Green Stuff and Giggles

Well, the garden finally has broccoli. Spencer was thrilled. Most kids don't care for it, but my little vegetable eater barely took time to wash the dirt off of it before chowing down.

Speaking of chowing down, we went to Carraba's tonight. I ate too much and now I feel miserable. We stopped by Mom and Dad's house on the way home and our garlic breath about knocked them out. Typical of my family, we spent the rest of the evening joking around and I laughed until I literally had tears streaming down my face.
It started with Dad telling us a story about Spencer having to use a Port-a-potty at the rodeo, and like me, my son is quite particular about cleanliness. My Dad attempted to use the phrase "he was anal" but he said "he was anus" and oh... it just went down hill from there. Then the next hour or so was dedicated to picking on my brother. My poor Mom laughed herself into an asthma attack. Spencer and IV were in the living room playing and on the way home Spencer asked, "What was so funny tonight?" I replied with, "EVERYTHING!"

Girl's Night Out

Last night was girl's night out--- in a big way. Not just for me, but for the entire city. I hung out with my friend Lesley after the movie for a few minutes and we reflected on the evening and decided a few things:

First, the other groups of "girlfriends" got dressed up for the movie. They all had on funky shoes and were drinking cosmos at the bar next to the theater. We had on comfy capris, basic sandals, and indulged in appletinis and draft beer. We are younger than the Sex and the City girls so it's not like we have aged out of the demographic. I think we are just more cynical and sarcastic. But it was really fun playing Joan Rivers and making fun of everyone's outfits.

Second- for most, it was an event and the girls got to the theater early, because it was a "to be seen" social happening. It was a sea of shoe debutantes at the equivalent of a sorority rush with giant sized sodas and tubs o' popcorn. We, on the other hand, got to yapping and eating, lost track of time, ran into the theater just in the nick of time to get the last available seats in the front row. There's nothing like seeing Big up close and well... even bigger. Thank goodness Lesley got our tickets earlier in the day or we never would have gotten in!

Next, that theater couldn't have had more estrogen in it even if someone dropped an Premarin bomb. There were hundred of girls there--all huddled in little groups of friends. And a few gay guys. It was fabulous.

Wouldn't it be funny if the guys would go out in little groups wearing their best little sports jerseys and meet up for big events and drink their favorite beverages in groups and get really excited about getting together? Oh yeah... that sounded really funny, until you think, well hell that sounds just like Superbowl or the playoffs, or the world series or the big race or whatever. Well I guess Sex and The City was the Superbowl of cinema fashion and girls night out.

Cherry Picker

Finally! Our cherry trees have fruit! But, just a few...and the stupid birds think we planted the trees for them. Spencer picked us a big handful of cherries-- they were sweet and tangy- absolutely perfect!

Excursions

Spencer and I have been pouring over websites looking at all of our choices for cruise excursions this summer.

We had agreed on a Dolphin Swim and I made my online reservation, only to be "bumped" the next day due to over booking.
So, we found something else fun to do: A Sea Lion Adventure! It will be fun, different and a great learning opportunity for Spencer. The place we chose uses adoption/rescue animals and the funds from the encounters go back to help the Sea Lion preservation society.

We also signed up to play with Stingrays. We have already been warned that stingrays really really really like to be petted. And fed. Castaway Ray's Stingray Encounter has 42 stingrays, 41 of them female ... the male's name is Lucky Boy. Gee... I wonder why. From my understanding, their barbed stings are cut like fingernails, so they are safe. Rays don't have teeth, just plates for crunching shellfish or whatever they give us to feed them. Supposedly they hug you tight and it feels like a vacuum. Spencer is going to have a blast!

That is just the "wildlife" portion....we have so much more to decide on. Sometimes, I think anticipation is one of the best parts of a vacation.

Athletes of the Week

Ashley and Kristin made the Channel 12 Athletes of the week: Check it out!
(Yes, I know they spelled the last name wrong-- hopefully, they will correct it soon!)
All of us are so proud of the girls!

Little Step is a Big Step

I keep a box by the basement door and anytime I come across something that I don't need, use, want or doesn't fit either of us- it goes into the box. When the box gets full, I take it to Goodwill. Last night, I looked at the box and two big step stools filled the box. I asked Spencer about them and He said, "Mom. I'm a big boy now and I can reach the bathroom sink just fine!" So.. I guess I'm donating step stools since my big boy doesn't need them any longer. Part of me is happy since I won't be stubbing my toe on the dadburn thing all the time and the other part of me is sad that he is getting so big!

Patti Tagged me!

Doesn't everyone have a Crazy Canadian friend? Well mine is Patti... and she tagged me on her blog:

Here are the rules:

1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 4 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 4 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

FACT #1
I rarely watch any movie other than a comedy.
FACT #2
If you picked up my Ipod, you would think you were in an 80's time warp.
FACT #3
I hate to drive.
FACT #4
My top two celebrity crushes are: John Stamos and Nikki Stixx

See-- not all that exciting, huh?

