My son wants socks for Christmas

Does anyone else find this weird?  My mom called to talk to N tonight, to ask him what he wanted for Christmas, and he told her he wanted socks.  Socks.  I was unable to hold in my laughter, although I think I disguised it a little by snorting into the blanket I was using as a pillow while we watched "Field of Dreams" after our delightful dinner of homemade chili.

Wow, that was a whole lot of information in one sentence.  I'll try to settle it down.

Each year, I claim I'm going to follow certain guidelines for Christmas, and every year, I get caught up in things and do the exact opposite.  My goal is to not go overboard this year.  I want to give my boys four gifts this year:

"Something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read."

The problem that I'm having is that so many of the things that I could get them fall into multiple categories.  HOW DO I CHOOSE?!

I'm so excited about going to pick out a Christmas tree and setting it up.  It's been so long since I've had my own space to decorate.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I really loved decorating my mom's house for Christmas last year and the year before, but it's just different somehow. 

I've started decorating, and by decorating, I mean I switched the doormat from the red doormat with leaves to the blue one with a reindeer.

Have I really sunk to the level where I'm discussing doormats?  I think I've reached an all-time low.

My brain seems to be fried due to all of my creative genius (and I use that term loosely) being depleted by the reflective paper I had to write for my Mexican class.  Yep, you can read that as many times as you want, and it's not going to change.

On that note, I'm going to eat my frozen yogurt, spit out all of the raspberry seeds (because they didn't have strawberry or vanilla at my time of purchase), and go to bed.  Have you tried the Healthy Choice Greek Frozen Yogurt?  It's pretty tasty...and there are always entertaining messages on the lid, like this one:

                                       "If you are what you eat...then you must be delicious!"

Why does this make me laugh so so much?

Aubs

Magic Mondays

Most would hate the Monday following a long weekend or a vacation from work.  Not me.  Why?  Because my kids made me insane last week!

Also, today my B turned 7.  I woke him up singing the birthday song, and I received a sweet, sleepy "Thank you, Mommy" followed by, "Hey...wait a minute.  What time was I born?"  I told him he was born at 4:18 pm, and he made it clear that I shouldn't mention his birthday again until he was actually 7.

That is, until he said he wanted me to come eat lunch with him...and bring him Chicken Minis from Chick-Fil-A.  I made brownies for a special treat for his class, because his teacher said brownies or cookies would be the easiest.  I delivered the brownies and goodie bags and chicken minis, and had a delightful lunch with my B while the 4th graders practiced their Christmas musical for our entertainment.

And by entertainment, I mean I know all of the songs now.  In the past few weeks, I've been in the cafeteria during someone's rehearsal at least 4 times.  I walk around humming one of the songs, and both boys give me exasperated looks and roll their eyes.  I'm glad I'm turning into my dad.  I know I've done (and still do) the exact same thing to him.

Keep it in the family, friends.

After lunch/breakfast, I ran a few errands, got the rest of the stuff I didn't get at the store yesterday, and came home to clean up from our trip.  I did laundry and put things away, and then I got ambitious.  Oh no.

I decided I could totally complete one of my classes tonight.  It should be easy, right?  I picked Oceanography because everything was already posted for me to complete.  I had 4 tests and 5 labs, and finished the class with a solid high B at 6:15 tonight.  YAY!  I told N who wasn't interested until he asked me why I had gotten a "B."  I told him I hadn't read the book at all, and that he should NOT follow in his mom's footsteps.  Do you know what he said?  "Wow, Mom...that's pretty impressive, but imagine how well you would have done if you had actually READ the book."

I'm being admonished by a 10 year-old, and I'm torn between laughing and grounding him for being a smarty pants.

N started basketball tonight, so I took him to practice and hung out to see how the team was shaping up.  He did really well, and I'd say he's right on track for being one of the kids who gets a lot of playing time.  He doesn't take constructive criticism well, so that's a huge hurdle...but I know he's capable. 

When we got home, I decided to get some of my Mexican class out of the way.  It's on Mexican culture and customs, but I just simplify.  This is the class that started mid-semester, and I've totally put it off.  There aren't any due dates, aside from a paper that's due Tuesday (whoops!) and the rest is due at the end of the semester.  I sat down at 8:00, and by 11:00 I had completed everything but the reflective paper.  I'm so proud of me!

