Present for Chanel

I make Chanel read my blog from time to time and I make him tell me he likes it. He plays along very well. Because he is so great in general and because he is such a good sport - it makes me happy when I am able to do something nice for him-just because.

I noticed today that Pinks All Out (a television show he enjoys watching) will be in Atlanta in May at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. I bought two tickets thinking he and his dad can go watch cars race (doesn't even remotely sound fun to me, but I am sure he would rather cut the dogs nails than read my blog). They recently purchased the car you see here and the two of them not only have a wonderful time together, they also share the same love of cars and racing. So surprise Honey! You get to go watch Pinks!!!! (kids get in free so you'd better take Tucker with you---just kidding). I love you- a lot!

Job Snob

Since last June, Katie and I have worked at a Law Firm. I have really enjoyed saying things like - "Oh, yes, I work for a law firm in Canton." "I'll have to run that by the partners at the law firm." "Me? What do I do? I am a legal assistant." All of these things I say with a certain posture and angle to my nose. Oh, I really think I am big time. Well, all snooty things must come to an end because today is my last day. On Monday I will begin to say things like "I work for the Atlanta office of an engineering firm." (I checked...I can still say 'firm') "I am an administrative assistant" "I only have to drive 10 miles to work" (that one doesn't sound all that snooty, but it is the one that means the most). Yep, we are packing up this side show and moving south to Woodstock where there are no criminals coming to my door and asking for legal advice. (Turns out the law firm wasn't all the uppity - shhh, don't tell anyone). There we will continue our job sharing plan and hopefully our two minds will still work as one (we are a little odd that way).

Hopefully the new office won't have rats (right Kate?).

Never will I ever

A week or so ago, my siblings/siblings-in-law got onto a discussion about being an adult. We came up with a list of things that are dead giveaways for what we think makes us an adult.

I wake up early without an alarm
8pm is the highlight of the night because the kids go down
9:30pm is way past my own bed time
I like Home Depot...a lot
I can stay in the pool through adult swim
I don't like when the phone rings
Getting the mail is not exciting
I want a broom for my birthday
I made a meatloaf - and my family liked it
When a water pipe busts at the house, I can not just ignore it
Planning my own birthday dinner/gathering
Storms are no longer 'neat', they are leaking windows and potential trees through the roof
The weather channel is the first channel I turn on in the morning
I listen to AM radio - on purpose
I check consumer reports before any purchase
Minivans look cool
I read the nutrition labels on food packages
Bengay smells good
I can use my toes to pick up things
I know how hard it is to tie shoes with one hand
I know which restaurants do not have a changing table in their bathrooms
There are diapers and wipes in my purse - and I am at work
I steal Chick-fil-a bendy-straws, placemats, napkins and wipes
The clothes in the closet are dirty when I take them out (because I put them away with child residue on them)- and I wear them anyway

Thanks Keith, Erin, Chanel, Katie and Chris!

Share yours with me!

Just 2 days away

Monster Jam is getting ever closer. Today I went out to get the shirt. It happens to just be a shirt with a monster truck on it and it was only $5. Tucker is confused because I keep saying it is only 2 days away and he keeps saying "No, two weeks to monster Jam." I have failed him somehow on days and timing. We finally agree that it is Saturday. That seems to satisfy him for now.

Tonight I am going to a Ladies Night Out with the girls in my Sunday School class. We are all getting together at another lady's house and doing a 'get to know you' sort of thing. Each person is in charge of bringing 2 of their favorite things (edible, dinner-type things). I signed up for my favorite main dish and my favorite drink. Drink is done - a 2 liter of Mountain Dew. I had intended to make yummy Chicken Cresent rolls as my main dish, but as nap time has been shortened by... I don't know what makes nap time short one day and long the next...it is just shorter today, I am thinking that my all time favorite main dish is cereal. We eat it enough. We will have to see what the moods are like once Griffin and Tucker get up and see if I am able to do things with 2 hands. If not, cereal it is.

I handed out this questionaire for everyone to fill out and bring with them tonight and I thought I would share mine

Pick at least 20 of these questions, answer them and bring it with you to Ladies night out.
1. What is your favorite tv show/s

