Happy Halloween from Neverland!!!

Yesterday was a big day for the Lost Boys. It was a day to get all dressed up and go trick or treating! The King trick or treated at Grandma's house, so I will be adding his picture later. Poptart and Angel did the bare minimum as trick or treating goes, since Poptart was sick and we didn't want to keep him outside too long.

They had a lot of fun though and Poptart wasn't ready to stop trick or treating when we were. Next year we'll do better.

Please excuse the redeye in these pictures. I still can't get the hang of the new camera. =(

Poptart wanted to be Buzz Lightyear this time, since Toy Story is still an old favorite here! I think he made an adorable Buzz!!!

SuperAngel!!! The suit fit him so well! I'll post a couple of these since, unlike Poptart, Angel actually stayed still for a picture or two.

Angel's cape. Isn't that just the cutest thing??? He didn't mind being dressed up in the slightest.

Angel and his Daddy!!! What a cute pair!

I'll have more pictures later...When the King comes to get pictures taken with his brothers.

Bad Blogger! Bad!

Yeah, I suck as a blogger. But there are so many other things I've been doing lately, none of which 99% of you would find very interesting and I'd hate to bore you with details. So let's see. What is interesting that you would want to hear about. Hmmm....

I guess I could just post pictures and make this easy on everyone?

Yes. Lets.

So here's the King on his first day of school. As you can tell, he was very excited. I wasn't nearly as excited. I had bad butterflies and a horrible sense of loss. He's taken his first steps of real independence.

Here he is getting on the bus with his Bumblebee backpack, and that's his nice bus driver who let him sit with his "girlfriend" Rebecca. O.O

Angel is singing, I think. He really loves to listen to music and clap his hands. Here he's sitting in his own grandfather's highchair. My dad added the new tray because the old one was falling apart. Man, they don't make things to last like they used to.

Couldn't resist posting this one. "Hmmm...I'm a little worried."

Chipmunk cheeks!

My mom has given all of her grandchildren their first taste of candy. Here she is giving Angel his first ever lollipop!

Poptart loves to read!!!

Serious Poptart! We're growing out his hair so that he can have the David Beckham look. Pre-headshave of course.

The best picture I could get of all three! Poptart did NOT want to cooperate for pictures, and His Majesty wasn't much better. Angel did ok though.

So now you're updated on the boys.

And me? Well, I'm ok. I'll post lovely pictures of my burn next time, but that's another story for another time.

Summer is Coming to an End...

So the summer is coming to a close and His Majesty starts school next week. I can't believe it. Doesn't seem like that long ago that he was just a baby learning to walk and now...he's starting kindergarten.

We did his back to school shopping a little over a week ago. A Transformers backpack and Transformers T-shirt...I'm starting to see a new trend in his likes. He better not stop loving Spiderman though because we've gotten everything to decorate his bedroom in Spiderman. It's gorgeous. The two younger boys are getting Thomas the Tank Engine. I can't wait to post pictures of the finished project.

It's been a pretty boring summer for me. I pretty much went nowhere. My brother came to visit for the first time in 10 years and I didn't even get a picture of us together. How stupid was that? Yet I've barely been home. We've spent a lot of time outside and walking with the boys. We've had really nice temperatures for all of August, so we took advantage of them!

Once again, not much to say, so I'll leave you with a new pic of Angel!

Accomplishment!

I don't have much to say today other than that Angel has finally cut his very first tooth! Before we know it he'll be going from this:

To a smile with a mouth full of teeth like Poptart!!!!

They just grow up too fast.

Packing Again

So we're packing again. We're moving to our landlord's bigger upstairs apartment on the 1st of September so that should be interesting. We will have three bedrooms and it's much larger, plus there's a fenced in yard for the boys to play in. They should have lots and lots of fun there. I'm going to document the moving process in pictures too, because I love to play with my camera. I've taken a few pictures with it, but for some reason I haven't been able to post them. I'll try one here now and see if "problem solved"...

Aha! So here are His Majesty and the Angel on their way to Momma's house for a trip just last month. It was a fun trip and they had some good times despite the lack of good weather!

Playing on the floor at my Mom's house. The King was glad to have his brothers to hang out with for a while!

A whole cake of "hard bread" just for Angel! He had a great time with it until it fell on the floor and broke into a billion pieces...Poor kid.

Getting ready to go for a walk at my Mom's house!

I'll try to post more later but for now I have SO much to do! Packing up this whole place again and stuff...I'll be without internet for the first couple weeks at my new place too since we are going to be focusing on getting settled in with no distractions, and internet would definitely be a distraction for me!

Later all!

Okay, I tried

I tried to post the new pictures, but for some reason blogspot hates me and won't let me add them. So I added them to the right in a new slideshow called "The Song in my Head". Hope you enjoy them. I won't blog much to go with them this time, I'll let them speak for themselves!!!!

How???

How do you make a man do something in your time rather than his? Ever since mother's day I've been trying to get Pan to hook up my camera dock so I can upload my pictures from my new digital camera, but no luck. He's said about 500 times (after I've nagged), "I'll do that right now."

A month later, I still don't have my camera dock connected to my computer. So the pictures will come, they just might take a little while.