Okay I am going to tag:

Kim because she always has something funny to say.
Oscar because she is always game for a fun tag.
Georgina because she always has such great projects on her blog.
Kristin because I don't think I have ever tagged her!

Happy 60th Birthday Mom!

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Tonight was Mom's big birthday party! People started arriving after lunch--and we were poolside, snacking and having drinks all afternoon. I made a ton of appetizers and treats, so we had plenty to last us until 5:00 when we fired up the grill. All day, we relaxed, socialized and enjoyed the company and beautiful weather.
After a chorus of HAPPY BIRTHDAY and cake, the kids roasted marshmallows in the fire pit. Strike that. The kids burned marshmallows and acted like goofballs. But, even the most burnt, ashiest, crustiest, charred marshmallow did not go to waste-- it seems that the kids like to burn 'em and the adults like to eat 'em. That works.
Once the mosquitoes ran us inside, Mom opened her gifts and we oohed and ahhed--and laughed at all her old age cards. Then some of us retreated to the living room and had quite a rowdy Wii session. For the record, the drunker Julie is, the better she can bowl. Now, she has no idea when it is her turn...but she can throw strikes.
I think it was a great party-- I am exhausted, I ate too much, and my sides hurt from laughing--so yeah, we had fun!

Party Foods

I took Spencer and IV to the Strawberry Farm this morning so I would have fresh strawberries to dip for Mom's party tonight. The boys did a great job of getting me pretty, red berries with the stems attached! They really should have weighed the boys going in and coming out of the strawberry patch because I bet they ate as much as we bought! They picked a big bucket full (7 pounds!) and then we went back home to make the rest of the party foods: chocolate covered strawberries, coconut macaroons, dips, cheeses, treats and of course no cookout would be complete without my Two Faced Baked Beans--they talk behind your back!

A little bit yummy!

Yesterday, Spencer asked if we could have spinach salad for dinner tonight. So I mixed up his favorite dressing and bought some baby spinach and almonds--but the strawberries looked dead at the grocery store. So on a whim, we drove down to the local strawberry farm (about 5 miles away) and Spencer picked about 7 pounds of strawberries in less than 10 minutes! They were deep red and about the sweetest we have had. So we snacked on strawberries, had strawberries in our spinach salad, shared strawberries with the family and still have plenty of strawberries left over.
I will probably go back and get more this weekend to chocolate-dip for Mom's birthday party! Email me if you want the recipe for the salad dressing-- it is a family favorite around here!

Ready for Mom's big party?

In honor of Mom's 60th birthday party this weekend:
To Nana from Spencer:

Don't send a lame Birthday eCard.
Try JibJab Sendables!

Happy Mother's Day 2008

Happy Mother's Day everyone! After church, I ran errands most of the day. I was SO HAPPY when Spencer came home tonight! The best Mother's Day present ever is when I asked if he needed anything--and he hugged me and said "Just my Mom." Seriously-- I almost cried.
Spencer gave me two beautiful plants. Poor plants, they have no idea that by their gift to me they have been issued a death sentence. Hopefully, I can get them to last a little while since they are so pretty!
Spencer also gave me a little planter with his picture in a bloom that he made at school-- adorable!!
Since it was late, we just went up to the local Mexican dive for dinner. One of the guys in the Mariachi band had IV and Spencer in stitches the entire time! We got lots of pictures at dinner. Don't ask why Auntie is so red in one of those pictures--trust me, you don't want to know. I love the picture of my mom with me and my brother-- I have very few of her laughing and this is one is great. Although it is smooshed for the collage, the full size picture captures her entire laugh!
click on the collage to enlarge pictures

Cousin Cooties

Spencer got to enjoy some time with his cousins today. He played with Aaron this morning at the soccer game and then Ashley and Kristin (and Aunt Tammy, Nana Becky and Uncle Tommy- the birthday boy) came to his baseball game tonight!

Final Soccer Game for Spring 2008

Today was our last soccer game, we ended with a loss, but the kids still had fun. After the game, each kid received a trophy from the YMCA and Jimmy and Melissa gave each kid a certificate, water bottle and hosted a pizza lunch. I love this picture of IV with pizza sauce all over his face!