Now all I have to do is wait for my Criminology professor to post the discussion boards for next week, take the final, and I'm done!  There are so many things I'd rather be doing, but I promised myself that I would be responsible and get my work done first.

Man, it sucks being a grown-up sometimes...

To wrap things up, I had a great conversation with a friend of mine tonight.  She was asking about my love life (or lack thereof) and I was laughing as I explained why it was non-existent.  I'm glad I can laugh about it because it sure beats crying!!!

Aubs

My B & me, at 4:17, right before he became my 7 year-old B!  He's such a ham, & I (mostly) love it!

Bright ideas never end up working like you want them to...

When we left for Houston last week, I made sure not to grocery shop prior to our departure.  That meant, when we left, we were out of milk and juice and bread and deli meat and cereal and a variety of other things that we use on the regular.  Genius idea, right?

Wrong.

When you get home after 11:00 pm and you're super-tired, the last thing you want to do is think about any of that stuff...so you don't.  It isn't really a big deal at night, but when your kids wake up in the morning, to find that the only kind of juice we have is cranberry, this is a minor problem.  Luckily, we had poptarts, so breakfast wasn't a total disaster.

But then, before I knew it, it was lunch time.  I have one kid who refuses to eat any kind of sandwich except peanut butter and jelly, and I have another kid who is allergic to peanut butter and will only eat turkey sans bread.  Normally, this isn't an issue, but like I said, I made them eat all the food and didn't restock.

Lunch was a creative affair: N had an uncrustable (typically slated for school lunches only) chips, blueberry muffins, and an applesauce.  B had chicken nuggets that I found in the freezer, chips, peaches, and applesauce.  And I purposely ignored the fact that I had a paper due at midnight.

Instead, I went back into my room to lounge on my bed (I love my bed at my dad's but nothing compares to being in your own bed in your own home) and tried to catch up on my dvr...except for that it's having issues recording things.  I need to have Dish come replace it (they've already offered several times) but first I want to clear my dvr.  See the catch-22?  Life is so complicated.

Finally, I dragged us out of the house and off to Target to get "6" things, but on the way, I had this genius idea.  These ideas are typically never good, but I decided (on a whim) to make goodie bags for B's class.  See, he turns 7 tomorrow, and since his birthday actually falls on a school day, I wanted to make it special.

So first we went to Party City, where he wanted to get every single kind of candy and noisy toy imaginable.  I told him to pick one toy and stickers.  He looked completely depressed until I reminded him that we had candy at home I could put in the bags...then he perked right up.  After careful consideration, he chose a kazoo and sports/stars stickers.  I splurged and let him pick a pencil, too and he picked some pretty fantastic goodie bags, too.

Then there was Target.  They drove me crazy on every aisle: fighting, touching each other, goofing around.  I already knew I needed a vacation from their vacation, but I literally told them in the "lunch box/chip" aisle that if I heard one more word, they were both going to bed as soon as we got home.  The time at that moment was approximately 3:47. 

We finished getting our groceries and went to check the dollar spot...because you just never know what you'll find there.  What we found was Angela!  She's one of the moms from N's baseball team, and she and I will both swear that we're kindred spirits.  We just met a few months ago, but we totally click.  I wished, on more than one occasion, that we were home this last week so our kids could play and we could have grown-up talk.  She's a lot of fun, and always knows where I'm coming from when my kids are making me insane...mostly because she's right there with me.

I realized, while talking to Angela, that N needed an intermediate basketball for practice that starts tomorrow, so after we finished at Target, I threw caution to the wind and left my freezer stuff in the trunk while we ran into Sports Authority to grab a ball and return a Longhorns shirt N decided he didn't want.  Twenty minutes later, I was reminded why I try my best to avoid Sports Authority...not because of their lack of selection, but because their employees are not the fastest cars on the racetrack.

When we were almost home, N mentioned that we forgot to get milk, so we stopped at Market Street and ran into 3 people we knew.  Joy.  We got home, ate dinner, and I started on my literary review of the death penalty.  I originally chose the topic because I've already done a research paper or two on the subject, and I figured that would help.  It didn't. 