In the meantime, I've been working on getting my house back under control and getting Poptart's room the way I want it. We haven't painted or anything since it's a rental apartment, but we are thinking of asking the landlord if he minds if we change it from the mint green to a pale blue. I don't think he'll have a problem with that. Poptart is in a bed now, no more crib, so we want to make his room less of a nursery and more of a little boy's room.

We had to buy a new crib for Angel. When we tried to move Poptart's old crib into our bedroom, the railing cracked, so it got tossed out. We bought him a new crib last night and a beautiful bedding set. Pan is in the process now of switching around our room to put the crib in there because we don't think it would be a good idea for Poptart and Angel to share a room. Neither of them would sleep well.

His Majesty is doing great as well. He's very tanned and having a great time. He and Poptart are camping with their grandparents at intervals throughout the summer, and they love it. Somehow I think my mom likes it as well.

Summer has finally arrived here on the east coast, and boy have we been enjoying the weather. We've been out more in the past 2 weeks that we were in the entire 6 months previous. The sun has been shining and it's been incredibly warm, even hot. I hope this good weather is here to stay! I love summer!

So for those of you who have been looking for me on MSN or calling me - it's probably not much use. I'm almost never home now!

Back to enjoying my summer vacation! Later y'all!

Nightwish - Eva

My incredibly awesome nephew Adam introduced me to this song this morning, and I wanted to share it with you all...and to dedicate it to my pal Eva. I love you girl...I wish you were around more. Call soon. *kisses*

She's....ALIVE!

I know, I know, you are all going to hate me for this...I haven't updated in weeks and this one is just going to be "quick" but I promise, there will be cool things to read and pictures to go with the stories in my next blog entry because for mother's day I got....

A NEW DIGITAL CAMERA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nice or what? It's a 6.0 mp, big upgrade from our old 1.2mp. Poor old thing.

So yeah, I don't have much to say right now because I want to show you pictures of everything before I tell you all about it and BOY is there a lot to say when I do!!!

Just wanted to let you all know that I'm alive and still here and thinking of everyone! Miss you all! Smooches!

Get a Cheese On

That's what the Poptart calls getting his picture taken - getting a "cheese on". Cute or what? Sorry I haven't been updating like I used to, but I'm just finding it incredibly hard to do things after work. All I want to do when I get home is relax and it's really hard to strain my brain long enough to write in my blog. I'm on the evening shift this week - from 5pm to 1:30am - so as you can imagine, I'm a little tired.

So back to getting our cheese on. Since there's not much news other than the usual - Boys growing fast, Poptart getting into mischief, and -- OH YEAH! -- Angel is rolling now! - I'm going to share the most recent pictures and hope that makes up for it all.


Our little couch potato...loves to sleep on my pillow!


My favorite flavor Poptart. His hair is actually really blonde, but it showed very very red in this picture for some reason.

Poptart loves bananas! We can't keep them in the house at all. If they're available, he's eating one. He's just recently been starting to eat a whole banana all by himself.


Look at those big blue eyes! He looks a lot like Poptart did as a baby in this picture. What an Angel!


Angel and my mom when they visited a couple weeks back. He's all drooly because he's cutting teeth!

My Mr. Happy Face!!!!!!!!!!!

So those are the pictures I've taken over the last little while...or at least some of them. Hope that you all feel at least remotely updated...

Career Girl

So I've been back to work for two weeks now. The verdict? I hate it. And boy, do I mean hate in a strong sense here. In my opinion, our training process was a joke, and we have another month and a half left of it. It's good time wasted that I could be with my children.

I haven't had time for anything. No time for MSN, no time for going out...barely time to breathe. When I'm not working, I want to be sleeping. It's utterly depressing. Maybe the extra paycheck just isn't worth it after all. I did meet one good friend there, Zabrina, and she keeps me motivated to stay. If it wasn't for her, I would have quit already. If it ever comes down to them putting us on opposite schedules, my time with Synchronoss Technologies will come to a crashing halt. I can't blame the hatred for the job on Synchronoss, though. I blame it all on one person whose name is so vile I won't even sully my blog with a mention of him. He's like Voldemort to me, "He who shall not be named", except that instead of being a force to be reckoned with, he's just a big cowardly twit that is pissing me off to the point that I'm ready to see to it that he is no longer with us.

So for those of you who have been wondering where I am and what I'm doing, that's about it. For those of you who have been wondering how I am, I can sum it up in a word: TIRED.

Hopefully it gets better soon...

Can't Shake It

No, I'm not talking about my booty, which I can shake just fine, thank you very much. I'm talking about this wretched cold. Why won't it just go away? Every single morning when I wake up, my throat is so sore I can hardly talk. Now that Pan is back on day shifts, I have to get up early too. When he was working evenings and on his days off he would get up in the morning to let me try to sleep off the sore throat and he'd nap in the afternoon. Now I get a feeling that until Friday (when he officially starts his parental leave!!!) that I'll be going to bed exceptionally early.

My parents are coming in on Wednesday to spend the night. I'm really looking forward to it! The King, Poptart and Angel are getting their portraits taken on Wednesday. They're wearing matching outfits that their Auntie Da bought for them in Alberta this summer. I can't wait to get a real portrait of the three of them for the very first time! So exciting!!!

