Chuck E Cheese Birthday

We successfully survived our first Chuck E Cheese Birthday, or as Conor says is "Chunk N Cheese". With much anticipation the birthday was scheduled for Thursday and we invited mostly family and a couple of friends. This is our first Birthday out somewhere. We usually have them at home where I can be in control :-)

The pictures tell the story....Enjoy!!

Conor is wearing his new Transformer PJ's and did not want his picture taken.

Little Micah is enjoying the Party!!

Pizza Time!

Photo Op with CEC himself.

Mommy and Conor....Why can't this child look at the camera!!

Presents!

Hmmm...I am not sure about all this Birthday stuff??

Conor and Papa work on the Christmas Tree.

Christmas Tree at our house. I think this is my best year yet.

Beanie is giving us some attitude...

Busy Busy Busy

Gina busted me twice on not updating the blog. I slacked the worst I think I have ever slacked before the last couple of months.

Where to start....I went to Sacramento, CA for almost a week for work. I had a chance to meet the Operations group for the Phone Bank which was very cool. Very nice people. Aside from having a great time, let me just tell you what a milestone in my life this business travel was. I have never traveled anywhere alone. Well, I flew to Austin once to visit a friend, but that was same state and only an hour flight, so I don't count that :-). Anyway, I boarded a plane on Monday, changed planes in Phoenix, rented a car in Sacramento, staying a hotel all by myself. This area all things I would have NEVER done. I made it back in one piece and did not suffer a complete mental breakdown. Yeah for me!!! Those of you who know me really well, will actually understand how big of a deal this is for me :-)

We are gearing up for Conor's Birthday Party. He has put in his request for a Chuck E. Cheese party. We invited a few kids, and I expect they are going to have a lot of fun. This year we are having the party way early. Having a Birthday so close to Christmas is tough on a kid.

We had a great Thanksgiving! It snowed here. Go figure, we don't get any moisture for weeks, then all of a sudden SNOW! Huge snowflakes. It didn't stick, but it was great to watch. Conor liked going outside and letting the snowflakes land on his tongue. Reflecting on that, it is so easy to forget how life is so simple when you are 3 years old :-)

Somehow our Credit Card info was stolen. Someone attempted to buy iTunes and something from Dell. Luckily for us we didn't have a lot of available credit on the card so it was declined. Just to say my peace - If anyone reading this has attempted or successfully stolen credit card info, you suck bad. If you can't afford something, tough sh!t. Get a second job. Don't steal from me. I work hard for my money and I get to choose what I do with it, not you. Whew - I needed to get that off my chest.

Now...on to the pictures... I have lots to share with you. I am disappointed to report that our Tennessee pictures were deleted. I am 100% heartbroken :-( I don't know how it happened, because I NEVER delete pictures until I know that I have at least 3 sets saved. We had some really good ones in there.

Mr. Incredible in the flesh.

Such a Cute Face!
This is the "I-am-mad-at-you-but-want-to-laugh-at-the-same-time" face.
Papa cleaning out a pumpkin.
Conor and Ashlyn - Ready for some CANDY!!
Trick or Treat!

Pumpkin creations compliments on Mommy and Papa.
We have Picasso Jr. on our hands... He spends HOURS drawing on this easel thing.

Seriously, I should be ashamed of myself....

I am behind on my blog updating. I wouldn't be surprised if some of you have disowned me vowing never to read anything from me again. Believe me, I would. So much has happened lately, and we have been super busy. Rather than be all proper with grammar, I will just start listing all the things that have taken place.

Craig started a new job with the TTUHSC. He is doing the same job, but just in a different department.

I started a new job too! I now work in the IT area of the bank. Craig and I now to the same kind of work.

Conor moved up to the 4 year-old class at daycare. He is a big boy now!! This is actually a pre-school class that he will be in until he goes to school.

The new Cooper school broke ground a couple of months ago, and they have made great progress. It will be ready for Conor when he starts Pre-K.

My sister is settled into her new apartment in Amarillo. She has the most awesome red couch that we found at a garage sale for $80.

Conor had his picture made for DigiKids at the mall this past weekend. He is 3'1" tall and weighs 31 lbs.

Conor knows how to lock and unlock the front and back doors. He lets Beanie out when she needs to go potty. He also feeds her and gives her water.