-House, Desperate Housewives, Life, Criminal Minds, Damages

2. Most embarrassing moment
-In the third grade I didn’t understand the way our pods were set up and I thought since the boys bathroom was on my side of the pod and the girls bathroom was in the other pod, I could only use the boys bathroom. So for 6 weeks of school I used the boys bathroom until I saw Paul Ferguson with his pants down and he kindly directed me to the girls bathroom.
3. Favorite restaurant
-Sadly, American Café and Rio Bravo (may they both rest in peace). Currently, Longhorn and Tokyo
4. Sweet or salty?
5. Vacation – favorite place – hot or cold?
6. How long have you been married?
7. Pet peeve
-Pictures out of order, Seatbelts twisted, people who have met you and they don’t acknowledge that you know each other
8. Favorite Book of the bible
9. Age you were saved
10. Dream Vacation
11. How many siblings do you have?
12. What is your love language?
-Words of affirmation
13. What is your spiritual gift?
14. What is the most difficult thing you have ever had to do?
15. Do you have a Guilty pleasure?
-Symphony Chocolate with toffee and almonds, Internet TV
16. Why were you given your particular name?
17. How would your friend describe you to someone who has never seen you?
18. When you have an hour of free time, what do you like to do?
-Be at Borders or another large bookstore
19. What is the strangest thing you ever did?
-Got locked inside a bathroom with my sister at Dairy Queen. I had a job as the Easter Bunny at Northpoint Mall.
20. What is the strangest food you ever ate?
-Chicken Claw
21. What’s one of your worst habits?
-I can be very abrupt and matter of fact
22. What are you wearing today which is most reflective of who you are?
23. If you were given a million dollars and 24 hours to spend it in, (no depositing it in the bank or investing it) what would you buy?
-A house, a monster diamond ring, lots of things at William Sonoma, King size bed, Photo shop, Play set for the backyard, large tv, Laptop, a luxury car, Shark vx3, lots of bags and purses
24. If you had to change your first name right now, what name would you choose for yourself?
-Carly
25. What is the weirdest thing you will ever admit to having done in the past?
-Sleeping at a car dealership (Jack Keefe Ford Lincoln and Mercury Dealership in Crete Nebraska), and peeling car decals off the back of cars so that they read ‘Jack Keef Bras’ then using a bucket as a toilet there for the night.
26. What song best describes you when you first wake up in the morning?
-I need a nap by Weird Al Yancovik and Kate Winslet
27. Are you always early or terminally late?
-Early
28. What is your all time favorite (clean) joke?
-Two hats are hanging on a rack, one says to the other “you stay here, I am going one a head”
29. Do you have any nicknames?
-KJ, KelliJoy, KK, Kelli Kelli
30. Do you have any tatoos?
-no
31. If you could live in any home on a television series, what would it be?
-Bree Vandecamp’s house on Desperate Housewives, the house on Journeyman, or the house on Life
32. What's the habit you're proudest of breaking?
-Saying yes to everything
33. What do you order when you eat Chinese food?
-Sweet and Sour Chicken with rice
34. If you had to be named after one of the 50 states, which would it be?
-Maryland
35. What's the longest you've ever waited in line?
-Passion of the Christ tickets – 3 hours, and Garth Brooks tickets – 3 blocks
36. Have you ever taken a picture in one of those little booths?
-Yes, at Kmart with a friend and at Six Flags with Chanel

Toddler Speak

For anyone who has talking kids I am sure you can relate. They ask you a question "where is my battery" and your brain goes into overdrive. Clearly he isn't actually referring to a battery so what was he playing with that he might have said the word battery? I ask 'clue' questions. "What color is it?"
"My battery." (not so helpful).
"Where did you have it before?"
"In the kitchen." Off to the kitchen we go to search for something that might look like a battery, but certainly isn't a battery. Then he adds "It fell into the hole." Instant lightbulb! He is looking for his silver car that sits on this trailer that he would drop into a slot between the table and the island. Whallah - there it was right in the cabinet of the island. The 'battery' is what he pretends all my spices are so that he can 'fix' his car like Pop. Now I get it.

When he says, "I am going to Mars" this means he is going to dump out all the toys in the cabinet and hide while singing the Backyardigans song "we're going to mars"

"Roar me" means act like a monster and play hide and seek

"Louder" could mean louder, higher, more, brighter, hotter

"You sad mommy?" means, he is playing King and wants to give me something to make me 'feel better'

"Griffin hit me" means, he stood so close to Griffin that Griffin's hand touched him and now he wants Griffin to be in trouble.

"I'm happy" means 'I don't need a nap'

My recent favorite Tuckerism:
Yesterday the power was out at our house from 6:30am to 11:30am. So as we are eating breakfast in the dark Tucker says, "God left the kitchen." Confused as to whether he is wanting to tell me something or if I am supposed to give him a Sunday School answer I say, "No, God is in the kitchen. God is everywhere."
"No - God left and made it dark. Get your Bible and He'll come back."

Tucker Swap

Today marks one month without TV for Tucker. This may sound bizarre, but one month ago Katie threw out the idea of turning the TV off and seeing if it changed some of Tucker's quirky/frustrating behavior. Well, one month later, I am beside myself excited with the results. Tucker actually seems not only comfortable but happy in social settings. He talks to people who talk to him. He doesn't shut down when he gets scared or freeze when he he spoken to. I am so proud of him and thankful to Katie for suggesting that we try this.