I was a laundry maniac yesterday...I attacked the laundry pile with a vengeance and got quite a few loads done. Somehow I get the feeling that someone in this house has too much clothes, but I can't narrow it down as to who it is. It always seems like none of us have anything to wear. Maybe we just have too much crappy clothes and not enough good stuff. There's a thought.

On a side note, "Max and Ruby" is such a cute show! I love that Max. He's always getting one over on that bossy Ruby. I'm ashamed to admit that I actually watch that show instead of tuning it out like I do most of the kid's shows. Actually, last summer when Tink Jr. and I were at my mom's house for a vacation we were deeply engrossed in an episode of Max and Ruby and didn't even notice that the kids weren't watching anymore. LOL When I was pregnant with Angel, His Majesty wanted to call the baby Max whether it was a boy or girl. If we ever have another baby, that's a real idea.

So for those of you who have been following my World of Warcraft exploits, the milestone level is just around the corner...Camelot is now level 39 - one level away from getting her very first mount! It may not seem like much to those seasoned players who have a level 70 (or, like our friend Talon, several level 70's...) but to me it's pure gold. Speaking of gold, she needs 90 to learn riding and buy her horse, and I'm only halfway there. Hm...guess there's some ogre killing in Camelot's near future...they carry a lot of cash for some reason. When she gets her mount I'll take a cool screenshot and share it with y'all!

I don't have one of Camelot, but I can share a screenshot of my new Draenei warrior, Dalliore. She's one of my other favorites. She was a totally accidental character, completely randomly rolled, even her name. I was showing my niece Eekie (also not her real name, but there's a reason for Eekie) the different races on World of Warcraft, and when I showed her the Draenei, there was Dalliore and I loved her look so I accepted her as a character. I haven't played her much, but I'm starting to play her a lot more because I love her. She's an amazing character!

This was before she got her Blood Elf Bandit mask...I'll have to get a new screenshot so y'all can see it. She looks absolutely amazing with it on. It completely matches her guild tabard. (Her guild, by the way, is "The Order of Excalibur" which I thought was a pretty cool name.)

Hm...upon further inspection this must be an old shot because she's still using her 2-handed sword...My sweet husband was kind enough to send her a really cool turtle shell shield from the Wailing Caverns, so now she uses a 1-handed sword instead...but I'm babbling because I'm proud of her. LOL My husband also made all of her gear with his old character, that's why it all matches.
Most of my characters have the most awful mismatched gear. I tend to go more for heavier armor than for looks, but in this case I was lucky enough to be able to get both. It's a full set. Yay me! Or should I say, Yay Pan!

So that's one of my gals...I'll try to get Camelot up here later because she's my favorite, and I'd just love to share her with everyone. After level 40, a friend and I have decided to turn our characters into adventurers. We're not going to be leveling as seriously, just exploring Azeroth and fishing everywhere we go. Yes, that's right, if you happen to be on the Sisters Of Elune server and see a night elf hunter with her pet tiger standing on the shore with a human priest, both of them with fishing poles and a campfire, you've probably happened upon Vaspa, Orian and Camelot on one of their camping trips!

So I'm done here. I think that I've blogged sufficiently for someone who hasn't been out of the house for days due to sickness, so look for more from me on Thursday probably, with lots of pictures of my parents' visit with us!

Hugs and kisses to all!

MIA

I'd like to report someone missing...

MY BEST FRIEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tami has not been on MSN or blogging in days and days...has anyone seen her? I'm ready to call the police! And I'm having phone trouble so I can't call her!

Tami, if you're out there, PLEASE message me or email me or blog or SOMETHING! I'm so worried!

Why Me?

It's so unfair. I thought I had quite enough to be dealing with, thank you very much, what with Angel cutting teeth and becoming somewhat less of an angel than usual, but no, fate wasn't done with it's cruel taunting yet and I came down with a bad cold.

My sinuses hurt, I have a cough, and my throat feels like someone scoured it with steel wool and battery acid. I absolutely hate being sick! I have zero energy and I just want to sleep until I'm all better.

I can't even think of anything to write here except how much I hate being sick.

Ugh.

The Hunt is On

So we have decided ("We" being Pan and I) that I am going to go back to work and he's going to be a stay at home Dad.

*waits for the laughter to die down*

No, seriously, we have decided that this is the best thing right now because if I don't get out of the house soon, I am going to lose my mind. Now I just have to decide if I go back to work at my old workplace or if I go somewhere else. If I could find something better, I think I would try something new, even though my old job is very convenient when it comes to location. It's almost next door!

So be prepared for some interesting stories from me very soon...and look for a link to Pan's Blog "Mr. Mom" to be coming very soon...as I'm sure that there will be some interesting stories there too. LOL

For those of you who are wondering where I am...I'm either not online or lost in WoW. I've been on MSN a couple of times, but some people who will remain unnamed *cough*Tami*cough* weren't there. I'll keep checking back....

Later y'all!

Sick Kid

Yup, it's finally happened. There's been a terrible stomach flu circulating town for months now, and I've been thanking my lucky stars every day that my children have seemed to miss it (or it miss them...) but my luck has run out.

Poptart has the stomach flu.

It started last night and he threw up on Pan. Twice. He kept running a low-grade fever and was really cranky. He didn't go to sleep until after midnight. This morning he threw up again. He had a really good nap this afternoon, so here's hoping that it's subsided. He's ten times whinier than usual, and that's a feat, believe me! Poor little Angel is getting neglected today because I have to try to comfort Poptart. All I can hope for is that he's not going to expect this kind of undivided attention after he's well again.