I had STREP throat twice this month within a 3 week span. I am better know, but I am one mad momma.

Craig also had strep last week.

We bought a Nintendo Wii. It is the most interactive video game system that I have ever seen.

My muscles were sore the next day from playing Bowling with Craig (which I won).

Conor is going on his first field trip tomorrow withe daycare. I need to say a prayer tomorrow when I drop him off. The prayer is mostly for me. I know he will be fine, but I am a nervous wreck!

My Parents, Conor, and I went to the fair this yesterday. Believe it or not, Conor, actually used $24 worth of ride tickets. He was fearless!!! (See pictures below)

Please enjoy the pictures below...

100 Things


Tag...You're it! If you are reading this post, you must return the favor and post 100 things about yourself. It is harder than you think!!!!

1. I am seriously contemplating getting a tattoo. Maybe I will do something wild and crazy for my 30th birthday :-)

2. I love the smell of a new car leather.


3. I am addicted to Diet Coke from Sonic.

4. I drive a minivan and I hate it. I am constantly looking for ways to get rid of it.


5. I can't imagine life without DVR.

6. I honestly believe that Conor is the smartest and best looking kid in the world.


7. I truly believe that if I don't load the dishwasher, then the dishes won't wash right.


8. I am a complete sucker for any clearance sale.


9. I purposely looks for clothes with minor imperfections and ask for discount. 9 times out of 10 I can fix it.


10. When our house was built, before the sheet rock was put up we wrote bible verses on the studs. Each room has a verse that is special to us. If we ever move, I plan to leave the new owners a note with the verses and where they are.


11. I believe that Dane Cook is the most hilarious person alive.


12. Pepper jack cheese is my favorite.


13. I have a secret famous person crush on Andy Garcia.


14. When I was a kid, I wished that my name was Jennifer.


15. I smoked in high school.


16. I wear flip flops everyday in the summer. In the fall when I put my tennis shoes on, they don't feel right.


17. I wear contacts during the day. The glasses I have are so old and the lenses are cracked. I just am too lazy to get new ones.


18. I have a shoe fetish. Heels hurt my feet, but I have tons of pairs that I hardly ever wear.


19. My Dad and I have the same birthday September 4th


20. I worry all the time that our house will have a gas leak and we will suffer from carbon monoxide poisoning.


21. I could eat a whole pizza by myself if I didn't have the willpower to stop.

22. I love gingerbread house shaped houses.


23. My younger sister used to kick my ass regularly.


24. I was a serious nerd in school.


25. I got made fun of in school.


26. I have a hard time controlling my facial expressions. It gets me in trouble a lot.


27. I never had any wisdom teeth.


28. I am addicted to eBay.


29. I have a great job, but sometimes I want to quit so bad I can taste it.


30. The 5 minute drive from daycare to work is the most time I get alone to myself all day.


31. I would love to learn carpentry.


32. I have 10 different bottles of lotion open at one time. I use a different one each time.


33. I don't like to travel.


34. My grey hair count is growing everyday.


35. I love getting my hair colored.


36. My Dad does it for free :-)


37. I look forward to Chiropractor visits.


38. I have a hard time keeping my car clean.


39. I recently found a chicken nugget under the third row seats.


40. I dream of one day having a Mercedes SUV.


41. I have a very odd obsession when it comes to license plates. I memorize them. I know the ones of the people who live in our area and the people at work.


42. I can't live without my cell phone.


43. I feel the same about e-mail and the Internet.


44. I don't mind loading clothes in the washer, but I DO NOT like getting them out of the dryer.


45. I do not like to go to the Doctor, or take medicines of any kind.


46. I hardly remember to take my vitamins every day.


47. When I was a kid, I looked forward to SNL every weekend.


48. I love to receive cards, but am horrible about giving them.


49. The same is true with back rubs :-)


50. I wish I had the willpower to exercise.


51. I love spicy Mexican food. The hotter the better.


52. Lazy and dependent adults frustrate me.


53. If I happen to catch the clock at 11:11, I make a wish.


54. I love to get a pickle at the movies.


55. When I was in High School, I wouldn't give a gas station attendant my phone #. He followed me out to the car. I was scared to death. To this day have I never been back to Crystal Falls Gas Station on Quaker.


