Saturday, May 15, 2010

Overnight

So, this morning Savanna got dressed, and I meanDRESSED. Without any direction from me, she adorns herself in head to toe ruffles, sparkly bracelets, sleek hair and enough perfume to put Estee Lauder to shame. It was all too much for me. Way to grown up. I look at her and ask "When did you get so grown up? When did you get so smart and even more gorgeous? It all happened overnight...."

Her response is this, "MOM! Seriously?? I was smart and pretty yesterday! That's just mean!"


Wow.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

~*Substitute*~

By far Easter is the BUSIEST time of the year for this girlie....so in case you are tired of checking the blog & finding no new updates....I am posting a substitute blogger. This woman speaks from my heart and lives in my head. Enjoy.....



Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Oh, the Drama

I have 2 daughters. Savanna is always in front of the camera. Claire is always giving me dirty looks when I point a lens in her direction. But last night, we had an absolute blast doing Claire's homework which involved memorizing a poem. The more we practiced, the sillier and more dramatic we became. The result....







I begged her to recite the poem this way in class and she won't do it. She is hilarious, and I love her to death.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Taylor Swift Hair & a Big Fat "Wedding" Dress

Wow. Time. Seriously? You don't really heal anything and I never really have you on my hands to enjoy. You come and go extremely too fast leaving wrinkles and misshapen body parts in your wake.

Savanna was one year old when we moved to Jefferson, to the only residence she has ever really known. Savanna has watched in envy as Claire has had the chance to attend parties, dances, stay up late, and do all the "big girl" things an older sibling gets to do. (Being the oldest in a SLEW of siblings, I have always relished in this type of envy, personally.) Finally, however, her time has come. Savanna and Ben attended their first Daddy-Daughter Dance last night.

Keep in mind, that we have recently been to David's Bridal to pick up a bridesmaid dress for myself. It took a LOT of talking to convince Savanna that it wasn't the kind of store where you could just try anything on. She and Claire were in a state of bliss amongst all the sequins and rhinestones. (Side note: To the Prom Dress, you've come a long way, baby!) At one point she says to me, "Mommmy, one day when I am gonna get married, can we come here so I can try on a wedding dress?" I respond, "Sure, baby." In my head I respond by begging her to never grow up and making promises to really, really, like the Wiggles this time around....

The point is: Savanna went into this dance knowing what was out there on the fancy dance dress market.

Her thoughts on what to wear included me totally remaking my own prom dress into one for her and for obvious time and sentimental reasons I refused this idea. So here at the house, we searched and tried on and fought until we found a beautiful, perfect dress. A flower girl dress Claire wore in Ryan and Stephanie's wedding. Yes, a "wedding" dress. Which had to be accompanied with the perfectly polished nails and makeup and hair. Hair. According to Savanna it just HAD to be done like the picture of Taylor Swift she saw "that one time in that one magazine." So Savanna rocked the side ponytail.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Well, Ben rings the doorbell to escort his date to the car and as they drive off I just about drown myself in tears once again screaming in my head that it is too soon, remembering how many times she has asked me when it would be her turn to go with Daddy to the dance.

So Time, I have decided to disregard you. I may be almost 37 years old but I don't really feel that age unless I make up my bed on a school morning or do yard work. So go ahead with your ability to make me sob as my girls grow up and get their drivers license, go to college, get married. I am still gonna jump on trampolines, play music too loud, color in coloring books, and dance to High School Musical dvds in an effort to prove to them that even though they may do "big girl" things, they don't ever really need to grow up.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Wild Week of Firsts

Whirlwind.

Unpredictable.

Cold.

Scary.

Impressive.

All words describing last week. I fell off the face of the earth and entered into a black hole of potty breaks and oh-my-god-where-is-the-dog thoughts every half hour. Ok, I lie. I need to know where she is at all times in the name of furniture preservation. Oh, and something I didn't think about before snagging my precious little fur ball out of the box and rushing her home~~~WARM WEATHER is probably the best time for such an endeavor. Standing outside in 80 degrees below 0 temps is really, really unappealing. However, for the FIRST time, I have toted my puppy upper outside every half hour in the arctic winds with a positive attitude.

Dirty things. Poop. Not a fan. But like the bumper sticker advises, it happens. Due to the wildlife roaming the area and the Antarctica-like temperatures, I am not over concerned with making sure Bella does her business in the outer regions of our yard in the straw and leaves. Just outside is good enough for me. The thought of having to scrape it off someones shoe, though.....completely unacceptable. So, for the FIRST time ever, I purchased one of those poop grabbing claw things and I walk around the yard every morning hunting for poo. (Personal note to Abby~~~WOO TO THE POO!!! Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

While on the topic of the unpleasant puppy things, Bella has developed an infection of the urinary or vaginal kind. (I tried to prep you for gross with the previous paragraph.) So...for the FIRST time I find myself wiping canine hootenanny more than I wipe my own.

