Friendly Neighbourhood Spiderman

In December, we got around to painting Caleb's room. We finished right before my mom came to visit and I never got around to taking pictures. I am going through each room spring cleaning, so I grabbed the camera before the boys could get back into their room. The posters are from some calendars from 2006 and 2007. Sticking them up there was a nightmare. I tried double stick tape, sticky tack, and glue dots. Nothing worked. I finally found some really tiny map pins and we tried to match the colours with the corners so that they would blend in. I think it turned out pretty cool. And, since we had the calendars, and the Spiderman sheets and blankets on clearance at Walmart for $5 each, the main cost was the paint.

The Colours of Spring

Ah, Spring in the South. I have to say, that this is the most beautiful place to be in the Spring. The Bradford Pear trees, Saucer Magnolias, azaleas,

phlox,

lilies, irises, and daffodils.

You really cannot beat the amount of flowers right now. But, in the last few weeks, a more prevalent sign of Spring has emerged.

The pine pollen. And it is EVERYWHERE!!!!! Even on my nice little new car : (

Pets

We've always been a furry little creature family. Mice, ferrets, and guinea pigs. We're not quite ready for dogs yet, since Liesie is so small and I want her to not be face to face with the dog. We had been without a pet for a few months when my next door neighbour asked if we wanted his son's fat-tailed gecko. Being assured that this was a low-maintenance pet, I agreed. I have been pleasantly surprised at how much we like him (or her, haven't checked yet). He sees the kids come up every night to get ready for bed and he comes out to wait for his crickets. It's really cute to see him shake his little tail right before he grabs the cricket.

Since Caleb had the space to keep the cage, we put him in his room, even though it was a family pet. Apparently, though, location is 9/10ths of the law, even though the kids know it's a family pet. Heaven help me when we get a dog and the dog favours one room over the other. Mischa then decided that she wanted one for her room. I told her for her birthday we'd get her one.
Since today is her birthday and tomorrow she'll be getting a cage from Grandma and Grandpa, I went out to visit a couple of the pet stores in town to see what they had for our shopping trip on Monday. There is a Petsmart right by the Target I go grocery shopping at, so Liesie and I stepped in to see what they had. Nothing really in our price range, unfortunately, so I turned to go. At the exit there was a dog rescue group, so I had to step around them a bit. This new route took me by two hamster cages and a 10 gallon tank with the tail of an albino leopard gecko sticking out from a hiding spot. I went to look closer and saw that it was for adoption. I was just about giddy at this time, lol. I asked about it and the associate went to get someone who knew about it. After a few minutes, the lady came to help me. Turns out, after unhooking a really cool magnetic rock hiding place (the outside of the "rock" sat on the outside of the cage so you could check on your pets inside), there were 3 geckos in there! They were all pets of the employees, so they are all really tame and really healthy. I got all 3 (now each kid has one), the heat lamp, hiding rock, and cage for free! She was really excited that we were already a gecko family. So our newest members are a leopard gecko,

(she's a little feisty and active)

albino leopard gecko,

named Leopard Stripes by Mischa

and blizzard leopard gecko.

8 At Last

Mischa has been looking forward to turning 8 every since she turned 7. She cannot wait to get baptized. She had been really, really, really wanting to be baptized on her birthday, but this year the Spring Session of General Conference of our Church starts today. With three 2 hour sessions throughout the day today, there is no way for a baptism to occur. She's getting baptized next Saturday instead. She's taking that in stride better than the fact that her birthday party that her friends can come to will be in May (I could do it during Spring Break, but it wouldn't be that great of a job, plus a lot of people are going out of town make it pretty much a failure). She'll be getting the family party tomorrow, and on Monday we'll probably go shopping for her gecko.
She's bummed today because it's raining, but I pointed out that party day is supposed to be nice and sunny.
She's been really fun to watch growing up. She's very into reading and crafts right now. She loves her family and playing with her friends. I couldn't ask for a more helpful child and she is always eager to please. She is a very good example to everyone.
Happy birthday, Mischa!

