Lexi, the Model

I took Lexi in for her 15mo. check-up today. She weighed 20lbs., 130z. and she is 32 1/4in. tall. That puts her in the 16th percentile for her weight and the 91st percentile for height. Perhaps super modeling is in her future; and as long as it doesn't involve her taking her clothes off, I'm all right with that. Little Miss Drama Queen began to panic as soon as I placed her on the scale(really, what woman doesn't when she's getting weighed). By the time the doctor came in she was in full thrashing mode. He did his exam, the nurse came back with 4 shots, gum, and stickers (and she didn't forget big brother who was busy at preschool) and then everything was forgiven and beautiful again.

So at 15 months, Lexi can:

• wave bye and blow kisses (mmmuh!)
• says: daddy, mama, Eddy (every dog is called Eddy), Austin, Audrey, Lexi, ball, cracker, sucker, juice, cheese (when the camera comes out), thank you, 'nother one (as in- I want another story, etc.), uh huh (and nods head up and down), uh uh (and shakes head back and forth), yay (and claps), tick-a-tick-a-tick-a (to tickle her toes)
• moos, gallops, barks, and does monkey sounds
• has finally pushed herself to standing
• loves to brush her 6 1/2 teeth
• knows where her nose, belly button, toes, and tongue are
• loves to read books- she'll sit in her little chair with a pile of books and jabber away like she's "reading" to herself
• has conversations on her cell phone
• will take 3 or 4 steps, but still isn't really walking
• loves to make everyone laugh

Anatomy of a Mommy Purse

I have a dilemma. See, I've been carrying around a super cute handbag (or maybe I should say, "mommy bag") all fall. It's a rusty orange color with quilted pockets. I saw it back in July at Target and knew immediately that I had to have it. I put off spending the $20 for at least 2 weeks until I couldn't stand it anymore and bought the dang thing (on sale, no less, for $14.99). Anyways, my problem is this: I don't consider it to be fall anymore (even though winter is still technically 20ish days away). In my perfect little world I cannot possibly carry a fall styled bag now that winter is practically here. So switch to another purse, you're thinking. Well, that's just the thing. I have this "Coach" purse that has been sitting in my closet unused for 5 months; a really-cute-hot-pink-splash-of-brightness-in-the-dreary-winter-weather kind of purse. But the fall purse is really a bag and the Coach purse is really a dinky little thing, more for looks than practicality.

So, how do I get 6+ pounds of crap (yes, I actually weighed my bag) into a purse designed to hold about 10 ounces of dainty lady things? Any suggestions? My purse is really my grown up version of a security blanket, I can't possibly go anywhere without it. I know your all dying to know exactly what it is I'm lugging around with me every day, so I'll leave you with the breakdown:

• 3 pens
• 1 purple bunny barrette
• a Kate Spade perfume card, sprayed with something too expensive for me to wear
• a leaking bottle of hand sanitizer
• 4 individual packets of Wet Ones moist wipes
• a lip palette from The Body Shop
• 2 hair ties
• a pot of Burt's Bess lemon butter cuticle creme
• 2 tampons
• my wallet/checkbook
• Lexi's winter hat & mittens
• Austin's mittens
• the last 2 days' mail, including: 3 catalogs, 2 thankyou's, an invite, a sample box of tampons from Tampax, and a bunch of junk
• a Huggies size 3 diaper
• a travel case of wipes
• a pair of pink Old Navy socks
• 2 travel size, winter themed packages of Swankie hankies
• a bag of Pure Romance products that I have to deliver to a friend
• a small blush brush
• 1 size 3 brown "dress-up-for-church" shoe
• a hair brush
• a calculator
• 2 note pads
• my coupon organizer
• a small bag of Quaker Oat oatmeal squares
• Lexi's pretend cell phone
• checkbook for bank account #2
• checkbook for health savings account
• a small, rubber pink pig
• an old gum wrapper
• no money

2 Laughs At My Expense

Wow!!! What a day! It started well enough. Lexi was up first and I got to snuggle with her on the couch for a good half hour before Austin and Audrey made their appearances. Lexi is a total ham and she eats up one-on-one attention, so she was lovin' her morning.

Last Friday morning, the kids and I went on a turkey hunt through the house to gather all of the Thanksgiving decorations together. They were somewhat motivated because I had already told them that we couldn't get out Christmas until Thanksgiving was taken care of. We actually had 2 ginormous tubs of turkey stuff packed up by 11am. Sometimes we aren't even comatose by then so this small task was nothing short of a huge accomplishment. Then the real fun began. That was Friday, this is Monday and we are still putting out Christmas.