For the first few days I thought this will never work, he won't be able to do this. Then as the days turned to weeks, none of us even miss the tv and he evolved into this new kid! (Chanel and I cheat once Tucker is in bed ---American Idol and Survivor are back on...what are we supposed to do???) I don't even know how else to describe it. Tucker is a totally different person.



Stay tuned (get it?...tuned?...) oh, I am so crazy.

If you can't beat them, join 'em

There was a time in my life that I had quite the southern accent. If you didn't know me growing up, you might be surprised to learn this. In my adult life (all 10 years of it) I have had people on the phone actually act surprised when I tell them I have lived in GA my whole life. They tell me that I sound like I am from the valley. Much to my dad's dismay, this makes me sort-of happy. I have actually tried to change the way I speak so that it is grammatically correct and not say words/phrases that would geographically place me. I say 'soda' when referring to a canned beverage and can't think of a time when I have used the word 'yonder' to refer to a place. I have no problem with having lived in the south my entire life - as a matter of fact I make the best Brunswick stew most have ever eaten and think real tea must be sweetened (not green or canned). I also get great pleasure when my grandmother refers to Walmart as Walmarts and Target as The Targets. It is part of her charm --- but not mine.

I say all that to say this. I can't think of much that would sound more redneck and country than going to an arena and watching enormous trucks on a dirt field crush other vehicles while wearing ear plugs and shouting "CRUSH EM GRAVE DIGGER!!!" But, I intend to do just that. Come Saturday morning Chanel, Tucker and I (along with our best friends Chanc, Tracey and their kids) will pile into Chanel's work truck and drive approximately 2 hours south to the Macon Centreplex Coliseum to watch Monster Jam Live.

For months Tucker has been asking to go to Monster Jam. He has 10 monster trucks that he plays with, sleeps with, eats with, talks with, he even puts band aides on their 'boo-boos'. If you mention Monster trucks, he will tell you about Monster Jam. For the longest time it was too far away to mention. Now it is Saturday, just 6 days away. He'll even tell you "one week to monster jam!" I can't wait. I am even trying to find him a shirt with grave digger on it.

All those years of refining my image and I have finally made it---Pure white trash! Git er done!

This picture was taken on Christmas eve. We went here on purpose - just to play in the mud. It was great!

Griffin is 1 !!!!!

Today was Griffin's birthday party and we all had a blast. He seemed to care less about the cake, but made a mild mess for pictures anyway. It was a frog theme and Katie made an incredible frog cake. Hopefully she will post the pictures on her blog. There was tons of friends there and he seemed to really have fun. Great job Katie and Chris! I Love Griffin's fresh hair cut!

It's not fun if it's not loud

This sure does seem like a "have fun outside of the box" sort of week. Normally on Friday night, we get together with another family but they had other plans so we just stayed home and ate grilled cheese and applesauce. (Good 'ol comfort food). Tucker and Griffin have been in my canned foods all week long and tonight was no exception. Tucker wanted to build a "really tall castle" and then (of course) knock it down. He looks so proud doesn't he. (Don't worry, he cleans it up too).

Is it sad that for my 28th birthday I want a glorified Broom???

Sunday afternoon I found myself in a daze watching an infomercial for the Shark vx3. Everyday since I have found reasons to need it - Specifically the day of the snowman poop. I looked it up online and it has gotten descent reviews. It is about $80 so I have tried to ignore the urges to just buy it. I believe today was the final straw. Tucker was eating chex mix and I went to put it away and dropped it all over the floor (I wish I had that shark thing). It became a feeding frenzy of sorts. Flash (the dog) moved faster than his breed typically allows and started to inhale whatever pieces were within reach, Griffin, although now a determined walker, realized that crawling was so much faster and also went for as many pieces as he could find and Tucker (the picky eater) noticed that the m&m's in the mix were now his if he moved fast enough. Comical at first. With the dog ushered outside, Griffin on my hip, and Tucker with a mouth full of m&m's I got the broom and dust pan. (It only weighs four pounds). Tucker "helps" by holding the dustpan (The commercial even shows a little kid using it) and shaking it with excitement anytime I get anything in it.
I should have just let the dog have at it.

Don't be fooled this picture is of the controlled mess.

Yep, I am one of those moms

Tucker is NOT an adventurous eater. I know that there are things he would like, but he would never try something to find out. So I have been known to encourage 'playing' with our food until it ends up in his mouth. Here is today's success story.

Oh yeah...Taxes

I feel the need to calm everyones nerves about the HGTV Dream Home Giveaway. I know that I put you all on pins and needles when I explained that I got all dolled up for the big announcement and then never updated you on my status. After the entire day came and went and no one came to my door I decided to recheck HGTV's website and learned that they aren't naming a winner until March 16. We can all relax until then. I have had to juggle some things around to make sure I am available...but I think I can make it work. Silliness aside - I really want that house. Have you seen it? It is just slightly nicer than my current living arrangements. Being on the beach isn't a bad perk, or the free Yukon.