56. I have never been in a fight.


57. I am lazy when it comes to making my car payment.


58. I am terrified of guns.


59. I don't make the bed in the morning, but I do right before I go to sleep at night.


60. I love gossip. They say it is healthy :-)


61. I love to spend money.


62. After Christmas sales are fun!!


63. There are not enough hours in the day.


64. I am addicted to three shows right now. "Little People, Big World" on TLC, "Gene Simmons: Family Jewels" on A&E, "Hogan knows Best" on VH1.



65. The thing that most frustrates me right now is the fact that I cannot get my sons eczema under control.

66. I really think that when my kids get older, they will think I am cool.

67. I am not a very good cook. But thanks to Kraftfoods.com the things I cook are edible.

68. McDonald's French Fries are the best!

69. Since I have been on my diet, I have lost 12 lbs. :-)

70. The paint on my bumper is coming off. I think it was in a wreck with its previous owner.

71. I do not like to spend money on my car, unless it is gas or oil changes.

72. I have to watch "My Super Sweet Sixteen" alone. I say such ugly things about those girls.

73. I used to not like Camo, but now I am obsessed with it.

74. I love to find a pair of jeans that fit the shape of my butt.

75. Since I have lost 12 lbs, I was able to buy a couple shirts a size smaller.

76. I love my boobs.

77. I have been to Mexico twice. I don't care to go back again.

78. I enjoy shopping for other people.

79. If I could make a living out of it I would.

80. I love expensive tennis shoes, but I can't bear to spend over $60 on them.

81. I have never step foot in a gym. But I think it would be a lot of fun.

82. I love to swim.

83. I appreciate my parents more now than I did when I was in High School.

84. I have a bad habit of washing things that shouldn't be washed. On the list are: a cell phone, money, Craig's bluetooth, gum, candy, pens, gummy bears, and just today my keys and clicker to my car.

85. When people crunch on ice, it DRIVES ME INSANE!

86. While I have huge feet, I think they are cute.

87. I have a hard time keeping plants alive.

88. I love Flamin' hot Cheetos.

89. We have a plaid couch that is totally out of style.

90. I would love to win a furniture shopping spree.

91. I am having a hard time listing 100 things about me :-)

92. I do not look forward to Monday's :-(

93. Vegas looks like it would be fun. I have never been.

94. Interior Decorating looks like it would be a fun job.

95. Children are so innocent, I learn so much by silently observing my son.

96. I became a Mother the moment the pregnancy test came back positive.

97. Craig knew I was pregnant before I did. Seriously, he did.

98. It aggravates me when people see you struggle getting a stroller through the door and don't offer to help!

99. I miss my Papa and Grandma. I talk to them often in my mind.

100. If I close my eye and concentrate hard enough, I remember the way they smell , their laugh, and the sound of their voice.

Well, this was truly hard work. It was fun at times and aggravating at others. Enjoy!!

Just when you think you have seen it all....

I debated all day whether or not I wanted to post this, but I figured what the heck. Just when you think you have seen it all, people will amaze you. I almost got to see two ladies scrap in the hallway at the Daycare! No lie. As I am walking down the hallway of Daycare this morning, I notice a woman pointing her finger in the face of another person saying something to the effect of "Don't ever talk to me again." Since this daycare provides summer care of school aged kids, I thought to myself "Wow, this woman is giving her kid a mouthful early in the AM". As I get closer to the door, I notice this is not a child she is talking to but another parent. Voices were raised and the other lady kept saying "I don't even know who you are", "All I asked you is you were "kids name here" Mom". Well I don't know the whole story, but it sounded to me like the one lady doing all the yelling must have had a misunderstanding with the other parent. They daycare employees were in the middle telling the women to leave, but they continued on. Talk about crazy!! You just had to be there to witness it. One of the innocent bystanders, said very loudly "And they wonder why their kids act the way they do". Yikes!! I feel so embarrassed for those women.

No pictures today. The pictures are on my parents camera. Maybe this weekend I will have some time.

Shoes!