More Birthday Excitement

Yesterday was Anneliese's third birthday. I am ready for a quiet weekend for a change. My Grandma Kinney passed away on the 7th, Perry's birthday on the 17th, Easter last Sunday, Liesie yesterday and then Mischa's birthday is on the 5th. We're hoping to get her baptism done on the 12th (Caleb's karate graduation to green belt is that morning, too), since the troop is going camping on the 18-19, and I have camping training on the 26th.
Yesterday was pretty low key at the start. We didn't do too much in the morning, and then things got started around 2. We went to a graduation party for a friend's son, where I found out the time for the birthday party at my Dad's house (since Mischa and Anneliese are a week apart and they have a cousin born on the 27th, we have a party for all three at once) was going to be 3 on Sunday. I hadn't even started the cakes. We stayed at the party for about 45 minutes and left. We went home to get Perry's phone since we would be getting Liesie's present at Target and would be separated during that time we figured we needed a way to communicate. We got the keys and started for the freeway, since we were also going to BJ's in Cumming, about 20 minutes away. We had gotten about halfway to the freeway when our friend called from the party. We had left Joshua. In the hustle of getting everyone to the car, and the fact that he buckles himself in, we didn't realize he ran off to play before we got to the car. They wouldn't have noticed, but he got hurt and then they realized he was still there and we had left. Went to pick him up (they hadn't told him he was left behind, thankfully) and headed to do our grocery shopping. Got home and had some mac and cheese (birthday dinner for both girls this week and next) and did the blowing out the candles in a Twinkie. I figured we were having cake the next day and this would do. During the course of the day, it became obvious I was coming down with pinkeye. Did Liesie's present, ran to Walmart and Kroger to get the last few things that were on our list but didn't want to get before dinner since it was raining, and started the cakes.
I was going to stay home today since I was still contagious and also the fact that I only have a pair of broken glasses came into play. Hopefully I will be able to wear my contacts by Tuesday, when we have a Brownie meeting. As Murphy would have it, I have an appointment to pick out new glasses next Monday. I should've scheduled an appointment the day Liesie came down with pinkeye several weeks ago. Oh well. Then when we all woke up this morning, Mischa had pinkeye, too. The party ended up being postponed until next Sunday, but I was almost done with the cakes by then. I hope they freeze well.
I'll have pictures of the birthday girls next week, along with their Webkinz cakes. This is going to be a taxing tradition on my creativity. Three cakes that are all different, yet have the same theme. Mischa picked this year's, so maybe I'll have the girls each pick a year.

New to Us

Well, after much craziness (the car wouldn't start when Perry went to pick it up Tuesday night, didn't get to our house until he came home from work Wednesday night, and then wouldn't start on Friday-his key wasn't "talking" to the engine), this is our new car. I really love it. It's a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan.

Easter 2008

9:00 church doesn't jive too well with the Easter Bunny and pre-church pictures. We usually do the Bunny on Saturday, to help with the focus of the meaning of Easter and help with the craziness of getting ready for church. Luckily, we made it all through church without too much damage to the looks.

December Recital

Mischa's piano recital in December, by popular request.

This is the second dress I've made for her. She started piano at the end of last July and has really picked it up.

Growing Up

I just realized today that Liesie hasn't asked for "mama milk" in a week or so. For about a month I've been able to distract her with breakfast when I'm on the computer, but she was asking. I guess my little girl isn't so little anymore. Now to work on celebrating the end of diapers. THAT won't make me so sad, lol.

All Good Things Must End or Out with a Bang

20 years, 9 months. That's my perfect driving record. Or was my perfect driving record. I guess subconciously I wasn't satisfied with the presents I had picked up for Perry's birthday on Saturday.

I was pulling out of a shopping center about a mile away from the house, turning left. The lane closest to me was backed up, and the lady about to block the entry way waved me in front of her. I didn't see the pickup truck coming in the next lane over. Thankfully I was going slow and even though he wasn't, he saw me and swerved, so there wasn't much damage to the cars (I at least punctured the antifreeze tank and knocked out my headlight completely). I freaked at first because all I saw at the time of impact was glass going everywhere. Turns out this guy is from a glass shop on his way to an installation. Now we have the fun of deciding what to do with our 11 year old car. Ugh.

Josh loved that the policeman gave him a badge, and he and Anneliese loved running around the shopping center for the hour and a half we were there.

Liesie was really cute when we got home, though. I started crying on the way home and she deemed my eyes sick (she is just getting over pinkeye right now, so she's an expert) and insisted I go to bed. I told her I would once I had some lunch and the box of Girl Scout cookies sitting in the fridge (yay booth sale yesterday), but she grabbed my finger and marched me right up. I came down after a minute and when she discovered me, insisted I go back up. I sat at the top of the stairs so Perry and I could talk, and she kissed all over my face. As demonic as her little going-on-3 self can be at times, she sure can be an angel.

I'm thankful no one was hurt, and the guy I hit was really nice, but I had quite the busy week this week, and having this bop around the back of my head for the next little bit isn't going to help.

Oh well. Happy Birthday Honey!

As an aside, as I was waiting for my lunch to heat up, I remembered that we were almost out of gel and allergy medicine, so I wrote those really quick on the shopping list. Perry took the pen out of my hand and added 'car'. Gotta love him!

Happy St. Perry's Day

And a happy birthday to my wonderful husband! You have been such a rock to me and I couldn't imagine going through life without you. I hope your birthday is as wonderful as you are. I love you so much!!!!!!