(This photo is straight from the HGTV website. I'm sure I don't have express permission to use it)

Every time I mention it to Chanel this is what he says - "If you won that, we would sell it. Can you imagine the taxes you will have to pay on that thing. It would put us in a whole new tax bracket. We wouldn't be able to afford the taxes on the car alone..." I am stopping here, because I won't bore you with the next 30 minutes of oral arguments we have over the pains of winning something this cool!

Here is a picture of when we went to the beach in October.

Cross your fingers that I have to pay some major taxes next year!!!

Happy Birthday Keith!!!! 30 30 30 30 30 30

Today is my brother's birthday, so this post is for him. In honor of his birthday I am going to recap one of my favorite childhood memories. Actually it is just my favorite story to tell...not really such a good memory.

When we were younger we had sort of a love hate hate relationship. We are very close in age so there was potential to be friends. (Less potential after this particular event). We decided it would be a lovely idea to play chicken with our bikes. (Now that I think about it, it was my bike). We all know how chicken works, person A goes towards person B and if someone doesn't move, then there is a collision. We had been playing this for a while and I moved every time. I suppose I thought I had something to prove and in my head I claimed victory by deciding not to move. Next, the concrete confirmed with my head that I had in fact not been victorious, but had been run over by my own bike. I remember Keith thinking it was so funny, but I also remember being persuaded to "not tell mom" - in both our best interests of course.

I suppose it would have been nicer to tell about how he literally wiped my tears away and calmed me down when I was crying because of the rain at my outdoor wedding, or the incredibly touching toast he, as the best man, gave at the reception, or to tell about how he and I had some awesome times working together at The American Cafe (may it rest in peace), or the YMCA. Truly, there are so many many great memories that have changed our love hate hate relationship to one of love, respect, admiration and enjoyment. I am so honored to call him my brother and can't wait for the next 30 (minus any bikes).
I realize that for someone who has been in my life for its entirety, this is not a lot of pictures. However, I am at work today and these are the ones on my computer. So - Happy birthday Keith, may someone call you and act like granddad while they sing a tweaked rendition of Happy Birthday your Majesty. (It's okay, you can admit it...you miss the song).

What we do when we do nothing...

Today I didn't want to go anywhere. I did however get dressed in something that would match my new blue and white earings. I mean I put on makeup and everything...with no intention of leaving the house. In the back of my head I knew that today is the day they announce the HGTV dream home winner so I have to be ready...you know for the cameras and people. Sometimes I think I am so stupid. Oh well, I like the earings. Terminix showed up unexpectedly- at least I wasn't in my pj's still.

I decided to blow up about 12 balloons and tie them to my attic door and let the boys just play.

I stole this idea from a fellow blogger/friend, so just know that I am not this creative. It's funny the things we do. It took me about 25 minutes to blow all the balloons up (because every other balloon I had to let go and let fly all over the room for Tucker), then they played with them for about 5 minutes. Oh well, that is 30 minutes of the day that I occupied with something...I count that a success. Now it is close to lunch time and that will take about an hour. That means it is really almost nap time. My how the days fly by!

We have these huge boxes in our garage that are full of "snowman poop." I thought it would be fun to bring one of the boxes in the house to paint. I was sure that not emptying the snowman poop would be okay since I taped the top of the box closed.

I was wrong.

Once everything got cleaned up, we painted and it was so cute and fun.

I think it comes out of clothes.

If everyone jumped off a bridge...

I keep telling people that although I feel like life is off-the-charts busy, it is also boring in a 'nothing-to-talk-about' sort of way. So up until now (obviously) I have not felt the need to blog. Frankly, it took me a good year or so to understand what a blog was. But as with most everything I now do (facebook, myspace, texting) I have succumbed to peer pressure. Maybe it is just the desire to be cool and have a blog url address, I don't know.

I have learned something about myself through this process of peer pressure --- If everyone jumped off a bridge...I would do my research, google it a few times, wait a year or two to see the response, do things close to but not quite, then eventually, yes, I think I would jump off a bridge too. Sorry mom.

Here are the characters of my blog, err...life

Chanel My cute-as-ever husband for almost 7 years. He has a sense of rhythm I was not blessed with.
Tucker my almost 3 year old. He is too fun!
Griffin this is my 1 year old nephew that I watch half of the week. He belongs to my sister Katie and brother-in-law, Chris. (www.thehookers9905.blogspot.com)

Then there is me, Kelli I always have the camera so there really aren't any pictures of just me.

So that is it huh? This is blogging. I feel older, I feel very smart, I feel one more thing on my to-do list, I feel so cool! No wonder peer pressure works so well.