Sunday, December 19, 2010

Presidential power

Tonight we were having a fairly casual dinner. Jake was making his hot dogs, Hannah was eating what she had made, and Link and I were eating fondue. Because everyone kept coming and going I was reading my book while we were at the table.

Hannah: I thought you said we're not allowed to read at the table.

Me: You're right, I did. But I'm the mommy so I can break the rules sometimes. When you're a mommy you can do the same thing.

(pause)

Hannah: Well what about Daddy? Doesn't he have any say?

(I look at Lincoln)

Link (laughing): Not really.

Me: Daddy is sort of like the Vice President. He has a title but no real power.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

So proud

Jake can't go into a single store - or watch a single commercial - without wanting to buy something for himself. He wants everything. The other day I had a $50 credit at a local nursery that I knew was going to expire at the end of the year. I didn't want to let time get away from me and then realize that I had lost that $50 so I decided to let Jake spend it. At first Hannah was a little jealous but then I explained that she and I get to do all sorts of Mommy/Daughter things and I thought this would be a good Mommy/Son thing since Jake loves to garden.

But do you know what?

The little bugger surprised me.

He bought more stuff for Hannah than he did for himself. She recently decided she wanted to decorate her room with a "nature" theme so he bought her a plant, a stuffed owl, and a small fake Christmas tree. Then we went to another store and he bought her a frog doing a yoga move on a rock (she's into yoga lately because her teacher has the class do it at school).

What a softie.

Good things CAN come in shirt size boxes

(Unwrapping a birthday present the size of a shirt box.)

Jake: Mommy, why do you get to choose all of my clothes? They're too small for you anyway.

Link: Jake! How do you know that is clothes? You haven't even opened it yet.

(To me, under his breath.)

Link: Is it clothes?

Me: Yep.

(Upon discovering they're dinosaur pajamas.)

Jake: Wow! Thanks! (big hug for Mommy)

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Sunday, December 5, 2010

The youngest child's Christmas lament

Yesterday we put our Christmas tree up. As we do every year, the kids put up the ornaments while I string the popcorn. Lincoln supervises the kids and hangs the popcorn garlands as I finish them. Of course this year our jobs overlapped as the kids wanted to help me string the popcorn and hang it too. I'm thinking in a year or two Link and I can just sit back and let the kids do all the work.

The one and only thing I put on the tree is a red elf that I had when I was a kid. They still sell these in the stores but what I remember about the elf was it was the "special" thing we put on the tree each year.

Jake: Can I put this on the tree? (holding up the elf)

Hannah: No! That's Mommy's. Mommy hangs that every year.

Jake: Why?

Mommy: Because every year when Mommy and her sisters were decorating the tree we fought over who got to put the elf on the tree and because Mommy was the youngest - something you're familiar with Jake - I never won. So now I get to put it on the tree every year.

Jake: That's not fair!

Mommy: Don't worry. One of you will inherit it when I'm dead.

Auntie Rachie's owl collection to the rescue

Hannah: What is Hooter's?

Me: It's a restaurant with a lot of owls in it.

Hannah: I think Auntie Rachie would really like that place.

Aunt Debbie: I think Uncle Kevin would probably like it more.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

This girl is too smart for me

This week the kids and I are down in Arizona visiting my parents. For some reason while we were riding in the car today Jake brought up the topic of their first words. This is a conversation that we've had many times before but today it ended a lot differently.

Jake: Do you know what my first word was?

Me: Yep, ball.

Jake: And what was Hannah's first word?

Me: Boom.

Hannah: Yeah, but is that really a word or just an onomatopoeia*?

(Both Mom and I whip our heads around to Hannah....)

Me/Mom: What!?!

Hannah: The spelling of something the way it sounds.

(silence)

And for those of you playing along at home, Webster's defines onomatopoeia as "the naming of a thing or action by the vocal imitation of the sound associated with it (as buzz, hiss)"

I have no idea what her second word was so if we're not classifying boom as an official word anymore we're in trouble.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Radio Silence

I don't know where to start.

I have lots of things to say. I drive around every day and think of things I want to talk about on my blog but for some reason when I get to an actual computer I have nothing to say.

