In the home stretch...

Grandma Barbie will soon be on the way, Chris will be home Thursday, and I may, I just may, get 5 minutes to myself in the very near future! It really hasn't been awful, but this time last year, it was certainly not any birthday like I would have imagined my 28th to be. Yesterday, I awakened after 4 hours of almost-sleep with a 10 month old and a 4 year old cracker jack that's ready to get up with the chickens...then there was no where to go and nothing to do, I was waiting for the Cat in the Hat to come knock on my door with Thing 1 and Thing 2...no mail came (which is a bummer then that's how you would receive b'day cards)...but no one got a spanking, we took some pictures on mommy's birthday to remember the day (and that daddy wasn't here - umm-hmm) and we made it out as the temperature rose above freezing to McDonalds...and the baby seemed to sleep better last night, too. Then, today, we had a nice morning, we went to Emma Grace's ballet/tap lesson (which always brightens the day) and when we came home, there was an FTD box waiting and a handful of birthday cards in the mail. Chris had sent me a bouquet of purple roses and alstromeria (putting him back in good graces, for now)...very pretty (even if the non-rocket scientist delivery person left the package outside in the rain in temperatures just barely above freezing and everything wilted) after warming the flowers and pinching off the saddest wilted flowers and removing quite a few rose petals...but now it's actually, almost pretty and there's one big purple rose in the dead center of the vase that has just blossomed...and you know, I thought that's kinda how my birthday went this year, how a lot of things seemingly go these days, there's a lot of junk in the way, some things wither away from neglect, and things sometimes appear abysmal, but when you add some TLC, decide to totally remove the dead things and just let the rest be...something will blossom and stun you with its beauty...and I paused...mmmmmmm. How's that for the lesson of my 28th birthday, pretty good, I thought...maybe that's what God was trying to say through so many things and maybe it took an unexpected, extravagant bouquet for me to get His love letter at the delivering hands of my hubby (as well as the so-called delivery man). Doesn't He always send us unexpected, extravagant bouquets that often we can't see as the gift? So, I'm grateful to have not missed this gift and to have gained a little perspective back...for Him to help me see what He sees now and what He sees is possible when I give the TLC to our relationship and remove the dead things of this earth from my heart, His throne --- couldn't we all do a little winter cleaning for Jesus? Amen? Amen. And besides that wonderful gift that could have been all I needed, then I got a handful of cards from my friends in my women's small group back in SC...and I just had to smile...sooo, here's some pics of the kids, hope they bring you a smile, too.

Yes, love each other, even if it is just for the picture, ah.

"Mom, I really don't want to take a picture with just me."

"Ya know, mom, if you held the camera just a little closer, I could yank that strap hard enough to jerk the camera out of your hands and throw it on the floor..."

"I would like to share with you, sissy, but I'm just not that tall...
maybe I'll pull your hair again to tell you I'm mad."

"Mom, she is NOT sharing her stuff again, can I pull her hair?"

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to...

cry if I want to, cry if I want to, you would cry too, if it happened to you..." (Yeah, if you know me, you know you can hear me singing that over and over again.)

So, today is my birthday, and last night I couldn't get to sleep, so I was up until 1 am-ish...when I finally dozed off, only to hear my 10 month old crying in his room...so I did what every good mom does, I let him cry for a while, hoping and praying that he would just fall asleep...I had no such luck! We were up at 1:15 am and then again at 2 am --- so glad that he could share my birthday with me in such a special way...oh, so glad. So, my grumpy head is working on finding my happy heart today. After finally putting the munchkin in the bed with me, we slept almost peacefully except for the few bats to my head - until 6 am - when he was up again. Then we attempted to doze off only for big sister to wander in once the sun came up (because that's our rule for her). So, we were up - I did not want to be, but here we are. I've cleared the breakfast dishes and I'm working on finishing the pot of coffee that I made...Emma Grace is playing quietly in the living room in front of the Christmas tree...yup, I said tree, we still haven't taken it down, and Chris is gone to Lotusphere, so it remain up prolly til he comes home Thursday or Friday. Ollie is being a grumpy-butt - guess, he is just like his momma - I'm trying not to poke the little bear. But, we're getting out of this house today - after 2 days of below freezing temperatures and looking only at each other - we ARE getting out of this house today. I don't know what we'll do yet - I'm thinking Super Target. What can I say? And reinforcements are on the way - my mom will be here soon and again, there will be another grown up in the house. =) So, happy birthday to me - enjoy the pics of the kids...

ugh...

So, happy birthday to me. It's very early on the morning of my birth and what am I doing? Blogging, really, I should do something, like I dunno, sleep! =) So, I will be officially 28 at 8:19 PM tonight. And I am praying to have gotten out of the house...we've had two rounds of non-sticking, but melting, freezing snow here. One round the night before Chris's birthday and one round Saturday all day...so yesterday there was melting and today freezing as the temps never got above freezing...woo-hoo. So - what do I want for my birthday - a very simple wish - to get out of this house even to go to McDonalds. =) From your lips to God's ears...