So back to this morning, the kids were at the table putting together a candy cane tree and I was gearing up to open all of the boxes of living room decorations. I took the corner from the kitchen to the living room a little too short and bashed my baby toe into the wall trim. Oooooo!!! The pain was enough to almost take me to my knees. So here I am hopping around like a wild banshee pounding on the counter top and doing my best to contain the four letter words that so desperately want to escape my mouth, when I notice the kids. I completely freaked Austin out and he went running from the room in tears. Lexi just stared at me like what the heck is your deal and Audrey just wanted to suck on some ice from the ice bag I was applying to my rapidly swelling toe. I swear I broke it. I had to wear my ratty tennis shoes to the game tonite because I didn't even want to consider heels or boots. So that's laugh #1.

Laugh #2- Later in the afternoon Lexi was down for her nap and Austin and Audrey were on the couch for some quiet time watching Curious George. I was still decorating the living room (I had banned the kids from touching anything else as Audrey had just broke my musical Nativity snow globe- soaking and glittering herself, the coffee table, and the carpet.) I was in the process of rehanging some pictures on the wall and I needed to see how the collage looked from a better angle. I stepped off the chair and leaned back against the couch to get a better view... except I had moved the couch 2 feet forward last week. From the kids' perspective on the other couch, mommy simply disappeared with a loud crash. My perspective, however, was a lot worse. I literally fell straight backwards and cracked my head on a small side table. The 5 lb. glass and metal picture frame tumbled off the table and barely missed my head (so it could have been alot worse). I heard Austin gasp "mommy!" and he came running over with Audrey. They found me lying in a fetal position hysterically laughing/sobbing (because I didn't know whether to laugh or cry and really, it must, have looked hilarious.) Austin gave me a kiss on my back and Audrey kissed my noggin' and I stumbled off to the kitchen for my second ice pack of the day.

Guess what? We still aren't finished with the decorations. Tomorrow, I'll suit up in full body armor.

What The Puck!?!?!

Yesterday Tom and I enjoyed a rare "date nite". We dropped the kids off at my mom's and headed out of town. Before leaving Jackabama, I made Tom take a quick detour to Kohl's. I had been in there the day before and had spotted some Christmas dresses for the girls. With $30 in Kohl's cash and the dresses being 50% off, I scored both dresses for $10.60!!! I was so psyched! They're chocolate brown with pink polka dot skirts and feathery pink sleeve cuffs so now I've gotta find them some cute shoes to go with. I also need to find Austin a coordinating tie to wear with his little man suit. Any suggestions?

After waiting a ridiculously long time in the Starbucks drive-thru for a peppermint mocha (yummy), we headed to K-zoo to meet up with Micah and Lindsey for a hockey game at Wings Stadium. The game had already started by the time we got to our seats, but it was action packed. There were 2 fights within the first 10 minutes, then we saw the hockey puck come flying over the glass straight at us. We had enough time to throw our hands up real quick before it nailed the lady directly in front of us. We all heard the thwack as it ricocheted off her head. She seemed to be okay but then I spent the rest off the time silently freakin' out that I was next to get nailed.

We left the game shortly after the 3rd period started; not because of my irrational fear, but because we wanted to get something to eat. We got a table at Red Robin and enjoyed burgers (yummy, again) and real "grown-up" talk. By the time we headed home it was sleeting/snowing. It completely freaks me out to drive with Tom on long trips. Ok, so we were only an hour away... semi-long. But as soon as we hit the highway, he becomes some Jeff Gordon wanna be. So back to our drive home, it's dark, it's freezing cold and snowing/sleeting, he's still driving around 75mph, and he's talking on the phone. I'm one of those people who's always jamming on their imaginary brake so the car ride home was verrrry relaxing. We saw a 3 car accident but somehow, like always, he got me home safely.

Thanks, Micah and Lindsey, for a fun evening and thanks, Mom, for the free babysitting!!!

Hosmerville Turkey Day Awards

and the award goes to....