Cake Mania

Here are my latest three cakes that I have worked on over this last weekend. I haven't done a cake since the Pinewood Derby, and then I get these three for one weekend. The first one was due on Friday, and the other two were for Tuesday, but my grandmother passed away Friday morning and the last two had to be done by the time I left Monday morning. It was quite hectic around here last weekend.


This one was for a first birthday- the small one is the smash cake.

This one was for MOPS- we were having different birthday themes and our table was either sex. I forgot the toasted coconut that was to be sprinkled on the ground.

This was for the husband of my Brownie co-leader. He turned 47.

Stop the Drama

The past two days have been just one thing after another. Caleb is on some new medication and the last prescriptions we got were written by his child psychiatrist, who is out of network. He ran out of his medication so I dropped it off at the pharmacy to be filled before heading out to the park. I got home with a message from the pharmacy- the 2nd medication was on backorder. Perry goes to pick up the first and they haven't even filled it, since they thought I meant that he would be picking up the paper prescription (both medicines were on one sheet) when I meant the pills themselves. They say they can fill the one but that we would have to get another prescription for the second. He finds out that another pharmacy nearby has the 2nd one so he goes there. They inform him that since the prescribing doctor is out of network, we would have to pay full price for both (only one is available as a generic). I tell Perry to come home since it's after 7 (he had been at this since 6:15) and I would call Caleb's doctor in the morning. I call this morning to have the doctor write the prescriptions, which I arranged to pick up from her office. I got a call about 30 minutes later- his doctor is out for the day and the other doctors usually don't write prescriptions for ADHD patients that they don't see. They found one doctor he had seen before to write one for him. I went to the store to get some stuff after this conversation and get the mail. Our dentist is moving about an hour's drive away. I already had it on my plate to find an optometrist to check Mischa, a doctor for me for migraine meds, and now I have to find a new dentist. Of course, Caleb and Mischa have an appointment on March 8th, so now I'm sure that will be pushed back quite a bit. I don't think there is enough chocolate in the world at this point.

Chocolate Snob

I think Anneliese has made Valentine's Day her favourite holiday. Caleb came home with a bunch of chocolate candy that he won't eat, so she's been chowing on it all day. She came to me with a heart to unwrap and it turned out to be one of those crispy rice kinds. She took one bite and said, "Mommy, not good". No more bites for her. A little while later she found me and had unwrapped a plain chocolate heart. It had one bite taken out of it. She showed it to me and proclaimed it "perfect" before shoving the rest of it in her mouth.

Pinewood Derby 2008

We had our Pinewood Derby a few weeks ago. Pictured with Caleb, Mischa, and a Flat Stacy visiting from a Brownie Troop in Michigan (last year we had a Flat Stanley) is the Fat-tailed Gecko. Caleb came in 5-5, which is what he did last year. He missed coming in fourth by less than an inch. He won best paint job, which was funny because the car isn't painted at all, it's a skin.


After the race we enjoyed all sorts of fun racing treats, including this cake that I made:

No Words, Really, No Words

Snow

Mischa has been wishing for snow since Thanksgiving. I think if someone told her if she gave up all of her Christmas presents it would snow, she would've done it. A few weeks ago, she lost a tooth

and asked the Tooth Fairy for an extra $10 since she had been so good that year. The TF told her that $10 in quarters was WAY too heavy to carry, but she left some snowflake pencil erasers for good luck in her wish for snow. And a few days later....

they all ran outside at the first few snowflakes to catch them on their tongues. It took awhile, but it eventually turned into this

New Diet

Way back when, I gave myself two weight loss goals. They're only 5 pounds apart, but those last 5 pounds always seem to be the killer. I haven't been doing much to work on it recently, and have verrrrrrry slowly crept down the scale. Then I found my new weight loss miracle. 3 pounds in a week, in my sleep, with no hunger. The only downside is that it's called the flu and even though I'm physically feeling better after a week of sleeping, I think my diet will be continuing. Apparently my sinuses haven't gotten the message that I'm better now and have decided to block all sense of taste for me. In desperation yesterday, I went through the fridge trying to find something that I could eat. I opened the salsa and could faintly smell it. Excited, I told Perry to get some lime flavoured tortilla chips, figuring the salty chips would help. They taste like cardboard. I got a hamburger and fries for lunch today, thinking the mustard and salt would help. Nothing. I haven't had a Dr. Pepper for a week. Water takes on some weird cough medicine taste, so that's no help, either. I bought some Squirt, so I hope that'll help somehow. The last few times I had this happen to me was during a few of my pregnancies- both times it lasted several weeks.
Nope, the Squirt didn't work- tastes like flat diet soda. I am so bummed.

Happiness is...

Being able to use a new blog design for more than two weeks! Thanks for the design Matie Kay!

Edited to add that I'm really happy how fast it comes up, too. Guess DIY blog design isn't my thing.