I hate having a sick child. They just want undivided attention - and they should get it - but with two kids here all day, I just can't give it. Not to mention if I have to listen to much more crying I am going to take a long walk off a short pier.

I'm going to have to cut this short. The two youngest are both crying...Please someone come and save me.

I Know, I Know...

I haven't been blogging much lately. But, seriously, there has been pretty much nothing to blog about. I'm looking for a job, Pan is still off sick, and everything else is same old, same old. I don't really have anything that would be worth reading about. Instead, I'll share some pictures. How's that?

Here's a new one of the Angel. He's a big, big boy! I can't believe he's three months old already. Time flies...





















Here's the Poptart and his "baby". He's had this glowing musical Winnie the Pooh since before he was born and lately he's taken to carrying it around and calling it his "Baby". He rocks it, kisses and hugs it, and takes it to bed with him. When he wakes up in the middle of the night he makes it glow and play music to soothe himself back to sleep.
















Poptart is one cool dude. He and his Majesty have matching sunglasses, but I have yet to capture a picture of the King wearing his.












































And here are two of Poptart's new hairstyle. Uncle Mo likes it, for some reason. He loves to see me coming to put gel in his hair. He's so vain. Can guys be divas? Well, if they are, he is one. If not, he's whatever the male version of a diva is...

Well, I'm sorry I didn't have a funny and clever post after such a dry spell, but maybe I will in a couple days. Hope everyone's well!

Holy Tired, Batman!!!

Okay, well last night I did the unthinkable.

I stayed up all night.

It wasn't intentional. I was chatting with my friend Mary on MSN for most of the afternoon, up until dinner time, (No sign of Ms. Tami, who likes to act deserted though...) and then it was time for me to log into World of Warcraft for my dungeon run. Well, I did it twice. Before I was even finished with the first one, a fellow player who I've done the dungeon raid with before messaged me and "booked" my healing services for a run as soon as I was finished. After I was done that, I got yet another message from another friend who wanted me to go again! I told him that I was too tired and planning on heading to bed soon.

Didn't happen. In the wee hours of the morning, I ended up helping him out with a quest and by the time we were done, Angel had decided that he didn't want to sleep any more, even though it was most certainly not time for him to get up! So I got up with the kids. Finally at 8am I begged Pan to let me sleep for at least an hour before he left to go pick up his paycheck.

An hour isn't cutting it. I can't wait for him to get back so I can crawl back between my new flannel sheets with my comfy pillow!

In the meantime...I'm on MSN Tami, but where are you????? Don't make me come down there and get you! Come out and play!

My "Daughter"

Isn't she just the absolute most beautiful thing you've ever seen? This is Tink Jr, the closest thing I have to a daughter. She's my niece and has always called me "Sissy" but we're not sure why. She's practically my clone in every way. We're both stubborn, giggly and a bit ditsy sometimes.

I used to see her almost every day, but she moved to Alberta with her dad, and I haven't seen her since August! We talk every single day, though, and I'm planning a trip up to visit her next spring when she graduates. It should be a whole lot of fun, because we're also planning a road trip to Edmonton to hit the West Edmonton Mall! The only difference in me and my Jr is that she doesn't like to shop!!! Imagine my dismay! But I'm sure she'll make an exception for shopping at the West Edmonton Mall with me...

What else can I tell you about Tink Jr? Well, she's incredibly smart, she hates math, and she is a fantastic cook/baker! She wants to be a pastry chef and she loves cats.

She's my pride and joy, and I love her so much. I can't wait for us to be together again.

XOXO Tink Jr! Hope you're having a great day!

I Sat Down and Scrapped!

After many failed attempts at getting my butt in gear and scrapping, I finally hauled everything out last night and scrapped. There was a sketch challenge on Croppin Frenzy and I decided that it might be just the thing I needed to make myself get back into the swing of things. It worked! This is what I came up with!

It's Angel sleeping when he was a month old, and is one of my favorite pictures of him. He looks so...well...angelic. LOL. This is a terrible picture of the layout. I can't wait to get a new scanner so I can start scanning my layouts in instead of having to take a digital picture. Maybe I'll whine and plead with Pan and see what he says about springing for a new scanner for me this week.

Yesterday was a fun and profitable day for me. My mom and dad came to visit again, and they were so taken with Angel that neither of them wanted to put him down, which is unusual for my dad, who isn't a "little baby" person. Thought I'd share some pics of them with the baby, too.

Here's the proud Granddad with his newest grandson. Both my parents were all amazed that Angel can now get his fingers into his mouth to chew them with little or no effort. He's been doing it for ages, so I wasn't quite as impressed. LOL

Angel is a BIG boy, weighing in 1 ounce shy of 14 pounds at our doctor's appointment on Monday. Maybe that's why my dad wasn't hesitant to pick him up and play with him. He's sturdier than most 2 month old babies and he's really alert. He loves to be played with. He loves his Grandad!

My mom wanted a picture taken of her and Angel in his new pyjamas she gave him for Christmas. He's also got the bear she gave him for Christmas in this pic too. Aren't those pyjamas the BOMB??? They look exactly like little men's pyjamas and have Tigger on them.

