Elf on the Shelf

Agent E arrived at our house miraculously. No one knows where he came from but he was here and we read the story and since then he magically disappears every night and returns the next morning. We never know where he's going to be.

Well I do since I move him every night but...like Leo tells me it's nothing you need to worry about! :)

Anyways...my favorite pose so far has been him playing cards with his buds. So every day he's here in December I'll document the shenanigans he's been up to. It will also help me remember next year what to do with him! So here we go!

November thankfulness: day 30

Last day of November. Last day of thankful posts. Not the last day I'll be thankful!

Today I'm thankful for vacation days used to go shopping with my mom and grandma on our annual Christmas shopping trip. So much fun!

November Thankfulness: Day 29

I'm thankful for quick visits with long lost friends. It was nice to visit even if it weren't for as long as I would've liked. Better than nothing!

November Thankfulness: Day 28

I'm thankful for what a good sleeper Jacoby is. I can lay him down between 7 and 8 an he will sleep a good 11-12 hours. It. Is. Awesome. While on the weekends it's not ideal I try not to change his schedule that much. Compared to what a horrible sleeper Leo was, I'll take what I can get!

November Thankfulness: day 27

I'm thankful for Disney Jr. to help make the dinner process a tad bit easier on me. Hello Doc McStuffins!

November Thankfulness: day 26

I'm thankful for three paychecks in November. We found out today that Jacoby has to get the tubes in his ears replaced and get his adenoid out. I didn't want to put any of that money in savings anyways! :)

This is my little sick monster at the ENT today!

November Thankfulness: day 25

Today I'm thankful for my friend Camdin. Love that she was in town for Thanksgiving an she took time away from her family to come spend time with my family!

November Thankfulness: day 24

I'm thankful for my weekends to spend time with my family and friends. I had so much fun visiting with my nephew who was in town for Thanksgiving!

November Thankfulness: day 23

I almost missed today, but I'm glad for my cell phone. While its completely unnecessary, it helped my slow day at work go a little faster with some Pandora and checking the occasional Facebbok/Twitter feed.

November Thankfulness: Day 22 and a Spin

Seeing that it's Thanksgiving and all Gretchen chose to let us off easy with a thankful spin.  So continuing with my 30 days of thankfulness I'll give you a more in depth post today.

As I've been sitting at home by myself with a sick baby today, except for a short time in the middle of the day (thanks mom for bringing me food!) I've been thinking about who I'm thankful for.  I've already told you I'm thankful for the family I live with and even though I left those pretty short and sweet I'm supremely grateful for them.  But I am close with my immediate family as well so today that is who I'm thankful for...

I'm thankful for my mom.   Even though she didn't feel well today too, she came over and brought me food from the Thanksgiving dinner that I missed and hung out with me for almost 2 hours.  She knew I'd be lonely and bored spending my holiday with no adult interaction (the hubby went ahead and took Leo to his family celebration).  And while it's not out of the ordinary for her to do something like that I am so grateful for it.  She does so much and I feel like I will never be able to repay what she means to me.

I'm thankful for my dad.  He will (and does) do pretty much anything I need him to do (within reason).  He helps take Leo to school a few days a week so we don't have to pay so much in before school care and he used to pick him up from the daycare and just hang with Leo one evening a week.  Just the special bond he has with Leo is so awesome to see.  It is amazing to see the love and admiration Leo has for his grampy! :)

I'm thankful for my brother.  He and I were not terribly close as kids but as we've both grown and he moved back to our hometown and settled down we have become closer.  Obviously I'm a family girl so we're not nearly as close as I'd like to be but it's nice that we see each other quite a bit and do things together.  I was especially thankful when he thought to invite Leo and I to the movies with his family last night.  It wasn't something he had to do, but it was nice that he included us.

I'm thankful for my sister-in-law.  When my brother first brought Amy home I knew she was the one.  And even though there were ups and downs I am so thankful that she has stuck around! :)  She is awesome in the fact that she always thinks of the little things for the kiddos around the holidays and always has fun things for them.  And she is an awesome baker.  She also gives me something to strive for because she is pretty much superwoman/supermom.  So I'm thankful she is in our lives because I have someone to keep me on track! Haha.