This is kinda of a nerdy post. I have to show off this new pair of shoes I bought.
I have not found anything to wear them with yet, but believe me I am looking. They were regular priced at $90, I got them on sale for $18!!! As Paris Hilton would say "That's Hot". Oh darn, now I must buy a new outfit to go with the shoes!

Critterfest 2007

Nearly 4 years later, we finally have an entertainment center!!! We have looked for years something that will accommodate Craig's TV. At 57" wide, we had trouble finding something that would fit that we could afford. My Dad decided he was going to upgrade his TV, so he opted for and LCD TV that goes on the wall. Oh darn, he had no use for his entertainment center. We made a deal and Friday after work we moved it to our house. We had looked at the same one where my Dad bought it from, but they had already sold the last one and they never carried it again.

Saturday the 'ol Critterfest was in town. We have been to Critterfests before and this one was a little different that I expected. It was held at the Science Spectrum/Ominax Center. Admission to get in was a whopping $8.50 for each adult and $6.50 for kids 3-12. Soooo, $24.50 we had our stickers on and we were ready to explore. The first animal to the right was a snake. Those are so not my thing, so we went to the left. We checked out some dogs, Prairie dogs, lizards, fish and other things. Conor had more fun with the bubbles than anything else. We had a great time as family, just the three of us.

I am a bad blogger :-)

This post is dedicated to Gina in Boise. We were supposed to be participating in conference call on Monday at work and I rec'd an Instant Message asking me why I had not updated my blog since Mother's Day. Here is your post, Gina :-) This is a long post. I have lots to share!

I will start with Conor's summer program at school. If you have read some of my previous posts, you know that Conor is not one for the stage. He is getting better though. This event nearly turned tragic. It was about an hour before the program on Saturday, we all piled into the car. Craig, Mom, Dad, my sister, Conor and myself were ready for some entertainment by 2-5 year olds. Craig puts the car in reverse begins to back out of the driveway from house. Conor starts crying that he wants his Daddy to stay home and not go to the program. We pass it off and Craig attempts to back out of the driveway again. At this point Conor is crying and screaming for Craig to stay home. Not sure what to do, Craig agrees to stay home and we drive to the program. He took some coaxing to get him to stay in the back with his class, but he did. He sang the song and didn't panic. I don't know why he didn't want his Dad there. He is the short one next to the kid in stripes.

Moving on..I took a week of vacation last week. I had not taken vacation time off this year yet and I was behind schedule. It was long overdue. What did I do? Not a damn thing. I wasted 3 days for the concrete guy to come out and give us an estimate for the storage building we are going to have built. Tuesday he didn't show, Wednesday nothing, Thursday NOTHING. This guy is a complete ass. If by some oddity the guy that was supposed to come out is reading this, you suck. Other than that I took my car in for an estimate for the dents, did some shopping, tanning, a little bit of laundry. Towards the end of my vacation Craig, Conor, my sister and I went swimming. I set this up by telling you that Conor was the only one with sunscreen on. Need I say more? In fact I will just show you a picture. This is Craig's shoulder. He burnt so bad that it blistered. My sister is the same. I however, was lucky enough to have a base tan so I got red, but I didn't blister. Whew.

Lastly - We put the van in the shop Monday. In three days and about $2800 later I should have more more hail dents in my car. Thank goodness for insurance. I should have taken before and after pictures. I got some major damage int he last storm we got. This brings me to my next point. Craig and I discussed a while back selling both cars and buying one really nice one to share. This is day # 2 of not having a car and one car for the two of us WILL NOT WORK! It actually frustrates me that I have to rely on someone else to get places. The ride to work after dropping Conor off at school and the ride from Work to pick up Conor are the most peaceful minutes I get just to myself. I feel like I sound selfish, but this allows me to prepare for my day at work and wind down after the day is over before I switch to Mommy and Wife mode. I miss listening to XM48 and jamming out to Mudvayne during my 5 minute drive to work.

That is enough blogging for now. Here are some random pictures I have taken.

Funny faces. Compliments of Conor :-)

This tummy is full of Macaroni and Cheese and popcorn fish.This is what happens with you bother Mommy in the kitchen.

Ms. Beanie is licking her chops. I wonder what found around the house to eat?

Conor likes to take pictures. I hope he doesn't grow out of that. He also insists on staring at the TV while smiling for the camera.

Ta-ta for now!