It's With It...I think

Steve has been wanting to learn to play the guitar for a few months now. At the beginning of December, his dad brought him his brothers old guitar that had been in storage for years. Steve's brother, Chuck, passed away in a bicycle accident about 20 years ago, so not only is the guitar old, it is very sentimental.

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Steve is a VERY hard person to buy gifts for. Anytime we have a society-says-we-must-exchange-gifts day, I panic because I don't know what I am going to get for him - until our anniversary last week. He has had the guitar in the hallway for a month and a half waiting to be taken care of. He has wanted to take it in to get serviced and re-strung, but has not had the time due to his new job at the hospital. I decided that I would do it for him as a surprise. I was so excited to actually have a gift that I knew he wanted.

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Friday morning I made a couple of phone calls and found a guitar shop where I could get new strings. Someone would also check it out and string it for me. Thomas was thrilled because he was going to bring his guitar and get new strings for it. Perfect! An activity, and an errand all rolled into one!

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We got to the guitar shop and walked in. I was carrying the old case in one hand, diaper bag slung over the shoulder, and Clara was sitting on my hip. I was wearing my trusty jeans that are kind of like cool jeans, but not really because they don't show my crack when I sit down (from what I see, that is the style). I had on a nice cardigan sweater and ballet flats. I looked perfect for Gymboree or a fun enrichment night. I even put on some of my Brighton jewelry to look like I was pulled together. Thomas walked beside me carrying his guitar in the travel case on his back. As soon as I walked in the door, I knew I had overdressed. A lot.

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The first person to greet us was a super skinny girl that needed a sandwich really bad. She took my name and then took my case, because I guess I looked like I was going to run in and steal a bunch of guitar picks. She pointed me over to the counter and told me that someone would be there to help me.

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As I walked into the main part of the store, I knew I was out of my element. I did not fit in. Everyone there was in black and had piercings everywhere. They were the kind of piercings where you stare and questions start flooding your mind. How do they possibly eat or blow their nose, or use a q-tip? I found it took me a minute to focus my attention because I was wincing at the thought of the pain they must have endured to look so cool.

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I was pleasantly surprised by how nice and accommodating the girl that helped me was. The piercings and black were all a facade. I purchased the strings for the old guitar, some strings for Thomas' guitar, some picks, and a little tuner for Steve. While she was fixing it, Thomas and I were making small talk with her.

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Me: So, do you play?

Her: Yes

Me: Do you play the Electric Guitar?

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My Thoughts: Oh my gosh, I just said electric guitar...that is so 80's, not to mention stereotypical! Fix it...fix it...

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Me: I guess I should say bass?

Her: I play both.

Me: I guess it's not hip to say Electric Guitar.

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My Thoughts: DID I JUST SAY HIP? I am such a loser.

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She glances up from the guitar

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Me: I guess hip isn't the thing to say either.

Her: Yeah, it's with it now.

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I am pretty sure that is what she said. The laughter in my head was drowning out what she was saying.

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By this point she had finished the guitar and was handing it back to me. I thanked her, gave her a tip, grabbed the kids and ran as fast as I could after grabbing the case at the check in counter. I felt so ridiculous! It's not like I wanted to be cool enough to hang with these kids, but at least cool enough not to stick out like a sore thumb, let alone say phrases that weren't even cool when I was in school.

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As I was strapping both kids in the car seat, in the mini van no less, she and her friend came walking out of the store laughing. In my mind, she was replaying the conversation she had just had with the lady in the mom-sweater to her friend. I had so many emotions. I was laughing at myself because of the conversation and the realization that I am not cool. I was also relieved because I don't have to worry about living the life of a teenager / young adult and having that constant fear of not being accepted.

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Steve was very happy and surprised with the gift, which made the whole experience worth the embarrassment. However, he wants to exchange the tuner for a digital one. I told him there was no way I was stepping foot back into that store. I would take the $10.00 loss rather than putting my self in a situation to make me look even more un-hip, or I guess I should say with-out-it?

Birthday Report - Post #2

Thomas had his friend birthday party on Wednesday. He was so excited to be old enough to have a birthday party. He has been telling me for months that he wanted to have a Superman Birthday Party - what a surprise!

The two nights before his party, I stayed up making these...

And working on this...