Angel loves Momma. Even her voice over the phone makes him smile. All three of my boys have a very special bond with my mom, and she's the kind of grandma that everyone should have. She plays games and does puzzles. She makes cookies and lets them help. And, of course, she never comes to visit without some sort of treat!!! She's always pleasant and fun, and she gives the best hugs and kisses.


She got the title Momma (pronounced "Maw-Maw") from my nephew Adam (who is Angel's godfather) because he couldn't say Grandma. It stuck, and my boys call her that too. It's adorable to hear. Even cuter is that Adam and Tink Jr. still call her that too, even though they are 18 and 16 years old! She loves being "Momma", and I think it suits her.


We bought Angel a new swing yesterday. When Poptart was a baby, we had the Ocean Wonders swing. I sold it last spring when we decided that our baby days were over - at least for a long time. A couple of weeks later I found out that I was pregnant. Great timing or what?

Whoever said that a swing was an unnecessary item was a LIAR. Babies need to be able to see what's going on around them, and a mommy can't be expected to carry the baby around all the time! So yesterday I decided that I wasn't waiting any longer. Angel needed a swing.

This one was only $75 and I think it's adorable. Not as fancy as the Ocean Wonders one, but it does the trick. It has 3 recline positions, 5 speeds, and 5 songs/sounds for soothing. I also like the fact that the top is open. MUCH easier for getting Angel in and out. He fell asleep in it twice yesterday!

And yes, that's my foot trying to keep the swing still for a picture. Isn't that a cute sock? His Majesty picked out those socks for me for Christmas. I'm a snowflake fiend. It was the theme of our wedding, actually.

I also picked up some toys for the boys' Easter baskets yesterday and an album for the King's baby pages, but if I can find a 12X12 album with Noah's Ark or a giraffe on it, I will use this one for Angel. Poptart has a Winnie the Pooh album, because that was his baby theme. The King's theme was Noah's Ark, but I would settle for giraffes or jungle animals with a giraffe among them because they are his favorite animals and he collects giraffes. I bought him a pair of giraffes with their necks wound around each other yesterday. It plays "Hooked on a Feeling" and they dance to the music. He named them "James and Mommy". How CUTE!!! Being a mommy gives me such a warm fuzzy feeling sometimes, and the giraffes were well worth the $9 after that. (Original price $35, so I got a WICKED deal.)

Holy cow, I've rambled on forever! I was going to post a new pic of Tink Jr. but I'll do that tonight since this post is already a million miles long! Must be all the pictures. ;-)

Ciao!

Baby Book Blues and Scrapping Thoughts

I have NOT been scrapping like I should. I have three baby books that are all going unfinished while I put off my scrapping daily. So far I'm almost 4 years behind on layouts for His Majesty's book. Poptart's book is doing much better, since everything in his book was a little more recent and easier to remember the details. Angel's book is almost up to date, considering that he's only two months old and - shame on me - there aren't a whole lot of pictures of him yet.

The layout that I have on today's post is one for Angel's baby book. It was my first time playing with Heidi Swapp Ghost Letters, and now I want to use them on everything! You can do so many things with them! I edged these with acrylic paint so they would stand out a little bit.

So tomorrow night I am going to get down to business. I'm going to finally really scrap my heart out and get some layouts done for the baby books. I am going out to the mall tomorrow with my mom, so I'm going to pick up three new albums, one for my Book of Me, one for His Majesty, and one for Angel. I'm going to try to avoid buying anything else though because I just placed an order with Tracey from Croppin Frenzy and I really shouldn't spend any more. She has the cutest monthly kits on her site and she does monthly specials! You should check them out. Link in my "Favorite Places" links.

Another place you should definitely check out is Christine from Christy's Playground (in my favorite blogs). She's got some big plans...and they're going to be awesome! I'm really looking forward to seeing it all take shape. Wonder what I'm talking about? Go check it out for yourself!

Well, it's time to go talk to Tink Jr. on the phone! More tomorrow!

What Makes My Neverland...

I'm not going to pretend to be one of those wives who is constantly in awe of their husbands and thinks he's perfect. I'm not. I totally see the faults in Pan, and I have to admit that sometimes (probably far too often) I tend to point them out to him. We have our disagreements, and there are moments when I just have to scream or I just might strangle him, but then there are times like tonight.

Tonight I remember why I fell in love with Pan. It's not something in particular that he did that made me remember it. It's just that tonight my heart is overflowing with love for this man that came into my life and made my Neverland just what it should be.

Not everyone knows this - not because we've tried to hide it, just that it's not something that comes up in conversation - but Pan is not the King's biological father. Pan and I met when His Majesty was just my Prince of Wails, only four months old. We were so far from the people that we are today that sometimes I have to wonder what happened to me.

We met in the porch of Windsor Pentecostal Church. Friends introduced us, and ironically enough, the friend that introduced us was a guy that I was seeing at the time. Guess in retrospect it was a bad move on his part, but there was an instant connection. Some might call it love at first sight, others might call it pure chemistry. I don't know what it was, but alarms went off in my heart - the place that I had build solid walls around. The King's biological father had hurt me so completely that my heart lay in ruins. I was a single mom with a tiny little boy that needed me so much...I wasn't about to let someone come in and destroy me again.

