as a mother. Not only because it was so incredibly sweet, but also laughter brought some tears to my eyes as well. It's always interesting to see how your child perceives you, some of this is truth and the rest is ...well, you know.

My Mommy is the best mommy in the world!! She is as pretty as a beautiful shirt and smells as good as marshmallows. She is fifteen years old and she makes the best lasagna! Her favorite color is purple and her favorite food to eat is pancake and waffles and salad and salami. She likes to shop at Costco and when she has free time she likes to help me get up when I fall down. If she got a ticket to go anywhere in the world she would go to Portland or maybe Mars. Her favorite book is Christmas stories and her favorite TV show or movie is Disney Pixar's UP. I wish I could go to a park with my mommy every day. She is so special to me; I would not trade her for my Wii and if I could give her a present it would be a pink truck to drive. Happy Mother's Day!

Bed Head

My Daughter has some freaky hair. Sometimes it's straight, sometimes it's curly. And every once in a while, she will wake up from a nap and have this unfortunate event happen. YIKES. I hope this thing works out before she hates her hair every day of her life!

W.A.

W.A. Knowing is half the battle, isn't that what they say? Well we are helping Tucker seek the truth. He is addicted to Wii. He needs W.A., Wii Anonymous.

This is Super Mario Brothers. This is how many guys he has racked up. He keeps playing the same 3 levels over and over again because he his getting good at those levels and he knows where are the "1 up" mushrooms are hidden. He plays every day. He loves it. He is addicted. He is FOUR YEARS OLD.

Mother of the Year...yes, again!

I am becoming very confident that I will secure the Mother of the Year Award based on all of my stellar nominations.

So about 2 weeks back, Addie started grabbing at her diaper and yelling and crying. I would take her in the room, change her, wipe her really well and check for any signs of diaper rash. All clear. Drive on, Addie. We would go through this routine about once a day. Skip ahead to Tuesday night. She wakes up at 1 am (actually Wednesday morning) and her fever is 103 and she barfs, the reason I missed the house inspection. If you missed that story, check out the Interior Revealed post. So Wednesday I get her fever under control with Tylenol and Motrin, but after her nap she is back to having a fever of 102.3. So I call our beloved Doctor, who is thankfully the doctor on-call. He gives me some suggestions and says that he would be happy to see her on Friday if the fever isn't under control (he is closed on Thursdays). So we work on his suggestions and on Thursday afternoon she wakes up from her nap at 103.7. Ok, that's it. She's going to the doctor on Friday. So I wake up in the morning, call the Doc as soon as the office is open and get an afternoon appointment. Her physical exam shows nothing. No ear infection, no throat infections, lungs clear, lymph nodes not enlarged, and belly is feeling good. So he says there must be some infection inside that he can't physically see. So the game plan is, write a prescription for the antibiotics but not fill it unless she spikes a high fever again. He didn't want to just pass out drugs, but he didn't want to leave my high and dry for the weekend either. I thought that was fair. So then he starts talking about how it's difficult to diagnose small children with bladder infections because of the lack of urine sample. I start nodding in agreement understanding how that would be hard, and then it occurs to me... Addie is not potty trained, but she most certainly does go potty on the toilet very consistently when asked to go. So I told the Doctor that I was pretty sure I could get a urine sample, providing that there was even anything in her bladder. So they set up the toilet with one of those bowl like catchers in it, because our Doc likes me enough to not ask me to catch my almost-two-year-old-daughter's urine in a cup. AND SHE PERFORMED LIKE A CHAMP! Tucker was in the bathroom with us and he was cheering her on. "Alright Addie! Look at all that potty! Good job, Big Girl! Look Addie, you did all the way up to two. Wow Addie! Big Girl! I'm so proud of you!" ...on and on. When we returned to the exam room and the Doctor walked in, Tucker proudly announced that Addie did potty to number two (he was looking at the measurements on the catcher). It was so sweet and loving that he was genuinely proud of Addie's potty performance. But I was really, seriously, genuinely, honestly proud too. Such a big girl, just like Tucker said. She is in pain, and has been for who knows how long, and she does potty in a strange place, with a weird thing on the toilet, with me and Tucker staring at her! It was one of those weird, proud, Mommy Moments that just make you say, Damn Right That's My Girl! She's not even two years old and she just gave the doctor a urine sample!

So that was my proud moment. The Mommy of the Year Award comes in when I tell you that because of her stellar performance and urine sample, that my dear daughter has a full blown bladder infection. Who knows how long she has had it. I am now certain that her yelling at me while holding on to her diaper a few weeks ago was a sign that I missed. And really, why not let your daughter run around with a bladder infection for 2 weeks? Why not.

Once again, I give you permission to post your Mother of the Year nominations....come on...make me feel better!

Interior Revealed!

I'm certain that all the mothers out there know that there is never a good time for your kid to get sick. Inevidibly, when they do get sick, the timing couldn't be any worse. That was us last night! Addie woke up at about 1 am and I went in the room to change her diaper and calm her down. When I picked her up, she was incredibly hot! I'm thinking, "Oh man. Honestly? Tonight? Fever? Come on!" My game plan is pump her up on Tylenol, lots of hugs, kisses and water and then put her back to bed. I take her to the kitchen, give her Tylenol and on my walk back down the hallway I hear her making some unmistakable sounds. RUN!!! She's gonna blow! I make it to the bathroom just in time to lean her over the sink...I'll leave the rest unmentioned, I think you know what happened. She has never been sick like this before and she is really scared. Matt wakes up and comes in to help with wet rags, new jammies, and diaper and wipes (he didn't know I already changed her) and ultimately "sink janitor". God Bless Matt! We took her temp and she was 103. I ended up making a bed of blankets and sleeping on the floor with her. She was doing slightly better this morning, but not good enough for me to feel good about going to the new house inspection. If I had gone, that would be some severe Mommy Guilts if I had left her at home.

So, Matt went to the home inspection and took some pictures. Here's the Hillsboro Queen's Unveiling..... (as usual, the pictures are not in the order that I intended. I still don't know how to make the pictures do what I want...oh well)

The main bathroom.

The toilet is straight in front of the door and the bath tub is behind the door.

Dining room. Looking at the exterior of the house, this is the window that is to the right of the front door.

Living room. Looking at the exterior of the house, this is the window that is to the left of the front door.

Family room, picture taken from in the kitchen. The window on the right is the slider to the deck.

Family room again, showing other side of room. Also taken from the kitchen area.

The kitchen and laundry closet, taken from the family room.

Kitchen bar

Kitchen, window looks out to deck and yard

Deck right outside the house. Looking to the left

Deck right outside the house. Looking to the right...notice hot tub and play structure. The wall next to the hot tub is the master bedroom. There is a window in the master that looks out to the deck. One day that window might achieve a higher status as a sliding glass door or possibly french doors?