2012 Photo Challenge: Made

I made these two sleeping babies.

I made a daughter who is just like me in all the best-and most infuriating ways, but with a gentler soul and a sharper mind.

I made a son who's funnier than I could ever hope to be, and also my equal in the world of stubborn. He's a take-no-bullshit kind of kid, which is awesome, and frustrating at the same time.

I made a brother and sister who seem to get closer every day, and even though they still fight, they love on each other a whole lot more often than they used to.

I made a dynamic little duo, and two adorable partners in crime.

And I'll never make, do or become anything that will top them.

Our Weekend: Mother's Day and a Sort-of Birthday

This was a nice weekend.

It started with me having Friday off, which really kind of guarantees a good weekend ahead, and ended with a nice Mother's Day with the kids.

Friday I spent my day off taking my dad to the DMV to get his license, for the first time in about 30 years. 

{It's a long story}

After he passed all his tests, and got his first license in three decades, he was the most excited I've seen him since Jackson was born.

Look at that happy face.

After DMV we celebrated with some delicious pizza and celebratory beers at De Falco's. What else do you do after finally getting legal permission to drive other than go ingest alcohol?

{don't worry, we each only had one and then ate an entire pizza and hung around for a good two hours before we drove again}

Friday night we hung out at Bill's with him and his son, swimming and pigging out on pizza and frozen yogurt. 

Unfortunately I didn't get a single decent picture of the kids all together, clearly:

Saturday Bill and I celebrated his birthday together, which is actually on Wednesday, but we did it early.
Here he is trying to be super serious in his new Ray Ban Aviators:

But don't worry, he couldn't keep it up for long...

Sunday was a very nice mothers day, probably for the first time ever.
I woke up in Bill's arms, I picked up my dad and the kids who were all actually in good moods, we had a delicious breakfast (THAT I DIDN'T PAY FOR-which is honestly a first) and then spent the day at the Scottsdale Library. That might sound lame, but the kids played in the water, and I picked up three really good looking books for $3.00

All in all, it was a pretty damn good Mother's day, and a very very good weekend.

Last but not least, Happy Mother's Day to all of you mommies out there.
And even though it sounds weird, thank you too, to the single daddies who pull double duty for their kids who don't have mothers. Like my dad did, and like so many dads do.
You're a shining example of what fathers should be.

The Friday Diary: Our Week in Phone Photos

It's Friday, and I am tired.

Who isn't exhausted by Friday, honestly?

Well, let me rephrase: Who over the age of 21 with a real job and responsibilities isn't exhausted by Friday?

When I hear people at work talking about going out Friday night, I cringe.

I can't imagine going home, taking off my stuffy work clothes, just to shower and do my hair and make up and try to pick out a decent outfit all over again, and then cram my poor tired footsies back into a pair of heels, to go stand all night in a crowded, loud bar with bad music and expensive drinks.

Really, I can't imagine going to do anything after I get home and get out of my work clothes. 

I'm lucky if I make it to the grocery store to get food for dinner.

Honestly most Fridays I don't. 

If there's nothing in the house for dinner, we're getting pizza.

Maybe I'm getting older, maybe it's the job I'm working, but by the end of the work week I am freaking exhausted.

So for the Friday Diary this week you get a whole bunch of pictures off my phone, that somewhat tell the story of what we did this week.

To be honest it's mostly pictures of what we ate.

Clearly I'm into food.

...

How's unpacking going, you ask?

Homemade chicken burritos with all the best trimmings.

Homemade chicken fingers, pasta and salad. This dinner was suggested by my friend Chris at work who's been raising kids for almost as long as I've been alive. She said she guaranteed my kids would eat everything on their plate. 

She was right.

$200.00 and trip to Target later, and the kids have new shoes and Summer clothes. This is Lainie's new favorite outfit {and mine too}. Little girls are just adorable in rompers.

The first Starbucks I've had in forever. I was legitimately addicted to iced white chocolate mochas last summer, so now every time I think I want one I talk myself out of it.

But I had so much cleaning to do on Sunday, and it was so nice outside, that I decided it would be ok for the kids and I to walk over to Starbucks and indulge.

I did end up getting a shit load of stuff done that day....

When the kids won't stop fighting, I make them do yard work. 

Works every time. 

Oh and stop judging me for the size of my weeds, ok, whenever I try to go pull them I get hot or thirsty or itchy or distracted by something shiny/edible.

Frozen yogurt from Zoyo in Chandler. How did I never know until now how AWESOME self serve frozen yogurt places were?!

This is what cleaning all day does to my beauty regimen. 

Oh who the hell am I kidding, I always look like this.

Lunch

Look, it rained in Phoenix!!!!

Happy Friday!

The Little Things: An Attitude Adjustment

I've had kind of a shitty attitude lately.

I think it's time I adjusted that.

The trip to Italy was disappointing, but the pictures were beautiful, lessons were learned and Bill and I are still here. 

So there.

Work is stressful and my boss is borderline psychotic {at best} but I have a job, a good one, for a good company, and I make good money.

My kids are fed, our rent is paid and we have clothes to wear and when you get right down to it, an abundance of blessings compared to some.

It's not the big things, it's the little things.

It's the sound of Jack breathing, deep asleep beside me when I wake up in the morning.

It's a perfectly made cup of coffee as soon as I get to work. 

It's watching a thunderstorm build from the windows of my office.

It's knowing that on Saturday I get to fall into the arms of the man I love, and I will be welcome there.

It's hugging Lainie hello at the end of a hard day.

It's listening to the kids play together and actually get along.

It's summer approaching and all the things I have planned for the kids.

It's jeans day on Friday.

It's a good nights sleep, and a super hot shower in the morning.

It's my favorite song on the radio.

It's feeling like a celebrity because my little blog has 11 followers.

It's finding the perfect birthday gifts for Bill AND Jack in the same week.

It's love, and deciding to feel it.

It's life, and deciding to live it.

It's the little things.