• Most Memorable Moment Thanksgiving Eve: my brother "relieving" himself... on my front porch... in Austin's jack-o-lantern. At least this happened at 2:30 in the morning. It seems as if only I was awake to witness this as I didn't get any calls from irate neighbors. He claims he was sleepwalking. I am convinced that alcohol was a factor.
• Most Memorable Moment Thanksgiving Morning: waking up to snow covering the ground.
• Most Memorable Moment Thanksgiving Afternoon: my mom having the kids at her house so I could do last minute preparations without the munchkins underfoot.
• Most Memorable Moment Thanksgiving Evening: Having my grandpa pray before the meal with all of my family together. Knowing that all of the hard work was over and I could finally relax.
• Most Tasty Thanksgiving Dish: my grandma's homemade apple pie, or was it the mashed potatoes, or my mom's stuffing, or Rona's sweet potatoes? Hmm, this is a tough one. I think the whole menu has to share this honor.
• Most Wanted Item From Target's 2 Day Sale Ad: Disney's Ratatouille DVD @ $14. Santa had already budgeted $20 for this gift. Santa always loves a good bargain!
• Most Pleasant Thanksgiving Surprise: the tornadoes that swept through the kids' rooms were only rated F1 in mass of destruction. A far cry from the usual F4 or F5 destruction that usually occurs when little guests visit.
• Best Perk of Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner: a house that's clean from top to bottom.
• Most Memorable Moment Thanksgiving Day After: leftovers.
• Most Thankful For This Holiday Season: all of God's wonderful blessings, both big and small.

Hope your day was as good as mine!!!

A Martha Stewart Wanna Be

I have 18 guests coming for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. The countdown has begun. T minus 20 hours and counting. I'm exhausted. I have a bathroom to clean (I HATE cleaning bathrooms), a living room to dust (no, I cannot put it off, yes, it really is that bad), nose and fingerprints to wipe off of the front picture window, 2 tables to set, and my whole house is in desperate need of vacuuming. If I get a chance, I'd like to make some cute place cards for everyone at the table. I bought a stamp set from Stampin' Up last month just for this little project; but we'll see. That's just my list of things to do before going to bed.

Tomorrow I have to get all of the food prepared (well, most of it) with 3 kids running around all while trying to keep them from destroying my "perfectly" clean home. Like that will really matter anyway. When will I learn that 2 minutes after the first guests walk in it doesn't really matter if the dishwasher has been unloaded a final time or if all of the dirty laundry isn't downstairs. Like I've said before, don't open my closets or peek into the garage and definitely don't look on my husband's side of the bed! Happy Thanksgiving Eve, all!

Tag You're It!

My cousin Leslie has tagged me. Awww, my very first tag; but I'm not gonna play by the rules. I'm supposed to tag 7 people, but if you're reading my blog and you have your own, consider yourself tagged. So, here goes-

7 Random Things About Me:

• I cannot leave on vacation until my entire house is clean
• I'm thinking about touching up my butterfly tattoo. I'd like to have some more color added to it
• I'm usually chewing a piece of gum
• I have to have chap stick or lip gloss on- I hate the feeling of dry lips
• I always write out all of the bills and balance the checkbook
• I love everything Christmas- decorations, music, shopping, parties, traditions, etc.
• I can't stand being late but now that I have kids I usually am

Nobody Doesn't Like Sara Lee

We got an early start to our Thanksgiving festivities today. First, Austin had his Thanksgiving feast at preschool. Being so "with it" I neglected to sign up to bring treats in for his Halloween party. I was determined to do better for Thanksgiving, but by the time I remembered to check the sign up sheet pretty much the only thing left was cups.

I kinda felt like Phoebe in the episode of Friends when she and Monica are throwing a party for someone and then Monica ends up taking charge and planning it all. When Phoebe finds out Monica pretends to give her the "great" job of being in charge of the cups and ice. Phoebe ends up going all out, even setting up a sno-cone station and the cups and ice end up being the hit of the party.

Anyways, back to the Thanksgiving sign up sheet. I got stuck with bringing in the cups, so I felt like I had to make them somewhat special. By the time I was in Meijer last nite at 10:30 I was becoming a bit apathetic but I managed to find some cute Thanksgiving stickers of cats and dogs dressed liked pilgrims and Indians. My kids occupied themselves for a good 10 minutes this morning decorating the cups with the stickers. *note to self: don't slack off on the Christmas party*

Then, tonite we headed out to church for the annual Thanksgiving chili and pie dinner. The church provides the chili and all of the toppings and every family is supposed to bring in a pie. Usually my grandma (who makes the best homemade pies) guides me through the whole pie making process. This year there was simply not enough time for me to have a "refresher" course in pie making. Honestly, I was going to attempt to make an apple pie all by myself but I wandered past the frozen case of Sara Lee pies at Meijer last nite. Again it was 10:30 and I felt all of my resolves rapidly weakening. It was actually my mom's fault because she was the one that pointed out the money saving/time saving frozen pies. I think I must have stood in front of the pies for 5 minutes debating "should I" or "shouldn't I". So *gasp* I cheated and bought a pie to take. And I'll also admit I skipped right past it and went for the homemade goodies tonite.