And my mother must be seriously freaking out by now. When I was in college if I didn't call every 3-4 days she would call me to make sure I was alive. That has continued well into my 30's and yet I haven't talked to her more than two or three times in the past three weeks or so.

When I don't talk to my mom on a regular basis my dad calls under the pretense of "you should call your mother" however, in this day and age of email, he sometimes just emails me and says "are you alive?"

I am alive.

And I'm fine....usually.

I'm certainly not having the trouble I was having when I was in the Nut Hut but I still have days that are worse than others.

And yet over all most days are good.

But I still don't call my mother.

Or blog.

I don't know what it is. It's like a mental block. I think about doing both but I just don't do them.

Why?

Who the hell knows.

This entire process has been a learning experience for me and everyone around me. I don't know what the fuck is going on. I don't know what the fuck to expect. But I do appreciate those around me giving me the chance to figure it out.

One of these days all the pent up blog postings in my head will come pouring out and you guys will be saying "Enough already!!!"

Until then, thank you for letting me deal with this on my own.

I love you all.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

A five year olds view of his father

In my continued quest to catch up on things I've neglected over the past few months, I am finally posting the Father's Day story that Jake made at daycare for Lincoln. It is similar to the one that he made for me on Mother's Day.

The story is pre-written but Jake supplied the answers to fill in the blanks. His answers are in bold in the story below.

My Dad
by Jacob Snow

My Dad is the best Dad on the planet. His name is Lincoln. He is as strong as a pig. He is 38 years old. He weighs 100 pounds and is 5' tall. His eyes are black and his hair is black. My Dad's favorite sport is football. His favorite things to do is take naps. My favorite thing to do with my Dad is play the Wii. Dad makes me laugh when he tells me jokes. But when he gets angry he sends me to my room. I love my Dad more than spaghetti.

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Love, Jacob

Sunday, October 17, 2010

A lesson in joint checking

Jake: Mommy, since it's Daddy's birthday today YOU have to buy lunch.

Me: Okay.

(later)

Hannah: When it's my birthday I'm going to have Mommy buy lunch.

Jake: When it's my birthday I'm going to have Mommy buy lunch too.

Me: What you guys don't realize is that Mommy and Daddy share the same account.

Jake: Wait, what?

Me: Basically we both put all our money in the same piggy bank and either one of us can take money out to spend on things.

Jake: But what if you and Daddy don't agree on what to buy at the store?

Me: Then we talk it out like two grown-ups......and then Mommy wins.

A young Lincoln in training

On Friday night my friend Tracy and I went to a 40th birthday for our friend Tanya. It was a late night out and Tracy crashed in the Treehouse afterwards. The next morning Tracy, Hannah, and I were chilling up in the Treehouse while the boys fed us breakfast. Jake loves nothing better than to serve us in situations like this. At one point, when I had to go down to show him where something was, he got so mad and made me go right back upstairs once I had pointed it out because it was HIS duty to do this and I couldn't help him. Not only did he serve us breakfast upstairs but according to Lincoln he poured, flipped, and plated the pancakes all by himself.

Talk about a little Link in training.

This morning was Link's birthday and I was preparing Link's breakfast in bed. Since this is a rather unusual occurrence in our house Jake naturally asked why it was happening.

Jake: Why do you get breakfast in bed every weekend and Daddy only gets breakfast in bed on his birthday?

Me: Because Daddy spoils me rotten just like you're going to do to your wife someday, right?

It's never to early to start training them.

Jealousy...not depression

I realize I haven't posted since Wednesday but that's not because I've been in another downhill slide. In fact, I haven't felt this good in a long time. It has just been a crazy week.

Thursday night I went to a concert with my friend Tracy and my little sis Shani. We had a fantastic time but it was definitely a late night.

Friday I attended a 40th birthday party for Tanya (a wonderful woman who I met through Tracy) which was also a late night.

Saturday we had Link's family over for a birthday dinner. His mother's birthday is on the 20th so we usually celebrate the two of them together. That, again, was a late night although not nearly as late as Thursday and Friday.