Pixie Dust and Magic this Summer

Spencer and I finally decided on our summer vacation: A Disney Cruise!
We talked about the things he enjoys and/or would like to do and his short list included: going on an airplane, taking a cruise, swimming with dolphins, swimming with stingrays, going to a pretty beach with blue water and having lots of fun. Well, add that together and you get a Disney Cruise. Nana decided to go with us which immediately bumped us from my original inside cabin to a Deluxe Stateroom with private Verandah--WOOT!
I have SO MANY extra special touches planned for him-- you wouldn't believe what all I have ordered up and planned! It's going to be a week filled with pixie dust and magic! Did you know that each night Tinkerbell is going to leave surprises under his pillow? (she is a gift fairy -- similar to the tooth fairy!) And did you know that Mickey, Pluto and Donald have already called me about special gift baskets and treats they have in mind for Spencer? Pluto is silly and says he will even hide presents in the stateroom and Spencer must search for a fun gift every day while Mommy gets ready. OOOH! and there is more... but I don't want to ruin any surprises!

Fish Fish Got My Wish

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We took Spencer and IV to the local carnival last night. They had "all you can ride" passes so the boys rode everything they wanted several times. It wasn't crowded at all, in fact, on most rides they could tell the operator they wanted to "go again" and just stay on the ride. And by operator, I mean half-drunk, grungy Carney.
Their favorite ride was The Sizzler. It was a scrambler style ride that directional force would throw them into each other in the seat--which they thought was hilarious. They rode it at least 7 times.
We promised the boys that they could play ONE game at the end of the evening. They both wanted to play the game where you bounce the ping pong balls into the fishbowls to win goldfish or stuffed animals. We watched other people playing and, like all the other games, it looked easy but was obviously much trickier than it looked because no one was winning. We bought a small bucket of balls for the boys to share--and wouldn't you know that Spencer got it on the first try! Even the Carney working the booth was surprised! Her mouth gaped open and all you could see was pink gums where her teeth used to be...ugh! A few seconds later, IV got a ball in and then right at the end, Spencer got another ball in.
We had the two most excited boys in the entire park. You would have thought they won the BIG HUGE prize and not the 50 cent fish--but they were thrilled. She bagged the fish up-- Spencer with his two and IV with his one-- and the boys strutted out of the park holding their bags. They had gotten the Gold and the Silver in the Carnival Fish Olympics!
We took the fish to the little fish pond by the pool. They immediately made friends with the other fish and will live happily ever after.

Congratulations Laura!

Laura's 1st Communion was today. She was adorable in her white gown! Julie and Barry hosted a wonderful party! It was great to see/meet so many of their friends and extended family.

He shoots, He scores!

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Spencer started playing soccer last fall and with the exception of a few times at sweeper, he has always played goalkeeper - so he has never really had an opportunity to score. WELL TODAY HE SCORED HIS FIRST GOAL!
We won 1-0--Spencer had the winning goal! I am not sure who was more excited: Spencer, Melissa, Jimmy, Nana, Boppa, Ben... or that insane soccer Mom screaming her head off--oh wait, that was me. As you can tell in the picture collage, I stopped taking pictures during the goal itself (because it is hard to take pictures when you are jumping up and down and screaming, "That's my boy!") but I have the before and the after in sequence!

After the soccer game, we had Spring Fling at Spencer and IV's school. The weather was beautiful and the entire festival was a huge success! I worked at the silent auction the entire time. In her typical form, Mom got into a bidding war with another bidder... Mom won. She always does. I bought some Mama Laura's yummy gourmet chocolates for teacher appreciation gifts.

Spencer and IV also had a baseball game tonight. Spencer had an awesome game-- two doubles and some terrific fielding. IV had great hits, including the one he took to the face. Don't worry, he is fine. That little goofball is actually excited at the prospect that he *might* get a black eye. He loves attention-- I swear there is a stage somewhere with that kid's name on it...

To celebrate Spencer's 1st goal, I bought him two new books (one on Weather and the other on how to draw animals) and and new Wii game--Game Party. It has Darts, Air Hockey, Skee Ball, Shuffle Board, Hoops... giggity giggity. Okay so *maybe* that's the game I might have wanted for myself...

New Recruits

My Nieces, Ashley and Kristin, were recruited by Limestone College for their mad soccer skills. I had to read the article twice-- the description of their successes was so impressive! I am so proud of them!

We need to set him straight!

After we read books, as part of our nightly routine, Spencer and I say a prayer. At the end of our prayer we say what we are thankful for and we ask for special blessings for people when needed. Tonight, during our prayer, I said to bless Dean, Kim's boss, who is struggling with complications following surgery to remove a cancerous tumor. Spencer stopped mid-prayer and said "Kim's Boss?" I said, "Uh-huh" slight pause...then he blurts out "I didn't even know she was married!!!"

I quickly ended the prayer and PROMPTLY explained the difference between boss and spouse. I think a few of my Dad's "jokes" distorted my little guy's view-- Nana is gonna have to lay down the law over there!

And they're off!

It's is a beautiful, sunny day...perfect for a butterfly release! After school, Spencer and IV released the butterflies. They were so pretty! Three of them flew right out of the habitat and fluttered away-- Thing 4 and Thing 5 had to be evicted.
So... what should we do next??

click on the collage to enlarge: