For example.  Here is a rather “boring” egg sandwich.  A staple in our house.  This is what Corey and I had for lunch together the other day.  The reason it is on the celebrate plate is because he got a new job and got the news just minutes before.  He talked about how special getting the plate out was days later. ;D

When you want to make a statement…or just be noticed.  I recommend these…

Real love is sitting at a concert waiting for your child to perform…and you have to sit thru the entire thing because they are LAST.  Not to take away from the other kids.  But let’s be real.  I just wanted to see Ava perform.  Yes.  That selfish part of me.  The nervous wreck part of me.  The part of me that wanted her part to be done so I could relax and enjoy the rest.  Self admittedly I am quite possibly the worst person for saying that.  But admit it.  You feel it too.  At least from time to time. ;D

I don’t have a photo to describe this…but lately it has been a stream of hormones and emotions and first boyfriends, talking on the phone, fighting to get homework done, failing grades, forgetfulness, sassy mouths, more hormones, more fighting…between all of us…and a host of other things.  And no one is a teenager yet.  There are days when weary is a very good explanation of how I feel.  And I think…the worst is yet to come.

Just to add some humor…Here’s what the kids do to Baxter when he sits still long enough.

Lastly…this year’s birth-a-versary present.  To know what I’m referring to see this post.  Corey got me this…

This is the iPod Classic.  No I don’t like any other version of the iPod.  Except this one.  It is so not new anymore they refer to it as the “Classic”.  I think it is more expensive than the iPod Touch.   Oy!  Don’t call me old…I’d rather think of myself as “retro”. That’s “in”, right?  Anyway…I’ve wanted one of these suckers since they came out.  Thank you, Honey!  We’ve been married 18 years this month btw. ;D

Does everything go perfectly?  I could write all about the good stuff and never the bad.  But as it was put to me recently, “Why lie?” ;D  Jeni…I’m thinking of you sweetie!

As a parent you try to set everything up so your kid does well but there are just some things you just can’t foresee.  Like…

When they get up on stage and are all ready for their part…and they don’t have a key ingredient for playing their instrument…a bow.

Oy.

And you have to watch in agony as they just sit there with the rest of the orchestra playing.

And your child is not.

And they have worked for weeks and weeks on this.

I was sick inside.  But I’m also a do-er.  As in I cannot just sit there and watch things go down, especially where my kids are concerned, and do nothing.  I just can’t.

So in between numbers she looks down at me and I’m like mouthing, “Where’s your bow?”  And she points to the conductor and mouths, “In Mr. P__’s room.”  I knew they weren’t done yet and it was worth at least investigating to see if I could find it and get it to her.

So I went looking.  I found it.  Went back stage and had a student deliver it to her in between songs.

She was able to finish with it.

All that said…not to take away from anyone else because Ava was, I’m sure, nervous as this was her first performance ever and I’m sure that played into forgetting an important part of her instrument…the concert was absolutely wonderful.  I’m so impressed with every kid!  Wow.

Even my kid.  When she realized what she had done she didn’t freak.  She had desperation written all over her face but she just sat there like she knew what she was doing and acted all professional.  She plucked when she could and just didn’t bow…until I got it to her.  There wasn’t too long of a time ago she would have slumped down and pouted and just been an absolute…well jerk.  And stayed that way.  All night. ;D  She has really pulled herself together recently.

Sometimes. ;D

We drove on the Peak to Peak highway.  It was really beautiful.  I love what Ava had to say about it.  “Mom, it was a lot of fun.  Except for the part when we were in the car driving.  That was really boring.”

“But Ava, that was most of the trip.  The driving.”

“I know.”

These are just some of the many photos I took…

Black Hawk, a gambling town.  I took photos of the “older” part of town cause I found it more interesting.  No we didn’t stop for gambling…just photos. ;D

Some foliage…with vistas…

Ava, taking photos with me.  Me taking photos of her. ;D

St. Malo Historic Church…

We ended up in Estes Park.  This time of year there are elk everywhere because it is mating season.  The males are in the rut and bugle constantly.  They even have what’s called an Elk Fest.  It just happened to be the weekend we went up there.

My girls still want to do it.  So we have one Dorothy.  I think that might be because of her dance recital this summer being the Wizard of Oz.  Then we have another one who wants to be more “scary” and do the witch thing.  Which I’m not wild about.  So I’m “thinking” about it.  The outfit she has picked is tasteful.  I’m not one for ghosts, mummies, witches and things of that nature on Halloween.  The girls know this.  So I wonder if this is the beginning of “rebellion” or if she’s just growing out of “girly” stuff and wants to be perceived as “older”.

Do you have memories of what you were for Halloween when you were a kid?  I’ve told you before I don’t have pictures of me in my childhood.  This isn’t the post for going back over the reasons.  However, I did find this photo of me and my brother the other day.  It was a going-away-present that my childhood neighbor gave to me when we left Maine for Colorado.  It is my brother and I stopping at their house for Trick-Or-Treating…I have no idea the year.