Moving on the humans in the household. I finally had to break down and take Nanners to the pediatrician so we could figure out the root of her stomach issues. She is on a STRICT diet for 2 weeks~~~not even sugar free gum is allowed. That's an entire food group to her. And when we were sent to a lab for blood tests, I was tempted to ask for sedation (for myself as much as for Savanna). If anyone has witnessed the child have a splinter you know where I am coming from. Splinter removal can take hours and a call from the neighbors "just checking to see if everything is alright....with all the screaming and such." I was envisioning nurses being pummeled by her kicking legs as she is being held down crying and screaming. She asked me what was about to take place and my policy has always been to tell her straight up when it comes to medical procedures. Her response was that she would just cry on the inside, not the outside.

And she did it. She sat in my lap with her head buried in my chest and cowgirled up. She even looked a little at the invasion of her little arm. I was so proud. So, for the FIRST time, I saw Nanners truly be the bravest girl.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

So I went Krogering today......

Many of my friends and family know that do the Lollipops Consignment Sale twice a year & set up as a vendor with all my Baileigh Grace fab items. When the 2 & 1/2 day sale is over, I am uber exhausted. I even reported to the nice policeman at the sale that my friend had a GPS stolen out of her car~~~when in fact it had not. I don't even know if she even has a GPS in her car. When I told her the policeman said she should report it she just politely smiled and handed me an Adderall. I just get delirious due to lack of sleep. So, I slept all of Saturday, still woke up groggy today. Just couldn't get out of the funk. Like a hangover without the Jack Daniels.

I made my list~~~even had coupons~~~and went to the grocery. Later at home I realized that I left out the main ingredient for dinner tonight~~RIBS. So, I went to Kroger, again. Driving into the parking lot while talking to Abby I see the crowd of shoppers gathered around a big box. It could only mean one thing. FREE PUPPIES.

Amber: Abby, tell me not to get a puppy, that it is a bad idea. ]
Abby: Seriously, its like having a baby, Amber. DO NOT get a puppy.
Amber: Ok....thanks. No puppy.

15 minutes later, Abby calls back as I am in Kroger.

Abby: Hey, are you shopping?
Amber: Yes, you won't believe what I did.
Abby: YOU DIDN'T?!?!?!?

Yes, I did. She is adorable going into hour 8. A snuggler. Herschel doesn't seem to care for her. And in a couple of days, everyone in Jackson County might hear me cursing in the rain in the middle of the night.

But for now, I dig her.

Welcome the new addition, Bella. PS....I know you all know I am a Twilight FREAK, but I have always wanted a female dog named Bella or Georgie. So I named her Bella, reserving Georgie for another bulldog one day. SERIOUSLY.....







Saturday, February 20, 2010

Snow Day~Fun Day

Yes, it is truly rare that we have this much great snow here in Jefferson. Even though I love to make fun of how life tends to pause prematurely when Ken Cook utters the words "possibility of snow" in these parts, it was really refreshing to just have a couple of days to put our normal life on hold and play in the snow.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

~~My Little Dragon Diner~~

Ben & I are the proudest parents around and with such good reason. Both girls do great in school, Savanna is a talented cheerleader and Claire makes every free throw shot. We walk around beaming alot of the time, but never more than when the girls get called out for having an outstanding character trait. Here is the latest, and I just have to share!



Thursday, January 28, 2010

FireFliez?

Firefliez on the Lilypad? Yes, I choose this to represent the little lights in my life that seem to flutter around here, leaving joy and messes in their wake. I don’t really think that they are beetles (unless it is a really bad day), but they are definitely my little bugs.

Savanna has figured out the use for the blog. My laughter at her adorable anecdotes now prompts her to say, “Don’t post that.” So I will post as many as I can before she actually figures out how to begin her own blog about her horribly invasive mom. Claire is actually about to launch her own blog~~~so be sure to subscribe to that and get your fill of middle school angst & beautiful custom made jewelry from Baileigh Bead Designs.

I started blogging (did I really just use that word?) from the coffee shop in town. This makes me feel, I don’t know….trendy, urban, hip? But only for a fleeting moment, as I imagine this scene is mainly for people who are escaping familiarity in the hopes of being able to focus on the task at hand. I, instead, know 95 percent of the patrons of this fine establishment and will have to conclude my thoughts surrounded by dishes & laundry. Joy.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Lists, Oh My


Someone once asked me how I got it all done, the business, the kids, the rest of life's whooo-haaaa. My answer (in no particular order) was adderall, wine, love & lists. Check out the list Savanna made this weekend. Notice that there is an "X" next to "cherch", because we didn't make it on Sunday.

Amber & the hairiest nephew, Wentworth.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

I don't really sleep. I have so much to share. I know~~what took me so long, right?
For my family and friends, I hope this is a place you come to for a quick smile as you enjoy your coffee in the morning. A place that can bring you closer to our life and our family...