That night we talked to each other so much that we scared ourselves. We kept trying to place distance between us. Pan was reluctant to let his heart get involved because he had an unnatural fear of children and he knew that I had a baby. But something happened because two months later, we started dating - but with rules. We were never getting married, it wasn't even a concern for us. We were best friends - who happened to be dating. No plans for the future. We'd just take one day at a time and see where it went.

We were engaged by July and got married 364 days after our first date. And I don't have a single regret. He is an amazing father to all three boys, a loving husband, and to quote Tami "deliciously gorgeous". I am the luckiest woman alive to have his love, and I don't appreciate him half as much as I should.

Once again, as I do so often, I have turned to music to tell my story for me. So here it is. For you, Pan. The man who changed my life. The man I could never live without. My love, forever.

Here Without You - World of Warcraft

Here is one of the reasons I love to play World of Warcraft. This game is amazing. The graphics are visually stunning and you can really make a story out of it! Enjoy...watch it and then try to tell me that you don't want to at least play it ONCE!!!!!

This game rocks and I can't help it...I'm addicted.

I'd also like to add: Whoever made this movie is a GENIUS!!!

Happy Birthday to Tami!!!

Well, it's Tami's special day today, so I have decided to devote my blog post today entirely to her. She is my best friend, and let me take a few minutes to tell you why.

Tami and I met online at a scrapbooking forum and began chatting on MSN some months ago. I have met a lot of people online, but this was different. She and I instantly clicked and within days were more like sisters than strangers that had never met face to face. Before we knew it, we were very best friends. We chatted late into the night and sometimes even the wee hours of the morning. I shared everything with her, even my most intimate secrets and the dark thoughts that I didn't dare to voice to anyone else.

Why do I love Tami so much? The list is too long to put in one post. She's the best friend I could have ever asked for. We disagree sometimes, but that's okay, because we respect each other's differences. She's open, honest, caring and always there to lend a sympathetic ear or a shoulder to cry on. She's funny and smart, always has a great witty comment to make about things, and is fiercely loyal.

She's my own personal cheerleader, psychiatrist, comedienne, and advisor. She makes me laugh and comforts me when I cry. She helps me put things in perspective, and when I'm being unreasonable, she doesn't tell me that; instead, she goes right along with me.

Really, I can't put it into words why I adore her. I guess I should just sum it up by saying: because she's Tami, and I wouldn't have her any other way.

Okay, my words just can't do her justice, so I'm going to borrow the words of Brandy to say how I truly feel. Here's to you, my best friend!!!

Best Friend
© Brandy

Whenever I'm down I call on you my friend
A helping hand you lend in my time of need
So, I'm calling you now just to make it good
What else can I do for you hear my plea
Friends may come and friends may go
But you should know that I've got your back
It's automatic
So never hesitate to call 'cause I'm your sister
And always for you in love
Whenever I'm down with all that's going on
Is really going on just one of those days
And you say the right things
To keep me moving on
To keep me going strong
What else can I say?
Friends are there through thick and thin
And I've been told that
And I believe that it's automatic
Call me when you need a friend
'Cause I'm your sister and always know that
I'll be there for you
When you're going through things that you need me
You're close to me my friend
You can count on me
Call me when you need me
Or can't take it anymore,
I don't know what I'd ever do without you
From the beginning to the end
You've always been here right beside me
So I'll call you my best friend
Through the good times and the bad ones
Whether I lose or if I win
I know one thing that never changes
And that's you as my friend!

Happy birthday Tami. Many many more and may we celebrate together next year. In Tuscany!

Poptart's Fat Lip...

Well, he's finally done it.

I knew it was coming, but I still wasn't able to stop it.

Poptart has a fat lip.

How did this happen? Well, it was a result of disobedience, but I'm fairly certain that he still didn't learn his lesson.

He has a blue Rubbermaid tote in his bedroom that we keep his toys in. It's in his bedroom and not the living room because he likes to use it as a stepladder and I'm always terrified that he's going to fall and hurt himself. So yesterday when he decided that he was going to dump all of his toys out onto the floor and bring the tote into the living room, I said "No."

Did that stop him? Absolutely not! He brought it out anyway. So what did Mommy do? Well, Mommy took that tote from him and took it right back into the bedroom without further ado. So he brought it out again. Mommy, being tired and frustrated, said to heck with it, and left him alone. When my back was turned, Poptart decided to try a new trick with the tote. He decided that it might be fun to sit on the edge of the tote to watch television like he does the arm of the sofa.

For anyone who has ever considered trying this (I don't know why anyone would but you never know these days) I would like to offer you a little lesson in physics. Sitting on the edge of a tote without an equal weight on the other side will cause the tote to act like a see-saw. And you will end up on the floor.

And if you're Poptart, you will manage to pierce your lip the old-fashioned and painful way: with your tooth.

I didn't panic, for once in my life. I very calmly got a cold wet towel and cleaned his lip, then got an ice pack for the swelling. Strawberry Shortcake was on television and she was a great help in distracting Poptart from the fact that blood was flowing from his beautiful pouty lower lip.

Long story short, Poptart got a fat lip and this scrapping mom just had to take a picture for his baby book.

Just A Little Something I Did

Was playing around on Adobe Illustrator...this is what I came up with. Enjoy.