This One's For You Bubba

With Christmas fast approaching, my little bro has called me wanting a Christmas wish list. So here's just a few ideas to get you started:

Maria's Wish List:

• I want my dining room floor to stay clean for more than 10 minutes after I have spent 30 minutes on my hands and knees mopping it
• I want my dirty laundry basket to remain empty long enough for me to put all of the clean clothes away
• I want all 3 of my kids to be in their own beds sleeping by 9pm so that I actually have some time to myself in the evening
• I want to sleep a solid 6 hours for 2, maybe 3, nites in a row
• I want $40,000+ to pay off my husband and my student loans
• I want a sexy little sports car (preferably without room for a car seat) in black or silver with leather seats, a moon roof and a Bose sound system
• I want to lose the 5 extra pounds that just won't go away- better yet, I want my high school body back
• I want a new wardrobe- clothes that actually fit me and are in style
• Oh yeah, one more thing- I want world peace

I'd ask for some pajamas and a Target gift card too but that just seems a little too extravagant. Hope this list helps, happy shopping, Micah!

The Christmas Parade

Tom and I took the kids downtown tonite for the Christmas parade. This is my favorite parade of the year, by far, and I think I get just as excited as the kids. Although it's always freezing cold, it's the perfect way to welcome in the holiday season. We love the marching bands playing Christmas music, feeling the heat from the flames of the hot-air balloon baskets, and we anxiously wait for Santa's arrival on the last float of the parade.

As always, the kids managed to each score a handful of candy as the parade participants were throwing it out. Audrey has quite the sweet tooth and she was intent on unwrapping her sucker as we headed back to the van. I was trailing behind with her as we walked down the sidewalk. She had already peeled off one mitten to better get at the wrapper and was completely absorbed in her task. I heard Tom call out to her to watch out. I glanced over at her just in time to see her stumble down onto the grate surrounding one of the many trees that are planted downtown along the sidewalks. She then walked straight into the tree. She rocked the small tree so hard she was thrown back on her biscuits and the real object of her focus tumbled away on the sidewalk. Now, being the compassionate, loving mother that I am, I burst out laughing so hard that I bent over double and nearly peed my pants. Audrey had so many layers on that she just kinda layed sprawled out on the sidewalk. As Tom helped her get to her feet, I heard her mutter, "Where's my sucker?" What a classic moment! Oh, how I wish I had captured it on video!

Better than Sex

I slept approximately 4 hours last nite. I stayed up late cleaning the bathroom- yipee! and got up early to unbury the living room. All because I was hosting a party tonite for several of my best-est friends from high school. Let's just say it was a rather "intimate" party. I'm not sure who was more excited about the evening, my husband or myself. Tom did call from work several times today to double check on the plans for the evening. He set a very generous spending limit and has never been so helpful in getting the kids out of the house before the guests arrived.

For sake of privacy, my guests shall remain nameless, but we had a lovely evening. We sampled lots of romance enhancing lotions and potions. We played with some *ah-hem* toys. And I am proud to say I was not named "The Biggest Ho" (ok, I am just a teeny bit jealous.) We sipped Bailey's in our coffee and indulged in a dessert I like to call "Better Than Sex"... come to think of it, tonite was like a grown-up playdate. Who says kids have all of the fun? As for the dessert, here's the recipe. I'll let you decide for yourselves if it tastes up to its name;)

Layer 1:

1 stick margarine or butter softened

1 cup flour

1 cup chopped nuts

Blend together with fork until crumbly and then press into a greased 9X13 pan. Bake @ 350 for 15 minutes.

Layer 2:

8 oz. cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup Cool Whip

Blend together until creamy, spread on cooled crust.

Layer 3:

2 sm. boxes Jell-O pudding mix or 1 lg. box (I like chocolate)

Make pudding according to package directions, pour over cream cheese layer.

Layer 4:

Top pudding with remaining Cool Whip- Enjoy!!!