Now I have more deadlines in my immediate future, but the good news is that one of them is a reflective paper.  I can knock that one out pretty quickly, but here's what I don't understand...  Why must all college professors make their papers due on the exact same day?  Wouldn't life be so much easier (for everyone, not just the girl who has 3 papers due on the same day on vastly different subjects) if each subject was required to stagger the major papers?  History papers are due mid-October, government the first week of November, and so on and so forth?  No?  Well, I think it would be way easier and would streamline my life...

And, as we all know...this is obviously all about me...

Aubs

P.S. I have to go "special occasion dress" shopping this week to find a dress for a fairly fancy Christmas party.  I don't want the dress to be long, but I also don't want it to be super-form fitting.  Any thoughts?

Picture Recap

Today was just a lowkey day at Pampaw's house.  We lazed around the house for most of the day, and my dad took a nap while I did laundry and homework and the boys played outside.  I went back and forth on whether or not we should go home today or tomorrow several times.  SO...  We just got home from a week in Houston...  I purposely left in the evening, in hopes that the boys would be tired and fall asleep so I could get some peace & quiet because, let's face it.  This mom is completely frazzled.  I need a vacation from our vacation, and I'm so glad that school starts again on Monday.  Surprise, surprise: they didn't sleep, nor were they quiet.  At all.

Since I'm far away from the "radiant bear" aka the insulation in my dad's attic (I know it's a radiant barrier, but the first time my dad mentioned it, my Seester and I swore he said "radiant bear" so now we talk about the dazzling dancing bear hiding in the attic.  Yeah, we're weird...like you didn't know that already.) my phone will work.  I can text and talk and email pictures to myself and check Facebook, and anything else I wanted to do.  I've gotta say, I did enjoy the peace & quiet this week, as far as my phone usage is concerned.  It was pleasant to just be without all of the beeping and binging and flashing lights, notifiying me that something entirely too important was happening.

And now: Pictures!  I didn't take my camera to Houston, mostly because it was broken a long time ago.  I mostly rely on my phone or other people to take pictures, so thank goodness for my Seester.  She showed up, camera in hand, and sent me some wonderful memories!

My dad and I started our morning around 6 a.m., and as soon as we got the turkey in the oven, we enjoyed some delicious Thanksgiving coffee and a few minutes of relaxation before we went into Thanksgiving prep mode.

                                                      Our turkey right before the foil tent.

                                                            My dad, the turkey carver.

Appetizers minus the "Oklahoma Dip" and the Spinach Artichoke Dip, which I accidentally forgot to take out of the microwave after I reheated it.  Whoops!

                         After we ate, N needed some quiet time to contemplate life...on top of the fence.

                                  Meanwhile, my mom, Seester, and I were just being ourselves...

                    Then our photographer (Mike) said we needed to behave ourselves, so we tried...

We changed into our Thanksgiving pants to watch some baseball.  Here, my Seester is demonstrating how to safely watch a backyard baseball game while wearing B's batting helmet, although it is less than convenient when trying to sip a nice glass of wine.  I volunteered to get her a straw, but she just lifted the helmet each time she needed a drink.  She's so resourceful, that Seester of mine...

The boys & Uncle David.  They like him a whole lot.

 

 

                         B doesn't like to wear clothes.  This is what I get when I tell him to put on a shirt.

                                                            Wishbone Battle of 2012

B the triumphant!  His wish?  A skateboard.

 

  And then it was time for football...  Here we have J.D. and David staring intently, and Mike's leg as he discusses Tech's chance for a bowl bid.

David is a pacer when things are tense.

 

During halftime, the boys played a very intense round of Hulk Smash, a game where you smash the crap out of your opponents playdough game pieces, and sometimes you get stuck smashing your own.  It was quite the event.

                                          Seester and I watched from the chair, until...

                                          B came over & we posed for a pig nose picture.

He thought it was so funny...so he started sneak attacking others for pig nose pictures. Here's Mike, who's actually conscious, but undeterred by the 6 year-old squishing his nose rather uncomfortably.

 

 

Last, but certainly not least, here is a picture of J.D. and myself with our Turkey Trophy.  I was nervous for a few minutes, but with a partner who knows just as much random stuff as you do, you can't go wrong!

Every year, we add to our "Blessings Book" and look at what we were thankful for last year.  Every year is different, and yet it's the same.  It's fun to look at what we were thankful for last year and the year before, and to see the pictures documenting our fun-filled family time.  I can't wait to see what pictures make the cut this year, because I know when I get to see it, it will be time to make even more memories.