As the World Turns...

Someone falls off. Or so a friend of mine once said. Today, I think it's going to be me. I feel exceptionally tired and I don't have what it takes to cling to the edge anymore. I think a freefall off the world is just what the doctor ordered.

So here I am, letting it all go. Why can't I just get off my butt and do what needs to be done instead of sitting here blogging about the boring life I lead?

It's not what I had pictured life to be. I had pictured an immaculate home, angelic children in clean, adorable outfits, and me, well-groomed and manicured, sipping coffee as I blog about my wonderful life.

Instead I haven't been keeping on top of the laundry like I should be...there is a mountain of it next to my laundry room door. The dishes only got washed last night because Pan took pity on me and did them for me. My bedroom is a disaster and my bathroom needs to be cleaned again. The children are in pyjamas until after noon, if I manage to get them dressed at all, and then it's usually overalls and a t-shirt. Something that within an hour is stained with Kool-Aid and covered in chalk or crayon marks in Poptart's case, spit-up in Angel's case. And me? My hair, which hasn't been washed today, in a messy ponytail and chipped nail polish as I blog about my boredom. I don't have coffee to sip on, because I don't have the energy to go and make it.

So today, instead of trying to cling to the edge of the world and make an effort to achieve my fantasy, I'm going to let go and fall off. When I finally climb back on, I'll be sure to blog about it. ;-)

Where Will These Feet Take You?

I have to confess, I love baby feet.

I hate adult feet. I think that feet as a rule are icky. Maybe that's why I love shoes so much...they cover up the nastiness that are people's feet. No foot fetish here, I can't stand feet.

But there's something about baby feet that is totally different. They're so soft, sweet and pure. They have yet to take a step towards their goals in life. Just like the baby they are attached to, they are blissfully ignorant of what lays ahead. They know nothing of the hurt and corruption that they will likely face on the long road that lies ahead.

I love to play with Angel's little feet. I love the way he curls his toes and the softness of his little heels. I love to kiss the tiny little toes that look like wee berries. I like to wonder where his feet will take him.

Will those feet ever take steps on foreign soil? Will they run carefree on a sandy beach? Will they splash in the ocean? Will they follow in the prints left by the feet of other great men?

Will these feet carry him to a battlefield to serve his country? Will they walk the halls of a hospital as he cares for others? Will they kick a soccer ball or football in a championship game? Will they dance on a stage? Will they lead him to the altar to marry his true love?

Wherever they lead him, near or far, I pray they always lead him home.

Happy Birthday to My Sweeties!!!

I'm a little late posting this but I want to wish a very happy belated birthday to my "nephews". They are my cousin Janet's boys, and I have made them honorary Lost Boys.

So here's to you, Donald, who turned 8 on February 5th:



And you, Isaac, who turned the big 5 yesterday!!!


To my precious nephews, my OTHER Lost Boys, Auntie Tink loves and adores you. I can't wait to see you again so I can spoil you rotten. Big hugs and kisses to you both on today and every day!

Also a big happy birthday to Dusty's boy Teryn, who also turned 5 yesterday! Happy birthday T-Man!!!!!

Upside Down

Ever hear a song and just think that the lyrics remind you of someone? Well, every time I hear the song "Upside Down" by Jack Johnson (from the Curious George soundtrack) I think of Poptart. The song just suits him. So I couldn't resist including the lyrics of the song on a layout with this, my favorite picture of him.

Turn it upside down, Poptart. If anyone can, it's you.

So Tired

I have got to stop staying up so late. I am so tired today I can barely function. I apologize if this post makes no sense or seems disjointed somehow - I am truly exhausted.

It's barely past noon and already my day has been packed full of activity - and just a bit of insanity. I got up early with the baby and bathed him while Pan bathed Poptart. Then he watched the kids while I showered and dressed. We all went out to get the kids immunized. (insert sarcasm here) Oh fun. (end sarcasm)

The visit with the nurse was a nightmare. Poptart has never been so uncooperative in his life. He would not do anything she wanted him to do, and when he got his shots he screamed like a banshee. I think they heard him in the next town. Angel cried through the whole thing too, especially the needles. They are both very big boys. Poptart hit the 90th percentile for height, and 2 month old Angel is a whopping 13 lbs, 3 oz!

Now Poptart is asleep in his crib, Angel is asleep in his carseat and Pan is asleep on the sofa. I'm the only one still awake, and just barely. Maybe I'll go for a nap too...

Yesterday With My Parents

My parents came to visit yesterday and it was great! I have missed them so much! It was great to just get a chance to shop with my mom and talk about things. The older I get the more I understand my mom. I used to think that she was just trying to restrict me and take away my freedom and fun, but now I see that the things she was doing was to protect me and make me a better person. I hope it worked. :)

After our shopping trip we came back to the apartment and took some pictures. What do you think? Do I look like my mom?

Ironically, before we took this picture I was wearing my pretty new shirt, but I changed it because I didn't want Angel to puke on it. It's not the best picture of me, that's for sure. I almost didn't post it, but my mom is adorable. :)

We also tried to get a good picture of my parents with all three boys. This was quite a task, since first His Majesty wasn't looking, then he was bending over, then Dad wasn't looking and so on and so forth. We finally came up with this, which is a decent picture I suppose.