Today was Link's actual birthday so I got up early to put in the egg bake that I had made last night and then the kids and I served Lincoln breakfast in bed. The best part of that was Jake asking why Mommy got breakfast in bed every weekend and Daddy only got breakfast in bed on his birthday. I'm sure you're wondering why Link doesn't get breakfast in bed on Father's Day but that's because we're usually down on the Vineyard with a bunch of other families that weekend.

Now to the jealousy part.

One of my favorite shows of all time is the Amazing Race. It is currently in its 17th season and I have watched every single one of them. As much as I would love, love, LOVE to be on the Amazing Race at any point in time, there are only two times that have been absolutely green with envy over what they get to do on the show.

The first was when they got to go on an African safari and feed raw meat to the lions. That is an absolute dream of mine. As in, if I get a terminal diagnosis tomorrow we are maxing out every credit card we have and going to Africa so that I can feed raw meat to the lions.

The second time was tonight. The teams had to go to Sweden and race a pack of sled dogs. I would love to do that. They seemed like they were having so much fun. I could pass on the time they had to run a mile or so in their underwear in Russia, I could pass on eating the live octopus that stuck it's tentacles to their tongue as they tried to swallow, but man oh man, I would give anything to have done those two challenges.

So, the moral of the story is.....

Not depressed, just busy and enjoying life again (thank God, Buddha, Allah & Vishnu!)

And I'm very, very, very jealous of feeding raw meat to wild lions and forcing sled dogs to drag me through the Swedish country side.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

I seem to have misplaced my handbook

I've now been at my job for 8 years as of 10/30/10. In those eight years my co-workers have mostly consisted of married men, with or without children, one married woman with a grown daughter, one married woman with no kids, many single men and women, and any number of gays and lesbians. Very few of my female co-workers have been married much less have children. That has changed a bit over the years as a few of them have gotten married and started having families but they're all "newer" moms than me.

Why am I writing about the demographic of my co-workers?

Because it cracks me up when they call me up or pop in my office to ask me a question that "a mom would know" such as "how can I tell if this is still fresh?" or "do you have static guard (or a sewing kit) in your purse?" This is often followed up with "I figured you would know (or possess the item) since you're a Mom". One person - who later became a mom herself - once said to me, "Isn't that just something all Moms know?"

I laughed and said that I obviously never received the Mom Handbook.

The funny this is, I still call my mom for advice on how to know if something is still fresh or how long something should be cooked or when should I go to the doctor. You get the idea.

It's true that Mom always seems to have the answer but I personally seem to have misplaced my handbook. Or maybe I never received one.

I should ask Mom about that.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Lost in translation

I realize the last half dozen postings or so have been about Jake. It's not that Hannah isn't doing anything funny or exciting, it's just that Jake never shuts up so of course he gives me endless amounts of material.

Like this one.

Sunday the four of us went shopping at Kohl's. I needed to pick up a silver chain necklace and Hannah loves to try out all the different perfumes. She found one that was really nice smelling and she sprayed it on me. It smelled wonderful which was a good thing because, while I wouldn't have had any problem saying no if I didn't like it, it made it easier for me to sort of buy my daughter a bottle of perfume named "Provocative Interlude". I like it too so I bought it for myself but she can borrow it. This way it's actually my perfume but she can borrow it without saying that she personally owns a bottle of Provocative Interlude.

Because, as Link said, that just seems wrong.

(Okay, so some of this story actually was about Hannah.)

But we're not talking about bad parenting choices, we're talking about things that Jake says. While Hannah was trying out all the different perfumes he wanted to do it too. Of course we were trying to tell him that men wear cologne and women wear perfume.

But this is what he took away from the conversation.

(As we're pulling out of the parking lot.)

Jake: When do I get to wear man-fume?

OMG....This kid NEVER shuts up

Jake talks.

A lot.

And I mean a LOT.

The other day he fell asleep in the car on the way to Kristen's soccer game. When he first woke up he started babbling incoherent sentences. I wasn't even sure he was speaking English. All we knew was that he was awake and therefore he had to be making noise.

Have I mentioned he talks a lot?

Since I walked in the door about an hour ago Jake hasn't been quiet for more than about 10 seconds at a time. He's either talking about school or Dinosaur Train or orange water (OJ mixed with water) or balloons. Seriously, he just talks.

And talks.

Jake: Today, on the bus ride home, it was REALLY quiet today.

