Would someone please please please Double Dog Dare me to eat the pack of Nes*le Tll Hous Chunk Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough I bought today.  The oven is preheating and I’m not sure they’ll make it!

FOUND, FOUND,,, SHE’S BEEN FOUND. Sneaky Dollie was in the Halloween candy bag! And since she’s been known to go for cookies in the middle of the night, this makes total sense!

We need your prayers.

It’s Dollie.

She is lost and we need her found.

I can’t post her importance at the moment. 

Even I’m crying.

We need her back.

She means way more than can be explained.

She’s her EVERYTHING.

Could you say a prayer?

Thank you.

Get your own Family Sticker Maker & MySpace Layouts.

Okay.  It’s TTOTY.  That Time Of The Year!

The time where you start thinking about what you want your Christmas card to look like.  Pretty paper, creatively written wishes, nicely dressed kids, everyone looking at the camera, holding hands, smiles and laughter oozing through the envelope timely sent to you and yours.

WAKE UP!  Get a grip lady (talking to myself here).  Wake up and clean off your shirt spilled with soy milk yer deathly allergic to, shower why don’t cha.  Clean your OWN room for a change (after cleaning every other room in the house I usually peter-out when it comes to the MBRM).  Just quit dreaming!

It ain’t gonna happen.    Three kids?  They won’t all look at the camera, they’ll complain about the clothes you want them to wear, they’ll blink and not smile, they will not “Hold still!” for one more try, they’ll take the M&M bribe and make funny faces.  They will probably even start to fight (“He pushed me!”,  “No I didn’t!). 

And I’ll not get the angelic picture of my kids to show off, the ones that show down into their souls how special they are, how much they love and are loved… and now I’m getting all profound, yuck.  I just want ONE PICTURE A YEAR.  Is that so bad?

Apparently so.

I’ll have to adjust.  Any ideas?  Come on, throw me a bone!

2001

2002

2004

2005

2006

2007

(A Nov ‘07 pix of our newest arrival was sent out in Feb/March ‘08 as a combo new baby/happy holidays/we’ve moved card.  Cheating, but it was fun and saved $ on stamps!)

Okay, so looking back at the pix (it wouldn’t let me insert the 2003 one, go figure), they aren’t so bad.

But could someone else take on this task for me this year?  I got enough wrinkles in my forehead already!

***Edit:   OMG!  How is it that I can’t believe I have 7 years of kids Christmas photo cards?  Me?  Aren’t I still that one trying to have a baby?  It all seems so new still.  I’m going to go dip into the halloween bags, I think I need chocolate.

Madeline in 2004:

Isabella in 2008:

Butterfly, Pokeman Card and a Ladybug

They had such a great time.  And little Ladybug, for her very 1st Halloween, was so brave, had so much fun and was amazed by all the candy (she has quite the sweet tooth like her Mama!).  All was fine until that mist machine a few blocks over hit her square in the face!  She was carried everywhere after that, allowing herself to be put down only to collect candy and then turn and be picked up again.  She’s a trooper though!

She passed out @ bedtime:

We rolled her into the house while the other kids did their counting (didn’t you count as a kid too?):

A fellow blogger’s recent post has me recalling an oh-so-fun outing a few years ago. Here is what happened.

I took my 2 kids and myself out for a much needed get-outta-the-house-or-life-as-you-know-it-will-end dinner. My daughter, a baby at the time, ended up throwing up. The waiter came to grab my dinner and said he’d wrap it up right away. “No” I said much to his dismay, as I cleaned us up and continued with our dinner (new meaning to the words “at all cost” – I really needed to get out of the house!!!). I was so proud of myself. I did it. I survived going out to dinner with my two kids by myself, even with the barfing and crying (and with no wine since I was driving). It was a relief and a needed break. I smiled at everyone as we proudly left the restaurant. I thought they even smiled back at me. I did it!

Then, outside, when I went to put my wallet back in my purse, I discovered barf was all down my back-pack purse during my proud walk out. They hadn’t been smiling after all… they were laughing.

Oh, the purse… leather… ruined.

Won’t you share your “public barfing” story?

We went to our friends annual Kids Fishing Derby in September.  It was great fun.

Who knew that this cast:

would catch this fish:

and this proud girl:

would win this trophy for biggest fish of the day:

She is amazing!