Inquiring Minds Want to Know...

...why I was MIA yesterday in blog world. Here were Lindsey's choices:

a). I'm a busy mom.

b). Blogspot shut me down because they were suspicious my blog was spam.

BTW, Lindsey, I stalk you like you stalk me so I'm glad I now know why I couldn't get to your blog last nite. I hope you got everything cleared up so I can stay up-to-date on what's going down in K-zoo. I'll be checking in on you soon.

Anyhow, the answer is:

c). It was one of those rare days around Hosmerville where everything was practically normal. The kids and I chilled at home until I had to head to the school for team pictures. I met Tom there, did a kid switch-a-roo and jumped on the bus to Tekonsha (don't ask me where that is- I have no idea). Tom took Austin and Audrey to Cubbies at church where they generously donated a can of beets and mixed vegetables from our pantry to the food drive at the church. I'm not real sure what that was all about. Since I've been having games on Wednesday nites and Tom's been taking the kids, I'm a bit out of the Cubbie loop. But Austin informed me that he was supposed to bring in a can of food for the "poor kids". Um, honey, that's us.

I arrived back from the game early and walked home. In heels. In the dark. Praying the whole time that a raper/murderer wouldn't find me clomping through the neighborhood. I did have my mommy purse with me so I figured if I could get in one good swing with it I might have a chance to beat him to the safety of my home. Never mind that I walk my neighborhood all of the time but in the dark it's scary. Thank goodness I was able to find a pair of Lexi's mittens in my purse so at least the tips of my fingers stayed warm.

So I hope you're breathing easier now, Lindsey. In the future, I'll try to be more responsible about my blogging duties. After all, I have stalkers to keep happy.

Chunky milk, anyone?

What a beautiful fall day!!! After driving all the way across town to take Austin to preschool this afternoon, we discovered it had been canceled due to a power outage. Too bad I wasn't home to get that message on time. The trip wasn't a total waste of my $3.25/gal. gas because on the way to school we had stopped by my grandpa and grandma Hrebec's. They spend the summer waaaay up north and we hadn't seen them since before they left in May. It was nice to visit with them and the kids were absolutely thrilled when they were able to catch the cuckoo bird popping out of their cuckoo clock.

I decided to take full advantage of the nice weather when we got home, so Austin helped me clean out the van. Audrey was snoozin' in her car seat and Lexi was enjoying her freedom in the sunshine. I must have carried in 7 loads of crap from the van while Austin vacuumed with Tom's shop vac. I swear I just did this 2 weeks ago! I put everything from the van right inside the front door in the living room. We were just finishing up so I took Lexi inside before I went back out to get Audrey. I came back to see her happily sipping chunky milk that had been in the van for a good 6 days. Yes, 6 days. I know this because it was the sippy cup that I took for her when we had a playdate at my cousin's last Wednesday.

I do not, however, know how long the full gallon of rotten milk had been fermenting before I found that in my bedroom yesterday. I know what you're thinking, especially after seeing the pics of my living room and Austin's room, but honestly I don't live in a pigsty. At least not most of the time. My room was actually all in order except for these 2 bags of stuff that my mom had given me. But, you know, life gets busy and my mom is always sending over bags of junk to go through. Stuff she doesn't want anymore and is passing along to me.

I honestly cannot recall when she gave me these 2 bags. I do know that the said bags were parked inside my front door for at least 3 0r 4 days before last Thursday when I moved them from the living room to my bedroom. Without bothering to first peek inside. See, I had my friend Angie coming over to pick up her son who was playing with Austin and Nicole stopping by to drop off our family Christmas cards. I wanted my living room to look "perfect"- ha, ha- and I just didn't get a chance to go through those bags. "I know," I thought, "I'll just stick these bags in the bedroom and go through them later when I get a free moment." Too bad my free moment didn't come until yesterday. (Now you know my dirty little secret. If you drop by to visit and the house looks perfect, chances are there is a closet ready to explode off its hinges or there's dirty dishes in the oven.)

So there I was in the bedroom yesterday making the bed and hanging up some laundry. I'm practically tripping over these bags from my mom every time I try to get in the closet. It was early morning, the kids were still waking up with their juice and watching Playhouse Disney and Lexi was contently playing next to me so I decided to take a moment to sort through all of the goodies and surprise, surprise! A once-full gallon of vitamin D milk, reduced to a sour watery liquid with big floating chunks peeking up at me from inside the second brown bag. Somebody, please, get me a maid!