Me: Oh yeah?

Link: Why, were you asleep?

(laughter from me, Link, and Hannah)

Hannah: I know! Let's play the quiet game!

(Lincoln, Hannah and I immediately stop talking.)

Jake: HOLD ON! HOLD ON! HOLD ON! Ready? Uno, dos, tres....

(silence for approximately 20 seconds)

Jake: (as he bites into his taco and starts chewing) Num, num, num, num

(The 3 of us burst into laughter again.)

Hannah: You should blog about that. I might blog about that. That is definitely blogworthy.

The key to getting Jake to snuggle

Jake hates to snuggle. His idea of snuggling is a quick, half-hearted hug before he races off to the next thing. I told him yesterday while I was cleaning up the house that as long as he sat in my lap and snuggled with me he wouldn't have to help me clean.

I don't think he has sat in my lap that long since he learned how to crawl. I'm happy to trade a dirty house for some snuggle time.

Jake is always looking for a way to make money

Yesterday Lincoln took the kids and their cousin Kayla for a hike in Purgatory Chasm. I've never been there but after their last hike there Lincoln swore he'd never do it again because it was too nerve-wracking. Apparently there are any number of drop offs and rocks. Delightful, huh?

Apparently Lincoln is a sucker for punishment though because they went back yesterday. I stayed home to clean the house. Fun for me!

Me: Well, on the good news front, the life insurance policies are paid up on each of you.

Jake: What is life insurance?

Me: If something were to happen to you and you died, someone would pay Mommy money.

Jake: Wait? What? I should get the money!!!

Me: You'd be dead.

Jake: Okay....how about this? If we come back alive YOU pay US!

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Words of wisdom

Today at lunch we were talking about how the kids needed to clean up their rooms this afternoon. Hannah said that she wasn't happy about having to pick up her room because most of the mess in her room was from Hunter and Jake last night. (Not that we believe her to be blameless.)

We told her that she could solve that problem by not allowing them to play in her room.

Hannah: I don't like letting them play in there because they make a big mess but I like letting them play in there because they're a lot of fun.

Link: Yeah....sort of like having kids.

Jake's first day of kindergarten

I may not be on the top of things these days but I did manage to get Jake's first day of kindergarten pictures taken. I just took me a month and a half to get them up on the blog.








Hannah's first day of 4th grade

Better late than never....ignore the overgrown grass please.



Jake's apple tree

Despite all the chaos around here this summer we did manage to get Jake's apple tree in just in time before he started kindergarten. Like Hannah he'll have his picture taken in front of this apple tree every year for kindergarten through 12th grade.

An October picnic

Today is a gorgeous fall day and the kids decided to put on a picnic lunch for the family. They made the sandwiches themselves, got every one's drink orders and laid out the blanket. Even Leo had his food and water bowl outside although, as you'll notice in the pictures, he would have preferred to be eating the people food.

Desperate Dog

Auntie Di has been doing a wonderful job of teaching Leo all sorts of fun dog tricks over the past few months. Beyond the usual "sit", "stay", and "lay down" she also taught him "paw" (shake) and "kisses".

Typically when we go to give Leo a treat we have him do one of his tricks. I personally tend to get into a rut and do the same one over and over again - usually whatever his newest trick is - so as soon as Leo sees a treat in my hand he immediately does the whole trick (i.e., he'll immediately sit down and hand me his paw instead of waiting for me to say "sit" and then "paw".)

Last night I took out the granddaddy of all treats from the treat box. A big old bone called "The Busy Bone". He loves these things and doesn't get them often. As soon as I had it in my hand he immediately started going through every trick he knows in order to get me to hand over the bone.

He would sit and then try to hand me his paw. When I didn't take that he would jump up and try to kiss me. Then he would lay down. When that didn't work he'd try them all again. Finally he was laying down while trying to give me his paw at the same time and putting his face up trying to give kisses from the floor. Over and over and over again. I have never seen a dog so desperate to come up with the right combination of tricks that would get him what he desired.

He's lucky I could stop laughing long enough to hand over the Busy Bone.