What are you thankful for?

Aubs

Ice Skating & a Sombrero

B has been asking me for months if we can go ice skating.  I kept putting it off, thinking it would be a great activity to do for his birthday in Houston with Aunt Katie & Uncle David.  It never failed; each time I asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday, the answer was the same...so I looked into rinks near my dad's that were NOT a part of a mall.

Sugar Land Ice Rink it is.  I warned both boys, prior to our adventure, that it would be cold, they would fall, and they would get wet.  Neither of them believed me, and griped when I told them they needed to wear jeans and bring a long sleeved shirt.  When we walked into the rink, B started shivering and said, "Hey, thanks mom!"

Skating was so fun!  I hadn't skated in years and years, but it was a lot of fun.  The boys had a rough start, but B picked up on it pretty quickly even though he was dripping wet from falling down so frequently.  N had a much harder time getting going, but did really well as long as nobody went near him.  He seemed to sustain a lot more injuries than his brother, but he didn't give up.

Aunt Katie, Uncle David, and Nana joined us for skating, while Pampaw, J.D., and Stella watched from the sidelines.  Katie & I would skate by our spectators, striking a pose in perfect sync.  We always got a good response...and to top it all off, neither of us fell the entire time we were out there, even though there were a few close calls.

My mom had never ice skated, and she did pretty well.  David hadn't skated in forever, but he seemed to enjoy himself too.  I guess those roller blades our parents bought us years ago were really a good idea after all.  I swear, if I went ice skating 3 times a week, I'd be in shape in no time.  I asked my dad if I could be a figure skater when I grew up, but he just looked at me like I was crazy and shook his head.

We went to dinner afterwards, and when we finished, the staff brought out a sombrero and sang B a Spanish birthday song.  He grinned from ear to ear the whole time...and then it was time for PRESENTS!  He got a Captain America shield that shoots darts and a Captain America mask from Aunt Katie & Uncle David, a Trac-Ball set from Pampaw, an updated Simon memory game and dominoes from Nana, $20 from Stella, a football & DS game from N, Stompeez from mom, and Headbanz and a Ninjago lego from mom & N.

Pretty good haul for a few days before his actual birthday, don't you think?  Those boys are so worn out...they both started to crash in the car on the way home from dinner.  Thank goodness for that 'cause this mom is ready to go to bed and it isn't even 8:00.

My dad's probably ready to have his house back...and the next item on my agenda (aside from making birthday treats for school on Monday, getting N ready for basketball that starts on Monday, and getting N's costume ready for the holiday program) is to find a dress for my dad's Christmas party.  I need something fancy and cocktailish...and I'm out of ideas.  Anyone?

Aubs

The Common Denominator

Oh, I don't even know if I have the words to describe today's festivities.  I laughed until I got teary so many times, I lost count.  We stuffed ourselves, stared at the food left over (hoping it would put itself away), watched football, played football, took pictures, played Bocce ball, played baseball, watched more football, did Jello shots, and battled for the turkey trophy.

I'm sure I'm forgetting things, but those were definitely some of the highlights.

This is truly my favorite time of year, and by far my favorite holiday.  I enjoy having my boys together and with my family and some of our friends.  I so appreciate their willingness to entertain my boys, who literally count down the days until they get to see them.  The great thing about the boys that I have...they are almost always entertaining.

Whether it's B on the pitcher's mound, mouthing "One more, one more, one more..." over and over to himself while I'm up to bat (causing me to step out of the batter's box 'cause I was laughing so hard), or N in a rousing rendition of "Paul Revere" with his aunt, uncle, and friends, we do a lot of laughing.

A. Lot.

Sadly, the Longhorns lost.  At first, we were just going to take Jello shots when they scored points...that quickly changed to, "Okay, so anytime the cannons go off..." to "Okay, this sucks.  Take a shot!"  So, what do you do after a painful Longhorn loss?

Battle for the turkey trophy, of course.  This year, we opted to put numbers in a bowl and draw.  I ended up with J.D. (my brother-in-law's roommate from college who's a ton of fun), and we played a brand new (5 years ago) trivia game for my dad's PS3.  It requires buzzers, so it's already super fun.