Getting Ready for Christmas

Not really, but I thought I would share this idea now while I remembered it, lol. Mischa's Sunday School teacher made these Advent Candles for her class this year. She just used puffy paint to decorate it. It has a paper with a scripture a day that highlights an attribute of Christ. Of course, it will probably be next Christmas before I can find the paper...

Yellow Belt

Caleb moved up to the next class in Karate and got his yellow belt.

Why yes, I do need to be involved somehow whenever the camera is out!

Santa

These are the kids' pictures with Santa this year (or last year, as Caleb just now pointed out to me).

Anneliese went last and even then she wasn't too sure about him, but he got up and came to her

Joshua has always been afraid of Santa. Even at the ward Christmas party this year, he wanted nothing to do with him. Last year we came to this Santa and Joshua didn't want to sit on his lap at all, but as we turned to go out, he changed his mind. This year, he was the one who asked if we could come to the "Santa with the lights".

All I want for Christmas is a pink homework organizer. Really. And I've drawn a picture of it. It's quite simple, really. Little drawers in cubbies with roll down covers. All the elves were able to come up with on such short notice were a Dora storage cube with 3 drawers.

All I want for Christmas is my other front tooth to finally start growing in (his other tooth had just started to finally grow in after about 6 months!) and Transformers.

Just a little of why he's the "Santa with the lights". You could probably see his house from an airplane. Every square inch of his house is decorated. His bedroom is all Nativity sets and the front room is a huge train village with a waterfall. It's really cool. I'm glad Santa has a North Georgia home.

Christmas in Bethlehem

One of the churches in nearby Canton does a recreation of Bethlehem every Christmas. Everyone is in character, and they really go out of their way to make it as real as possible. Real food to sample, real fish in the fish market, younger kids harass the Roman soldiers. It's really neat.

The city is lit only by firelight.

This is the closest you're getting to my money tonight!

This little guy was only 4 months old.

Llama llove

Pretty necklace

This little guy was only a few days old

Snow Angels

This is the cake I made for our ward Christmas party. I love Halloween and Christmas parties- they seem to have the really fun cakes.

Back to the Real World

Six o'clock comes too early around here. Especially when your husband greets you with a "welcome back to the real world" comment. He's lucky my aim is lousy that early in the morning.

School started today, after two weeks off. Not that I got too many days to sleep in, though. Something about kids going to bed fairly close to their bedtimes (me, way past) and having fun toys to wake up to had me not sleeping in all that often. Then church started at 9, so I'm down to sleeping in once a week, which is turning into a very busy day for us, so I don't think I'll be seeing any good sleeping in until summer. I guess I could go to bed earlier, but that would be too easy.

We had a great Christmas. My mom came over from Phoenix and I think she was glad to get to my sister's house and sleep in a little after her visit here.

I have a ton of start of the year stuff to get to today, so I don't have time to blog about it right now, just wanted people to know we were still alive.

Christmas Hoopla

I was tagged by my friend, Beautopotamus to list 12 random things about me that have to do with Christmas. Since it's so close to Christmas, and since I'll be lucky to be able to do this in one sitting, I'm not tagging anyone else.

1. My favourite Christmas movie is Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey. I'm not one to cry at movies, but this one gets me just about every time.

2. My second favourite is A Christmas Story. I could sit and watch the Christmas Day marathon if my family would let me.

3. Christmas doesn't officially start for me until I see Santa on the Macy's parade on Thanksgiving.

4. I hate non-religious Christmas songs. I'll somewhat tolerate Rudolph, and Frosty, but The Christmas Song and I'll Be Home for Christmas never get past the first few notes when I'm alone.

5. I think my mom wants to disown me for not putting tinsel on my tree. Growing up, we must've put about 6 boxes of tinsel on our tree, one strand at a time, every year. No kidding. I think the kids will have it tracked all over the house for me to find over the whole next year. Add the fact that we have a fake tree, all that tinsel has to come off.

6. I hate coloured lights. Hate hate hate.

7. I think I'm a pretty grumpy Christmas person reading over this list.

8. I won't go near a post office the month of December, so my packages never arrive until after New Year's. You're also lucky if you get a card before December's over, too.

9. Christmas stresses me more than any other holiday. Shopping for birthday presents really isn't a big deal for me, but shopping for Christmas makes me want to throw up. I hate the pressure and the crowds.

10. Yep, it looks like next year I'll be boycotting Christmas.

11. I make some sort of goodies for the neighbour's every year. In the past, I made cinnamon pull apart loaves (homemade cinnamon roll dough, cut each slice into quarters, throw it in a loaf pan and bake), but this year I'm doing Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls to a select lucky few.

12. Holy cow- I'm at the end and I'm still sitting. It's a Christmas miracle!! Last thing, hmmm.....My favourite Christmas album is by the Alston's. I don't think it's available anymore, but 3 of the sisters have a country album out now.

Split Personality

Yes, we're definately two.