I had to keep putting the cake back in the freezer and the frosting in the refrigerator because my hands kept melting everything. It was worth missing sleep, because I thought the cake turned out pretty snazzy and it was a so much fun to see the boys flying around the room in their capes.

I need to go have my hand checked for carpal tunnel syndrome.

The night before the party, I had the food network on and was watching a segment on the bacteria that develops all over birthday cake. That was all I could think about while he was doing this, and the fact that my baby is 4!

I think Thomas thought the concept of this game was to see who could stick it the highest. He also kept wanting to take the stickers off because they were covering Superman.

Clara had a great time at the party because the boys were dropping Nerds everywhere. She sat quietly in the chaos enjoying her sugar fix.

All the boys.

This picture cracks me up. I said, "Okay, everyone turn around so I can see your bum." I forgot how literal boys take things. 3 of the boys took it upon themselves to bend over and stick them out.

It was a really fun, energetic party. I am glad that there is a full year to recuperate before the next one.

Birthday Report - Post #1

I have been meaning to post pictures of the birthday festivities for a couple of days now, but I have been exhausted and the thought of sitting for an hour at the computer instead of laying on the couch didn't sound too appealing. I have to post the pictures for the grandparents, not to mention this is my form of scrapbooking.

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Tuesday morning, the first thing I heard after hearing Thomas' door open was..."MOM! I'M FOUR!" He was so excited. Because it was his birthday, he was able to get away with a breakfast of powdered sugar doughnuts.

When he came downstairs, he found the balloon that Steve had left for him.

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T: What's that?

Me: That is the balloon that Dad bought for you. He was sad he had to be at work this morning instead of here.

T: Well, that balloon is kind of scary.

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He spent the rest of the day hitting it with a wooden spoon.

For lunch, Grandma Shirley came and took us all to In and Out Burger. He loves cheeseburgers, and thank heavens he knows where to get a good one. While we were driving home, Steve called to check in. While he was on the phone with Thomas, I heard

"Dad, I'm four, you'll see when you get home."

Thomas and I also worked the first birthday cake for the little family party. He is just starting to get into Wall-E, and asked for a green Wall-E cake. Because I didn't want to ruin his birthday for him, I had my Mom stay a little longer and watch the kids while I ran to the Disney Store to buy the PVC toys. I love these things! They make cake decorating so easy...expensive, but easy.

We asked Thomas several times where he wanted to have his birthday dinner and he kept telling us Taco Bell. We have never taken him to Taco Bell, so we were kind of surprised to hear his choice. I kept on suggesting other places, but he wouldn't give in. Steve, being the great dad he is, told me to stop and just let him pick Taco Bell.

On the way there, he was able to talk to Grandma Barb and Granddad.

And then Aunt Leah called right after that.

Thomas ate what he had talked about all day, a crunchy taco, or what we like to call the cheapest birthday dinner ever!

Clara enjoyed her quesadilla on the freshly bleached table thanks to the Clorox wipes I keep on had at all times.

When we got home, he opened his presents. I don't know if we were more excited about the big wheel, or if he was. Both of us grew up riding these. I am very disappointed that they don't come with the hand break anymore. The poor kid won't be able to do those cool 360 degree turns. (please ignore the full laundry baskets on the couch.)

Uncle Timmy, Aunt Millie, Hayden and Liam came over for cake and ice cream and brought Thomas some Wall-E toys. Thomas has his Uncle Timmy wrapped around his finger. There is a special bond there that is fun to see. Aunt Millie said that she had to stop Tim from buying out the whole Wall-E section of toys at the Disney Store.

After everyone left, Steve and Thomas were able to put together the bike.

I love birthdays, it isn't only a special day for the kid, but for us as a family!

9 and counting

Today is our 9 year wedding anniversary. I feel very lucky to be married to such a wonderful guy with great integrity. I love him so much. I have to say that he is pretty lucky, too, because I was a great catch.

They say pottery is the appropriate anniversary gift for nine years. I have my fingers crossed that Steve comes home with this...

A look back at 4 years.

I bet when you saw the title, you thought I was going to be posting about President Bush. Wrong. Last time we had an inauguration of the president, this is what I had just done moments before...

I find it so hard to believe that our little guy is 4 years old today!

Two weeks old. His eyes have been a very defining feature since he was a tiny baby. I still see him make this same look.