The teams:
Team 1: Katie & Stella
Team 2: David & Mom
Team 3: Mike & Dad
Team 4: Aubs & J.D.

N & B just wanted to push the buttons, so they bounced from team to team.  B got the buttons confiscated during a particularly heated round, when my sister yelled, "B, stop going rogue!"  Ahhh, I love my family.

We were triumphant the first round, but lost the next two.  We came back and won the fourth round and it all came down to round five: Mike & Dad vs. Aubs & J.D.

I am proud to announce that J.D. knew Vera Wang was famous for designing wedding dresses on his own (among other things), and we were victorious!  That's right...my turkey trophy is coming home, and my record remains perfect.

My sister said that I'm obviously the common denominator since I always win, and I'll take it.  Man, I love this holiday.

Also, we were already discussing next year.  Topics included: Turkey deli meat, tailgating, and going to the Texas Tech/Texas game on Thanksgiving next year.  Could you imagine?  That would be the most fun ever!

Tomorrow, we're going ice skating for B's birthday...which should be wildly entertaining.

I'll sum up today's festivities with one simple phrase: (picture Maury Povich voice...NOW!)

F'Shawn (Fish On! (Rivermonsters)) you are NOT the father of Vo-Dee-qua (Vodka)!

Aubs

How many times can YOU go to a grocery store in one day?

Let's recap this one, shall we?

I woke up this morning when my alarm went off, instead of an hour or so before.  Is it wrong that I was more than a little excited about this?  Not only that, but the boys were still asleep.  Could it be?!  I dragged them out of bed, and then started tackling the list I had made myself.

This is when being an over-achiever is a seemingly bad life choice.  In the first hour, I made my Aunt Patty's veggie dip (quite possibly the best veggie dip around, not biased; total truth), spinach artichoke dip (always a crowd pleaser), and pumpkin pie with a cheesecake layer underneath.  While I was at it, I made the crust for the coconut cream pie...why not?

Then, while the boys did whatever it was they were doing that did not involve being in my face, I decided to clean the bathrooms...and proceeded to get light headed from the fumes in the process.  That may explain my ever-present headache, or perhaps that's just due to a lack of caffeine. 

I finished the dusting I started on Monday, and mumbled under my breath (possibly over and over again) that my dad needs a maid.  Because he does.  A single man with a large home needs someone to clean it sometimes.  Maybe every 2 weeks...Christmas present, perhaps?  Hmmmm...  Anyway, my dad called to say he was headed home from work, but was planning to make a stop or two, so I decided to extend his table to make a square instead of a rectangle.  Probably, I should've had help with this, but I was determined to mark something else off the list before he got home, so I went balls to the wall and did it. 

When he came in, lugging new barstools (one of which was broken when we opened the box), I was just finishing wiping down the kitchen.  Seriously.  I made him go wash his hands in the bathroom, but warned him to not make a mess because I just cleaned that too.  Stay out of my cleaning path, if you know what's good for you...I always say. 

I did a little detective work and discovered that a Sam's near my dad had the same barstools in stock, so off we went.  When we got there, we had to wait at customer service, and this man who might've been channeling Hitler barked at everyone to go stand by the black rope thingy.  Perhaps a sign would suffice?  What do I know?  We returned the broken one, then went to find a replacement...but there weren't any.  I had called specifically to make sure they had them, so we walked up and down the few furniture aisles, heads tilted to the sky, looking for this damn barstool.

When I went off to visit the Nazi again to request assistance, my dad found it...at the very top.  Twenty minutes later, we've added a serving platter that swivels and apple cinnamon spice air freshener to our shopping cart, but we're still waiting on the forklift to come get this blasted barstool down.  I hear the beeping of (what I can only hope is) the forklift getting closer, and as the little parade draws nearer, I actually hear them yelling, "Forklift!  Forklift!" as if the beeping and honking of the horn isn't sufficient.  I'm in awe.  We check the stool before purchasing to make sure it isn't broken, and then we head off to check out.

I suggest the self-checkout because it's the smallest line, and we pay...only the wildly intelligent (please imagine dripping sarcasm) cashier next to us bumped the kiosk thing.  My dad didn't notice the receipt had printed, so he checked out again.  Guess what that means!  Yep, one more trip to see the Nazi customer service rep.  After I explained the situation, he looked puzzled...then refunded one of the tickets.  I made my dad cut in the ridiculously long line of people waiting to leave the store, all waiting for one person to make sure their purchases matched their receipt.