And I'm thankful for my aunt Davi and uncle Bob.  While they're not technically immediate family they are my Godparents so I'm going to count them.  They always are there when needed.  And Davi is my walking partner (even though I've been slacking lately!).  I'm so grateful that they have stayed a major part of my life and become a part of Leo and Jacoby's lives.  And they're the ones that talked me into sending Leo to the Catholic school and so I'm definitely grateful for that!

As you can see I have a LOT of people to be thankful for and so instead of wallowing today I'm wishing you all a happy Thanksgiving and hope you have as much to be thankful for as I do!

November Thankfulness: day 21

I'm thankful for having a flexible job. Due to illness I may have to bring Jacoby in with me for a bit on Friday and I got the ok. So thankful!

November Thankfulness: Day 20

Tonight I am thankful for only having one bathroom. Tonight only (until the next time) because I cleaned it and I HATE cleaning bathrooms!

November Thankfulness: day 19

I'm thankful my hubby lets me take solo trips to the grocery store and Target. Seriously folks...it's the little things.

November Thankfulness: day 18

I'm thankful for our home. Today I did all our laundry, cooked dinner and baked 2 pies for the hubby to take to work tomorrow for a Thanksgiving feast. Had I not had a home I would have had to go somewhere else to do all those things. So blessed! :)

November Thankfulness:day 17

Today I'm thankful for my mom who took time out of her day to run errands with me. It sure made my day a little brighter!

November Thankfulness: day 16

I'm thankful that I went to work today while The hubby stayed home with a throwing up Leo. (Insert evil laugh here!)

November thankfulness: day 15

I'm thankful for my KU Jayhawks! Rock Chalk Jayhawk!!

November Thankfulness: day 14

I'm thankful for social media for helping me stay connected to people. I'm not always the best friend but Facebook, Twitter and blogging help me stay connected a little bit easier.

November Thankfulness: day 13

I'm thankful for my hairdresser. We're having a silent auction for a girl I went to high school with that was severely injured this summer in a car accident and my hairdresser graciously donated some products for the silent auction. And she is just an all-around good person!

November Thankfulness: day 12

Today I'm thankful I now work in a part of the bank where I actually get the non-major holidays off! Woo hoo! I'm home on Veteran's Day and it feels good!

Also, so I don't sound completely selfish-I'm thankful for all the Veterans who have given their sacrifice to our country so I can write this silly blog without the fear of anything. So thank you.

November Thankfulness:Day 11

Today I'm thankful that the boys slept in. Jacoby slept until 7:30 and Leo slept until 9. That's the latest I think I've slept since Jacoby has been alive. Woo hoo!

November Thankfulness: Day 10

Today I'm thankful that I was sitting at the table while Jacoby was eating his cereal this morning.  He's not a loud eater and I barely noticed it as it was but he started choking on his cereal.  Poor little guy.  I had to dig my finger down his throat to dislodge the piece and he was MAD.  But had I not been right there I wouldn't have heard/seen anything and bad things could have happened.

November Thankfulness: day 9

Today I'm thankful for McDonalds. I won't lie...I worked all day and then went and volunteered for almost 2 hours setting up Turkey Bingo for tomorrow night and did not want to come home and cook dinner.

November Thankfulness: day 8

While yesterday I was thankful for modern medicine, today (technically last night) I'm thankful for extended hours at our doctors office. I was able to get both boys in last night at 8(!) and they have a pharmacy next door that stays open until the office closes so at 9:30 we could go get their prescriptions without driving to Wichita. Hooray!

In Memory Of

This year has been a rough year.  We’ve had a lot of people close to us pass away in our family and it’s nice that Gretchen (http://secondblooming.typepad.com/second-blooming/2012/11/in-memoriam.html)  is giving us an outlet to memorialize them.  So here is my In memoriam…

 

My aunt Karen:
I’ve posted twice about her since she’s passed and even just last week I thought about her and how it’s so strange that she is no longer with us.  We weren’t terribly close but close enough that the hole in my heart hasn’t quite healed.  She showed perseverance in the last 4 years of her life.  She wasn’t supposed to make it that long but she chose to ignore the doctors and do her own thing.  In that time she sparked a fire in our family to push through and live your life to the fullest.

 

My BFF’s mom Janara:

I hadn’t seen Janara in probably 3 years but I have a lot of memories of her.  I’ve known her daughter, Camdin, since I was in the second grade and we’ve been best friends since.  Even though Camdin and I have drifted in the past few years we still seem to make time for each other when she comes back to town.  And in the past few years I’ve tried to be a better friend and I’m vowing to continue to try to be better.  I sat in the hospital with Camdin while her mom was in ICU and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.  It was so important for me to be there for her and even though I didn’t know exactly what was needed, wanted to make myself available to her.  Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to her mom and with that came a lot of tears.  Since Camdin has gone back home I still don’t always have the right words to say to her but I love her so much and hope she knows that.

