Back To School Preparation

Back To School Cookies
Back To School Hair Clips
Yes, that picture is sideways. I didn't realize that it needed to be turned until after I uploaded it and I'm too lazy to go back and redo it now. But they pretty much look the same from every direction.

Back To School Manicures
Back To School Dinner-Lasagna as requested by Lolly
Back To School Lunch-My first (pathetic) attempt at a Bento-like Box.
That's supposed to be a butterfly sandwich with the strawberries being part of the wings. It's sad, I know....don't laugh....too loud.

Back To School Girl

Clearly, Lolly is ready for school.

I'm Feelin' A Little Like This...

A while back I got an email from my sister-in-law that had this picture and I thought to myself, "Self, I'm feeling a little like that chicken/hen/rooster/whatever it is".

Actually, I'm even starting to look like that....whatever it is. Me, with my cankles. And I've gotten behind on, well, on everything. I've slacked on commenting on blogs and my house looks like a hazmat zone. Rooms need to be painted, carpet needs to be torn out, walls need to be repaired and floors need to be found. And I need a nap.

Our house has been in some state of construction/remodel since 2003. It's starting to wear on me a bit. Poor Lolly said that the house feels weird and doesn't feel like home anymore since things are so crazy around here. We're used to a certain level of crazy so you know it has to be bad if the kids are complaining. So, clearly, I need to do something about this here situation so that our house can feel like a home.

But it'll get better soon. Right? And when it does, you can bet I'll be posting pictures.

Wreaking Havoc

See this cute little red bed?
It has been wreaking havoc on my life. Technically, it's the bed's tiny little occupant that has been the havoc wreaker.

Babs has always been a delicate sleeper as has been previously documented. As a newborn I discovered that in order to sleep she needed her head to be pointing North and facing East. I would tell people that and they thought I was joking. Or crazy. I definitely wasn't joking. As she got older, she eventually turned into a South pointing sleeper although I thought that she had just outgrown her navigational sleeping preferences.

Turns out, she has not. She is a South pointing sleeper.

Babs had been climbing in and out of her crib for quite some (her slightly incompetent mother taught her) but I was starting to worry she would fall as she climbed out in the morning. On Saturday CG took down the crib so we could set up the toddler bed in it's place. I'm still a little freaked out about it since it's been up for almost 6 years. It's a good thing I wasn't here. Babs was so very excited about her new red bed. She showed me as soon as I got home.

The first night she didn't sleep well, I thought it wasn't that unusual to have a little adjustment time to a new bed.

On Tuesday night/Wednesday morning I came to the conclusion that we had passed our adjustment time. I was up with her at Midnight and then we were up with her (for the day!) at 3:30 am. It worked out since we had to be at the elementary school to meet Lolly's teacher at 8 am. But I think I was a little slow filling out all the paper work.

That morning (yesterday morning) I had CG rotate the bed so that her head would again be South pointing.

Last night she slept through the night. All the way until 7 am.

Clearly, we have a strong South pointing sleeper. And I'm okay with that. As long as she sleeps.

This is a picture of her bed freshly made by Babs herself....with a little bit of help from me. Her very first time making her bed, as a matter of fact. Watch out Martha Stewart.

A Pet Update

Yes, another post about my pet drama. Riveting, I know. But I figured you were all just waiting with bated breath to see the outcome. And I'm going to share it with you even though there really hasn't been an outcome just yet.

On Tuesday morning I was so excited to tell everyone that Dexter hadn't run away for a full week! And then he ran away. Again. I wouldn't even had known (we were busy getting ready/running late for a play date) if our neighbor hadn't come over to tell us that he had gotten out. Again. She said that this time, he didn't even slow down. He just took off running.

I have to say I'm starting to take this a little personally. And it's also getting rather annoying. We're thinking about getting Dexter a dog (a smaller, less hyper dog) so that he's not lonely. But don't worry, I'll keep you posted.