Friday, October 8, 2010

My latest attempt at organization

I never realized how much trickier it would be to have two kids in school at the same time. It's hard to remember who is on what bus at what time since our schedule requires three different buses (one for Hannah on Monday thru Wednesday morning and both kids Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, one for Jake at mid-day Tuesday thru Thursday, and one that picks up Hannah on Thursday morning and both kids on Friday morning plus drops both kids off on Friday afternoon - confusing, right?)

And then they have gym, art, music, and library on different days so it is hard to remember who has to wear tennis shoes on which days. Of course there was also the book fair for each grade on different days which required sending in money on the right day for each kid. And of course you can't misplace the library book that has to be returned on the right day.

Ugh!

Well thank God we built the breezeway off the side of the house into which we can move the old shoe racks because I decided it was time to revamp the area where we go in and out the door each morning before and after school.

After a trip to the Container Store, and a little color coding, I came up with this little pink and blue gem of an organization system. Each kid has a bin on the floor where their backpack goes as soon as they walk in the door so that they know where to find them the next morning. On their little pink and blue dry erase boards we write notes about schedules, when to bring in money, and other reminders. They also have magnetic boards to hang notices from school, school picture checks, milk tickets, lunch tokens, and their gym/music/library/art schedules. Additionally they each have a bin hanging on the wall with pink and blue folders in which to put fundraising catalogs, library books, book order forms and the like.

Finally, there are two "talkie" boards addressed to each of them. These aren't pink and blue but they were too darn cute to pass up. On these boards we write notes to them about things like "make sure you clean up your room today" or "don't forget to take your library book with you". Jake can't read yet but Hannah helps him out. Sometimes her board just says "please read Jake's note to him."

I also put up a dry erase board for Link and me (which didn't go up until after these pictures were taken) which shows our schedule for the current week and the next week. It's helpful for things like Link knowing when I have a PTO meeting or me knowing when he has an early job start.

So here it is.........The grand unveiling!

Men are such babies

Earlier this week I went to the Paper Store to buy a card for Lincoln for our anniversary. At the checkout was this little book designed to look like a police officer's ticket book. It had a list of violations that you could charge your kids fines for including whining, not cleaning their room, leaving dirty laundry on the floor, swearing, etc. Fines range from fifty cents to about $2.50.

I thought it was hilarious.

The kids didn't.

Yesterday Hannah got a warning violation - meaning she didn't have to actually pay the $4.50 in fines - posted on her kitchen board (more about that later). This morning Jake left his dirty laundry all over the floor and I told him that he had to pick it up.

Me: Jake, you need to pick up your dirty laundry. That's what Hannah got a warning violation for yesterday.

Jake: What?

Me: Yeah, you know, a ticket? Part of her fine was for leaving dirty laundry around. I'll give you one if you don't pick up your dirty laundry.

Jake: Seriously? SERIOUSLY? You would seriously do that to a man with a cut?!?

And then he proceeded to show me the world's smallest cut on the back of his hand.

Nice try Bud.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Memories and Regrets

Over the last few months I have worried about how my depression has affected my kids in many different ways. I must admit, one of those ways is the fact that I haven't been blogging about my kids and the funny things they do and say. I love going back and choosing a random month from the archives and reading about something the kids did that I had completely forgotten about. The fact that so many memories haven't been recorded in the past few months makes me incredibly sad. I know that despite the misery of the past few months we've had some great times as well. At best I manage to write up a quick recap on Facebook but I haven't committed much to keeping up with the blog. I just haven't had it in me and that makes me sad.

A few weeks ago, during one of our regularly scheduled Friday night Mexican dinners with my friend Tracy, I somehow started thinking about how when Jake was first born Hannah used to always want to play "baby on the doorstep." It was a big elaborate game we would play where she would pretend that she found Jake on the doorstep and we had to bring him in, decide to keep him and then I would always suggest naming him Henry which she always rejected. That game went on for months and yet it was something I haven't thought about in years. I didn't have the blog back then so of course I never wrote it down anywhere and I'm glad that I can do it now. It does make me sad though to think of all those other memories that I never recorded the past few months.

Another memory that I had forgotten about until that night was "Hecuba Buttmunchkin". When Hannah was little we always used to call her buttmunchkin (and still do sometimes). I used to tease her that her real name was Hecuba Buttmunchkin and she would get so mad at me. I told her that it was what was on her official birth certificate and she wouldn't be able to convince me otherwise. It used to get her so riled up and always made me laugh.