(I'll post pics of Austin's now cleaned room later to redeem myself.)

ta da!!!!

Local Celebrity

I just have to brag. If you've still got Sunday's Cit Pat, check out page A6. That handsome "young" man holding the lifesaving ring in the Foote ad is my grandpa. We love you, Papa!!!

Mommy Time- Woo Hoo!!!

I don't think we have been to church as a family of 5 for at least a month now. Lexi woke up coughing with a runny green nose yesterday, so Tom went to church with Austin and Audrey and I stayed home with my little patient. Austin and Audrey were super excited to be heading off to church because it was the morning to turn in gift boxes for Operation Christmas Child- a really neat ministry run by Samaritan's Purse. It's a great concept: fill a shoebox with necessities (toothbrush, soap, etc.) and Christmas goodies (some small toys, crayons, stickers), throw in some candy and gum and then take the box to a drop-off point. From there, volunteers take it to a distribution center where the boxes get checked and then sent to needy communities all over the world. So here are the kids with the boxes they packed for their "poor friends":

I had lunch on the table by the time they got home and then I jetted over to my mom's to pick her up for an out-of-town shopping excursion at Somerset Collections. Neither my mom nor I got anything for ourselves, but of course, the kids made out well. My mom picked up chamois pillowcases at PBK for each of the kids and I got some stocking stuffers. I didn't want to buy too much this weekend because next weekend we're going to Bronner's in Frankenmuth and the outlets at Birch Run. For 7 glorious hours I enjoyed grown-up conversation and talked without being interrupted. I was responsible for only myself. My mom and I browsed through Tiffany's (TJ, I found my Christmas present), Kate Spade, Z Gallerie, Williams Sonoma, GAP baby, Pottery Barn Kids, and Pottery Barn. I enjoyed lunch without having to first cut up someone else's meal into tiny bite-sized pieces and without having to share half of what was on my plate. I didn't have to take anyone but myself potty. I even indulged in a ridiculously expensive pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks- yummy! I returned relaxed, refreshed, and ready to jump back into mommyhood.

A Mastercard Moment

I took a quick trip to Sam's Club the other day with my mom and the kids in tow. I dropped over $100 on 4 things. Four. Frickin'. Things. So here's the lowdown:

1. Tide laundry soap (for the whole fam): $28
2. Huggies size 3 diapers (for Lexi): $35
3. Huggies wipes (again, for Lexi): $15
4. Huggies pull-ups (for Audrey at nite): $25

Not having to make lunch for kids because we hit up all the food samples: priceless

By the way, everything was really tasty (green bean casserole, Starbucks Frappucino, holiday cookies, ham & cream cheese pinwheels, quiche, pumpkin pie, beef & cheese chimichangas) but my most favorite sample of the day was the pumpkin spice cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory- yummy! I'll be serving that for Thanksgiving dessert=)

Awwww! I have readers!!!

Well, so far so good. I have only neglected my kids for approximately 3 hours since I signed onto this whole blogging thing. With that being said I have just imposed blogging rule #1 for this Hosmerville mommy: One mustn't begin composing a post until all 3 children are tucked snug in their beds. It starts out innocently enough, " just a quick post," I reason and then an hour later I finally finish. In the meantime, my kids have turned the living room into this:

Wait a minute, doh! It usually looks like this and the picture doesn't even do it justice. Then there's Austin's room, looking like this:

Can you even see his room?! I guess I know what I need to do tomorrow.

I have received comments on my blog from 6 of you now, so I know that there are at least 6 of you out there reading. Thanks for all of the positive feedback! Let me just say that this is way too much fun!!! How come none of you ever suggested I start a blog earlier?;)

A Typical Fall Saturday

I started my day off scrubbing floors and cleaning toilets. Let me tell you, the weekend can't get much better than that. Usually I'm able to get the store cleaned Friday night, (which gives me the whole weekend to be with the fam) but last night I got a late start and finally gave up around 10pm. So there I was bright and early this morning frantically trying to finish up before everyone arrived at 8 am to undo what I had just done. Somehow I under-estimated the time I had left and I had to leave for cheerleading practice before I got the last office area done. *sigh* I guess I'll have to go back tomorrow for third.day.in.a.row to finally finish.

Then I was off to cheerleading practice. I was especially perky from my Pine Sol high and a fresh cup of coffee from the McCafe, which made spending my Saturday morning with 13 middle school cheerleaders that much more bearable.