Serious red-eye because I haven't had the chance to edit yet. :S

Procrastinating

Here I sit at 11:09am...I have to leave the house in less than 40 minutes and I am still sitting here in my pyjamas. I don't want to move. I'm so tired. I got about 2 hours sleep last night, how much does that suck? I have to go back for my follow-up appointment with the optometrist so that I can order my contacts. Then I think I'll nip over to the mall and do a little bit of shopping. Maybe I'll get some new scrapbooking supplies. I know I'm going to pick up the pink scrapbook I found for my Book of Me. That has to be started ASAP.

Okay, this was a quick update...more later. I have to get ready and I have to order pics from Walmart before I do! Eep!

Life as a Mommy

It's not always easy! My mom made it look like being a stay at home mom was the simplest job that any woman could have! She was one of those women who prompted men and working women to say "Yeah, but she doesn't work." She never seemed to get flustered, her house was always clean, and dinner was always on time - and we ate at the table instead of in front of the television. I'm still struggling with how in the world to get anything done in the run of the day other than maintaining my sanity, and sometimes even that's a chore!

I love my boys, but sometimes staying at home with them all day long is almost more than I can take! Having been on the other side of the fence as well, sometimes I long for the days of paid employment. It sure had it's perks. For example, taking a sick day meant that you didn't have to do your job for that day. As a stay at home mom, it means doing everything you normally do while trying not to faint from sinus pain and with a tissue tucked in your bra. It was also a great bonus to be able to have a normal conversation with someone whose favorite phrase was not "I got a cool car!", unless you got stuck in the lunchroom with Phil the Pimp who thought his Camaro was the hottest thing to ever hit the pavement.

Sometimes I think it would be a treat to go back to work. Shorter hours, adult conversation and a paycheck. Imagine! Getting paid for busting your butt all day!

This is a thankless job, but when I have moments like this one...The King calling from his grandma's house because he wants to know what everyone is doing (aka what he's missing), Angel sleeping peacefully in his bassinette and Poptart yelling answers at "Dora the Explorer"...I'm glad I chose to be a stay at home mom. They are little for such a short time and I wouldn't want to miss a moment of this precious time.

Another Layout, Courtesy of Tink...

Here's a layout I did of Boo, Tami's oldest son. I'm not sure I'm totally happy with it. I might end up redoing it. It's so hard to do masculine pages that don't look like something's missing...

I Need a Maid..and Other Complaints

Okay, so I didn't do another update last night. So sue me. I never leave the house, so my life isn't interesting enough to warrant two posts in one day. LOL. I should probably post a warning on this post.

WARNING: If you don't want to hear me ramble and whine for ages and ages, don't read this post! Just scan to the bottom and leave me a comment. :)

Remember a couple days back when I talked about my cleaning frenzy? Yeah, it's time for another one already. Why can't things just stay clean? Is that so hard? I am so tired of cleaning. I want a maid. I think that if someone would come in here and give every room a real good cleaning, I could keep it clean, but my trouble is that I get one room clean and by the time I'm finished cleaning the next one, the first one is a mess again! It's just not fair! Am I the only person who can put things away?!

Another thing that bugs me is that Poptart will not leave Angel alone when he's sleeping! It seems that as soon as Angel finally drifts off, Poptart (who has been ignoring Angel up to this point) will go over to the bassinette and either try to "play" with Angel (which consists of poking him and saying "Bubba's baby! Bubba's baby!"), toss a toy in there with him or yell next to the bassinette. Why can't he come over and try to "play" with him when he's crying and needs entertainment? It's so frustrating!!!

I never leave this house. Last time I went out was to the mall to pick up necessities like diapers, milk, and rum. I was limited to 2 hours and stressed the entire time I was gone that I was going to go over my time limit. I wish I could have just one whole day for "me".

I need a vacation...I wish I could afford one. I told Pan I needed a vacation. Guess what he said? "Go to your mother's."

Well, there's a bead of brilliance on the necklace of life. Let me see. I can leave the apartment where there are two children for the moment, pack up all their stuff and take them to someone else's house where there is another of my children, so I can listen to my mother complain about noise and mess because there are three children in her house. Sounds like fun!

I need a real vacation. One that includes no children, a tropical location, a hunky cabana boy and a sandy beach. Oh yeah, and rum. Don't forget the rum.

Guess What I Did Last Night...

No, not that! Tsk, tsk, get your minds out of the gutter! I'm not going to post that here! I don't kiss and tell...or do I? ;)

Actually, I spent some time scrapbooking! That's right, I settled down in my little scrapping corner and set to work. Here's one of the layouts I completed.


I used one of the page maps from Becky Fleck's January 2007 collection. I don't scrap about myself very often so I decided to scrap about the "odd" parts of my personality instead of the everyday. It was a great excuse to use pink too! LOL

I'll probably update again tonight. Hope everyone enjoyed the "Passions" video by Jyoti. We Passions fans got the official news that our show has been cancelled and so I've been watching Passions videos by the boatload. If you want to do me a BIG favor, could you please go sign the Save Passions Petition and help me save my show??? PLEASE??? I don't watch much TV and Passions may not be the greatest soap with its storylines that drag on forever and it's mediocre writing, but those of us who are fans love it so much, despite all it's faults.

Okay, this has been long for someone who is planning to post again tonight...