 

And last but not least my little dog Freckles:

I got Freckles when she was a wee, little puppy and I was an almost 8^th grader.  She made multiple moves with me from my first house to my first college apartment to the next and then to my final house where we live now.  She loved chocolate ice cream and French fries.  She also loved to sleep between my legs on the bed.  Unfortunately my time with her got much smaller after I had babies and then when we were trying to sell our house and then after I had Jacoby she lived with my parents.  I always showed her love when we were around her and she was always wagging her tail at the door when she saw me.  It was a very sad time when she passed but she lived a good, long (15 years) life and I’m glad she was a part of mine.

 

 

November Thankfulness: day 7

Today I'm thankful for modern medicine. Leo and Jacoby have been struggling with allergies/cold crap and we've been filling them with Tylenol/allergy medicine/etc. here's hoping they start feeling better soon!

November thankfulness: day 6

Today I'm thankful for having a right to vote. My voice may not always be heard but I'm doing what I can to try to make the world a better place.

November Thankfulness: Day 5

Today I am thankful for my quilt made by my aunt Karen. She passed away in November and she made a quilt for the hubby and me when we got married and quilts for both boys when they were born. Even when she was battling cancer she still thought of others and I'm thankful for that attitude to try to emulate.

Fall

Yep.  It's another spin post. You tired of these yet? We'll I'm not! So this one is about fall.

Fall. Autumn. Whatever you want to call it, it is upon us. It is absolutely my favorite season EVER. And there is so much to like about it.  Not only do we get Halloween and Thanksgiving you can mix in the beginning of Christmas too.  Love! Here are just a few things I am loving about fall right now!

Any and all things pumpkin.  Yum!

 

Woot woot!  It's RGIII.  Aka the savior of the Washington Redskins. I'm just stoked we've won some games this year.  And hopefully we'll win a few more before the season is over.

 

Rock Chalk Jayhawk!  Basketball season has started.

 

 

This outfit right here?! So stinking cute.  I love fall becuase you can wear cute clothes but not have to have a ridiculously huge coat over all the cuteness.  I seriously want this whole outfit.

Now that I get to wear real clothes to work I love to see what people can come up with.  And this dress right here, with the tights?  So cute.

 Images here:

 

1  2  3  4  5 

November Thankfulness

Happy Sunday! 

Today I am thankful for my church. I don't go religiously (haha-get it) but I love that I can go and just be.  I also don't believe everything they say but I feel like it's good for me to go and get the message put out and do with it what I can. 

Fanatic

Everyone’s a critic.  The same goes for fanatics.  Just not all for the same thing.  I am a die-hard fan.  When it comes to my team I will root for them until I’m blue in the face.  I’ve posted before on my love for the Royals, Redskins, Jayhawks and Cardinals. 

The thing is…the Royals and the Cardinals both play baseball.  So how am I a fan of both?  Well like I tell my hubby, since we live in Kansas the Royals games are broadcast nightly and so I am able to watch them a lot more.  But when I can, I will watch the Cardinals when they are shown on TV.  So it’s like having a friend that lives here in town I will get to see more so they are a lot more involved in my daily life.  But I have a friend who lives in Chicago, who when she comes into town, even though I don’t see her all the time, we can pick up right where we left off.  And that’s how I feel about my baseball teams.  So this post season when the Cardinals were SO close to making the World Series again I was rooting for them with all my heart and soul but unfortunately it just wasn’t enough.  They were beat by the dumb ol’ San Francisco Giants who went on to win the whole shebang against the Detroit Tigers in 4 games.  Aw well.  We won it all last year.  Gotta let someone else have a turn!

(This post brought to you for another REALLY late Spin Cycle: Fanatic

November Thankfulness

How can I not jump *back* on the bandwagon of a November of Thankfulness.  I participated last year and I won't lie...some things I'm thankful might be the same as last year.  But I don't always tell the people I'm thankful for, that I'm thankful for them enough.  So here we go (since I missed the first few days I'm catching up)...