I headed home after practice to round up the gang for a cousin's first birthday party. I was hoping to make a quick stop at Target on the way to the party for a gift bag and some goodies for the Operation Christmas Child boxes we're putting together for church tomorrow. I know you all are waiting with baited breath so I won't keep you in suspense any longer. Three words... Guido and Luigi. I was so short on time I didn't even care if Austin saw them. I tossed them in the cart and figured I could come up with some lame excuse if I needed to later. From Target to Horton, and traveling at no more than 80mph at any given time, it was exactly 15 minutes and we arrived at the party only 10 minutes late.

Audrey had fallen asleep 13 minutes into the ride and spent the last 2 minutes wetting through her underwear, party jeans, and car seat. By the time I scrounged the van to find a pair of dirty sweats to change Audrey into and put Lexi's socks and shoes back on, we were a mere 15 minutes late. The kids enjoyed their lunch of cake and punch and we were home an hour and a half later.

My father-in-law had spent the afternoon at our house helping my husband do some yard work so we ordered in pizza for dinner. Like clockwork, both Austin and Audrey excused themselves for their mid-dinner dump. Pack it in, push it out. For being so little, they are champion poopers, both in length of time it takes them to complete the dirty duty and length of.... well, you know. Several minutes later, Audrey reappeared announcing she "had blood" (Audrey speak for "I'm bleeding") and looking like this:

Apparently my little beauty queen had found Tom's razor and decided that the hair on her upper lip was much too thick for her liking.

Hope your day was as fun-filled as mine!

Score!

The kids and I venture into Target at least once a week to spend money we don't have on things we don't need. Every time we step foot inside those doors we cannot leave without checking to see if there are any new cars from the movie Cars. It's become an obsession, really. These 3 inch beauties are quite the hot commodity here in Hosmerville. With Christmas fast approaching, Tom and I have already been planning on picking up a few for stocking stuffers. Usually Target stocks about 10 Boost, and a few Filmore, Lizzy, Snot Rod, Wingo, and the original Lightning McQueen. And nothing else. Timing is everything and today we timed it perfectly.

As we came up to the display, there before my very eyes was the ever-so-elusive Dirt Track Lightning McQueen. I swear to you that the heavens above opened to shine glorious light on the display and as I approached with outstretched hand, I heard the Hallelujah chorus. Score! And then, no it couldn't be... yes, it was! Bug Mouth Lightning McQueen! Double score! I ever so casually slipped them aside and waited for an opportune moment to stash them in my cart. Austin however, was watching everything that went into the cart and as I stood there waiting for him to distract himself, I silently prayed no other glassy-eyed mother would sneak up from behind to steal the cars away from me. I know, I need help. While waiting, I also found the Yeti and Cruisin' Ramone. Quadruple score! Finally, I was able to stash them under Audrey's coat just as a stock boy happened to walk by and see me acting suspiciously casual. Nice.

I finally made it to the checkout but then I had to sneak them back out of the cart to the cashier. By then Austin was dangerously close to discovering Santa shops at Target. I managed to clue the cashier in on what was going on and she got him distracted by having him check out the security mirror while she triple bagged the loot for me. All-in-all, a very sucssessful shopping trip but maybe next time I'll leave the kids at home.

I'm Addicted

Ok, so I must admit that just a few short months ago I had no idea what the concept of a blog was. People posting their thoughts and pics on the Internet for all to see? Weird. But after becoming a frequent reader to several, I must admit- I'm addicted. Instead of using the time after my kids go to bed to do fun mommy stuff like laundry, dishes, and bills, I park my butt (oops, sorry, Austin, I mean biscuits) in front of the computer and catch up on everyone's daily happenings.

I knew that it was time to start blogging when I'd catch myself thinking of what I would write on my blog if I had one for say when, Lexi grunted out a half dozen rabbit turds in the tub the other night while my husband was "supervising" and how they went unnoticed until I returned to do washing duties.

If not for anything else, I figured this would be a fun way to journal our life. Maybe the kids can go back one day and reminisce on all of the crazy fun memories. My mom was watching Jay Leno the other night and he had Jerry Seinfeld on as a guest. My mom said Jerry (talking about his own three kids) said life in a home with three kids is like someone turning on a blender without putting the top on first (probably not an exact quote, but you get it, don't you?). I don't think I could have said it better myself. This is our life, welcome to Hosmerville!