It.  Took.  For.  Ev.  Er.

After that, it was off to Chipotle, partially because the boys were starving, and partially to shut B up.  See, he either doesn't understand what it means to pester the crap out of somebody, or he's really good a manipulative behavior.  Any which way you slice it, visiting Chipotle is often followed with a conversation that goes something like, "Okay, we ate at Chipotle.  Don't ask me again for at least two weeks."  And he doesn't...but on that 2 week mark, he's all over it.  I swear he counts down.

Last on our list (or so I thought) was H.E.B.  We split up, like we did last night at Target, and did pretty well.  The line wasn't terrible, but the aisles were crazy congested.  I looked at the baking aisle and thought (out loud), "Holy crap, I'm so glad I don't have to go down that aisle."

Stupid.  Stupid.  Stupid.

We got home and I put together the other barstool before assisting my dad with more turkey prep.  After he did that, I realized I needed cornstarch...so I went back to H.E.B. and made a trip down the dreaded baking aisle.  When I got back, I started making my dad's coconut cream pie while he was out on the patio, setting up the satellite on the television out there.  I stirred and stirred and stirred...and used up all the vanilla, which would've been fine except I still had B's cake to make.

SO, N and I went to Target where they already had "Bonus Buys!" out...which made me think.  Who has an almost 7 year old and hasn't bought them a single birthday present yet?  Mom of the year, right here.  N and I snagged a few things we knew he wanted, grabbed some wrapping paper and gift bags, and (at the last minute) remembered to grab the vanilla and Velveeta.  Seriously almost walked out without it.

We were almost home, when I thought to look in the DS game box that N had picked for B at Gamestop...only to discover that it was, in fact, still empty.  SUPER!  I love being out and about when I have a crazy list of prep still left to do for my favorite holiday.  We went back, got the stupid game, and headed home. 

Again.  My dad only called once to see where the heck we were.  I was impressed.

I started assembling the ingredients, mixing them as I went, and then tore my dad's pantry apart looking for baking soda.  Who doesn't have baking soda?  My dad, apparently.  Super.  Since I'd already mixed all the ingredients together, I grabbed my keys and wallet, and said, "Okay I'll be right back."  The look on my dad's face was priceless..."AGAIN!?"

Uh, yeah.  Because if I don't go and I have to throw this stuff out, I'm going to be super pissed and if B doesn't have this kgjaosijgioejgoaiej Captain America cake, I'm going to lose mom points.  I dragged him with me this time, and we sang the song that never ends the whole way there.  Do you know that one?

"This is the song that never ends.  Yes, it goes on and on my friend.  Some people started singing it, not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because this is the song that never ends..."

We're everbody's favorite. 

Back to the baking aisle we went.  I definitely got my H.E.B. time in this week.  We met someone in a similar predicament, on their second or third trip to the store, but we were old pros by this time.  I even told them where the lemon juice was...just because I was feeling friendly.

I made a dozen cupcakes and a small layer cake and my dad is outfitted with baking soda AND baking powder, just in case.  He also has a sifter.  I feel this is necessary in life, PLUS it entertains children for hours...or at least minutes.

Now, I'm trying to figure out what to do with the cake(s) while they wait for the frosting that I haven't created yet.  I still have to make whipped cream tomorrow too, not to mention "lawnmower casserole" and mashed potatoes.  I was going to be smart and make them the night before, but I'm getting up at 6:00 to prep the turkey with my dad, so that's a no-go.

Can I just say how much I love the early mornings with my dad on Thanksgiving?  It's just the two of us, drinking coffee and hanging out.  It's one of the many reasons that I love this holiday the most.  He made my job so much easier by chopping up all of the ingredients for the stuffing tonight.  He just bought super-sharp knives, and the last thing I need to do is to try to chop something when I'm not fully awake and have to go through Thanksgiving missing a digit.

Sadly, I could totally see this happening.  Grace AND beauty, right here...

Aubs

For those of you who were counting...five trips to the store.  Five.  I'm counting the one where we were literally turning into the neighborhood and had to turn around.  Five...