You always think, in the moment, that you'll never forget that funny joke or special thing that the kids did, but you do. Even when it's a game you played for months and months and you figure you'll be playing that same game until they're old and gray, you don't realize until years later when you're sitting around eating enchiladas that one day that game just stopped.

And that's just depressing (pun intended).

Ten years

Today is our 10th wedding anniversary. The last 10 years have gone by in the blink of an eye. It's so hard to believe. Lincoln and I often do up celebrations like this in grand style. Any birthday ending in "0" is cause for a celebration. Any anniversary divisible by 5 is also a big deal. For our 5th wedding anniversary we went to Moab, Utah and visited Sand Arches National Park. For our 10th dating anniversary last year we went away for the weekend to a lovely hotel and spa with a fireplace in the room as well as champagne and roses. So you would think that we would do our 10th wedding anniversary up big, right?

Not so much.

Our big plan for today was for both of us to take the day off and veg out all day watching movies and not getting out of bed unless we wanted to....just like back when we were dating and first married. You know those Saturdays when you just stay in bed all day and pop in a movie and do nothing at all? That was our plan for today.

Of course it's hard to stay in bed and veg all day when we had to get Hannah on the morning bus, do the grocery shopping for dinner tonight, get my overdue inspection done on my car, and get Jake on the afternoon kindergarten bus. That left us with just over 2 hours to crawl back in bed and watch a movie before rushing out the door to meet the bus and take Hannah to sewing lessons and then coming home and making dinner.

We may not have gotten to veg out and pretend we were newly married like we had wanted to - and we may have followed dinner with an exciting towel and underwear folding laundry session - but it was still a perfect day.

I wouldn't have wanted to do it any other way.

Best Friends Forever

BFFs

It's a term that is thrown around pretty casually these days....best friends forever....but it is one that has given me much thought over the years.

When I lived in Iowa I had many close friends. My "BFFs" were Rachel and Kelley. I also had incredibly close friends in Shannon, Renee, and Julie. I would consider Rachel and Kelley as my Iowa BFFs even though the three of us never hung out together. It was either me and Rachel or me and Kelley.

When I was two months shy of eleven years old we moved to the suburbs of Seattle. Out there, if I had to pick one (or more) BFFs, it would definitely have been Breanne and Bryan.

Then, after 9th grade, we moved to Arkansas. In Arkansas, hands down, my BFFs were Dawn and Stephanie. I had many other close friends as well...Stefani, Ricky, Scott, etc....but Dawn and Steph were my BFFs.

In college I was very close with Becky and Molly and their friends but I would say my BFF was Carrie. I was also very close with Cyndi but unfortunately we didn't have as much time to get to know each other as we could have.

After I moved to Massachusetts my closest friends were the Walkers. Deb and Michael are much older than me (Deb was my 10th grade teacher) and their daughters, who are my most beloved little sisters, were much younger than me.

I met Lincoln two months after I moved here and not only did I fall in love with him but he also became my best friend. I had other friends through work but I never really hung out with anyone on a regular basis. For the first half of our marriage that was certainly enough. And had nothing changed, that would certainly have continued to be enough.

But then I met Tracy.

I met Tracy the spring before Hannah started kindergarten. That fall our kids were in the same kindergarten class and since then we have been inseparable. She is definitely a BFF.

So where does that leave my other BFFs?

And that is a question that has plagued me for years.

What defines a BFF?

Someone that you're friends with forever? It is in the title after all? BFF stands for Best Friend Forever.

But what if you drop the second "F" and just had Best Friend.

What does Best Friend mean?

Is it your one and only best friend in the entire world? If you had to save one friend from drowning on the Titanic who would it be? Or can you have multiple best friends?

So let's review.....

Rachel: My mother babysat her while she was pregnant with me. I have literally known her since I was born. I am still in constant contact with her and think of her more as a sister than as a friend. My youngest childhood memories are all of her and she (and her husband) are the godparents to Jake.