One

almost two

Two and a half

almost 3

3 and a half

Our big 4 year old!

Today Steve took him to go ride the go-carts. Every time we pass the g0-cart place on the freeway, Thomas says, "I can go there when I am bigger." Steve kept it a suprise and didn't tell him where they were going. As they pulled into the parking lot, Thomas said, "I am a big boy now?" He had so much fun driving the cars and was thrilled to come home and show me his drivers license.

We love him so much and are so blessed to have him as our son. Happy Birthday, buddy!

After

Every Sunday I take great care in getting Clara ready for church. I love getting her dressed up. But every Sunday, no fail, by the time we get home from the church she is a wreck. She looks like I feel after 3 hours of trying to get her to stay still, which is impossible. This week she looked like some homeless kid when we got home. As you can see, her hair was pulled out, but only on one side. It didn't show up too well in the picture, but her face was covered in some kind of black, dusty crud and dried snot. Then there are the tights. She hasn't figured out that no matter how hard you pull them, they are not going to come off.

Someone needs to teach her how to be a lady!

Where do I begin...

Here is just a taste of what a typical day with Thomas consists of...

1. Thomas INSISTED on wearing his sandals to preschool yesterday. I tried to talk him out of it. I told him it was too cold, and that we only wear sandals in the summer. I knew I was going to lose this one, so I compromised and told him he could wear them with socks. As soon as he put his shoes on, I had some serious flashbacks to the college days. Back in the good ol' early 90's.

2. After we got home from preschool, I was getting ready to empty the trash. He ran up to me and...

T: Mom, you need to say, "do you think you can handle this?
M: What?

T: Just say, "do you think you can handle this?"

M: Okay..."Do you think you can handle this?"

T: YES!

At this point he grabs the trash bag from me and drags it out into the garage. It dawned on me that he was imitating the Glad Force Flex commercial where the little boy takes out the trash for his mom. Gotta love advertising!

And, yes. He prefers to run around in his favorite underwear all afternoon.

3. Finally, last night I went to check on him before I went to bed and found him asleep with his USHER pin on, just in case we have an emergency stake meeting.

Big Brother, Little Sister

To whom it may concern:

Dear Allrecipes,

As a frequent user of your website, I would like to send you this quick note to inform you that the pot roast recipe with the 4 1/2 star rating, stinks (I would use sucks, but my mother will read this and I don't want to hear about my potty mouth from her). I was so excited to make a good, hearty meal for my family today. I went to your website, like I frequently do, to try a new recipe and poured over the numerous entries. I picked one with several reviews saying how fabulous this roast was, and how it was the best ever. I thought I had found my new go-to recipe. I spent minutes in the kitchen throwing the ingredients into the slow-cooker and plugged it in with great anticipation. Hours later when I returned to check on my meal, I found what looked like a big piece of bark. "This can't be right," I thought to myself. "I followed the recipe." I figured it would taste much better than it looked, so I served it up to my hungry family. I was expecting to wow my family, but instead I made them sit in silence while trying to choke down a roast that tasted like the smell of dog food. I think my soon-to-be 4-year-old summed up the meal best when he broke the silence by saying, "Mom, this is crummy. You are not a good steak cooker." I have only you to blame for the permanent scar my son left on my soul from such a callous remark.

Please know that I will continue to use your website, but only with extreme caution.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Amy R.

Mother, Wife, and Usually a Good Steak Cooker

a peek inside my messed up head

Remember the movie, Signs. It scared the living daylights out of me. The scene from the picture above caused me to sleep with the lights on for days, so you could only imagine my shock when Thomas came home from preschool today with his project for the letter M. I am sure he could have made a really nice mask had he used other colors and painted an actual face on it, but instead he covered the whole thing with his favorite color and was able to create a bit of creepiness for me.

Little Man

Thomas has been asking us for a suit for a long time. We told him that when he graduated from Nursery and went to Primary with the big kids, we would get him a one. Well that day finally came. Thomas graduated from Nursery (poor kid has been stuck in there with the babies because his birthday was weeks away from the cut-off) and is now a Sunbeam, or Sunbeap as he likes to call it.

Getting his certificate of completion

Daddy, Thomas and Grandad

(If someone knows how to slow time down, please let me know. It is going way too fast around here)

Like Father, Like Son