Happy Birthday Bubba!

Will there be cake at this party???

Ha-Ha-Ha More Birthdays...

Happy 30th Birthday, Bubba! Do you feel older my love? Lots of love at ya, Topher!

My hubby will be leaving me...

for Lotusphere - yes, scroll down, (that's a little giggle for some of my gal-pals) - yes, it's that time of year to be widowed to good ol' yellow - Lotusphere. Chris is already bleeding yellow. His buddy from work is apparently hemorrhaging yellow...and wants Bubbs to do the same...momma doesn't think so, though...inside joke...I'll have to share more on that later because I don't want to spoil anything for the "Speed Geek" - I think that's what Chris is now...and that could technically be another inside joke, but I digress.

So, it'll be me and the babies and some special visits from special guests (maybe a grandma or two or maybe Mr. and Mrs. Claus, lots of possibilities)...

I'd better get jewels in my crown, or just jewels...a tiara would be nice...(wink, wink), but I'm thinking the plane ticket to El Paso may be it, so when I'm coming home I'll fold my boarding pass into an origami tiara - it won't sparkle, but I may sparkle a little after spending some time with "the glitz and glamor" of Texas in February.

On another note, we are supposed to get snow/sleet/ice here tonight...soooo...maybe some wintry pics will pop up soon on our new digital camera...yes, that's why there are no new pics, I don't know how to work the new one yet - don't really know where it is in a suitcase somewhere and am pretty sure that I don't know where the old one is either....

Happy Birthday to me...

Okay, so since my friend moved to the far off land of El Paso, I've been saying I'm going...

And since I never got a vacation last year (yes, I'll bring that up again because unless you are warped you do not call moving to Georgia a vacation -- although we did take EG to Myrtle Beach for her birthday -- but I was still chief cook and bottle washer, so it doesn't technically count...) and since the kids and I got bumped from the Disney World/Lotusphere trip in 2 weeks (meaning I don't get to see my other best-good friend who lives in West Palm Beach for the time being), I just bought my ticket to El Paso! I say my ticket because I am going ALONE! We'll call it Mer-Happy Birth-East-Mas presents (that's Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday (cough, January 21, cough), and Happy Easter, too)...soooo, come President's Day weekend, I'll be "leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again," except that my return flight is on that Tuesday. =)

I'm just so excited, there will be no living with me until then! It will be the best President's Day ever and I'll have to buy a new hand sanitizer to celebrate the occasion...

Happy Birthday to a cute little fella!

And, no I don't mean Chris - although, might I mention that Bubba turns 30 the day before he leaves for Lotusphere!!! For those of you out of my loop or on the short bus, that means, January 17th - this coming Thursday - enjoy!

BUT, Happy FIRST Birthday to Ollie's belly buddy - MAVERICK COLE WADE!!! By belly buddy, I mean that my dear-best-good friend, Jen Wade, had Mav in her belly at the same time I was carrying Ollie in mine - what fun to share fried pickles with another prego - ahhh, the mom-ories! I cannot believe Mav is one - and OT will be one March 15th! Time flies...and hopefully, soon I will, too.

So, 'zum Geburstag viel Gluck' Mav - Happy Birthday, little lovie. Mrs. Jen wishes she could kiss you little punkin head!

Sametime in an Active Directory and Exchange environment.

OKAY, so I couldn't help myself. It was time for mockery, again. I'd been a good girl, so Santa would come, but the fat man has left the building!

"Sametime in an Active Directory and Exchange environment" That's the real link at Chris's blog, the hubba-Bubba.

"Sametime" This is what any stay-at-home-mom is required to do all day long. While I folded laundry at the sametime, I kept the baby out of the dryer and the preschooler away from the baby. While I showered at the sametimes, I kept the baby out of the shower and the preschooler out of the toilet. While I typed this blog at the sametime, I kept the baby from the keyboard and mouse and the preschooler from the number pad keys.

"Active Directory" This is my crew, wherever we are, whenever we are there. With the baby at 10 months old and the prechooler at 4, we are at the very least active! I must give directorates 10 times a day with no response, causing my response in directory format, "Emma Grace!" and "Oliver Thomas!"

"Exchange Environment" This is how my children play with everything. The baby wants what sissy has and sissy wants what the baby has, but whatever they have they don't want unless they want to fight for it...which never ends well, sissy has lost fist-fulls of curls to her bull-dog baby brother and baby brother has numerous bumps on his noggin from his determined big sis.

What do I want? My hubby. My mommy. My daddy. And Starbucks!

Honestly, it's not that horrible, but every day is a challenge, but filled with grace from my gracious Daddy reminding me to grant that same undeserved grace that I received to my kiddos. Yep, I am certainly the "wretch" the song refers to...So that's my thankful Thursday!