Kelley: Ahhh....my later younger years. Kelley was older (and wiser). We had such good times together and I am so glad that she was a part of my life. After we moved to Seattle we kept contact through junior high and most of high school but drifted apart a little over the years. She and I were each other's personal assistants at our weddings but since then we haven't been in touch much. I think about her often but unfortunately don't get to talk to her other than on Facebook (although I'm hopeful to see her in a few weeks when I'm back in the Midwest).

Breanne: Another great friend. She and I were inseparable through much of junior high and early high school. Unfortunately we drifted apart after we moved to Arkansas. I greatly value her friendship and I'm glad we've reconnected over Facebook. She was a huge part of my teen years.

Bryan: Ahhh....this is a tricky one. Bryan and I met in 6th grade but didn't become good friends until junior high. After that he was my rock. My everything. The one I could turn to with any sort of problem. I could confess any secret to him. One wiggle of his ears would solve any problem that I had and he was the sweetest, most wonderful person. When I moved away to Arkansas he gave me an old jacket of his. When I called him crying about how miserable I was after we first moved he told me to put on his jacket and pretend that it was him hugging me. I can't tell you how much that helped me through things. Despite the distance Bryan and I continued to be best friends throughout high school and most of college. We attempted dating in college and while it was wonderful it was probably for the best that it didn't work out. That still didn't stop us from being best friends. Whenever Bryan introduced a girlfriend to me she was instantly bitchy because of our close relationship. My boyfriends were also threatened by my relationship with Bryan.

When I first moved to Boston I briefly dated a guy named James. He was nice. I think we went on about three dates. And then one night he threw a hissy fit because I was talking to Bryan on the phone. Well that was the end of that. A few months later I started dating Lincoln and we went on a trip to Niagara Falls, Canada. I remember sitting with him at an outside table at a restaurant and telling him I knew we had a great relationship because he was the first guy ever that I would be willing to give up my relationship with Bryan. Luckily he never asked that of me and when we got engaged he actually planned on asking Bryan to be one of his groomsmen even though he had never met him just because Bryan was so important to me. I told him that wasn't necessary but I have never forgotten that gesture.

Unfortunately Bryan got married a year after us and about two years later he informed me that "since his marriage he was re-evaluating his friendships" and thought it best that we not talk anymore. I haven't spoken to Bryan since May 14, 2003.

I still count him as one of the most influential friends in my life.

Dawn and Stephanie: You can't separate one from the other. Dawn and Steph were my BFFs Junior and Senior year of high school in Arkansas. I can't say enough about them except that they made my life wonderful and made me love living there when nothing else could. I had other great friends there - Sheri, Andrea, Scott, Ricky, and so on and so on - but they were the best. I've unfortunately lost touch with Dawn over the years. Mostly because she's not on email and Facebook, but I'm still in touch with Steph. I haven't seen either of them in years but I still count them amongst my BFFs.

Carrie: I had many great friends in college but my BFF would definitely have been Carrie. I don't know what I would have done without her. I can't put into words how I feel about her but she was a wonderful, funny, perfect part of my college experience.....so much so that she was part of my wedding party ten years ago. Unfortunately, once again, we've drifted apart over the years.

Tracy: Tracy. What can I say about Tracy? We met when our kids were in kindergarten together and we've been inseparable ever since. I have her listed under "family" in my phone groupings and people often mistake us for sisters. She has a standing invitation to Friday Night Mexican night and a key to our house she can use anytime. The treehouse is pretty much hers whenever Mom and Dad aren't visiting. She is definitely my BFF.

And here is where I get confused. BFF is a term that is easily thrown around but "best" friend seems to me like it should be singular. Who is my one best, best, bestest friend in the entire world?

Well, that's a tough one.

In a day-t0-day "who would you want to call up and hang out with" way, I would totally say Tracy. We do everything together.

In a "who has been your one true constant friend for the past 33 years and the one person you would be devastated without" way, I would totally say Rachel.

In a "God-damn it, why is his wife such a horrific bitch?" sort of way, I would say Bryan. But even with that he wouldn't win out over the others.

So.....

