Can we say, "Precocious?"

Precocious? Yes, that is exactly how I would describe Cole. He was full of himself today. He knows he is only allowed to paint when the twins are down for a nap, otherwise they get all in it and white carpets... need I say more? (White carpets were installed years before the kids were a thought! I know white, UGH! It's all Alex's fault.) Anyway. I was in the kitchen at 8 am getting a Pot Roast ready to go into the crock pot. I had fed the kids breakfast and the twins were taking their morning nap by 9. So I was trying to clean up and not paying full attention, when Cole walks into the kitchen.

"Mommy, do you want to see what I painted?" My heart starts throbbing, OMG! Did he just paint the walls or something?

"Yes, sweetheart. I would love to see what you painted!"

"Good, may I please have some water to paint with?" He got me! How do you say no to that?


Later he comes in the kitchen and shows me the map he has drawn to get to his school. Yes, I am still doing dishes after cleaning out the fridge and only half-listening. I should have learned after the painting. He realized I wasn't paying attention and in the most dramatic voice you've ever heard, he said, "MOM-MY!" claps his hands at me twice! "WHAT. IS. WRONG. WITH. YOU! I am talking! You need to listen with your ears!"

That evening after dinner, he comes to sit on my lap. He looks UP my nose and announces to Alex that I have a "burger" in my nose. So I start laughing and tell him to let me up so I can go blow my nose. He tells me to Wait, he opens my mouth and looks inside. "Good Job Mommy! We don't put picks in our mouths, they stay in our noses!" Picks is his other word, since I tell him not to pick his nose. Obviously, what comes out is a "Pick."

Luckily I haven't had to tell him this in months. But I will remember that day forever. I was driving the van and saw him pick his nose and, yep, you guessed it! UGH! So I may have over-reacted a little.

"Cole that is SO yucky! We don't blah, blah, blah..." You get the point. So what does the child do? He reaches back into his mouth, pulls it out and puts it back in his nose! "Mommy, the pick is back home now, it's okay!" As he is tapping his nostril.

Goodbye Spare Tire, Goodbye - you are outta here!

I am so happy I didn't win that blogging spot a few months ago! If I had, I wouldn't have this new, great opportunity! MomsCharlotte, The Charlotte Observer, and the YMCA are coming together to sponsor 3 Moms to lose weight and 1 to blog about it - ME!!! I will be blogging on the MomsCharlotte and the YMCA site. I will be featured with the other 2 Moms in the paper and the best part of it all....I will have a personal trainer 2x a week for 6 weeks, plus a nutrionist!!!!

I have met this trainer to do an assessment and to be frank, I'm scared! I could tell as soon as I saw her, I should be scared. So I am so grateful that I will have someone so dedicated to help me get healthy and in shape, so I will try not to cry, bitch and moan too much! This will start the week of Jan 4th, so I have a little bit of time to get my head in check!

I will finally get a better picture for my profile! Alex will be so happy!!!

I've been sucked in...

I have been sucked in. Sucked into the black hole that is called Facebook. I have had a couple of friends telling me I need to get a page. (Is that the correct terminology? page?) So I finally took the plunge and my fears were founded. I have been sucked into the abyss.

On the upside, I have found friends I haven't seen or spoken to in about 20 years. I am amazed they remember me. Don't know why, I remember them..why shouldn't they remember me? Just my craziness I guess. What is it about reaching into your past and bringing it forward to the present? I am almost giddy, as if my teenage self is meeting my current self. All of these people were a lifetime ago, it almost seems surreal. I don't even think I know who that teenage girl was. Was she a nice person or was she a little snot. I know who she has become and am proud to be her. Do I want these two worlds to collide? Is it safe?

Back to this world...I have so much shopping left to do and wrapping. UGH! I have a beans and ham hock recipe to put in the crock pot in preparation for the BIG game this weekend. Panthers @ Giants! Go Panthers!

Maybe I haven't changed that much after all. I was a cheerleader as a teen - Go Hurricanes! Now I'm still a cheerleader. A cheerleader for my husband, my family, and of course, my Cats!

We'll fix it Daddy!

This blog will be short and sweet. The other week Alex and Cole were snuggled up on the couch and I was on the the other couch. Alex was doing some research on the laptop for work and Cole was right there, glued to his side, watching TV. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Cole stand up and start rubbing the top of Alex's head. "Don't worry Daddy, we'll fix it!"

What in the world was that about? I pick up the remote (Thank God for TiVo) and rewound to the commercial that had just played. It was Rogaine with a new mousse product that is easier to rub in. Cole had just called Alex out for his thinning hair!

Alex was enjoying the head scratching he was getting and had no idea what was going on. I was laughing so hard, I threw a pillow over my face to hide the snorting. Alex asked what was going on, so I rewound the commercial so he could see it for himself. Got to love the honesty of a three year old. (He is so going to kill me for posting this!)

Life - Moving at the Speed of Light

OK. So, "In the blink of an eye" was the name of my last blog and this is the first chance I have had to even get on the computer in almost a month. Just a little ironic. I'm behind on emails (not good when you are selling things on Craig's List), luckily our bills are on automatic draft, Whew! I don't think I knew what busy was 2 months ago compared to now. I can't even imagine 2 months from now when they are walking. Yes, they. My two beautiful little monsters. They are into everything!!!! And always in opposite directions. Then add in two dogs...I must be losing weight, I just don't even have time to weigh myself to see. I am in a smaller size pant... I think.

They are pulling up and cruising just a little. Crawling is no problem, they want to be running so they are frustrated and yelling because they are too slow. Ok. So let's see, we had Thanksgiving dinner for (official count) 29 plus the baby shower. It all went extremely well. Unbelievably well. I think it may have been the best family get together ever for us. Alex's Dad is doing great, Amy is doing great, we had plenty of food to serve in at Thanksgiving in a recession. So we have our family has our health, we had food, and a new baby Gabriel came the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Life is good. It's these moments when you try to slow life down as much as you can and just breathe your life in. I am grateful for these moments. I want to record all these memories in slow motion in my mind. Sean, with his long reach, grabbing Cole's glass of water off the table and dumping it in Alex's napping face. Priceless. Ahhhh! Exhale