Personally, I think Dexter is having some sort of doggy mid-life crises. The weirdest thing is that recently he has started being quite a bit more....um, attentive to me. He follows me everywhere. No really, EVERYWHERE. He has even gone so far as to stand between me and my girls (in a guarding way) when they try to approach me. He's taking his protective nature a little too far although he has not been aggressive to the girls. This has happened before, but only when I've been sick. And I'm not sick. It's weird. Maybe he has been more offended about being the lowest man on the totem pole than I realized.

Now onto Lucy. Poor Lucy. I was so excited because he had gone almost two whole weeks without throwing up and there was light at the end of the tunnel. Expensive light, but light none the less. That was before I realized that he threw up sometime in the middle of the night. On the carpeted stairs, of course. I still feel very torn. It's been several weeks that he's been on the medication, but he still doesn't look like he is gaining weight to me. And when he's not throwing up he seems to be a very happy and healthy cat. He jumps up into my lap and purrs. And insists on being in the middle of everything. It's hard because he just really doesn't act like he's miserable, but I have to wonder. I think I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that we're going to have to put him to sleep instead of him passing away on his own, but I'm just not quite ready for that. Of course, you will all know when that unfortunate time comes. I'll be needy and pathetic and accepting gifts of condolences and affection from my many admirers. I'll get a post office box to be prepared.

A Few of My Favorites...Part 1

The other day I was thinking back over the pictures I've taken the last few years and which are my favorites. And whatever I think about goes on my blog, for better or worse. So, I'm sharing. You're welcome.

I think most of these pictures have been taken by me, but a few have not. I'll narrate. It'll be fun.

Lolly and Cheer Bear
Lolly during her first swimming season.
CG
Lolly in her Big Bird Hoodie
Pre-Babs Family Picture
Newborn Babs....well, about 2 months old.
Little Babs and her burpie.
Lolly sportin' some stylin' shades.
My Girls sharing the love.
Lolly and the Tiger. At the Zoo. They have matching hair.
Babs. Rockin' the Pink Hair. That's my girl.
Lolly The Birthday Girl
Babs The Bathing Beauty
Babs & Mommy....Self Portrait
Cool artsy fartsy picture of my girls at an exotic location.
Big Girl Ponies
My girls with their Papa Van
Lolly continuing to share her awesome style in sunglasses.

And, hey, maybe tomorrow when you come back I'll have actually written something. Ha ha ha ha ha.....

In other news, I'm not famous and pictured on a famous blog. Hint: look for the Snuggie picture of the week. I'm not actually cool enough for any other mention. It's mostly because of the coolness of my cat. And the Snuggie.

I Love Lucy, Episode 2

So, I've talked about my cat Lucy. Remember, the one who keeps throwing up. I have had Lucy since I was in high school. We go way back. Way back. Lucy is a beautiful cat; the color of a roasted marshmallow with blue eyes.
A few weeks ago, we decided to take him into the vet. It was hard because I assumed that they would tell us that he was sick and it would probably be better to have him put to sleep. That would be hard, but I don't want him to suffer. Turns out that he has a thyroid condition. It's totally treatable with medication. That costs $50. A month. $50. FIFTY DOLLARS!

Now, I actually feel worse. $50 is A LOT of money to spend on the cat each month for medication. Especially since it doesn't seem to be working. He threw up seven times last week. SEVEN TIMES! And every time I take him into the vet to check his thyroid, it's another $50. Of course, now if we have him put to sleep, it's because I'm too cheap to pay for the medication and vet visits. Which makes me feel like an even bigger schmuck than I did before when we talked about having putting him to sleep. I feel like I'm sending him to his execution.
And how can I do that to my kitty friend?
That picture is just for you, Kristina.

Friday Favorite-CG

We recently celebrated CG's birthday. It was the big three-five. The girls picked the theme for his celebration. Can you guess what is was?
If you guess Star Wars and Legos then you get 10 extra points!

I Googled Star Wars Cakes and when I saw the Lego cake I just had to make it for that Star Wars lovin', Lego playin' husband of mine. It's a Big Boy Cake. He is 35, after all.
It took me two hours to frost that cake. If that isn't love, then I don't know what is.

Happy Birthday to the best husband and baby daddy a girl could ask for!