1) My hubby.  Even though sometimes he drives me batty I'm so thankful for him.
2) Leo.  He is the most ridiculous little boy in the entire world.  He makes me laugh.  He makes me cry but I love him so stinking much. 
3) Jacoby.  He is teaching me patience.  Again.  Things in life really change when a baby is thrown in the mix.  No matter how much you think you know what you're doing a new baby will just let you know you're wrong! 

Crime

Since I turned 16 I have worked in retail.  I worked at the mall for my first 4 working years and then from 2004 through the present I have worked at a bank.  And over the last 12 years I have seen a lot of crime that has happened in both establishments.  The instance that stands out the most to me just happened last year while I was pregnant with Jacoby. I was the assistant branch manager of a bank that was nestled inside a local grocery store.  I was working the teller line when a person walked up to me to cash a check.  She had proper identification and for some reason I got a really strange vibe from her.  We had recently been sent a watch list of people’s names to be on the lookout for and sure enough when I pulled that up her name was on it.  At that point I was on high alert.  Then a gentleman came up and started talking to me (the first clue that someone is trying to get you…they try to distract you).  We had a nice little conversation while the hairs were standing on the back of my neck.  Then I did what we are taught.  I tried to buy time.  I emailed one of my coworkers to go in the back and call 911.  I then said that I needed to verify the check because it wasn’t in our system.  Miraculously they stuck around.  I “called” to verify it and of course it didn’t pan out.  I then told the customer that I needed to go to the back to grab something.  This was so I could finish the 911 call and the other person could come out.  Unfortunately at that time, when I went back there they left.  But I was able to pick them out of a photo lineup and they were apprehended at a later time.  I kept getting subpoenaed to go to court but by the time the trial came they had plead out.  It was very strange.  One thing I learned from the police is that there are usually rings that work and they will have some of their group members go to local homeless shelters and get those people to cash checks for them with their IDs and then they will get a small fee.  I don’t know if those people know they are cashing bad checks or what but I guess people will do anything for a quick buck.

(Another late post for the Spin Cycle on Crime)

Beauty

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  I’ve heard that saying more than once.  And it seems like these days my beholders are my kids.  So the beauty they are seeing is a lot different than the beauty that I projected in high school and my first years of college. 

What started my beauty regime in high school was a little powder and some eye makeup.  Mix that in with bi-monthly hair coloring (because as a high school kid who worked quite a bit I didn’t really have anything better to spend my money on) and the latest fashion from Express and American Eagle.  Maybe Maurices.  Never Wal-Mart.  Oh no.

College went much of the same way.  I always have had pretty clear skin and a nice complexion so foundation was always just an after-thought.  If I had a little extra cash flow I would pick some up. If not, just slap on some powder and I’d be good to go.

These days it seems like I’m lucky if I get a daily shower.  I was recently telling a friend who might be adopting a baby soon, that I was lucky if I made it out the door without boogers or poop on me.  And I wasn’t kidding!   I also have had a lot more complexion issues.  Not with blemishes so much as just seeing age spots (I’m 28 for crying out loud!) and much more dry skin.  I have also recently started washing my face daily.  That was something that was unheard of.  I’m the worst when it comes to beauty products.  Scented lotions and soaps make me really itchy so I buy Vaseline lotion but it’s better than nothing!  My makeup routine is trying to slap some foundation on but if not at least eye liner and mascara so I don’t look dead!  I just try to make it seem like I’m not putting too much focus on what I look like though, so my boys don’t grow up with a mirror-obsessed mommy.  I think that you can have the best of both worlds.  Try to look nice without spending a ton of time on it.  So hopefully I can make that mix work!

(This post was brought to you (LATE) for the spin cycle subject Beauty)

Night of the living zombies

When I asked Leo what he wanted to be for Halloween about a month ago he said a zombie. When I asked him what Jacoby should be he told me that-duh- he should be his twin. A baby zombie. So I decided instead of spending money on buying costumes I would make them. I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out!

Halloween started last Friday when we got to go to a trunk or treat at my cousins school in Kansas City. It was so much fun and it gave me a dry run to do the boys makeup.

Then the real deal Holyfield was last night. Fun was had by all even though Jacoby didn't get to eat any candy!

Also, I have no idea what is happening with my pictures I don't know if it's my computer of blogger or what.  So yeah.  But this is my spin for Halloween.  And I wasn't kidding when I said I was going to do a week of spins...starting tomorrow I am catching up on my spins.