In a tsunami, or the sinking of the Titanic, who would I choose to save after my 33 years of friends in 5 states? I would have to say, I would go down trying to save both Rachel and Tracy. But if we had only one floatation device I would give it to Rachel. Tracy and I would just have to hang on and hope a boat arrived soon.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

He has a point....but it is still annoying

Tonight we had tacos to celebrate our 10th anniversary. Our anniversary is actually tomorrow but we had the tacos tonight to commemorate our Rehearsal Dinner at the Mexican restaurant. While we were eating we started to reminisce about a night when we where eating tacos and joking about Jake's inability to be quiet. As we were talking about how Jake talks and talks and talks he piped up (interrupting us, of course) and said: "Hey! I'm a curious man!"

Monday, October 4, 2010

The battle continues....but I think I'm finally winning

It has been a rough few months as I battle depression for the first time in my life. I've been taking a leave of absence from work which has been very helpful in allowing me to get things sorted out. My medication seems to be at a good spot these days and today was my first full day back at work. I have to say, it feels good to be back.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Bad name

Jake: What is Hannah's bad name?

Me: What?

Jake: You know.....mine is JACOB DANIEL SNOW!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

New season, new color

SPRING / SUMMER:



AUTUMN/WINTER:


And a picture that was just too cute not to post:






He's determined to find a way around this

Jake: Mommy, can I watch TV in my head?

Me: Sure.

(Zones out, smiles, laughs)

Me: What are you watching?

Jake: Phineas & Ferb

Okay, seriously, WHAT are we going to do with this kid

If you haven't already read about Jake's punishment this morning click here before reading this post.

This kid is certainly working all the angles on this punishment. It's almost scary how creative he is. I can see a career as a defense attorney in his future.

Jake: Can I watch TV at Grandma's house?

Me: No.

Jake: But it's not our TV.

Me: Doesn't matter. It's still TV.

Jake: What can I have to drink?

Me: White milk or water.

(pause)

Jake: So, I can still have regular milk?

Me: Yes.

Jake: Ok. Then I'll have chocolate for dessert. You know, chocolate in a wrapper.

Me: Ummm....not necessarily.

Jake: Why not?

Me: You'd still have to have permission to have chocolate for dessert and the way you're going that isn't going to happen.

Jake: Can I use my computer?

Me: Yes, we didn't ban you from that....yet.

Jake: Ok.

(pause)

Jake: Can I watch YouTube videos on my computer?

Me: No.

Jake: Why?

Me: Because it's too much like TV.

Jake: But it's not like TV. It's smaller. And on the computer.

What are we going to do with this kid?

This morning Lincoln and Jake walked Hannah up to the bus stop. When they came back to the house Jake came into the room and confessed to me that he had been thirsty and since Hannah had a water bottle and he didn't he punched her. WHAT? Apparently, while she had it up to her mouth, he punched the bottom of the bottle so that it went into her teeth. Overall she wasn't really hurt but of course it was sore and she started to cry.

When Link and Jake got back to the house, and after Jake's confession, Jake was sent to his room to come up with what he thought was a suitable punishment while Daddy and I discussed it.

Jake (calling from his room down the hall): I know what my punishment should be!

Link: What?

Jake: How about no books read to me at bedtime for three days?

Link (shaking his head no at me): No Jake. That's not good enough.

(pause)

Jake: Well, that's all that I've got.

(Thank god he was in the other room because this is when I buried my face and started to laugh uncontrollably.)

Link: How about no TV all weekend?

Jake: I thought about that but then my brain said "no".

(More uncontrollable laughter.)

In the end, due to the severity of the crime, he received a four part punishment. No TV until Monday. No chocolate milk until Monday (he can have white milk or water). He has to clean the kids playroom all by himself with no help from Hannah (they usually have to do it together) and he's not allowed to whine or complain while he does it. And finally, he doesn't get to have Mommy's "best ever" Mac 'n Cheese that he had requested for lunch today.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Into the Lion's Den

Yes, I have apparently started naming all of the rooms in our house. I'm a dork, what can I say?

This is the room that used to be Jake's nursery (and Hannah's before that). It is now my library. I can't tell you how much I love this room. And of course since I decorated it with all of my favorite lion stuff, we call it the Lion's Den.

The ladder - my favorite touch in the room - was a gift from my friend Rachel. I'm working on getting a little plaque to put on it. LOL.