My only childhood memories of Halloween were that every year I was a gypsy.  I don’t remember why.  Maybe that’s what I wanted.  Maybe that’s all my mother could come up with.  But I remember every year my brother was something really interesting.  In this picture, this particular year, he was a pirate.  One year he was the Incredible Hulk.  Another year he was an army guy all wounded.  I think he had sprained an ankle and was on crutches or something and that was part of the costume reasoning.

Funny what we remember.  I wonder what my girls will remember.  I also remember my mom had to drive us around to trick-or-treat cause we lived out in the country.  The girls won’t have the same experiences.  We’ve always lived in the suburbs with them.  We just walk out our front door.  We have to cut them off pretty early they get so much candy.  I NEVER had that problem! ;D

In the spirit of memorabilia…I was looking over pictures of the girls in their Halloween costumes over the last several years.  I found them all the way back to 2004…the year we moved to Colorado. ;D  I have some earlier ones but they aren’t digital.  I’m not going looking right now.  ;D

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

The girls’ school had their annual Fall Festival.  Laney was so excited.  Every five minutes she kept asking if we were going.  “Is it time yet?”  The cutest part was she was saying “festible” instead of “festival”.  It made me smile every time! ;D

Or it could be talking with the girls about the things going on in their lives and me relating stories to them about when I was in school.  They LOVE THAT!  It always seems to happen when I’m driving them to school.  I love driving them to school and picking them up.  It gives me a chance to “check in” with them and see what’s going on at school and stuff.  I find out the greatest stuff!  I’m enjoying it because I fear one day when they turn teenager on me they will clam up.  But for now I get the skinny on a lot of stuff.  Lately the conversations have been mostly about boys.  And how weird they are.  Cause let’s just face it…they are!  ;D

Both of them have had some “issues” with boys at school recently…nothing too major…but just boys being mean or whatever.  So I told them one day…”You know if a boy likes you then he usually is mean to you.”  The girls eyes got big as saucers!  There have been example after example of how that has been true.  One boy did something to Ava that landed him in the principal’s office and the principal told her, “Boys are so strange.  When they like you they beat you up.”  She was like, “That’s what my mom says!” ;D

The girls asked me, “Mom?  When you met Dad was he weird?”

“Yes!  He didn’t straighten up until about 25!”

They laughed and laughed.

Laney has been having a tough go of it with a little boy in her class.  He won’t leave her alone.  He’s to the point where he doesn’t want her to do anything but play with him and hang out with him and be friends with ONLY him.  He whispers to her in class everyday….“Laney.  Laney.  Laney.  Laney.” When she says, “What!”  He just says, “hi!”

“Mom he’s so annoying I can’t get anything done!!!!”

I know.  Big drama.  But it IS if you are her.

This morning on the way to school I told them about a boy in school that liked me just like this boy likes Laney.  Soon Laney’s story wasn’t as interesting as my story and they wanted to know all about it.  “This is COOL!”

I’ve noticed in parenting that all my girls want to know is…did that kind of stuff happen to me and what did I do as a kid?  And sometimes…there is no resolution…at least not one I can think of.  OR we think of one together.  OR they think of something after I tell them all about my childhood woes. ;D  Either way…we get a great laugh out of it…and it draws us closer together.  I’m sure when I pick them up today there will be more about what happened with this boy.  And they will wanna know more about what I did when I was in the same situation.  I don’t mind telling them.

So I walk into the hematologist’s office on Friday…  This sounds like it is going to be the start of a really bad joke, right?  Well it IS!  She tells me, “Weeeeeelll.  They got it out.  But they sure had a hard time doing it!”  THIS is the first time I’m hearing this story.

Apparently the IVC filter was REALLY stuck in my vein and a blood clot was forming around it…which is common.  Apparently.  So Dr. ____  had to work at it for 2 hours to get it out.  AND because of that I have to go BACK in and see him in about 6 weeks to look at this vein to make sure the blood flow is good in thru that area.  AND if it isn’t he has to go BACK in and do this type of procedure AGAIN and basically clean out the wall of the said vein so I won’t develop problems in that area.

So picture me doing really well Wednesday and Thursday…mentally anyway.  Then I get this news on Friday.  That basically…I’m not done yet.  I’m not saying the worst has happened.  But the fact that I’m not done…yeah.  It messed me up pretty hard.  I had a teensy tinsy breakdown over the weekend.  ;D

So instead of writing more about my medical issues…which will be a year now…

I suppose I could write about how nothing hurts but my neck.  And that I overdid it the other night playing Rock Band with my family…because we all know I play drums. ;D  And of course doing stuff with the fam always seems to help me.  Just not THAT something.  He he!

I could write about how Ava came home from a sleepover this weekend completely tired and she and I had a huge fight that I didn’t think was going to start happening until teenage years.  OMGosh.  We made up but it wasn’t fun going through it…at all.  It reminds me of Ramona Quimby Age 8 that I just recently read to the girls…about how Beezus and her mother argue about how Beezus comes home moody from sleepovers. ;D

I could write about how Laney has done nothing but film things all weekend with her camera.  She practically filmed a documentary about her life.

I could write about how I have deadlines looming before me and I have zero desire to create or work.

I could write about the season premiere of Dexter…did you watch? ;D

Or I could just stop writing.  Include a photo…to help my neurosis.  And take a nap.  What option is this? ;D